[Mamzelle]

Her notions of insecticides are silly, but many herbs repel insects. Rue, for instance, was once used by priests to sprinkle holy water, for it was thought to repel plague. Actually, it was nominally effective against fleas.

Ring around a rosy, pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes we all fall down.

Accding to herblore I have read, the rings and rosies were the symptoms of bubonic plague (black death), and the posies were the herbs people packed in their clothing to ward off the plague (turns out, fleas). Ashes were part of quicklime preps to scatter over the contagious corpses. We all fall down...and die.

Rushes were common on floors, and were rather nasty unless fresh. Do you remember the sawdust on floors of old general stores? I can remember a few from my childhood.

[Bohemund]

Ring around a rosy, pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes we all fall down.

Accding to herblore I have read, the rings and rosies were the symptoms of bubonic plague (black death), and the posies were the herbs people packed in their clothing to ward off the plague (turns out, fleas). Ashes were part of quicklime preps to scatter over the contagious corpses. We all fall down...and die.

Actually, I believe that that is an urban legend.