That's most interesting, Pete. Opie doesn't mention Beverleyham (presumably a real place near Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire). She does say: Newell, 1883 quotes: 'Marlow, marlow, marlow bright, How many miles to Babylon?', words perhaps related to the Tudor game Barley-Break. In Kipling's "Rewards and Fairies", Puck explains to Dan that Sir Huon of Bordeaux succeeded King Oberon, but was lost on the road to Babylon.: "Have you ever heard, 'How many miles to Babylon?' 'Of course', says Dan, flushing. ' Well, Sir Huon was young when that song was new' ". Stevenson quotes the rhyme, and it was once the words for a singing game, described by Gomme. Babylon signified wealth; Joshua vii 21: " I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment" is echoed by Pliny viii 74. Incidentally, we owe to the game 'barley-break', the expression 'the last couple in hell'. Three couples were arranged in a row, the centre position known as hell, from which they had to break away before getting caught by the others. Very few nursery rhymes can be traced bach more than about two centuries, so it is encouraging that an allusion to the 'Great Schism' of the church in 1377 is possible. John ----- Original Message ----- From: <NorthantsBrowns@aol.com> To: <OLD-ENGLISH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, July 22, 2004 10:53 PM Subject: Re: [OEL] Babylon > > John > > Thanks for some very interesting comments on this well-known rhyme. > You may be interested to hear that I have recently seen reference to this in > an excellent book called Medieval Children by Nicholas Orme (Yale University > Press 2001). > > page 141 > "The best medieval record of a children's rhyme is that of 'How many miles > to Beverleyham?', or to 'to Babylon' as it became in later times, a rhyme that > was used in a game. This is another fragment of childhood culture recorded > in a Latin sermon, one written at the end of the 13C. The preacher was > referring to people who wish to be good Christians at one moment and fall away at > another..." > > Evidently the source was not actually Babylon, as everyone thinks. > Incidentally, this is an excellent, highly-readable and authoritative book > that I thoroughly recomment to all List members! > > regards > Pete Brown > Groby, Leicestershire >