Emslie, are inserted in order to assist the reader to understand the different actions, and in one or two instances I have been able to give a facsimile reproduction of representations of the games from early MSS. in the Bodleian and British Museum Libraries. Although none of the versions of the games now collected together are in their original form, but are more or less fragmentary, it cannot, I think, fail to be noticed how extremely interesting these games are, not only from the point of view of the means of amusement (and under this head there can be no question of their interest), but as a means of obtaining an insight into many of the customs and beliefs of our ancestors. Children do not invent, but they imitate or mimic very largely, and in many of these games we have, there is little doubt, unconscious folk-dramas of events and customs which were at one time being enacted as a part of the serious concerns of life before the eyes of children many generations ago. As to the many points of interest under this and other heads there is no occasion to dwell at length here, because the second volume will contain an appendix giving a complete analysis of the incidents mentioned in the games, and an attempt to tell the story of their origin and development, together with a comparison with the games of children of foreign countries. The intense pleasure which the collection of these games has given me has been considerably enhanced by the many expressions of the same kind of pleasure from correspondents who have helped me, it not being an infrequent case for me to be thanked for reviving some of the keenest pleasures experienced by the collector since childhood; and I cannot help thinking that, if these traditional games have the power of thus imparting pleasure after the lapse of many years, they must contain the power of giving an equal pleasure to those who may now learn them for the first time. ALICE BERTHA GOMME. BARNES COMMON, S.W., _Jan.
For instance; Z deals, and turns a heart. A calls six tricks, intending to name hearts trumps; but not saying so. B passes; Y says “I Keep.” This announces to the table that Y will play with a red trump, and A knows he is bidding on diamonds. Z passes, and A says; “I keep over you.” B then bids seven tricks, and if A will not risk seven tricks in hearts, B will be the successful bidder. If A should bid seven tricks by keeping over B, the latter must know that it is useless for him to bid again unless he can make more tricks in diamonds than A can in hearts; for A’s bid, being in first preference, will always outrank B’s for the same number of tricks. A player once having passed cannot come into the bidding again, except to call one of the misères. In the example just given, either Y or Z, after having twice passed, might have outbid the seven tricks by calling a little misère. Such a bid can, of course, be entertained only when it outranks any bid already made.
The Lodge had proved that several times, in spite of my strong feelings that I had flashes of precognition. Why should I resent not having PC? How many Psi personalities have more than one power? Not many. And as for precognition, as Simonetti said, more than their fair share is possessed by wild-looking women. Like Sniffles, I thought suddenly. Well, Rose said, turning back to his partner. Let Sime and me talk it over. Maybe we should get a PC. Nuts, Simonetti told him. I ll think it over, too, I said. See you tomorrow.
Long Terrace Every player chooses a partner. The couples stand immediately in front of each other, forming a long line, one remaining outside of the line on the right-hand side, who is called the Clapper. The object of the game is for the last couple to reach the top of the line, each running on different sides, and keeping to the side on which they are standing. The object of the Clapper is to hit the one running on the right side of the line, which, if he succeeds in doing, makes him the Clapper, and the Clapper takes his place. [The next _last_ couple would then presumably try and reach the top.]--East Kirkby, Lincs. (Miss K. Maughan). A similar game to this is played at Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews). It is there called Long Tag.
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Spoil Five probably comes next in point of respectability; but Écarté has often fallen into evil hands, and the very name is in some places regarded as synonymous for gambling. The same is true of Napoleon, but in less degree. Euchre, unlike the other members of the family, is not essentially a gambling game, but belongs rather to the intellectual group of card games; a position which we hope it may long maintain. EUCHRE. _=CARDS.=_ Euchre is played with what is commonly known as the piquet pack, 32 cards, all below the 7 being deleted. In plain suits the cards rank as at Whist; but in the trump suit the Jack is the best, and it is called the _=Right Bower=_. The Jack of the same colour as the trump suit, red or black, is the second-best trump, and it is called the _=Left Bower=_; so that if clubs were trumps the rank of the nine cards in the trump suit would be as follows:-- [Illustration: 🃛 🂫 🃑 🃞 🃝 🃚 🃙 🃘 🃗 ] The rank of the cards in the other suits would be:-- [Illustration: 🂡 🂮 🂭 🂪 🂩 🂨 🂧 🂱 🂾 🂽 🂻 🂺 🂹 🂸 🂷 🃁 🃎 🃍 🃋 🃊 🃉 🃈 🃇 ] When the _=Joker=_, or blank card is used, it is always the best trump, ranking above the right bower. In cutting, the ace is low, the other cards ranking as in plain suits. A player cutting the Joker must cut again.
Hee s at barli-break, and the last couple are now in hell (Dekker s _The Virgin Martir_). See Gifford s _Massinger_, i. 104, edit. 1813. See also Browne s _Britannia s Pastorals_, published in 1614, Book I., Song 3, p. 76. Randle Holme mentions this game as prevailing in his day in Lancashire. Harland and Wilkinson believe this game to have left its traces in Yorkshire and Lancashire. A couple link hands and sally forth from _home_, shouting something like Aggery, ag, ag, Ag s gi en warning, and trying to tick or touch with the free hand any of the boys running about separately.
If the diamond ace is not turned up, each player in turn, beginning with the eldest hand, exposes his down card. The first player to discover Matrimony in his two cards, takes all that has been staked on that division of the layout. The first to discover Intrigue or Confederacy, takes all on that, and the first player to expose a Pair takes that pool. The ace of diamonds is of no value except as one of a pair, if it is one of the cards that were dealt to the players face down. The pool for it remains until the card is dealt to some player face up. Any of the pools which are not won must remain until the following deal, and may be added to. POPE JOAN. This game is a combination of the layout in Matrimony, and the manner of playing in Commit. There are a great many ways of dividing the layout, but the following is the simplest. Five cards are taken from an old pack, and are laid out in the centre of the table, or their names are written on a sheet of paper.
This gives us 120 points in the pack, and the object is to get 61 or more. _=Dealing.=_ Any one can deal the first hand, after which the deal passes to the left. Three cards are given to each player the first round, then three for the widow, and then two rounds of four cards each to the players, so that there are three hands of eleven cards each, and three in the widow. _=THE GAMES.=_ Each player in turn, beginning on the dealer’s left, can offer to play one of three games, and the highest offer must be accepted. A player cannot increase his own bid unless he is overbid. The highest bidder becomes the single player, opposed to the two others. _=Frog.=_ In this, hearts must be trumps.
VII. London Bridge is falling down, Falling down, falling down, London Bridge is falling down, My fair lady. Build it up with mortar and bricks, Mortar and bricks, mortar and bricks, Build it up with mortar and bricks, My fair lady. [Then follow verses in the same style and with the same refrain, beginning with--] Bring some water, we ll wash it away. Build it up with silver and gold. Silver and gold will be stolen away. We ll set a man to watch at night. Suppose the man should fall asleep? Give him a pipe of tobacco to smoke. Suppose the pipe should fall and break? We ll give him a bag of nuts to crack. Suppose the nuts were rotten and bad? We ll give him a horse to gallop around, &c.
4. Play to Score=_; ♡8 turned. | R| ♡J turned. | I| --------------------------------+ C+-------------------------------- A Y B Z | K| A Y B Z +-------+-------+-------+-------+--+-------+-------+-------+-------+ | 6♢ | J♢ | _A♢_ | 9♢ | 1| K♠ | 4♠ | 3♠ | _A♠_ | | _♡3_ | 3♢ | 2♢ | 10♢ | 2| ♡3 | ♡9 | _♡Q_ | ♡2 | | ♣9 | ♣K | _♣A_ | ♣3 | 3| 2♠ | 7♠ | 5♠ | _♡4_ | | _♡6_ | 4♢ | 5♢ | ♣4 | 4| ♣2 | _♣K_ | ♣6 | ♣3 | | _♣Q_ | ♣8 | ♣2 | ♣7 | 5| ♡5 | ♡7 | ♡8 | _♡J_ | | ♣6 | ♡4 | _♡9_ | ♣10 | 6| ♡10 | ♣5 | ♡K | _♡A_ | | _♡10_ | 7♢ | 8♢ | ♣J | 7| ♣8 | _♣J_ | 3♢ | ♣4 | | ♣5 | ♡K | _♡A_ | 7♠ | 8| 5♢ | J♢ | _A♢_ | 2♢ | | 4♠ | Q♢ | _♡Q_ | ♡5 | 9| 10♠ | 9♠ | 8♠ | _♡6_ | | 2♠ | 5♠ | _♡J_ | ♡7 |10| ♣Q | ♣7 | 4♢ | _♣A_ | | _A♠_ | 6♠ | Q♠ | K♠ |11| Q♠ | J♠ | 6♠ | _♣10_ | | _J♠_ | 9♠ | 3♠ | 10♠ |12| 10♢ | 7♢ | 6♢ | _♣9_ | | _8♠_ | K♢ | ♡2 | _♡8_ |13| Q♢ | 8♢ | 9♢ | K♢ | +-------+-------+-------+-------+--+-------+-------+-------+-------+ _=No. 1.=_ This is a fine example of the _=Long-suit Game=_. The leader begins with one of the high cards of his long suit. Missing the 2, he knows some one is signalling for trumps, and as it is very unlikely that the adversaries would signal while he was in the lead, he assumes it is his partner, and leads his best trump. His partner does not return the trump, because he holds major tenace over the king, which must be in Y’s hand. At trick 5 B still holds major tenace in trumps, and leads a small card of his long suit to try to get A into the lead again.
The object is to make the two ends of the line some multiple of five, and for every five so made the player scores five points toward game, which is usually 100 up. If only one point is scored for each five, 20 or 21 may be game. Each player draws seven bones, and the highest double sets, each person afterward playing in turn. If double five is the first set it counts 10. The 5-0 played to this would count 10 for the second player, because one end of the line being 10 and the other 0, the total value of the two ends is still 10. Double blank played to this would count 10 more. If 5-6 is now played on one end, and 0-4 on the other, the count will be 10 again, as shown on the diagram. The figures show the order in which the dominoes were played. [Illustration] The highest possible score is 20 points, made with the 4-4 and 6-6, at different ends. If either player makes a multiple of five without noticing or claiming it, his adversary says, “_=muggins=_,” and scores it himself.
Both are distinguished by the introduction of a human element, one as watchman, the other as prisoner. The watchman incident approaches nearer to modern facts; the prisoner incident remains unexplained by any appeal to modern life, and it occurs more frequently than the others. In only one case, the Shropshire, is the prisoner ransomed; in the others he is sent to prison. Besides this main line of criticism brought out by the analysis there is little to note. The Hurstmonceux version begins with taking lambs over London Bridge, and the Shropshire version with the players themselves going over; but these are doubtless foreign adjuncts, because they do not properly prefix the main incident of the bridge being broken. The Belfast version has a curious line, Grant said the little bee or dee, which the Cork version renders, Gran says the little D. To these there is now no meaning that can be traced, but they help to prove that the rhyme originated from a state of things not understood by modern players. In all the versions with the prisoner incident it comes quite suddenly, without any previous indication, except in the Kent version, which introduces the exclamation, Here s a prisoner I have got! As the analysis shows the prisoner incident to be a real and not accidental part of the game, and the unmeaning expressions to indicate an origin earlier than modern players can understand, we can turn to other facts to see if the origin can be in any way traced. ANALYSIS OF GAME-RHYMES. +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+ |No.
=_ This feature of Solo Whist is even rarer than the _grand coup_ at Whist. It is not very marvellous for an abundance player to make twelve or thirteen tricks; but to announce thirteen tricks before a card is played is something phenomenal. All the adversaries can do against such a call is to show each other, by their discards, in which of the suits they have a possible trick. It is very annoying to have a player succeed in making a slam just because two of his adversaries keep the same suit. SOLO WHIST FOR THREE PLAYERS. The best arrangement is to play with a pack of forty cards, deleting the 2, 3, and 4 of each suit. The last card is turned up to determine the trump, but it is not used in play. There is no proposal and acceptance, solo being the lowest call. If all three players pass, the trump card is turned down, and each player in turn has the option of calling a six-trick abundance, naming his own trump suit. In some places it is the custom to allow the players to over-call each other, after the trump is turned down, each increasing the number of tricks he proposes to take.
We decided that every man should be as brave and skilful as every other man, and that when two men of opposite sides came into contact they would inevitably kill each other. This restored strategy to its predominance over chance. We then began to humanise that wild and fearful fowl, the gun. We decided that a gun could not be fired if there were not six--afterwards we reduced the number to four--men within six inches of it. And we ruled that a gun could not both fire and move in the same general move: it could either be fired or moved (or left alone). If there were less than six men within six inches of a gun, then we tried letting it fire as many shots as there were men, and we permitted a single man to move a gun, and move with it as far as he could go by the rules--a foot, that is, if he was an infantry-man, and two feet if he was a cavalry-man. We abolished altogether that magical freedom of an unassisted gun to move two feet. And on such rules as these we fought a number of battles. They were interesting, but not entirely satisfactory. We took no prisoners--a feature at once barbaric and unconvincing.
At the end of the last line they turn themselves about without loosing hands. (_c_) Miss Burne includes this among obscure and archaic games, and Halliwell-Phillips mentions it as a marching game. The three first versions have something of the nature of an incantation, while the fourth and fifth versions may probably belong to another game altogether. It is not clear from the great variation in the verses to which class the game belongs. Almonds and Reasons An old English game undescribed.--_Useful Transactions in Philosophy_, 1709, p. 43. Angel and Devil One child is called the Angel, another child the Devil, and a third child the Minder. The children are given the names of colours by the Minder. Then the Angel comes over and knocks, when the following dialogue takes place.
Another variety of Commerce is variously known as _=My Ship Sails; or My Bird Sings=_. The counters have a money value, and three are given to each player. Three cards are dealt, face down, and one at a time. There is no widow. The eldest hand may then exchange one card with the player on his left, who must give his card before seeing the one he is to receive. The exchange goes round to the left. The moment any player finds himself with a flush, three cards of the same suit, regardless of their value, whether dealt to him, or made by exchange, he says: “My Ship Sails;” and all exchange is stopped, and the hands are shown. Should there be more than one flush, the pips win, counting ace for 11, and other court-cards for 10 each. If no player has secured a flush after two rounds of exchanges, the hands are shown, and the highest number of pips in the two-card flushes wins the pool. The elder hand wins ties.
Smith). II. Down in the meadows where the green grass grows, To see ---- blow like a rose. She blows, she blows, she blows so sweet. Go out, ----; who shall he be? ---- made a pudding, She made it so sweet, And never stuck a knife in Till ---- came to eat. Taste, love, taste, love, don t say nay, For next Monday morning is your wedding day. He bought her a gown and a guinea gold ring, And a fine cocked hat to be married in. --West Haddon, Northamptonshire; Long Itchington, Warwickshire (_Northants Notes and Queries_, ii. 105). III.
Kimber). VIII. London Bridge is broken down, Gran says the little D, London Bridge is broken down, Fair la-dy. Build it up with lime and stone, Gran says the little D, Build it up with lime and stone, Fair la-dy. [Then follow verses beginning with the following lines--] Lime and stone would waste away. Build it up with penny loaves. Penny loaves would be eaten away. Build it up with silver and gold. Silver and gold would be stolen away. Get a man to watch all night.
Beginners should follow this rule for leading the King, regardless of the number of small cards in the suit, unless they hold the sequence of K Q J, and at least two other cards. [Illustration: 🂮 🂭 🂫 🂪 🂤 | 🃎 🃍 🃋 🃄 🃃 ] From this combination the _=Jack=_ is the usual lead, in order to invite partner to put on the Ace, if he has it, and get out of the way, thus establishing the suit in the leader’s hand. This is the only high-card combination from which the Jack is led. There is only one combination from which the _=Queen=_ is led, regardless of the number of the small cards. [Illustration: 🂭 🂫 🂪 🂦 🂥 ] This may be remembered by observing that there is no higher card in the suit than the one led, and that it contains a sequence of three cards, Q J 10. This lead is an indication to the partner that the leader holds neither Ace nor King. There is only one combination from which the _=Ten=_ is led, regardless of the number of small cards. [Illustration: 🂾 🂻 🂺 🂵 ] The Ten led is an indication to partner that both Ace and Queen are against the leader. Combinations from which the _=Ace=_ is led contain at least five cards in suit, or both Queen and Jack. [Illustration: 🂱 🂷 🂶 🂴 🂲 | 🃑 🃝 🃛 🃖 ] This lead is an indication to partner that the leader has not the King, and that the suit is either long, or contains three honours.
Any pins knocked down through the dead wood remaining on the alley cannot be placed to the credit of the players. TEN PINS--HEAD PIN OUT. ALSO KNOWN AS AMERICAN NINE PINS. [Illustration: O O O O O O O O O ] The pins are set as in the diagram. Ten innings constitute a game. Three balls (not exceeding 6 inches in size) are bowled. One pin of the frame must be left standing, or the inning goes for nothing. There are no penalties. The dead wood must be removed. Any pins knocked down through the dead wood remaining on the alley cannot be placed to the credit of the player.
It will often occur that a player’s attention must be so concentrated on getting clear himself that he has no opportunity to scheme for “loading” the others. But if it unfortunately happens that he is compelled to take in one or more hearts, he should at once turn his attention to taking them all, or to loading the other players, with a view to making a Jack of the pool. Should he succeed in either object, he has another chance for his money. It is usually bad policy to return the suit opened by the original leader. He has picked that out as his safest suit, and although he may be the only one safe in it, by continuing it you are reducing your chances to two players, when you might share them with all three. _=FOLLOWING SUIT.=_ When a player is not the original leader, his policy becomes defensive; for, as the first player is plotting to give hearts to every one but himself, each of the others must be a prospective victim, and should do his best to avoid the traps prepared by the one who plans the opening of the hand. When you are second or third player, the first time a suit is led, it is usually best to play your highest card, unless you are safe in the suit, or have so many that there is danger of getting a heart, even on the first round. As fourth player, you should always play your highest card, unless there is already a heart in the trick, or some decided disadvantage in the lead. The risks you run in playing high cards while following suit must be judged by the same probabilities that we examined in considering the original lead.
_=STAKES.=_ Binocle is played for so much a game of 1000 points, and the moment either player either actually reaches or claims to have reached that number, the game is at an end. If his claim is correct, he wins; if it is not, his adversary takes the stakes, no matter what the score may be. _=PLAYERS.=_ Binocle is played by two persons, one of whom is known as the _=dealer=_, and the other as the _=pone=_. They cut for the choice of seats and deal, and the player cutting the higher card may deal or not, as he pleases. It is usual for the player having the choice to make his adversary deal. A player exposing more than one card must cut again. _=DEALING.=_ After the cards are thoroughly shuffled, they are presented to the pone to be cut.
Taste [George], taste, and don t say Nay! Perhaps to-morrow morning ll be our wedding day. [The bells shall ring, and we shall sing, And all clap hands together.][2] --Earls Heaton (Herbert Hardy). (_b_) A full description of this game could not be obtained in each case. The Earls Heaton game is played by forming a ring, one child standing in the centre. After the first verse is sung, a child from the ring goes to the one in the centre. Then the rest of the verses are sung. The action to suit the words of the verses does not seem to have been kept up. In the Hampshire version, after the line As a bird upon a tree, the two children named pair off like sweethearts while the rest of the verse is being sung. (_c_) The analysis of the game rhymes is as follows:-- +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+ | | Hants.
In _=Boston=_ and in _=Cayenne=_, no trump is turned, but a card is cut from the still pack to determine the rank of the suits. See Law 13. In _=Cayenne=_, the trump suit must be named by the dealer or his partner after they have examined their cards. The dealer has the first say, and he may select any of the four suits, or he may announce “grand,” playing for the tricks without any trump suit. In Cayenne, he may announce “nullo,” playing to take as few tricks as possible, there being no trump suit. If the dealer makes his choice, his partner must abide by it; but if the dealer has not a hand to justify him in deciding, he may leave the choice to his partner, who must decide. A declaration once made cannot be changed. IRREGULARITIES IN THE HANDS. 19. If, at any time after all have played to the first trick, the pack being perfect, a player is found to have either more or less than his correct number of cards and his adversaries have their right number, the latter, upon the discovery of such surplus or deficiency, may consult and shall have the choice:-- I.
All ties are determined by cutting, those cutting the lower cards going up. In cutting, the ace is low. Each player is provided with a score card, to which the gold, red and green stars are attached as in Euchre. The gold stars are given to those at the head table who have the fewest hearts. Those moving from other tables receive red stars; and those taking in the most hearts at the booby table receive green stars. Prizes are given to the ladies and gentlemen having the greatest number of each variety of star; but the same player cannot win two prizes. If there is a tie in one class, the number of other stars must decide; equal numbers of gold being decided by the majority of red on the same card; red ties, by the greater number of gold; and green ties by the fewest number of gold stars. _=HEARTSETTE.=_ Heartsette differs from hearts only in the addition of a widow. When four play, the spade deuce is deleted; twelve cards are given to each player, and the three remaining form the widow, which is left face downward in the centre of the table.
O Annie [or any name], O Annie, Your sweetheart is dead! He has sent you a letter To turn back your head. --Earls Heaton, Yorkshire (H. Hardy). V. Green gravel, green gravel, The grass is so green, The fairest young damsels As ever were seen. O ----, O ----, your true love is dead; He sent you a letter To turn round your head. Green gravel, green gravel, The grass is so green, The dismalest damsels As ever were seen. O ----, O ----, your true love s not dead; He sends you a letter To turn back your head. --Lincoln, Winterton, and Wakefield (Miss Fowler and Miss Peacock). VI.