Sou/ift£, C/iVicn/inQ-, and Cattcrniui^. 291
the omission of an)- allusion to cakes. Instead of " Soul, soul, for a soul-cake," we have
" Clemeny, Clemeny, Clemeny mine ! A good red apj^le and a pint of wine I "
or : —
" Clemeny, Clemeny, year by year, Some of your apples and some of your beer I "
Or again : —
" Cattern and Clemen' be here, be here, Some of your apples and some of your beer ! "
and so on to : —
" Up with the ladder and down with the can ! Give me red apples and I'll be gone !"
At all three festivals the exact words vary in dififerent places, and the couplets which form the nucleus of the ditty are frequently interspersed with snatches of song appealing to the feelings of the hearers, such as : —
" Dame come down and deal your dole ! And the Lord have mercy on your soul ! "
" We are not daily beggars that beg from door to door, But we are neighbours' children whom you have seen before."
" The master and the missis are sitting by the fire While we poor children are a-trudging in the mire. The lanes are very dirty, our shoes are very thin, We've got a little pocket to put a penny in ! "
The last tag I shall quote seems more especially to belong to the Catterning ditty : —
" Roll, roll ! Gentleman butler, fill the bowl ! If you fill it of the best, God will send your soul to rest ! If you fill it of the small You shall have no rest at all ! "
