The rat takes the cheese, etc.
The succeeding verses vary only in the choice in each, and follow in
this order.
THE KING OF FRANCE
The King of France with forty thousand men
Marched up the hill and then marched down again.
The players stand in two rows or groups facing each other. Each group
has a leader, who stands in the center and represents a king leading
his army.
The game or play is a simple one of imitation, in which the players
perform in unison some action first indicated by one of the leaders.
The leaders of the two groups take turns in singing the verse, at the
same time marching forward during the first line of the verse, and
back again to their places during the second line, illustrating the
action that is then to be taken by all. The verse is then sung by both
groups while advancing toward each other and retreating, performing
the movements indicated by the leaders. The movements illustrated by
the leaders may be anything suitable to an army of men, the words
describing the movement being substituted for the line, "marched up
the hill," thus:
The King of France with forty thousand men Waved his flag and then
marched down again.
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