The Traditional Children's Games of England Scotland
& Ireland In Dictionary Form - Volume 1

With Tunes(sheet music), Singing-rhymes(lyrics), Methods Of Playing with diagrams and illustrations.

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	KING BY YOUR LEAVE—KING COME-A-LAY
	King by your leave f A playe that children have, where one sytting blyndefolde in the midle, bydeth so tyll the rest have hydden themselves, and then he going to seeke them, if any get his place in the meane space, that same is kynge in his roome."—Huloet, 1572. See " Hide and Seek." King Caesar One player is chosen to be King Caesar by lot or naming. All the others stand in two rows, one row at each end of the ground. A line is drawn on the ground in front of them to mark "dens." All the players must keep within this line. King Caesar stands in the middle of the ground. Any number of the players can then rush across the ground from one den to another. King Caesar tries to catch one as they run. When he catches a boy he must count from one to ten in succession before he leaves hold of the boy, that boy in the meantime trying to get away. If King Caesar succeeds in holding a boy, this boy stays in the centre with him and assists in catching the other players (always counting ten before a captive is secured). The dens must always be occupied by some players. If all the players get into one den, King Caesar can go into the empty den and say, "Crown the base, one, two, three," three times before any of the other players get across to that den. If he succeeds in doing this, he can select a boy to run across from one den to the other, which that boy must do, King Caesar trying to catch him. Other and bigger boys can help this one to get across, to save him from being captured, either by carry­ing him or running across with him. The game ends when all have been captured and are in the centre. King Caesar and the other captured boys can leave the centre if they each successively catch three players.—Barnes (A. B. Gomme). This game is called "King-sealing" in Dorsetshire. See " King of Cantland," " Lamploo." King Come-a-lay A game played by boys. Two sets of boys, or sides, strive which can secure most prisoners for the King. — Shetland (Jamieson).
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