Iona and Peter Opie, in The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes
(Oxford, 1951)--a scholarly work--confirm that Ring-a-ring o'
roses has `not been found in children's literature before 1881';
there were many different versions, also in German, French, and
Gaelic, but the sneezing and falling down characterize only the
modern version: the other versions indicate a curtsy or bow. The
Opies completely discount the plague explanation.
Bonnie Blackburn
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Bonnie Blackburn
67 St Bernard's Road
Oxford OX2 6EJ
tel. 01865 552808 fax 01865 512237
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
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