240 NURSERY RHYMES.

 

If you set your foot awry (11),
Gentle John will make you cry (12),
If you set your foot amiss (13),
Gentle John (14) will give you a kiss.
The child upon whom (14) falls is then taken out, and forced to
select one of the other sex. The middle child then proceeds.
This [lady or gentleman] is none of ours,
Has put [him or her] self in [the selected child’s] power,
So clap all hands, and ring all bells, and make the wedding o’er.
(Al clap hands.)
If the child taken by lot joins in the clapping, the selected

child is rejected, and I believe takes the middle place. Other-
wise, I think there is a salute.

CCCCV.

ANOTHER game, played exclusively by boys. Two, who are
fixed upon for the purpose, leave the group, and privately arrange
that the pass-word shall be some implement of a particular trade.
The trade is announced in the dialogue, and then the fun is, that
the unfortunate wight who guesses the “tool” is beaten with the
caps of his fellows till he reaches a fixed goal, after which he
goes out in turn.

“Two broken tradesmen,
Newly come over,
The one from France and Scotland,
The other from Dover.”
“What’s your trade?”
Carpenters, nailers, smiths, tinkers, or any other is answered,
and on guessing the instrument “plane him!” “hammer him!”

“rasp him!” or “solder him!” is called out respectively during
the period of punishment.