SCHOOLS 



on the last by ' Corner hats.' This last means, 1 the ' beaver' hat, shaped 

 like a gomer or pot, not the ' go-homer hat,' as was guessed. These 

 pealings were followed by ' sticking-up.' Some unfortunate boy selected 

 by prefects and juniors, on different days, for ' spreeness' (uppishness) was 

 stuck up on the top of' toys,' to be pelted at by the assembled multitude 

 with ' pontos ' or bread pellets. Fortunately, accuracy of aim on such 

 occasions is not always commensurate with viciousness of intention, and 

 the victim was allowed, like the ostrich according to the showman, ' from 

 that exalted position to present his back to his baffled pursuers.' Mr. 

 Adams mentions one case in which a boy was ' stuck up ' for a reputation 

 for writing Greek verses. Is the common phrase ' stuck-up ' derived 

 from this barbarous method of repressing uppishness ? In a lively article 

 in the Quingentenary number of the Wykehamist, Dr. S. R. Gardiner, the 

 historian of the Civil War, 8 tells us that when in his time (1841-7) this 

 custom was abolished, the boys ' all thought that the floodgates of revo- 

 lution had opened.' 



There were other pealings on the last three Sundays in the half, 

 after dinner, consisting in the same chorus of ' Once, twice, thrice,' 

 with different refrains ' Party rolls,' ' Money and direction rolls ' and 

 'Packing up.' In Mr. Prickard's time (1854-7) the pealings had sunk 

 to two, and the day had been altered from Sunday to Tuesday. One 

 would like to know when they finally disappeared. They were all 

 delightfully old-fashioned. ' Party rolls ' and ' Money and direction 

 rolls ' were redolent of pre-railway days, when the boys were despatched 

 in parties on coaches, or perhaps the still earlier days of post-chaises. 

 ' Boots and leathers ' recalls a remoter time, when, obedient to the words 

 of ' Domum,' Roger led out the nags, and the boys mounted them and 

 rode away home. 



This may, by the way, have some bearing on the date of ' Domum,' 

 which has never been ascertained. Every one knows the story for 

 legend it is not that the words of this famous song were written by a 

 boy who was left behind during the holidays for some offence, chained 

 to Domum Tree, and after cutting ' maze ' on ' hills,' breathed forth 

 his soul in this swan-song. Mr. Adams spent much space in showing 

 that the story might be true, only that the boy was not chained to 

 Domum Tree, but to 'post' in 'Seventh' (chamber). It really is the 

 case that there was a solitary scholar ' in commons' from 28 September, 

 1543,10 January, 1544, apparently because of some epidemic; and 

 perhaps a sportive antiquary, Charles Blackstone or another, built the 

 story on the fact. But the song is so clearly a mere joyous breaking-up 

 song that we need not distress ourselves to find any particular occasion 

 for its creation. It might have been originally composed for any one of 

 three hundred Whitsuntide holidays. The earliest mention I have found 

 of it is in one of George Huddesford's poems, published in 1789, ' On a 

 threat to destroy the Tree at Winchester round which the Scholars on 



1 Winchester Word-book, by R. G. K. Wrench. ' He died this year, 1902. 



363 



