| Share page | Visit Us On FB |
|
THING DONE 227 |
||
|
to palm in their laps. The leader of the game takes a thimble, and going to every member of the company in turn, pretends to slip it between their fingers, or to hide it in their pinafores, saying as she does so—" I bring you my lady's thimble, you must hold it fast, and very fast indeed." Whereon each child thus addressed should assume an air of triumph suitable to the possession of such a treasure. After the whole party have gone through the farce of receiving the thimble, the girl who carried it round calls a player from the circle to discover who holds it. For every wrong guess a fine must be paid. When the searcher discovers the thimble she begins a new round of the game by taking the place of leader; and so on, till the accumulation of forfeits is sufficient to afford amusement in "loosing the tines." The game is called "Lady's Thimble." —Lincoln, Scawby and Stixwould 76 years ago (Miss M. Peacock).
The rhyme used in the Sheffield game is that used in "Queen Anne," but it appears to have no relevance to this game.
Thing done
A game described by Ben Jonson in his play of Cynthia's Revels (act iv. scene 1). The passage is as follows :—
" Phantaste. Nay, we have another sport afore this, of 'A thing done, and who did it,' &c.
"PHILANTIA. Ay, good Phantaste, let's have that: distribute the places.
"PHANTASTE. Why, I imagine A thing done; Hedon thinks who did it; Maria, with what it was done; Anaides, where it was done; Argurion, when it was done; Amorphus, for what cause was it done; you, Philantia, what followed upon the doing of it; and this gentleman, who would have done it better. ..."
Gifford thinks that this sport was probably the diversion of the age, and of the same stamp with our modern " Cross Purposes," "Questions," and " Commands," &c. |
||