Page:A book of nursery songs and rhymes (1895).pdf/17

INTRODUCTION the originals have happily disappeared. But in a great majority of cases nursery jingles are due to no other origin than the clashing together of rhymes. Why did

Little Jack Jingle Use to live single—

save because the rhyme required it. And

Little Jack-a-dandy Wanted sugar-candy;

whereas—

Little Billy Cook Always reads a book,

for no other earthly reason than that 'candy' rhymes with 'dandy,' and 'book' rhymes with Cook.'

It is true that some nursery rhymes, and especially game rhymes, have an origin that points back to very early beliefs and usages. This is far more the case in Germany than in England. Nevertheless, there are some of ours that derive from an early period in the history of civilisation.

The counting out rhymes may be, and probably are, a relic of the time when such counting out was employed for selecting a victim for sacrifice. As I have noticed in the notes, Jack and Jill in the nursery rhyme are reminiscences of Hjuki and Bil the two