One old favourite was Here Come Three Tinkers. For this all but two of the players, a big girl and a little one, joined hands in a row, and the bigger girl out took up her stand about a dozen paces in front of the row with the smaller one lying on the turf behind her feigning sleep. Then three of the line of players detached themselves and, hand in hand, tripped forward, singing:

Here come three tinkers, three by three,

To court your daughter, fair ladye,

Oh, can we have a lodging here, here, here?

Oh, can we have a lodging here?

Upon which the fair lady (pronounced ‘far-la-dee’) admonished her sleeping daughter:

Sleep, sleep, my daughter. Do not wake.

Here come three tinkers you can’t take.

Then, severely, to the tinkers:

You cannot have a lodging here, here, here.

You cannot have a lodging here.

And the tinkers returned to the line, and three others came forward, calling themselves tailors, soldiers, sailors, gardeners, bricklayers, or policemen, according to fancy, the rhymes being sung for each three, until it was time for the climax, and, putting fresh spirit into their tones, the conquering candidates came forward, singing:

Here come three princes, three by three,

To court your daughter, fair ladye,

Oh, can we have a lodging here, here, here?

Oh, can we have a lodging here?

At the mere mention of the rank of the princes the scene changed. The fair lady became all becks and nods and smiles, and, lifting up her supposedly sleeping daughter, sang:

Oh, wake, my daughter, wake, wake, wake.

Here come three princes you can take.

And, turning to the princes:

Oh, you can have a lodging here, here, here.

Oh, you can have a lodging here.

Then, finally, leading forward and presenting her daughter, she said:

Here is my daughter, safe and sound,

And in her pocket five thousand pound,

And on her finger a gay gold ring,

And I’m sure she’s fit to walk with a king.

For Isabella a ring was formed with one of the players standing alone in the centre. Then circling slowly, the girls sang:

Isabella, Isabella, Isabella, farewell.

Last night when we parted

I left you broken-hearted,

And on the green gravel there stands a young man.

Isabella, Isabella, Isabella, farewell.

Take your choice, love, take your choice, love,

Take your choice, love. Farewell.

The girl in the middle of the ring then chose another who took up her position inside with her, while the singers continued:

Put the banns up, put the banns up,

Put the banns up. Farewell.

Come to church, love, come to church, love. Farewell.

Put the ring on, put the ring on,

Put the ring on. Farewell.

Come to supper, love, come to supper, love,

Come to supper, love. Farewell.

Now to bed, love, now to bed, love,

Now to bed, love. Farewell.