ping out a noisy but enjoyable accompaniment to the words,
"Gay go up, gay go down."

The intonation of the little vocal bell-ringers alters with each line,

"Pancakes and fritters, say the bells of St. Peter's,"

being sung to a quick tune and in a high key;

"Old Father Baldpate, toll the slow bells of Aldgate,"

suggesting a very slow movement and a deep, low tone.

The round singing of the ancients, of which this game is a fitting
illustration, is probably a relic of Celtic festivity. The burden of a
song, chorussed by the entire company, followed the stanza sung by the
vocalist, and this soloist, having finished, had licence to appoint the
next singer, "canere ad myrtum," by handing him the myrtle branch. At
all events round singing was anciently so performed by the Druids, the
Bardic custom of the men of the wand.

* * * * *

In Lancashire--

"Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With cockle shells and silver bells,
And pretty maids all in a row,"

is one of the songs the cottage mother sings to her child.

The Provencal--

"Ding dong, ding dong,
Ring the bells of St. John's.
Now they are saying prayers.
Why ring so high?
'Tis the little children in the sky!"

* * * * *

"Maids in white aprons, say the bells of St. Catherine's."

* * * * *

Every locality furnishes examples of bell rhymes. Selling the church
bells of Hutton, in Lincolnshire, gave rise to this satire of the
children--

"The poor Hutton people
Sold their bells to mend the steeple.
Ah! wicked people,
To sell their bells
To build the steeple."

In 1793 Newington Church, London, was pulled down, the bells sold, and
the sacred edifice rebuilt without a belfry. The children of the
neighbouring parishes soon afterwards jeered at the Newingtonians.

"Pious parson" (they sang), "pious people,
Sold their bells to build a steeple.
A very fine trick of the Newington people
To sell their bells and build no steeple."

In Derbyshire a large number of the churches have bells with peculiar
peals--

"Crich has two roller-boulders,
Wingfield ting-tangs,
Alfreton kettles,
And Pentrich pans.
Kirk-Hallan candlesticks,
Corsall cow-bells,
Denby cracked puncheons,
And Horsley merry bells."

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