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CUSHION DANCE 89
feet. He put money in the horn and knelt. They kissed and rose, he taking the cushion and his place in front of the lady, heading the next dance round, the lady taking him by the coat-tails, the first gentleman behind the lady, with the horn-bearer in the rear. In this way the dance went on till all present, alternately a lady and gentleman, had taken part in the ceremony. The dance concluded with a romp in file round the room to the quickening music of the fiddler, who at the close received the whole of the money collected by the horn-bearer.
At Charminster the dance is begun by a single person (either man or woman), who dances about the room with a cushion in his hand, and at the end of the tune stops and sings :— Man : This dance it will no further go.
Musician : I pray you, good sir, why say you so ? Man : Because Joan Sanderson will not come to.
Musician : She must come to, and she shall come to,
And she must come whether she will or no. Then the following words are sung as in the first example :—■ Man : Welcome, Joan Sanderson, welcome, welcome. Both : Prinkum-prankum is a fine dance,
And shall we go dance it once again,
And once again, And shall we go dance it once again ? Woman : This dance it will no further go. Musician : I pray you, madam, why say you so ? Woman: Because John Sanderson will not come to. Musician : He must come to, and he shall come to,
And he must come whether he will or no. And so she lays down the cushion before a man, who, kneeling upon it, salutes her, she singing— Welcome, John Sanderson, &c. Then, he taking up the cushion, they take hands and dance round singing as before; and this they do till the whole company is taken into the ring. Then the cushion is laid down before the first man, the woman singing, "This dance," &c, as before, only instead of ° come to," they sing " go fro," and instead of "Welcome, John Sanderson," &c, they sing "Farewell, |
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