TRANSFORMATION 159 



tenderly attached brother and sister accused of incest 

 and in spite of their denials condemned to capital punish- 

 ment and executed. Before death they earnestly with 

 tears prayed, beseeching the almighty and all-knowing 

 God to make their innocence manifest and desiring 

 their friends and kindred to procure them to be buried 

 in the same grave. They were buried one on either 

 side Of the church ; and a mountain-ash grew out of 

 each of their graves, meeting above the roof of the 

 church and uniting their branches so closely that they 

 could hardly be separated. This was regarded as 

 a sign of their innocence and their desire to rest 

 together in the same grave. 1 Among the peasantry 

 of the Riviera thorns or nettles growing on the grave 

 are a sign of the damnation of the dead ; if other 

 plants grow he is happy ; if a mixture he is in purga- 

 tory. 2 Similar superstitions and stories illustrative of 

 them are found throughout Europe. In the game 

 of "Old Roger is dead," a favourite among children 

 in England, we probably have a last echo of them. 

 The story chanted in the game runs substantially 

 as follows : 



Old Roger is dead and lies in his grave ; 

 There grew a fine apple-tree over his head ; 

 The apples are ripe and ready to drop ; 

 There came an old woman apicking them up ; 

 Old Roger jumped up and he gave her a knock ; 

 He made the old woman go hippity-hop. 



Some of the versions speak of the tree as being 

 planted ; and Mrs. Gomme in commenting on the 

 game aptly refers to Aubrey's Remaines of Gentilisme, 



1 V. Am Urquell, 120. 



2 J. B. Andrews, Rev. Trad. Pop. ix., 117. 



