Note 125 — XIV. RHYMES FOR COUNTING OUT.
Reading edition
These examples of the "Anglo-Cymric score" (see page 196) were obtained, No. 15 from Mrs. Ellis Allen of West Newton, now ninety years of age, who was born at Scituate, Mass., where she learned the formula; and No. 16 of her daughter, who learned it from an Indian woman, Mary Wolsomog, of Natick. Though mother and daughter, neither had ever heard the other's version of the score. To illustrate the relation of this score with Welsh numerals, we add two examples from Mr. Ellis's paper ("reprinted for private circulation from the Transactions of the Philological Society for 1877-8-9," pp. 316-372), selected from his fifty-three versions; the first is from England, the second from Ireland:
aina.
peina.
para.
peddera.
pimp.
ithy.
mithy.
owera.
lowera.
dig.
ain-a-dig.
pein-a-dig.
par-a-dig.
pedder-a-dig.
bumfit.
ain-a-bumfit.
pein-a-bumfit.
par-a-bumfit.
pedder-a-bumfit.
giggy.
eina.
mina.
pera.
peppera.
pinn.
chester.
nester.
nera.
dickera.
nin.
eina dickera.
mina dickera.
pera dickera.
peppera dickera.
pumpi.
eina pumpi.
mina pumpi.
pera pumpi.
peppera pumpi.
ticket.
The modern Welsh numerals, as given by Mr. Ellis:
un.
dau.
tri.
pedwar.
pump.
chwech.
saith.
wyth.
nau.
deg.
un ar deg.
deuddeg.
tri ar deg.
pedwar ar deg.
pymtheg.
un ar bymtheg.
dau ar bymtheg.
tri ar bymtheg.
pedwar ar bymtheg.
ugain.
The numbers 4, 5, 15, and combinations 1+15, 2+15, 3+15, 4+15, seem to make the connection unmistakable; but 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9 appear to have been arbitrarily affected by rhyme and alliteration.