(_d_) Other versions have been sent from Winterton, Leadenham, and Lincoln, by Miss Peacock, and from Brigg, while the _Northamptonshire Notes and Queries_, ii. 161, gives another by Mr. R. S. Baker. The words are practically the same as the versions printed above from Lincolnshire and Northants. The words of the Madeley version are the same as the Much Wenlock (No. 1). The Nottingham tune (Miss Youngman), and three others sent with the words, are the same as the Madeley tune printed above.
(_e_) This interesting game is essentially of rural origin, and probably it is for this reason that Mr. Newell did not obtain any version from England for his _Games and Songs of American Children_, but his note that it "seems, strangely enough, to be unknown in Great Britain" (p. 80), is effectually disproved by the examples I have collected. There is no need in this case for an analysis of the rhymes. The variants fall into three categories: (1) the questioning form of the words, (2) the affirming form, and (3) the indiscriminate form, as in Nos. xvi. to xviii., and of these I am disposed to consider the first to represent the earliest idea of the game.
If the crops mentioned in the verses be considered, it will be found that the following table represents the different localities:--
+------+-----------------------------------------------------------+ | |Northants. | | | |Lancashire. | | | | |Lincolnshire. | | | | | |Shropshire. | | | | | | |Staffordshire. | | | | | | | |Nottingham. | | | | | | | | |Isle of Man. | | | | | | | | | |Hants. | | | | | | | | | | |Isle of | | | | | | | | | | |Wight. | | | | | | | | | | | |Nor- | | | | | | | | | | | |folk.| +------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |Oats | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | ... | ... | |Beans | + | + | + | + | ... | + | + | + | ... | + | |Barley| + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | |Wheat | ... | ... | ... | ... | + | ... | ... | ... | + | ... | |Groats| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | |Hop | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | + | ... | ... | + | +------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
The first three are the more constant words, but it is curious that Norfolk, not a hop county, should have adopted that grain into the game. Hops are grown there on rare occasions, and it is probable that the game may have been introduced from a hop county.