OLD DORSfct SONGS. 2 5 



past away: old-time roystering ale-house songs with their 

 nonsense-choruses : songs sung by the wandering minstrels of 

 days gone by : songs from the old ballad-sheets of the pedlars. 

 And yet I notice that these same boys, when they sing in 

 public, repeat the title of their songs at their conclusion, thus 

 unconsciously keeping up a custom started by the old ballad- 

 singers of long ago. 



Folk-songs can be arranged into at least five classes : 

 Ecclesiastical, Political, Agricultural, Nautical, and General. 

 But it is very difficult to limit such songs to one particular 

 county. Indeed, it would be almost truer to say that no songs 

 exclusive to any one county exist. Let us, however, be content 

 with listening to some of the versions of old songs which are 

 sung in Dorset, whether they are of Dorset origin or not. 



I. And first of all we will take ECCLESIASTICAL songs, as these 

 are usually the most ancient. They generally contain allusions 

 to Church matters and customs, legends of saints, and the 

 like. And Dorset possesses two versions of one of the oldest 

 of such songs a song about which many pamphlets and papers 

 have been written by antiquaries. Its title is "The Twelve 

 Apostles," and it is sung by two persons. 



THE TWELVE APOSTLES. 



Come, I will sing to you. 



What will you sing to me ? 

 I will sing you one oh ! 



What may your one oh be ? 

 One and one is all alone, and ever more shall be so. 



Come, I will sing to you. 



What will you sing to me ? 

 I will sing you two oh ! 



What may your two oh be ? 



Two of them are lily-white babes, clothed all in green oh ! 

 One and one is all alone, and evermore shall be so. 



