Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 23, 1912.djvu/480

 45^ Collectanea.

many as twenty of these wassailers in Minchinhampton \ now there are but three or four. She says that there was never more than one band of them in a village. I have got the following verses from a native of the village ; an alternative ending to each verse runs

..." that we may all sing, Christmas Day all in the morning."

" Wassail, wassail, all over the town, Our bread is white, our ale it is brown ; Our bowl is made of the mapling tree, To my wassailing bowl I drink unto thee.

Here's health to our master and to his right eye, God send our master a good Christmas pie ! A good Christmas pie that we may all see, To my wassailing bowl I drink unto thee. Here's health to our master and to his right ear, God send our master a barrel of good beer ! . ..

Here's health to our master and to his right arm, God send our master a good crop of cam ! [corn]. ..

Here's to our master and to his right leg, God send our master a jolly fat peg ! "

The Randwick version given me by Miss Fennemore has an additional chorus : —

" Wy-sail [j/c], Wy-sail, to my jolly Wy-sail, And joy shall go with our jolly Wy-sail."

It also contains two more verses and a finale, as follows : —

" Here's health to our master and to his right hoof. Here's wishing our master a good crop o' fruit. . ..

Here's health to our master and to his long tail, Here's wishing our master a jolly Wy-sail. . ..

Come, all ye pretty maidens, I hope there are some, Don't let your Wy-sailers stand on the cold stone. But heave up the latch and pull out the pin, And let your jolly Wy-sailers walk in.

Come butler, come butler, bring us bowl of your best ; I hope all your souls in heaven will rest ; But if you do bring us a bowl of your small, Down goes the butler, bowl and all."