I got the following from here: http://www.nonvi.com/sm/scottish_period.html


The use of reel as a type of dance refers to a different dance than a modern reel. In Newes from Scotland (1591) [Scotland's Music 15, p. 123], the dance is described as being dance to "Cummer Gae Ye Afore", which is a song which goes as follows:

Cummer gae ye afore, cummer gae ye,
Gin ye winna gae, cummer let me,
Ring-a-ring-a-widdershins
Linkin lithely widdershins,
Cummers carlin cron and queyn
Roun gae we.

This indicates some kind of ring dance, if the song actually described the dance that was done.