"The idea that European and American children engaged in 'counting-out' for games, are repeating in innocent ignorance the practices and language of a sorcerer of a dark age, is perhaps startling, but can be shown to have a high degree of probability. The leader in 'counting out' performs an incantation, but the children grouped round him are free from that awe and superstitious reverence which characterized the procedure in its earlier state. Many circumstances make this view plausible, and clothe the doggrels with a new and fascinating interest." Mr. Bolton remarks, however, that "in only one instance have I been able to directly connect a child's counting-out rhyme with a magic spell. According to Leland the rhyme beginning with 'One-ery, two-ery, ickery, Ann,' is a gypsy magic spell in the Romany language." It occurred to me long, long ago, or before ever the name "Folk-lore" existed, that children's rhymes were a survival of incantations, and that those which are the same backward and forward were specially adapted to produce marvellous effects in lots. But there was one form of counting-out which was common as it was terrible. This was used when after a victory it was usual to put every tenth captive to death--whence the greatly abused word to "decimate"--or any other number selected. When there was a firm belief in the virtues of numbers as set forth by Pythagoras, and Plato in the Timæus, and of cabalistic names inspired by the "Intelligences," it is not remarkable that the diviners or priests or sorcerers or distributors of sortes and sortileges should endeavour to prove that life and death lay bound up in mystic syllables. That there were curious and occult arithmetical means of counting-out and saving elected persons is shown in certain mystic problems still existent in Boys Own Books, and other handbooks of juvenile sports. It was the one on whom the fatal word of life or death fell who was saved or condemned, so that it was no wonder that the word was believed to be a subtle, mysterious existence: an essence or principle, yea, a spirit or all in one--diversi aspetti in un, confuse e misti. He who knew the name of Names which, as the Chaldæan oracles of old declared, "rushes into the infinite worlds," knew all things and had all power; even in lesser words there lingered the fragrance of God and some re-echo of the Bath Kol--the Daughter of the Voice who was herself the last echo of the divine utterance. So it went down through the ages--coming, like Cæsar's clay, to base uses--till we now find the sacred divination by words a child's play: only that and nothing more.