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Millington, Peter (2003) Textual Analysis of English Quack Doctor Plays: Some New Discoveries. In: Cass, Eddie and Millington, Peter, (eds.) Folk Drama Studies Today: The International Traditional Drama Conference 2002. Traditional Drama Research Group , Sheffield, UK , pp. 97-132. ISBN 0 9508152 3 3
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Textual Analysis of English Quack Doctor Plays: Some
New Discoveries1
Peter Millington
Introduction
To quote Ronald Hutton:
“All told, the collapse of the theory of pagan origins has created more
problems than it has solved in the quest for the origins of the Mummers’
Play.” (R.Hutton, 1996, p.79)
The fundamental problem is that the demise of the survivalist theories has left a vacuum. No coherent replacement theory was waiting in the wings, so we were left with
numerous questions and very few answers. Various proposals have been made regarding specific aspects of the folk play tradition, but they have not been assembled
into a cohesive whole. There are five main points.
a) It seems likely that the plays were added to pre-existing house-visiting customs, and
that this took place sometime during the early to mid 18th century, as an extension of
the entertainments that these customs already possessed.2
b) Pettitt (1981 & 1994) and Fees (1994) have demonstrated that drama in the
community was varied in the 18th and 19th centuries.3
c) There is some evidence that the Quack Doctor plays indirectly took up the theatrical conventions of the Commedia dell’ Arte, in terms of verse scripts, dramaturgy and
costume.4
d) The overall similarity of the scripts suggests that there ought to be a single proto-
text from which all the various versions developed. However, there has hitherto
been no attempt to characterise or locate such a proto-text.
e) Regardless of how the Quack Doctor plays originated, they seem to have spread very rapidly to most of Britain and diversified very early on in their history.5
Many problems remain. For instance, where geographically did the plays arise?
How did contemporary popular theatre influence the plays, and what is the significance,
if any of the numerous literary and ballad inclusions? And finally, the big question, what was the original source of the texts – literary or otherwise?
History of Textual Analysis
Given that texts comprise most of the evidence we have of the plays, it is odd that so
little textual analysis has been done. This is for two main reasons. Firstly, many key scholars in the fields have asserted that the action of the plays is the most important
thing, and that the texts are insignificant accretions, a view particularly formalised by Margaret Dean-Smith (1958)6. Consequently, textual analysis was regarded pointless.
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Secondly, those that have considered textual analysis worthwhile have nonetheless
blenched at the enormity of the task involved, and generally lacked suitable analytical tools - a situation nicely expressed by Cass and Roud:
“…the texts obviously contain vital clues – if we could just learn how to
read them!” (E.Cass & S.Roud, 2002, p.18)
Even so, despite these obstacles, there has been some textual analysis. Apart from the identification of literary and ballad inclusions by the likes of Baskervill (1924) and
Tiddy (1923), E.K.Chambers (1933) identified most of the typical speeches and their variants in The English Folk-Play – a model that was followed for Plough Plays by
Maurice Barley (1953). However, Chambers’ approach was primarily only descriptive.
With so many texts available, the advent of computers helped. Mike Preston was
first off the mark in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a database of over 150 over texts, plus fragments, which he used to study variability and to investigate a number of
specific texts (M.Preston, 1983, 1972, 1977a & 1977b).7
Preston also worked with the Smiths in their analysis of chapbook texts, and they
used computerised cluster analysis to help determine the genealogy of the various
editions (M.J.Preston et al, 1977, G.Boyes et al, 1999). Additionally, Paul Smith (1985)
used cluster analysis to study sixteen Derby Tup texts, while Ian Russell published
tables that marked Derby Tup speeches against the locations where they occur
(I.Russell, 1979, pp.465-466). I have also used cluster analysis to examine the cast lists
of Nottinghamshire plays (P.T.Millington, 1988), and I published detailed comparative
analyses of the compiled Peace Egg text of Juliana Ewing relative to her declared sources and the derivative West Indian Mummies’ plays (P.T.Millington, 1996).
Aims of this Study
Previous work all related to specific texts or limited regions. No textual analyses
have so far been published that covers the whole geographical range of the plays. The aim of this study has been to fill this gap. Largely exploratory with no firm
predetermined outcome, I nonetheless anticipated being able to refine the classification of the plays through cluster analysis, and hoped to find clues to the evolution of the
texts, perhaps even finding evidence for one or more proto-texts.
To define the textual scope of this study I have introduced the new term “Quack
Doctor Play” to replace “Mummers’ Play” or “Mumming Play”. These are unsatisfactory because the actors were not all called Mummers, and not all Mummers
performed plays. “Folk Play” is too general a term, and terms such as “Ritual Drama” and “Men's Dramatic Ritual” are subjective and/or cumbersome. By contrast, “Quack
Doctor play” is an objective term. The Doctor is the one ubiquitous character that both defines the genre and serves to distinguish it from other folk plays.
Text Database
The first thing I had to do was build a textual database. This had two parts – a
collection of electronic play texts, and a derivative codified database of individual lines.
The basic aim was to have as many different texts as possible, evenly across the whole
of the British Isles, but focussing on the oldest available texts.8 The result was a
database of about 180 full texts and fragments. This has been made generally available
on the Traditional Drama Research Group’s website at www.folkplay.info.
The texts were laid out as lines, and a set of standard identifiers was assigned to
each line type. This process raised the question of “what is a line?” For verse, this was
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relatively straightforward. The only complication was that sometimes the same verse
could be laid out as either a quatrain or as a couplet. In such cases, the couplet was adopted as the standard form, but building sub-types into the line-type codes also
accommodated the quatrain format.
e.g. As a couplet;
1500 = “i am a valiant soldier and slasher is my name” 1510 = “with sword and buckler by my side i hope to win the game”
As a quatrain;
1500.1 = “i am a valiant soldier”
1500.6 = “and slasher is my name”
1510.1 = “with sword and buckler by my side”
1510.6 = “i hope to win the game”
Prose was somewhat more difficult. Most prose passages appear in the Doctor’s lists
of travels and cures, or in the longer monologues of tangle talk, which are also list-like. In general, therefore the best approach was found to be to split prose in to discrete list
items.
Variant wording of lines was an interesting problem. Many variations are trivial –
e.g. substitution of “you” for “thou” or vice versa, addition of words such as “bold” for
emphasis, etc. In general these can be regarded as spontaneously reversible and
repeatable through normal language usage. On the other hand, some variations involve
semantic shifts that are unlikely to occur more than once. Take for instance the line;
And send him to the cookshop to make mince pies
where a number of alternative destinations occur for the mince pies. “The cookshop”,
“the bakehouse”, “the pastrycook”, etc., can easily be seen as interchangeable because the culinary theme relating to the mince pies is maintained. However, there is no
obvious rationale for being sent to “Jamaica”, so that difference is clearly significant.
Such variants needed to be both kept together and kept distinct from each other.
Again, this was done using the coding system. Identifiers were assigned in tens, and
variants were numbered within the range, e.g.
420 = and send thee to satan to make mince pies
422 = and send him to the cookshop to make mince pies
424 = and send him to jamaica to make mince pies
426 = and send thee over the seas to make mince pies
This enabled computer programs to handle the variants either individually or as a
group.
Observations on the Database
Before embarking on detailed analysis of the database, a number of immediate
observations can be made, starting with statistics.
The full database of around 180 texts contains 5,700 to 5,800 different line types,
depending whether variants are grouped together or treated separately. Of these, about
3,500 (61%) occur only once. About a further 1,050 (18%) only appear twice, and most
of these arise either from duplicated texts or because original literary sources have been
included alongside their folk play derivatives. In round terms, this leaves about 1,200
Peter Millington – Textual Analysis of English Quack Doctor Plays: Some New Discoveries
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line types, or about 20%, that occur three or more times. This suggests that Quack
Doctor Play texts are more variable than has previously been supposed. Most scripts have at least a few a lines that do not occur elsewhere.
Map 1 shows the distribution of the plays, marked according to the following broad
date bands 9:
• Up to the 1820s – i.e. roughly up to and including W.Hone’s Every-day Book (1827)
• 1830s to the 1880s – i.e. pre-Ordish (1891)
• 1890s onwards – i.e. T.F.Ordish and E.K Chambers onwards.
The point to note about this map is that the earliest plays are distributed throughout
the British Isles, and this would have even been the case if an earlier category for 18th-century plays had been used. Indeed the map suggests no obvious historical centre
where the plays might have arisen, and from which they may have been dispersed. The
inevitable conclusion is that the plays were dispersed rapidly very early in their
recorded history.
The database contains about twenty identified literary and ballad sources, including
one new discovery - the “Lady bright and gay” speech from Henry Carey’s Honest
Yorkshireman (1736)10. Such sources mostly appear in one play only. Following my re-
assignment of the late 19th
-century play from “Mylor”, Cornwall to Truro in the late 1780s 11, it becomes apparent that nearly all the plays with literary inclusions are earlier
than 1850, and their source material is mostly 18th-century or earlier. This emphasises the increased variability of the earlier folk play texts.
Analytical Methodology
Analyses were run using both all the lines and just lines that occur three or more
times in the database, These yielded similar results, but including the low frequency
lines resulted in large unmanageable outputs and merely had a diluting effect.
Therefore, for improved focus, the following discussion only reports analyses were
done using line types occurring three or more times.
One method of analysing scripts in the past has been to use parallel texts. This is fine for two or three texts, but with larger numbers, transpositions and omissions make
them unmanageable. An alternative approach is to abandon the narrative sequence of the texts and compile a table of play scripts versus line types, as in Figure 1.
Mesa Graph 12 - Figure 1
This chart lists about 180 texts and fragments across the top in chronological order,
and about 1,200 lines down the side. Starting at the top left, all the lines from the first
text are listed down the page. Any additional lines that appear in the second text, but not
in the first, are then listed, followed by lines that appear in the third text but not the first
two, and so on. Consequently, the lines are listed in roughly chronological as well as the
plays. Notwithstanding any gaps, all lines are listed in the order they appear in their
respective texts. Wherever a given play contains a particular line, the square at the intersection of the play column and the text row is shaded in colour.
Obviously because it has been squeezed to fit on one sheet, it is not possible to read
the row and column captions – on paper. However, this chart was prepared using a
Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, and on a computer, the full-size text of the current cell can be viewed in the program’s formula bar (see Figure 2).
13
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The main features of this graph are as follows:
• The dominant feature is the staggered outline running from the top left to the bottom right. Any individual square in this line represents the oldest recorded occurrence of
the line – perhaps the original or a close descendent.
• The texts with the longer segments in the outline have contributed more to the corpus. This does not necessarily mean that such plays provide the commonest lines.
For instance, lines from the Alexander chapbook (on the first dividing line near the top left of the graph) are generally sparse in other plays.
• Common lines appear as horizontal rows of squares. These appear to be scattered
across several source plays. No individual plays appear to be made up primarily of common lines.
• The vertical lines delimit intervals of approximately 25 years. This reveals that
about a third of the corpus was in place by 1800 – including most of the common lines - rising to about two thirds by 1825. The larger additions thereafter come from
chapbooks and embellishments to the Doctor’s part in the Recruiting Sergeant plays.
From these observations it is clear that no specific text in the collection represents a
proto-text, because if there was, there would be a play near the top left of the chart
comprising most of the common lines. The chapbook texts emerge from this chart as
derivative rather than ancestral.
Clustering Texts
In the mesa graph, several texts can be seen that have similar patterns of vertical lines. It is tempting therefore to abandon the chronological arrangement of the sources
and bring these texts together. This could be done by eye in the spreadsheet, but a better way is to use cluster analysis to identify groups of texts. This is not the place to go into
the technicalities of cluster analysis14
, but suffice to say that typical output is a dendrogram that shows how the entities should be grouped – e.g. Figure 3.
If we combine a dendrogram with the previous chart, we end up with a clustered
mesa graph – Figure 4. In this case, the texts are arranged in the order that they appear
in the dendrogram, and the vertical lines delimit the main groups identified by the cluster analysis. Unsurprisingly, we start to see blocks of lines appearing for specific
groups. However, we also see that for a few groups there are two or more blocks - e.g. the two groups on the extreme right, which represent the Plough Plays. Given that the
lines are still in roughly chronological order, this indicates that the texts of such a group have developed in more than one phase.
As with the original mesa graphs, we can see horizontal rows showing that certain
lines occur in similar sets of texts. As before, we can also abandon the chronological
sequence of the lines and bring these rows together. Again, this has been done using
cluster analysis, although this time the analysis is transposed so that lines are clustered
on the basis of the texts in which they occur. Sorting the lines accordingly, the result is a chart called a trellis graph – Figure 5. The horizontal rulings in this case delimit the
main clusters of text lines. The text and line labels have been removed and the main text and line clusters have been labelled with letters and numbers respectively to provide a
way of referencing particular blocks.
The trellis graph is even blockier than the earlier clustered mesa graph. The presence
of this structure proves the existence of discrete versions. If there was no structure to the
collection, there would be no blocks and the dots would be spread randomly throughout
Peter Millington – Textual Analysis of English Quack Doctor Plays: Some New Discoveries
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the chart. Also, if the texts formed some sort of continuum, overall diagonal or
triangular features would be evident.
Evidence for a Proto-Text
A prominent feature of the trellis graph is a band stretching the full width of the chart in row 03. This represents a group of lines that are drawn on by all the plays in the
database. I believe this to be evidence that all the plays ultimately derive from a single proto-text, with the lines in this band specifically representing some or all of the proto-
text. Had there been two or more proto-texts, a single band would not have been present. Rather there would have been two or more or more offset bands. With other
scenarios, no band would have been present at all.
Figure 6 lists the lines from this band in the order they would appear in a play. Each
line is a random example of its type drawn from the database. Where the final digit of the Std.ID is an asterisk, this indicates that major variant wordings have been coded in
the database. Only one arbitrary alternative is given here, but to highlight the variation, non-rhyming couplets have been chosen deliberately for lines 5 & 6 and 45 & 46.
It can be seen that Figure 6 almost forms a viable text. It can therefore be regarded
as an approximate reconstruction of the proto-Quack Doctor play text. I say
approximate firstly because it is likely to be incomplete, and secondly because there are
a few instances of what appear to be alternative lines only one of which would have
been in the original play. The alternatives are highlighted in Italics. They are:
• The opening speeches - Lines 1-4 and Lines 5 & 6
• Saint/King George’s self-introduction – Lines 11-14 and Lines 15-18 – which I shall
return to later.
• The second line of the Doctor’s travels – Lines 37 and 38
• The line to rhyme with “The itch pox palsy and the gout” – Lines 42 and 43
Additionally some lines appear to be missing – e.g. rhyme lines after lines 25 and 54.
Thoughts on George and his Adversaries
Statistical analysis of the occurrence of the names King, Saint and Prince George
confirms that the titles are interchangeable. However, when he is a King, he tends not to
have the dragon legend lines – much as one would expect for a secular George. In the
ensuing discussion I will just refer to him as George. George has three different
introductory speeches, two of which have two sub-variants each. The distribution of
these is shown in Map 2. The following observations can be made:
Saint George “from England have I sprung” or “who from old England sprung” is
found in chapbooks and their derivatives - the Christmas Rhime in Ireland, and The
Peace Egg – Act 1 in England respectively. In Ireland, this George fights the Turkey
Champion, whereas in The Peace Egg he is coupled with Slasher.
The sub-variants of the “Bold” speech are found in fairly distinct northern and
southern regions, separated by the Cotswolds.
“The champion bold” sub-variant is almost totally confined to northern England. It
seems likely that the distribution of this variant has been highly influenced by the
Alexander chapbook and The Peace Egg - Act 2, although this does not necessarily
mean that the chapbooks were the ultimate source. In The Peace Egg – Act 2, this
George fights both the Prince of Paradine and Hector. This second adversary is derived
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from the earlier Alexander chapbook, where Prince George fights Alexander and Sambo
(who has Hector’s lines).
“The man of courage bold” sub-variant primarily occurs in southern England with a
few outliers in the north. He is a King in 63% of cases, so it is possible that this is the
original status associated with this line.
Outside of the chapbooks, bold George’s adversary is primarily the Turkish Knight/Turkish Champion. To illustrate the point, he appears in the database with the
Turk 17 times, 3 times with Slasher, and 8 times with both. In all the cases where the Turk and Slasher appear in the same play, the Turk is George’s main opponent, and
Slasher tends to be an extra.
The third introductory speech - “King George that valiant knight” - occurs
throughout mainland Britain, but appears to be particularly concentrated (or at least less diluted) in the Cotswolds (Grid square SP). This George is primarily associated with
Slasher, appearing with him 11 times in the database, whereas he only appears with the Turk 3 times, and with both 3 times (one of which is J.H.Ewing’s composite text).
The linking of George’s introductory speeches with particular combatants makes it
possible to determine which came first. Map 3 shows the distribution of George’s two
principal adversaries, Slasher and the Turkish Knight/Turkish Champion. Slasher is
found in most of mainland Britain. On the other hand, the Turk is mostly confined to
southern England and to Ireland, perhaps overlying the Slasher distribution. This
suggests that Slasher is the older adversary, and therefore by association, George the
valiant knight must be older than George the bold. Furthermore, he was probably originally King George without any allusion to the dragon legend, and is likely to have
arisen in the Cotswolds and/or North Midlands. How George the bold arose is discussed later.
New Classification
In addition to the proto-text, a more detailed classification emerges from these
analyses, shown in Figure 7. This covers the nine main clusters that are marked in the
dendrogram and the trellis graph, plus two “Other” classes for modern plays that were
not analysed in this study, but which have been identified elsewhere. I have also added a
catch-all class for composed and compiled plays, which are often so idiosyncratic that
they cannot easily be assigned to any of the traditional classes, although they tend to
have a Hero-Combat format.
The new classes confirm and refine classes that have already been established.
Groups W and P together form the Plough plays (the Wooing or Bridal plays of E.C.Cawte et al, 1967, p.37) – the W group representing the Multiple Wooing plays and
the P group the Recruiting Sergeant plays that I defined in 1995. All the other groups together represent varieties of Hero-Combat play. This has always been by far the
largest class, and it was only to be expected that subdivisions would be found. Within this collection, group D represents the Sword Dance plays. Previously, Sword Dance
plays have been treated as a significantly different major class, but in textual terms I believe this major distinction can no longer be justified. They therefore become a sub-
class of the Hero-Combat plays, on a par with other variants. Lastly, the Robin Hood
plays are grouped together as a sub-class in group C – see square C-07.
Three things show that the new classes are valid:
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1. As just described, the classes are compatible with the established classification as
defined in English Ritual Drama (E.C.Cawte et al, 1967, p.37) and more recently established refinements (M.J.Preston, 1976, and P.Millington, 1995).
2. The reality of the classes is confirmed by the discrete blocky structure of the trellis
graph, as also already discussed. The band in row 03 defines the genre and the
proto-text, while the other blocks represent the additional lines that distinguish the
main clusters and sub-clusters.
3. The geographical distribution of the main classes is shown in Map 4. This shows that plays from the same class are generally speaking close to each other, which is
what one might expect.
In my PhD thesis, I have defined the classes on the basis of the characteristic
assemblages of lines. These lists are too large to be detailed here. However, as many of these lines belong to particular dramatis personae. I give these instead in Figure 7, and I
will restrict my narrative to noteworthy features.
Plough Plays and their Evolution
The Recruiting Sergeant plays are represented by blocks in Trellis squares P14 and
P15. The fact that there are two blocks suggests that further sub-classes are present, and
indeed some additional internal structure is evident within the larger of the blocks –
P14.
• The smaller block – P15 - holds lines that are found particularly in the two earliest Recruiting Sergeant plays published by Baskervill (1924) – The Recruiting Sergeant
and Swinderby. These have a relatively basic recruiting scene.
• The bottom half of the larger block – P14 - spans all the plays in the group,
including the earlier plays, and represents a fuller recruiting scene.
• The top half of P14 covers a smaller group of plays, of which the Cropwell play (Chaworth Musters, 1890) is the oldest. These lines include embellishments to the
Doctor’s part, Tom’s wooing of the spurned Lady, and the somewhat supernumerary
Farmer’s Man and Threshing Blade.
The disposition of the blocks in the trellis graph, combined with the known dates of the plays suggests that Plough Plays underwent a three-stage development. The earliest
plays were the Multiple Wooing plays, being a hybrid of what may have originally been an independent multiple wooing scene and a Hero-Combat play15. In the early to mid
19th century, the multiple wooing scene was dropped in favour of the recruiting scene. Finally, towards the end of the 19th century, substantial additions were made to the text,
mostly of a comic nature.16
Comparing line distributions as before, it perhaps comes as no surprise that the
Hero-Combat elements of the Plough Plays seem to belong to the adjacent Northern
English group of plays. Map 5 gives one such distribution. While the link with the
Northern English group seems quite strong, there are a couple of differences that appear to suggest an additional tenuous link with the Cotswold group of plays. For instance
Map 6 shows the distribution of a subtle variation in the final line of Beelzebub’s introductory quatrain. Perhaps therefore the Plough Plays derived their Saint George
play from an older Northern English version that was found further south before the advent of Jack Finney in the Cotswolds.
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North British Plays and their Interrelationships
The relationships between groups D, G and H are complex. The Sword Dance play
group (D) is the most distinct because of the rounds of speeches relating to each dancer
in the calling on, the lament and the denials of culpability (square D13). On the other
hand there are lines in D01 that are shared with some of the plays in group G.
Groups G and H are mostly Scottish, but also spread into the English North East.
Both groups have the distinctive character Galation17
, although in a few cases his
speeches are assigned to Slasher. Group G in fact shows evidence of two sub-groups.
The plays covered by the block in G02 are the oldest Scottish plays. These feature
overtly Scottish sentiments and dialect. The remaining plays in group G and in group H
do not display this overt Scottishness.
The plays in groups D, G and H would benefit from re-analysis with a larger collection of texts. This might clarify the interrelationships. As it stands, the
development of the Sword Dance and Galoshins plays seem intertwined, with initially
separate strands coming together to develop a new identity. Consequently, there is
scope for including these plays as sub-groups within a single large cluster, which for
geographical reasons I have called the North British Group.
Taking the Sword Dance play first, sword dances have an independent existence, and they frequently feature a calling-on in which the individual dancers are introduced
to the audience, often in song. This is not a dialogue. What appears to have happened is that a calling-on song has been merged with the text of a Quack Doctor play, with a few
local embellishments. Because so much of the original Quack Doctor play has been excised to make way for the dancers’ lines, it is not immediately obvious which variant
was used. However there appear to be more similarities with the Northern English
group than with the others.
In Scotland, the older group seems to have been rewritten to “make it Scottish”. This appears partly to have been done by removing English elements, such as Saint George,
and partly by ostentatiously using Scottish dialect. The key change was the metamorphosis of Slasher into Galation. Their introductory couplets are identical but
for the name, and the names themselves have some similarity in pronunciation. This shows that this version was adapted from the proto-George and Slasher play.
The next oldest sub-group in Scotland has a combination of the calling-on and
denial speeches from the Sword Dance play, and Galation from the earlier group,
although there are some additional lines, a few of which are to be found in the
Alexander chapbook. This chapbook may therefore also have been an influence, and can
be seen as a source for the adversaries Alexander and the King of Macedonia in
Scotland. The later Scottish plays probably evolved from the earlier versions mostly by
losing material over time, but also by acquiring some new lines that drifted into the
country from northern England.
Cotswold Plays and their Development
The play of group C are situated in the Cotswolds and are characterised by the
presence of the Doctor’s assistant Jack Finney, and a comical scene where giant tooth is
drawn. These are represented by trellis square C08. There are however further lines in
squares C09 and C07. C09 contains passages of tangle talk and Land of Cockaigne
motifs, and seem to be enhancements of the basic type. C07 primarily holds the lines of the ballad Robin Hood and the Tanner, and therefore define the Robin Hood sub-group.
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106
If one sets aside the defining features of this group, such as Jack Finney, this group
has some similarities with both the Northern English and Southern English groups. This is perhaps not surprising bearing in mind its geographical position. The appearance of
its distribution as a distinct local “island” suggests that is a relatively recent development. The question is, what did it develop from? My view is that this group is
fundamentally closer to the Northern English group because of the presence of Slasher, Beelzebub and King George the valiant knight. The number of cases where typical
Southern English features are included – Father Christmas, the Turkish Knight and the “hot and cold” vaunt – are relatively few, and I feel that these instances represent
hybrids formed where the two groups meet.
I concur with Preston that the Robin Hood sub-type is a later development of this
group (M.J.Preston, 1976). I also believe that the other sub-group – with the Land of
Cockaigne and tangle talk motifs - is probably also a later development, because these
lines are additional to the core Jack Finney and related lines. It is likely that the Cockaigne/tangle talk sub-type arose before the Robin Hood changes were made,
because some of these mangled lines are also found in the Robin Hood version.
Irish and Related Plays
On the face of it, the Irish group of plays – square E06 – is one of the easiest groups
to define, because the lines are nearly all to be found in the Christmas Rhime
chapbooks. In addition to the truly Irish plays, there are a few plays on mainland Britain
that have significant portions of the Irish text – Hulme (Manchester), Tenby, and
Stanford-in-the-Vale, Berkshire.
The established view is that the plays were originally introduced to Ireland from
Britain (A.Gailey, 1968, pp.15-16 and H.Glassie, 1975, p.135), although there has been
no attempt to be more specific. By identifying lines that are shared by the two groups
but which do not appear in the other groups, it appears that the Irish texts are linked
with plays from the Cotswolds. Map 7 gives one example. While the shared lines
establish a link, they do not reveal the direction of the derivation. I am inclined to
concur with the established view that the English plays came first. However, the textual
differences between the two groups are substantial, and therefore some major rewriting
occurred in transit.
The Southern English Plays and their Genesis
Cluster S is found throughout southern England, roughly below a line drawn from
London to Bristol. There are three couplets that particularly typify this group:
Here comes I old Father Christmas, welcome or welcome not I hope old Father Christmas will never be forgot
Here comes I a Turkish Knight
Come from the Turkish land to fight
Saint George I pray thee be not so bold
If thy blood be hot I’ll soon make it cold
Because of the ubiquity of the first two characters, I tend to sub-title this group Father Christmas and the Turkish Knight. Saint George is the hero of these plays, and is
always the “man of courage bold” bold rather than “the champion bold”. The characters Beelzebub and Devil Doubt are generally absent from these plays, as is also to some
extent Slasher.
Folk Drama Studies Today - International Traditional Drama Conference 2002
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An important clue to the origin of the Southern English group is the illustration in
Figure 8, taken from W.Sandys (1852, p.152). This picture shows a group of juvenile performers that is clearly based on the description of costumes in both this and Sandys’
earlier publications (in W.Hone, 1827 and in W.Sandys, 1830 and 1833, and “Uncle Jan Treenoodle”, 1846). Presumably Sandys was happy with the accuracy of the depiction.
Without reading the accompanying description, most people would be under the
impression that the character at the far left was Beelzebub. This is because of his large
club, which is one of Beelzebub’s expected accoutrements. It is therefore surprising to
find that this character is meant to be Father Christmas18
. Consequently, this raises the
possibility that despite their differing rôles, Beelzebub could at some time have been
transformed into Father Christmas while retaining features of his original costume. The
geographical distribution of the two characters is shown in Map 8, which shows that they occupy different regions with very little overlap. This is consistent with the
hypothesis. The possible confusion that this transformation could cause can be seen at three locations where Beelzebub is referred to as “Father Beelzebub” – Upper and
Lower Howsell, Worcestershire, Ovingdean, Sussex, and Mid-Berkshire (B.Lowsley, 1888)19. The latter reference gives the following reassuring description for his costume
– “Old Beelzebub: As Father Christmas”.
Given that Father Christmas and the Turkish Knight are closely tied together in the
Southern English group, and that the group also has King George the man of courage
bold, with his dragon legend speech, a rational explanation for the creation of the new
script becomes possible. This is that the play was rewritten to increase its Christian content. Three changes support this view.
• Firstly, all blasphemous or risqué material was removed – e.g.:
- The replacement of Beelzebub by Father Christmas.
- The replacement of the Devil by the cook shop in the line “and send him to the
cook shop to make mince pies”.
- The replacement of “pox” by “pitch” or “stitch” in the line “I can cure the hitch
the stitch the palsy and the gout”.
- The removal of Devil Doubt
• Secondly, the introduction of the Turkish Knight turned the plot into a play about
the Crusades. Similarly, the inclusion of lines regarding the Saint George legend also reinforces the Crusading motif. However, it is strange that George remained a
King and was not beatified at the same time.
• Lastly, the introduction of Father Christmas emphasises the Christmas and hence the
Christian theme.
From the distribution, there can be no doubt that the new version was created in
southern England. Although it is not possible to say precisely where, somewhere in the southern Cotswolds seems most likely since it has been demonstrated that the Irish
plays derived from here, and the Irish Turkish Champion is clearly equivalent the
Turkish Knight in southern England.
At some point the old and new texts would have come into contact with each other,
and this probably explains why in Hampshire and neighbouring counties there are
multiple combats with both the Turkish Knight and Slasher, and other mixed features.
Peter Millington – Textual Analysis of English Quack Doctor Plays: Some New Discoveries
108
Northern English Plays and the Chapbook Texts
Describing the cluster that occupies northern England, including the North Midlands
is complicated by the chapbooks published and used in this area. Of the two types,
Alexander and the King of Egypt seems to have had little recorded influence on
performed plays. For a play of over 135 lines, the usage of this text is meagre to say the
least. Only four plays in the database have 33 (i.e. 25%) or more of the Alexander chapbook lines. One of these is in fact a Whitehaven edition of the chapbook, and
another is W.Walker’s edition of The Peace Egg chapbook, which incorporates many Alexander passages literatim.
By contrast, The Peace Egg chapbooks are known to have had a big influence in the
conurbations of the north (E.Cass, 2001, A.Helm, 1980, G.Smith, 1981, etc.). Map 9
shows the usage of Peace Egg lines in the play collection. The distribution is
significant, in western Yorkshire, south eastern Lancashire, and the north Midlands.20
The two English chapbook versions manifest themselves in trellis squares N10 and
N12. The lines in square N10 are common to both chapbooks – mostly Act 2 in the case
of The Peace Egg. Square N12 contains lines that come from The Peace Egg alone.
However, only about a third of the plays in group N are chapbooks or show strong
chapbook influences. If we look at the other plays in the group, they have little more
than the basic lines in row 03, and therefore I suggest that they are closest to the
proposed proto-text. Many of these plays have Slasher, however there are a few North
Midlands texts, such as Selston, Notts., where he is replaced by Bull Guy in his variant
spellings. It appears that Bull Guy is meant to represent an infidel antagonist, and as
such he perhaps represents a step towards (or from) the Turkish Knight.
Other Groups
Two other recognised groups, of known provenance, are not represented in the
database. The first consists of the West Indian Mummies’ plays. These are Hero-
Combat plays that have been shown to derive from the text published by Juliana Horatia
Ewing in 1884 (P.Millington, 1996). This script was compiled from five known texts
that span several of the groups described above. It consequently does not really fit
properly in any of them, and therefore the West Indian plays should be placed in a
group of their own along with Mrs. Ewing’s original.
The other group comprises the distinctive tradition of Mumming in Wexford,
Ireland (J.Parle, 2001). Originally, the plays in Wexford were the same as the other Irish
plays (see for instance the Ballybrennan play). However, at the turn of the 19th and 20th
centuries, the plays were totally rewritten to represent patriotic Irish themes. The
speeches consist of a series of relatively long monologues by patriotic Irish characters
from all periods, but particularly from the Wexford uprising of 1798 (e.g. Wolfe Tone).
However there is no real dialogue as such. Instead it is a series of self-presentations,
interspersed with step dancing and the clashing of short “Mumming sticks”. As they no
longer have a quack doctor character, Wexford Mummers should perhaps fall outside
the scope of this study. However there is clearly a historical relationship, and they warrant their own group.
Relationships between the Northern English and Southern English Versions
Although Map 5 demonstrates a strong link between the Plough Plays and the
Northern English group, there is an additional sparse distribution for the “Iron and steel” speech in southern England, with a gap in between that corresponds to the
Folk Drama Studies Today - International Traditional Drama Conference 2002
109
Cotswold plays. There are indeed other speeches that are shared by the Northern
English and Southern English groups that are absent or rare in the Cotswold group. As it happens, all these lines appear in The Peace Egg chapbook. This being a compilation,
the question arises as to whether these lines existed in the northern tradition before the publication of the chapbook, or if the chapbook was the ultimate source for the lines in
the north. In fact, all the relevant lines do pre-date The Peace Egg in the north. For instance, Saint George’s introductory lines appear in the Alexander chapbook – an 18th-
century source used by The Peace Egg – and his dragon legend speech also appears in the Cheshire play recorded by Francis Douce sometime before 1788 (D.Broomhead,
1982). This shows that The Peace Egg derived lines from the oral tradition, rather than
the other way round. The evidence regarding the shared lines therefore supports the
view that the Northern and Southern English groups drew lines from the same proto-
text.
A Family Tree for the Quack Doctor Plays
Having examined the possible and likely ancestral links between the various folk
play groups, it is now possible to suggest a family tree, or rather a genealogical diagram
for the Quack Doctor folk plays. This is given in Figure 9. A key element is of course
the proposed proto-text, of which there is not as yet a specific real example, although
the Northern English non-chapbook plays are perhaps closest to it. The degree of
confidence in the various proposed links varies from case to case, as has hopefully been
made clear. This diagram should therefore be regarded as a starting point for discussion
and further research.
Conclusions
Three main results have emerged from this study. Firstly, evidence has been
presented for a single proto-text from which later versions developed by addition and
change. This contrasts with earlier views that the different versions had developed by
attrition from a single all-encompassing Ur-text. The lines that the proto-text probably
contained have been identified, and assembled into an initial tentative reconstruction.
Secondly, the analyses have yielded a new classification for the plays that both confirms
and extends the earlier schemes, but under two principal classes rather than three. The
Hero-Combat Plays are divided into seven subclasses, of which one comprises the
Sword Dance Plays that were previously regarded as distinct. The Plough Plays are
divided into two subclasses – the Multiple Wooing Plays and the Recruiting Sergeant
Plays. Lastly, the evolutionary relationships between the various classes have been
investigated, leading to a proposed genealogy of the plays.
Future Work
There is plenty of scope for further research. The analyses should be re-run with a
larger set of data. This should result in better characterisation of the proto-text, improve
aspects of the classification - e.g. the definition of North British Group - and clarify the
direction of the proposed evolutionary links. The main classes are likely to remain
intact, but new subclasses may emerge – e.g. featuring the Royal Prussian King, Bulguy, etc. How the plays were so rapidly and so widely dispersed also merits further
work, especially as it has been shown that the rôle of chapbooks was of regional significance only.
The search for literary and ballad parallels should continue - a task that is likely to
become easier as more full-text databases become available online. Similarly, there is a
Peter Millington – Textual Analysis of English Quack Doctor Plays: Some New Discoveries
110
need to search archive and newspaper sources from the mid 17th to mid 18th century –
the likely period of origin.
References
M.W.Barley (1953) Plough Plays in the East Midlands Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, 1953, Vol.7, No.2,
pp.68-95
C.R.Baskervill (1924) Mummers' Wooing Plays in England
Modern Philology, Feb.1924, Vol.21, No.3, pp.225-272
G.Boyes, M.J.Preston & P.Smith (1999) Chapbooks and Traditional Drama: An
Examination of Chapbooks Containing Traditional Play Texts: Part II: Christmas
Rhyme Books
NATCECT Bibliographical and Special Series, 1999, No.2, Part II
Sheffield, University of Sheffield, 1999, ISSN 1466-7347
D.Broomhead (1982) An Eighteenth Century Play from Cheshire Roomer, 1982, Vol.2, No.4/5, pp.23-29
R.Carr (1836-1838) The Peace Egg Book
Manchester, R.Carr, [1836-1838]
H.Carey (1736) The Honest Yorkshire-Man. A ballad farce. As it is Perform'd London, W.Feales, [1736], pp.22-23
E.Cass (2001) The Lancashire Pace-Egg Play: A Social History
London, FLS Books, [2001], ISBN 0-903515-22-9
E.Cass & S.Roud (2002) Room, Room, Ladies and Gentlemen …: An Introduction to
the English Mummers’ Play
London, English Folk Dance and Song Society, 2002, ISBN 0-85418-185
E.C.Cawte, A.Helm & N.Peacock (1967) English Ritual Drama: A Geographical Index
London, Folk-lore Society, 1967
E.K.Chambers (1933) The English Folk-Play
Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1933
Reprinted: Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1969
Mrs.Chaworth Musters (1890) A Cavalier Stronghold : A Romance of the Vale of
Belvoir
London, Simpkin, Marshall & others, 1890, pp.387-392
M.Dean-Smith (1958) The Life-Cycle Play or Folk-Play: Some Conclusions Following
Examination of the Ordish Papers and Other Sources Folk-lore, Dec.1958, Vol.69, pp.237-253
B.S.Everitt, S.Landau & M.Leese (2001) Cluster Analysis (4th ed.)
London. Arnold, 2001, ISBN 0-340-76119-9
C.Fees (1994) Damn St. George! Some Neglected Home Truths about the History of British Folk Drama, or Bring out the Dead.
Traditional Drama Studies, 1994, Vol.3, pp.1-14
[First presented as a conference paper at Traditional Drama 1982]
A.Gailey (1968) Christmas Rhymers and Mummers in Ireland Ibstock, Guizer Press, 1968
Folk Drama Studies Today - International Traditional Drama Conference 2002
111
H.Glassie (1975) All Silver and no Brass
Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1975
E.Harpwood (1961) The Glympton (Oxfordshire) Mummers' Play
Folklore, Mar.1961, Vol.72, pp.338-342
B.Hayward (1992) Galoshins: The Scottish Folk Play
Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, 1992, ISBN 07486-0338-7
A.Helm (1980) The English Mummers play
Woodbridge, D.S.Brewer, 1980, ISBN 0-85991-067-9
W.Hone (1827) The Every-Day Book and Table Book : Vol.II
London, Thomas Tegg & Son, 1827, cols.18-21, 73-75, 122-128, 1645-1648
R.Hutton (1996) The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain
Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1996, ISBN 0-19-820570-8 Reprinted: Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1997, ISBN 0-19-288045-4
B.Lowsley (1888) A Glossary of Berkshire Words and Phrases
London, Trubner, 1888, pp.17-22
P.Millington (1985) A New Look at English Folk Play Costumes Traditional Drama 1985: The 8th Annual Conference on Traditional Drama
Studies, University of Sheffield, 12th
Oct.1985 http://freespace.virgin.net/peter.millington1/Costumes/Costumes.htm, Last
updated 8th
January 2002
P.T.Millington (1988) The Problems of Analysing Folk Play Cast Lists using Numerical
Methods Traditional Drama Studies, 1988, Vol.2, pp.30-44
[First presented as a conference paper at Traditional Drama 1978]
P.Millington (1989) Mystery History: The Origins of British Mummers’ Plays
American Morris Newsletter, Nov./Dec.1989, Vol.13, No.3, pp.9-16
P.Millington (1995) Correspondence: ‘The Ploughboy and the Plough Play’ by Alun
Howkins and Linda Merricks in Journal, 6.2 (1991), 187-208, and Correspondence from Beth Shaw in Journal, 6.4 (1993), 506-07
Folk Music Journal, 1995, Vol.7, No.1, pp.71-72
P.Millington (1996) Mrs Ewing and the Textual Origin of the St Kitts Mummies’ Play
Folklore, 1996, Vol.107, pp.77-89
P.T.Millington (2002) The Origins and Development of English Folk Plays
Unpublished PhD Thesis, University of Sheffield, May 2002
P.Millington (Forthcoming 2003) The Truro Cordwainers' Play: a “New” 18th-Century
Christmas Play Folklore, In Press, due May 2002
T.F.Ordish (1891) Folk-drama
Folk-lore, Sep.1891, Vol.2, No.3, pp.314-335
J.Parle (2001) The Mummers of Wexford
Drinagh, Wexford, JJP Publications, 2001, ISBN 0-9540927-0-8
Peter Millington – Textual Analysis of English Quack Doctor Plays: Some New Discoveries
112
T.Pettitt (1981) English Folk Drama in the Eighteenth Century: A Defense of the
Revesby Sword Play Comparative Drama, Spring 1981, Vol.15, No.1, pp.3-29
T.Pettitt (1994) Cork Revisited: A Reconsideration of Some Early Records of the
Mummers' Plays.
Traditional Drama Studies, 1994, Vol.3, pp.15-30
T.Pettitt (1995) Customary Drama: Social and Spatial Patterning in Traditional
Encounters Folk Music Journal, 1995, Vol.7, No.1, pp.27-42
M.J.Preston (1971) The British Folk Play: An Elaborated Luck-Visit?
Western Folklore, 1971, Vol.30, pp.45-48
M.J.Preston (1972) The Saint George Play Traditions: Solutions to Some Textual
Problems
Unpublished M.A. Thesis, University of Colorado, 1972
M.J.Preston (1975) [KWIC Concordance of Folk Play Texts]
Copies: (1) Norlin Library, University of Colorado (2) Library, Folklore Society, University College London
(3) Archive, National Centre for English Cultural Tradition, University of Sheffield
M.J.Preston (1976) The Robin Hood Plays of South-Central England
Comparative Drama, Summer 1976, Vol.10, No.2, pp.91-100
M.J.Preston (1977a) Solutions to Classic Problems in the Study of Oral Literature
in: S.Lusignan & J.S.North (1977) Proceedings of the 3rd
International
Conference on Computing in the Humanities, 2-6 August 1977, Waterloo,
Ontario
Waterloo, Ontario, University of Waterloo Press, 1977, pp.117-132
M.J.Preston (1977b) The British Folk Plays and Thomas Hardy: A Computer-aided
Study Southern Folklore Quarterly, 1977, Vol.40, pp.159-182
M.J.Preston (1983) A Key to the KWIC Concordance of British Folk Play Texts
Roomer, 1983, Vol.3, No.5, pp.31-40
M.J.Preston, M.G.Smith & P.S.Smith (1977) Chapbooks and Traditional Drama: An
Examination of Chapbooks containing Traditional Play Texts: Part I: Alexander
and the King of Egypt Chapbooks
CECTAL Bibliographical and Special Series, 1977, No.2
Sheffield, University of Sheffield, 1977, ISSN 0309-9229
I.Russell (1979) “Here comes me and our old lass, Short of money and short of brass”:
A Survey of Traditional Drama in North East Derbyshire Folk Music Journal, 1979, Vol.3, No.5, pp.339-378
W.S. [W.Sandys] (1830) Christmas Drama of St George
Gentlemen’s Magazine & Historical Review, Jun.1830, pp.505-506
W.Sandys (1833) Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern, Including the most popular in
the west of England and the airs to which they are sung. Also specimens of
French provincial carols. With an introduction and notes.
London, Richard Beckley, 1833, cxliv + 188pp. 12 scores.
Folk Drama Studies Today - International Traditional Drama Conference 2002
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W.Sandys (1852) Christmastide, its History, Festivities and Carols
London, John Russell Smith, [1852], pp.145, 153-157, 298-301
G.Smith (1981) Chapbooks and Traditional Plays: Communication and Performance
Folklore, 1981, Vol.92, No.ii, pp.208-218
P.Smith (1985) The Problem of Analysis of Traditional Play Texts: A Taxonomic
Approach Traditional Drama Studies, 1985, Vol.1, pp.43-65
[First presented as a conference paper at Traditional Drama 1978]
R.J.E.Tiddy (1923) The Mummers' Play
Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1923
Reprinted: Chicheley, Paul P.B. Minet, 1972, ISBN 85609-014-X
J.S.Udal (1880) Christmas Mummers in Dorsetshire
Folk-Lore Record, 1880, Vol.3, No.1, pp.87-116
“Uncle Jan Treenoodle” [W.Sandys] (1846) Specimens of Cornish Provincial Dialect London, John Russell Smith, 1846, pp.53-57
Notes 1 This paper is based on my PhD research at NATCECT, which was on “The origins and development of
English folk plays” (2002). My thesis is well over 400 pages long, so in condensing the results down to a
30- minute paper, I have not been able to go into any great depth.
2 H.Clarke in J.S.Udal, 1880, pp.115-116, M.J.Preston, 1971, P.Millington, 1989, T.Pettitt, 1995, pp.29-
30,31. I have suggested that the non-play customs were probably the source for non-representational
costumes (P.Millington, 1985), and Tom Pettitt (!995) has suggested they may also have been the source
of some supernumerary characters. They certainly provided the dates of performance and the actors’
collective names.
3 Some of this may have been amateur drama – theatrical plays staged by amateur actors – but some plays
were definitely performed in the folk idiom in association with calendar customs. Similarly, the earliest
Quack Doctor play texts show more variety than the later plays, and there was a ready willingness to
incorporate literary matter into the texts.
4 This influence was exerted indirectly via the Harlequinade in English pantomime and booth plays at
fairs, aided by popular imagery in street literature. However, it seems likely that neither pantomime nor
booth theatres are direct sources for the plays, unless a printed script can be located.
5 Most versions were in existence by 1825. Thereafter, in the 19th century, chapbooks were important for
propagating the plays in certain areas, and from the mid-19th century, mainstream books were also
important for disseminating texts.
6 “My first proposition is that the play and any significance it may have, resides in the action: the text is a
local accretion alone, often both superfluous and irrelevant. The Play can exist in action alone, without a
word spoken,...” (M.Dean-Smith, 1958, p.244)
7 Preston also generated a KWIC concordance as a finding aid (M.J.Preston, 1975 & 1983), of which
NATCECT has a copy.
8 I started with J.White’s Alexander and the King of Egypt chapbook - the oldest known full text - and
added further texts in approximately chronological order. A special point was made of adding the earliest
editions of all the known chapbook versions. Whenever identified literary or ballad parallels were
encountered, the originals were added too, if necessary as extracts.
All the texts in Tiddy’s (1923) book were added and also other texts that were already available in
electronic form, subject to proof reading against the original source. The chronological provenance of
these texts was effectively random. Lastly, further texts were added to fill gaps in the geographical
distribution, the aim being cover the country as evenly as possible, using the oldest available texts.
Peter Millington – Textual Analysis of English Quack Doctor Plays: Some New Discoveries
114
9 Record dates are the earlier of; date of performance, recording or publication.
10 This speech and some of the ensuing dialogue appears in the Swinderby Plough play (C.R.Baskervill,
1924, pp.263-268), with variants appearing in most Recruiting Sergeant plays of later date.
11 During this work, I investigated the genealogy of the actors named in the play from “Mylor”, Cornwall,
which contains significant literary inclusions. This showed that the play really belongs to Truro, and dates from the late 1780s. My results are due to be published in Folklore in Spring 2003.
12 I call these graphs mesa graphs because early versions were originally plotted the other way up, and
when viewed upside down they resemble the mesas of the Arizona Desert. In the absence of a succinct
descriptive term, the name stuck.
13 Advantage was taken of this program feature, by not only shading relevant the cell but also putting the
actual text line in the cell. Again this text was not normally visible, but it is possible, for instance, to
move the cursor from cell to cell to see how the wording of a line changes from text to text.
14 Suitable descriptions of cluster analysis can be found in P.Smith (1985), P.Millington (1988), and
B.S.Everitt et al (2001)
15 The speeches that came from the Hero-Combat play were effectively frozen at the time they were
added, presumably around the start of the 19th century. These would therefore not have any features
arising from subsequent developments in the Hero-Combat plays themselves. This could be helpful in trying to determine the chronology and genealogy of the different versions.
16 Mrs Chaworth Musters’ (1890) book A Cavalier Stronghold may have been instrumental in
disseminating these additions.
17 In his book on the Scottish folk plays, Brian Hayward discusses the name at length, presenting a map to
show that the singular form of the name Galation was used in the east of its region, and the plural
Galoshins used in the west (B.Hayward, 1992, pp.72-84). He opted to use Galoshins as his standard for
the name of the play and for the collective name for the actors. His practice is followed here, although on
the basis of the quoted text, Galation is used here for the name of the character.
18 The relevant passage reads; “…Father Christmas is represented as a grotesque old man, with a large
mask and comic wig, and a huge club in his hand…” - W.Sandys (1852), pp.154-155
19 The text with Veyther Beelzebub also reported at Glympton, Oxfordshire by E.Harpwood (1961) is in
fact merely replicates Lowsley's text.
20 For completeness, the influence of the Irish Christmas Rhime chapbook is minimal in mainland Britain.
Exceptions are Hulme, Manchester, near where a one-off edition of the chapbook was published (R.Carr,
1836-1838), and in Tenby, Wales.
Folk Drama Studies Today - International Traditional Drama Conference 2002
115
Figure 1 - Mesa Graph - All Plays - Lines Occurring Three or More Times
(Vertical lines mark intervals of 25 years)
All Plays
"Sp
ectrv
m" fro
m "W
ily B
eg
vuild
e" 16
06
Vin
dica
tion o
f Ch
ristma
s - S
pe
ech - 1
653
12
6 : R
ob
in Ho
od an
d th
e T
an
ner [B
allad] 16
63
Christm
as rh
yme
from
J.R
ay (1
670
)
Co
ng
reve
's Lov
e for Lo
ve, A
ct 3
, Sce
ne
6 - 1
695
S.N
icho
lls' Infa
llible D
octor B
roa
dsid
e - 170
0-1
740
Infa
llible
Mo
unteb
an
k Bro
ads
ide - 17
07
Th
e H
on
est Y
ork
shire
ma
n [E
xtract] 1
736
Exe
ter F
rag
me
nt, 17
37 or 1
770
J.W
hite's A
lexan
de
r Ch
apb
ook
- 17
46-17
69
Cu
re at Bristol F
air 17
70
The
"Plo
ub
oys o
R m
ode
s d
anc
ers" at R
eve
sby
17
79
Mo
rrice D
an
cers a
t Re
ves
by - 1
779
Th
e Is
lip M
um
me
rs' P
lay of 1
780
Sec
ond
thou
ghts a
re bes
t [dialo
gue
ba
llad] 1
780
-181
2
Tru
ro [F
orme
rly M
ylor]: "A
Play
for Ch
ristm
as", 17
80
s
Sc
ott's P
ap
a Sto
ur S
wo
rd Da
nce
- 17
88
Ch
esh
ire P
lay - B
efo
re 178
8
Ox
ford
shire
Ch
ristmas
Mu
mm
ers
pla
y - 17
94
Rec
ruiting S
pee
ch o
f 179
6
Rom
sey
Mu
mm
ers' P
lay - 1
796
-183
7
Belfas
t Ch
ristm
as R
hym
e - Sm
yth & L
yon
s (18
03-18
18
)
T.W
ilson
's Alex
and
er C
ha
pbo
ok [18
10-1
826
]
Gala
tion
from
the A
bbo
tsfo
rd C
ollec
tion
Te
xt (a) 18
12-1
832
Gu
isard
s Play
from
the A
bbo
tsfo
rd C
ollec
tion
Te
xt (b) 18
12-1
832
Christm
as G
ysa
rts Play
from
Bow
den
- 18
15
Th
e Sw
ord
Da
nce
rs, Tyn
e &
We
ar, 181
5
Mu
mm
ers’ Pla
y from K
irtling
on[?
] - 181
5-1
816
Stirlin
g P
lay of G
alatio
ns, 1
83
5
Ba
llybre
nna
n, Wex
ford pla
y –
abo
ut 18
23
"Sa
int G
eo
rge
an
d Sla
sher" - S
an
dba
ch, 1
817
"Yo
ung
Ro
ger o
f the M
ill" Broa
dsid
e - 1
820
-182
4
A C
hristm
as P
lay fro
m K
eyns
ham
[Hun
ter] 1
82
2
Tre
dre
a C
hristm
as P
lay
- 182
2
Ba
ssing
ha
m M
en's
pla
y 182
3 Xm
as
Ba
ssin
gha
m C
hildren
s p
lay X
ma
s 1
823
Rec
ruiting
Serg
ean
t [182
3-1
88
8]
Chris
tma
s, Yu
le-B
oys
pla
y from G
allo
way
- 182
4
A C
hristm
as
Pla
y [Bro
ugh
ton, L
incs
.] - Tex
t A - 1
824
Ho
gma
ny P
lay fro
m F
alk
irk - J
.W.R
ed
doc
k, 182
5
Helps
ton M
oris
Dan
ce D
rama
- Cla
re's
text - 1
825
Co
rnish
Ch
ristmas
Pla
y - 1
827
Co
rnish
Ch
ristmas
Pla
y - 1
833
Sw
ord
Da
ncers
, Durh
am, 1
834
J.P
earc
e's M
um
me
rs' A
ct o
r Mo
rris D
ance
rs 'Ch
apb
ook
- 183
7-18
49
W.W
alke
r's P
ea
ce E
gg
Cha
pb
ook - 1
840
-18
77
Ingle
sha
m C
hris
tma
s Pla
y - 18
40 to
185
0
Fa
lkirk Pla
y, 184
1
Ga
latia
n, a
Ne
w-Y
ear P
lay [from
Pe
eble
s] 184
1
Chris
tma
s: his P
age
ant P
lay, o
r Mys
terie
of "S
t.Ge
org
e" - 1
842
Pac
e, Pe
ace
, or Pa
ste
Eg
ging
[Hu
lme
, 184
2]
Sw
ind
erby D
ecr. 31
st 18
42 P
lay
Th
e Wh
ite Boy
s [Isle
of M
an
] 184
5
Mo
rrissin
g in
No
rth N
otts. - 1
845
-185
0
Th
e Ch
ristmas
Pla
y - Ba
mpto
n Mum
mers 18
47
A C
hris
tma
s Pla
y, Pe
rform
ed
by th
e De
rby
shire
Mum
me
rs - 184
9
North
am
pto
nsh
ire T
an
der M
um
min
g F
ragm
en
ts - 185
1
Mu
mm
ing [T
hen
ford, N
ortha
nts. 1
854
]
Wa
lker’s
New
Mu
mm
er, o
r, Th
e W
assa
il Cu
p - 185
5
Gu
ise-D
an
ce P
lay, S
aint K
eve
rne
[Co
rnw
all, 18
55]
Mu
mm
ers
' Pla
y from U
pp
er & L
owe
r Ho
ws
ell, Wo
rcs. - 18
56
-18
57
Te
nby G
uise
rs’ P
lay - 18
57
Th
e Ch
ristma
s M
um
me
rs [Y
ong
e's n
ove
l] 18
58
Chris
tma
s Play
from
Ha
mps
hire - 1
859
Th
e M
um
me
rs [Alle
nda
le, 1
860
-187
0]
Ga
inford, D
urh
am
, Sw
ord-D
an
ce P
lay - 1
860
Chis
wic
k Mum
mers' pla
y, 1
860
Ham
psh
ire M
um
me
rs [F
ragm
en
ts, 1
86
1]
Lutterw
orth S
t. Ge
org
e P
lay - 1
863
Ch
ristmas
Mu
mm
ers
' Pla
y from
Wes
ton-su
b-E
dge
, Glo
s. - 1
864
Ch
ristma
s Mu
mm
ers P
lay from
Ke
mps
ford, G
los. - 18
68
Ovin
gde
an
, Sus
sex pla
y - 1
870
“Whe
n g
ood
King
Arthu
r ruled
this la
nd” 1
871
Ch
ristmas
Rhy
mers
in th
e N
orth o
f Irelan
d : B
elfa
st 187
2
So
uth No
tts Plou
gh
Bu
llock
Da
y P
lay - 18
73
Th
e S
ilverto
n M
um
me
rs' Rhy
me
s - 18
73
Th
e P
ea
ce E
gg : A
Ch
ristma
s M
um
min
g Pla
y - 18
74
Plo
ugh
-Ja
gs' D
itties fro
m N
orth
Lin
coln
shire
- 187
6
Ch
ristm
as B
oys o
r Mum
me
rs, Po
tterne, 1
876
-189
0
Bellerb
y Sw
ord
Da
nce
Pla
y, 187
9 &
192
6
Th
e F
our C
ham
pio
ns o
f Gre
at B
ritain - 1
87
9-188
4
Ch
ristma
s Pla
y from Llan
ma
doc
and
Ch
eriton
- 18
79
Th
e M
um
me
rs [Sixp
enn
y H
an
dley
, Do
rse
t, 188
0s]
Sym
on
dsb
ury Mum
mers’ P
lay 18
80
So
uth
Wes
t Do
rse
t Mu
mm
ers’ P
lay 1
880
Ne
w H
olla
nd M
umm
ers [188
0]
So
mp
ting
Tip
teere
rs’s P
lay, 1
882
Cum
nock
Pla
y, c
.188
3
Crieff G
uise
rs’ Pla
y, 188
4
Pla
y from H
am
stall Rid
ware
- 18
84
Mu
mm
ers' Pla
y from H
am
stall Ridw
are (S
taffs.) 18
84
Christm
as R
hym
ers
from
Mu
llag
hca
rton - 1
885
Atk
inson
's "S
t. Geo
rge an
d th
e T
urkish
Knig
ht", 18
85
Th
e M
um
me
rs’ P
erfo
rma
nce
, Low
er He
yford - 18
85
Ch
ristm
as pla
y fro
m D
rom
ore
- 18
86
King
Ge
org
e P
lay
from
Kirkb
y W
oo
dho
use
, No
tts. - 18
87
Th
e N
ew Y
ea
r Mu
mm
ers
' Ta
le of G
alas
chin
- Fo
rfars
hire 1
888
Te
xt Fra
gme
nts
of C
om
pton M
umm
ers, B
erk
s. - 188
8
Mid
-Berks
hire
Mu
mm
ers 1
888
Plou
gh
Jack
s’ Pla
y from W
illou
ghton
- 18
89
Linc
olnshire
Plo
ug
h Jags
pla
y - 189
0
Bo
ys' p
lay fro
m B
rag
ans
tow
n - 1
890
Crop
well, N
otts. P
loug
hbo
ys' P
lay - 18
90
Kirton
-in-L
inds
ey P
loug
h-Jag
s Pla
y - 18
90
Mo
rris D
ance
rs’ play F
rag
me
nt from
Mu
mb
y - 189
0
Plo
ugh
Boy
's Play
from
Selb
y - 1
892
Cu
lross
pla
y, 189
3
Pla
y fro
m B
rattle
by, L
inco
lnsh
ire, 18
94
Blid
worth
Plou
gh
Bu
llocking
Play
, 18
96
La
uriesto
n H
allowe'e
n P
lay
(a), 189
7
La
urieston
Play
(b), 189
7
Ha
llowe
’en P
lay fro
m B
alma
gh
ie, 189
7
Ha
wk
shea
d E
aste
r Pac
e-E
gg
Pla
y - 1
898
Am
plefo
rth P
lay - 1
898
Ed
ith W
esto
n M
orris
-Dan
cers P
lay, c.18
98
Pe
nkrid
ge C
hris
tma
s Pla
y, 189
9
Ru
gby
Chris
tma
s Mum
min
g P
lay, 1
89
9
Mu
mm
er's Pla
y : Cha
ng
e Island
s, Ne
wfo
und
land
- 19
00
Bro
adw
ell C
hristm
as
Pla
y, 190
0 o
r 190
1
2. S
tan
ford
-in-the
-Va
le, Be
rks. [Mum
me
rs, 190
0]
Hib
alds
tow
Plou
gh
boys
’ Play
-190
1
Plo
ugh
Mo
nd
ay fra
gmen
t from W
inte
rton
- 190
1
Tip
tee
rers' Du
olog
ue fro
m C
oc
king
, Su
sse
x - 19
03-1
906
De
ndro
n Pa
ce E
gg
Mu
mm
ers
Play
, 19
04
Mu
mm
ing P
lay from
Lon
gbo
roug
h, Glo
s. - 190
5-1
90
6
Kirk
Hallam
Ch
ristma
s G
uise
rs P
lay - 1
907
Ch
ristma
s Pla
y from B
urg
hcle
re, Ha
nts
. : Ve
rsion
1 - 1
908
The
Pac
eak
ers’ Pla
y, He
pto
nsta
ll - 190
9
5. "G
uise
rs" pla
y on
Xm
as
Ev
e, Re
pto
n, D
erb
ysh
ire, Ja
n., 190
9.
A R
edruth C
hristm
as P
lay : 19
10-1
925
Scre
me
rsto
n Guiz
ards, N
orth
um
berlan
d [be
fore 1
913
]
"Sw
ord D
ance
rs" pla
y, Ha
ugh
ton-le-S
kern
e, Durh
am [1
913
-191
5]
So
uling
Pla
y fro
m H
uxley
, Ch
esh
ire, 1
913
Se
lston M
umm
ers' P
lay - 1
913
A P
lou
gh M
ond
ay P
lay fro
m C
layw
orth
, No
tts. - 19
13-1
916
An
other P
lou
gh M
ond
ay P
lay fro
m C
layw
orth
, No
tts. - 19
13-1
916
Christm
as P
lay fro
m C
inde
rford
, Glos
. - 19
13-1
916
Pla
y from M
alve
rn, W
orcs
. - 19
13-1
916
Bo
ld R
obin
Ho
od : S
hip
ton
-un
der-W
ychw
ood
, Oxo
n. - 19
13-19
16
Pla
y from
Gre
at Wolford
, Wa
rks. - 1
913
-19
16
Play
from
Ilmin
gton, W
arks
. - 19
13-1
916
Play
from
Pillerto
n, W
ark
s. - 191
3-19
16
Pla
y fro
m L
eafield
, Oxfo
rdsh
ire - 1
91
3-191
6
Mu
mie
s Pla
y from
Bad
by, N
orth
ants. - 19
13
-19
16
Ch
ristmas
Pla
y fro
m Ic
om
b, Glo
s. - 191
3-1
916
Chris
tma
s Pla
y from
No
rth So
merse
t - 191
3-1
91
6
Ch
ristm
as P
lay fro
m B
ursled
on, H
ants
. - 191
3-191
6
Joh
nny
Jac
ks Pla
y from
Ov
erton
, Ha
nts. - 1
913
Ca
mbo
rne, C
ornw
all : T
he C
hris
tma
s Pla
y - 191
3-19
16
Ch
ristm
as P
lay fro
m B
ove
y Tra
cey - 19
13
-19
16
Pla
y from
Bulby
, Lin
cs. - 1
91
3-191
6
North
Mu
skh
am, N
otts. - P
loug
h Mo
nda
y Play
- 19
14
Jerus
alem
, Lin
cs., Plo
ugh
Pla
y - 191
4
Ch
ristm
as M
um
mers P
lay from
Sa
ppe
rton, G
los. - 19
14
Th
e Mum
mers' A
ct from
Cud
de
sdon
, Oxo
n - 191
4
Wa
terstoc
k, Oxfo
rdsh
ire p
lay - 19
14
Ch
ristma
s Pla
y from B
urg
hcle
re, Ha
nts
. : Ve
rsion
2 - 1
914
Bo
ys’ p
lay from
Du
nda
lk - 1
915
Dun
van
t Ch
ristma
s S
po
rt, Collec
ted
191
6
Wo
rds o
f the R
ipo
n S
word
-Dan
ce - 19
20
Th
e "P
lou
gh J
acks
’" Pla
y from K
irmin
gton, L
incs. - 1
923
Gre
ath
am S
word
Dan
ce P
lay - 1
924
Ch
ristma
s Mu
mm
ers o
f Sto
nele
igh [1
925
]
Pa
ce-E
gg
ing fro
m A
mbles
ide (W
estm
orlan
d) 1
930
6. "T
he S
wo
rd-da
nce
rs" Cum
be
rland
. [193
0]
Mum
mers’ P
lay from
Ske
lton
(Yo
rksh
ire) 19
30
Fra
gm
ent from
Orm
skirk (L
an
cash
ire) : P
ace
-egg
ing S
ong
- 19
30
Mu
mm
ers’ P
lay fro
m C
oxw
old (Y
orksh
ire) 19
30
4. C
hu
rch B
roug
hton, D
erb
yshire. [19
30]
Mum
me
rs’ Pla
y from
Alto
n B
arn
es (W
iltshire
) 193
0
3. W
itley, R
ea
ding
, Be
rks. [1
930
]
Bu
ll Gu
yserin
g Pla
y from S
elsto
n, N
otts. - 19
32
Gu
ysers P
lay fro
m U
nde
rwo
od, N
otts., 1
93
5 & 1
936
Be
lcoo C
hristm
as P
lay, c
.194
0
Th
e So
me
rcotes
Gu
isers
, 194
2-19
45
The
Plou
gh B
oys
(from T
ollerton
, No
tting
ham
shire
) 195
0
Plou
gh
Jag
g’s Play
: Ba
ssing
ham
- 195
2
what hoe where a still pouring in the and neuer perfect come forth your au out of my sight what as melancho prithee what tricke for christmas com in nott ingham the his name is arthur with a long pikest so well he can cle by two and by three for he hath no list and as he went fo into the forrest of to view the red de there met he with as soon as bold rob he thought some therefore out of hand and thus to hi m h why what art thou that ranges so bo in sooth to be brie that comes to stea for i am a keeper the k ing puts me i therefore stay thee and hast such a g yet thou must hav before thou make or any that i do ne but i have a staf f o i know it will do th speak cleanly goo and gi ve better te else i ll thee corre and make thee m but l et me measur eight foot and a ha and i hope i t will k hold thy hand hol and let out quarre for here we may t and get no coyn a come t ripping dow o what is the mat t master i pray you why do you stand i fear all is not we o man i do stand the tanner that sta he is a bonny bl ade for soundly he ha he is to be comme if such a feat he c if he be so stout w and he shal l tan m for as i do unders bounce buckram v and when it come but when it s gone where s father f rom f rance from s and from al l parts for to cure all st rang whose face and n as if you d fear to i can make her plu if any man has go that makes him w let him but repair t with one pi ll i ll ma or send her head the pox the palsey pains within and a broken l egs and a are the easiest wo nay more than tha break your neck i or ask you nothing i ll put him in on if shall make him figh or any one that ha see sirs see here here take my bil ls the gout the stone the mulligrubs the thousands i ve dis thousands new er take this and you great belly d maid and cure the love the hot the cold the and scour you o r and if you die nev to see a lady brig so shamefull y be t oh here comes i s and with my spea i slew the dragon and by that very m play musick s ilence brave gen alexander is my n a ramble here i too three actors hear the f irst i do presen he s just come fro the next that doth had it not been fo old dives is the ne who by lending of so gentlemen you stand of a lit tle wh room room brave for in this room we resort and to repe for remember goo the t ime to cut up so we are come to at the sounding o make room brave we are the merry we are the merry we are the merry step in thou king o i am the king of eg and prince george step in therefore m and shew forth th in egypt s f ields i but by my valour i i sounded at the ga and out came a g he gave me a blo but i up with my s hold slacker hold for on this spot th t is i that s to hash and send thee to minch pies hot mi i ll send thee to sa but hold pri nce geo either thou or i mu some mortal woun so let is f ight it ou curs d christ ian w thou hast ruin d m he gave me challe how high he was o sambo sambo h for i never was in for thou to stand w and to fi ght at my yes my liege i will and by my sword yonder stands he i ll t ry if he be sprung and through hi s bo gent lemen you se or else i d run it do is there never a do that can cure my s yeas there i s a do what di seases ca o horrible terri bl e a man drove out o and out of f ifteen o horrible terri bl e thou si lly ass that i live in hopes to b s ir unto you i bend stand of thou slav a s lave si r that is f that word deserve to be stab d si r is appoint your time i ll cross the wate i ll meat you there she can talk both i ll have none such why dont you love yes i love my lear i love a learned sc stand of f had i as as you have had s s ir to express thy for thy face shines thy teeth are no w stand of f thou dirt i ll make thy body oh what is here oh our king is sl ain th take up the body for in this place no but farewell chri st farewell farewel ad i hope we have m but gent lemen yo we ve done the be a doctor a doctor her am i can you bring a d take a lit tle of my put i t on your nin now rise up slashe cum follow me me tho wee hauve ma and they will wonde i will give him the how know father mareham church but i t is made of ir and unto death w that i may arise and good people all you wee hauve cut do and hear he lies a no no my children for hear i found m in cupits cool a fool a fool a fool a fool i heard them hear cums i that ne i hauve a great he tho my head be g i can play the fol f my name it is noube i am cumd to show make room for noub and al l his good c i am a valrant nigh you do mow mee i can ci ll you one or i can cill you ten i hauve a ould shee and i lap it well in soard and buckler for had not i been i should not a sho shee has f ingers l i am my fathers el and in a short t im i wass brought up hear stands a fair but you shal l see t is i that carys the here come i the ro with my broad sw where is the man altho you swagge cal l the doctor cal doctor doctor do y the k ing is wounde as you can plainly i shan t fetch them i am a doctor a do who s hand were if the devil in i can some to cure and i have travelled th been to europe and hocus pocus alec here come i old fa shes got the tootha come write me do that first created m i have a di amond where al l my joy an i ll give you gol d i if you can fancy m it is not your gol d to leave of f my ple i do never intend to be at any youn o go your ways yo if you are shy i ll b for i don t fear but another fair maid o stay young man you seem af raid y let reason rul e you and unto you i will thy sorrow and t roub my joy and comfo but the girl that al now proves my co hare comes i ould i hope oul d father hopen the doar and i hope your faver wether irise or we sai nt george is at with soard an buc i now he is no fool he wi ll say more b than ican perform and if you would n walk in s t george let all the royal fami here comes i ould upon my shoulder and in my hand a ham not i a hansa hear comes i son sum of my worndr then into a cave w i sot my foot upon their did i make m how many men ha and rund the fi reh i fought them al l c and sti l got of thir engl and s ri ght eng now ear i drow my hear come s i the came f rom the tur i will fight sun geo and if is blood is h drow thy sord and drow thy pus and for sat isfaction i w no sati sfaction sha no pardon shal l y so drow thy sord an i will seek the bou this cruel christan pray ware ast tho by al l my ri ch fortun o docter docter w full fif ty ginues is but sunes tis for is shall make this go o pardon pardon s spair me my life a yes proude torke and tell what a bo had it ben a thous for to mentain gra great brit ians righ and fight f ree for en with all my gallent god bl ess the rora if you please to th have i been tried yet i deny that eve we have none of t but some of the ro s lip in sai nt georg i am saint george i am a valiant sol d and send thy carc farewell saint geo i am prince saladi whose famous cou for through their he god zooks and sc what makes my n my legs are made now prince saladi take hi m away and for i cannot behol now gentlemen and my hat is dumb an pray put something for me and my bra then mind your ey and shield your fa doctor doctor com sai nt george is wo my father kill ed a my mother gave m where the houses and the wainscots the streets are pa and ni ce roasted with knives and fo who will eat me w and in this room t the f inest batt le tha between saint geo i am a litt le man th much li ke a lad tha oh doctor doctor i take it i ll crop his wings in come i cut and i and seven more roast beef plum pu no body loves the a mug of your chr and money in our in comes twing tw li eutenant of ye p i press all these b with my wife and c gent lemen and la i wish you a merry a pocket full of mo act ive young and the l ike was neve i freed fair sabra f what more could m and will always fi g i am the man that and with my swor who are you but a i am a turky cham to fight you the gr and af ter i have do if you have a mind full fif ty gui neas i moreoverthan that if you bring me an enter in saint patr here come i saint a famous champio what was saint ge he fed is horse se and af terwards be i say by george you pull out your swor pull out your purs i ll run my sword t and make you run so enter in oliver here comes i olive i conquered many i made my foes fo and beat all my opp enter in bel zebub enter devil doubt here come i lit tle de if you don t give m money i want and if you don t give m our box now must our box would spe nine or ten shilli ng all silver and no b your cell ar doors and it s all for the had awa rokes ha had awa stocks a s ic as was never i call upon belzebub here comes in bla come to conquer he is so bold and here come i poor and i am like to l o although i be too and i will f reely spe i call upon galati o i have slain his fa he wi ll never ri se t you dirty dog you you with my sword ten pounds for a d here comes in a do the best that scotl i have gone from and now i ve com will not seven do no now i ll put a litt le and a litt le to his bu and they never fou the next that i call now galoshin you young man you ll oh you villain bol d i m sure that both oh how could you i saw you sli p beh galoshin shall be now once i was dead and bl essed are t bless the master w and the pretty bab there are four of u and pl easure for t and what you f ree meikl e head and l cal l for alexander and when i came to see that l ittl e na what ai ls your back i have been east i auld wives f lying i cats gaun upon p i am sure t was no i m sure twas none twas him that follo then cheer up my we ll take him to t step in ki ng george but now i am com to see which on th doctor doctor has see thou make no f ive pounds i d f ree in comes i l itt le do the best lit tle doct my pills shall work where com st thou in her coff in eight if she s onl y got o if she can only ma i ll be bound in the if there any man c let him step i n if h my name is not ja my name is mr fi n cure a magpie wit and how canst do by cutt ing of f his h and throwing his bo no barbary at all b i can cure this ma so pray me hones the next young man he s admiral of th the game sir the ga i ll draw my blood i ll draw my blood f ight on fight on b i ll give any man t when their two sw but we wil l all gre we thank the mas if you have anythi i am bold s lasher thy lofty courage m hold hold saint ge my honour to mai for if he could he o cruel christian w or on the ground h a doctor a doctor f rom the f ire side t no further at all to cure the man th so now our play is gent lemen and la and being come t so we ll join our ha don t go about lik i go about for the yes s ir this man is not de i think you had be gent lemen gent le and if saint george good evening lad i hope you will no i have some more i have some litt le good master and remember us poo the mire it is deep we will thank you good master and here comes the fa upon my pri nciple i m come to woo t to gain her love h to gain my love it you speak too clo therefore out of m a witt y man or i ll a man for wi t i am a lawyer i suppos you plead your ca but by an by i ll te you plead a cause here comes old d comes dableing a comes jumping ab look about you old long time i have s sarrah come take bastard you jade here comes the p i ll speak for myse my old grey hairs i ll do the best for me thinks me see on you i ve f ix d m do you think i d m no i ll have one of k ick me lady out o i ll be hang d over where have you le i have traveled fo and there had a m t ry your skill docter i will feel of this m looks old man and wipe thy eyes and if ever i come nea i will turn myself a prithee fellow hold my blood it rise w i will stand before no ki ng am i thou but with my sword i am come to invi t what you like bes we will have a jov w ll have long tail w ll have a good s w ll have a lim of w ll have a farthi n good master and we will make it in we thank you for s some can dance an if you will consent in am a noble ser my orders are to e li kewise the noble i boy and i am a foo faith i can sing an i can nei ther danc but i f you begin to good people give i will tell you of a y he is almost broke and beauty as en my droopi ng wing pity my condi tion for thi s fal s girl i a chear up mandon for in a short time he swers if i don t he wi ll li st for a sou madame if he con as once praphaps he wi ll li st for a so i thank you kind s i never mean to m i will have anothe i have gold and si you shall have a s come my lads tha come and go along you shall have all and ten guines th your hat shall be and we will cut a ga i then kind si r i wi dash me if i will gr gent lemen and la i m come to see y that knows no oth but i ll tell you wh hedge about boys oh hon my back i there s a hole in t how did youget it f ight ing for our land how mony did you i kill ed a the lons here comes in jud if ye pit bought s ill where the clouds and the farmers th our hearts are ma here comes i that i ll t ry his courage i ll never pardon a therefore arise an gent lemen and la let father chri stma i am not come her i ll cut him down o who s he that see and calls so angry that english dog w with my long teeth of such i d break up and stay my stom i ll f ight saint geor i ll make him yield he brags to such he think there s n s ix actors i have b last i come in mys and if you d know the doctor says yo many bloody deed my famous name i followed a fair lad wherei n i put the doo i ve searched the but one to equal m disable disable it stand of f s lasher and for if i draw my sw how canst thou br alas alas my chie what must i do to i ll l ovingly for a do are you the doctor by my art and acti you l l be very cun o yes a great dea how far all sorts what al l sorts i ve in my pockets spectacles for bl in packsaddles and plaisters for broken i cured the devil o here jack take a li and let it run down o my back and my heart is con o hark saint georg that summons us down yonder i s th now prince of par and what f ine sigh dost thou think no dares such a blac lay down thy swor then i ll f ight thee and al l his joys en he is sl ain i di d hi m slay i did rise hector hector if that be he that d that slew my mast thou st got one wi and lay thi ne ang many bloody battl but f rom sai nt geo here comes from why master did i e why jack did ever thou proud saucy a coxcomb i defy t with a sword thou stabbing is the lea and made the tyra then i resolved wi to burst the door an that s l itt le john m they gi ve me the na could do more than as i was walking d i knocked at the m and she asked me and eat a cup of a and i sai d no than i ll call in the slashe i ll hash you and s her comes father a merry act i will b thou art a bold fell my only son my on one day as i went step prince of par come in brave tur i come to f ight a fa fol de riddle oll fol de role yes now since you ha come and do not li quewise kiss the so now my love h i never will greive well spoken doctor what medicine do send for a doctor doctor doctor doc i can put my arm do and turn the anim i heal the sick i cu if i can but find k in i carry him some p the clock st ruck one and the hour is go with a rink a tink a and i ll make your and see which on hard corns soft co my man jack coming sir good morrow frien we are right glad i banish d serpen and i m saint andr men fra that part a of taffy s land i m i challenge all my and i ll assi st wid and you shall f ind odds blud and i so huzza f irst i fought in ire now i ve come to drop a l ittl e on thi in comes i the nob with my broadswo his body s dead h and raise the dead with naked sword to help pass away and perhaps will n so walk in saint geo therefore thou tur i ll batt le thee to s i ll bring her youn thou be st a noble that go about the and tell you as ma but what i does i d and ladies and gen and it will st rike the my family s large t and so a li ttle help enter the turkish k and that s a rovin you sir aye sir there is no f ive can you do anythi yes i can the f irst that i call he s the first man god bl ess you hone i ve come to act m i ll call our young as good a swordm and here i do adv and i m the ragged dance dance wert hark canny fel low or stealing the sw i am a king and a have i to be offen and now the next one bi rd in the hand yes indeed that i w good morrow gen i ve had such a s l but now i am awa so we ll have a da when fi rst k ing hen he bought s ix pec and i am he can c i ll s tarve them on if a man want to fi but i f you please be a room a room a r i brought this ol d before i set this g hold my horse jac hold him yourself what s that you sa give him a bucket and well rrrrom do fetch it yerself sir fetch me my pi nch oh i ve got him sir i met a bark and he i went to the st ick last christmas nigh i burnt me f inger a the sparks fl ew ov the pot l id kicked t with his long tail swore he d send t in comes the gri d i m the just ice brin i went on a bit furt i came to k ing cha i came to two lit tle one gave a hard c cut a s id through k illed a lit tle jed d sent hi m down bu rack hi m up with a what is t thee name green sl eeves and now my boys we ll i see you pay or u and make them ri i ve searched hi s i ve given him tha now i come but a let my wife dolly c here comes i l ittl e drinking gin is al l yes yes saint geo pray heal this man here comes i the f lap port and good once i was a bloo where out my lads i m the chap they out o l even i got bu out of seven i got so you ve see us music strike up an yes i am a doctor t ravelled i ve t rave where there is ne wooden churches is that al l doctor fall to work doctor she i s i n a very ba i ll show you all m some are here an walk in room agai walk in doctor and with my glit te if you can dance i ye think we re of t stir up the fi re and for in this house t here comes i auld with a bunch of bl here comes i wee i m the man that li if ye don t put a p step in bul gard and in comes bul gard sai nt george sain or to conquer or to i ve heal ed his wou and there i met a doctor s a coming it ll go down his th put that into a pig and sti r it well rou here comes i buck i beg your pardon if you haven t got if you haven t got an hopes tis no of an we ull zoon go i keer not vor spa wher s the man as well shaayken avoo yer s a tooth enou the roo ads be di r zo pl ee uz put zumm the more i hear th can t come under please take hold o does a man s puls yes that s the stro tommy bring the ba is there any old w ten to stop away so raise her up an in comes i bold to i have come to tas oki ng poking fran the recrui ting serg are you free heart in your hand i pla dost thou love me yes tommy to my when shall be our tommy love to mo and tommy love to in comes i old thra my old dad learnt i will thrash you to in comes i the farm don t you see my i go forth and plou and turn i t upside how i st raight i go i scarcely make a and to my horses as they go marchi hov ve gee wo it s none of mi ne who tol d you bring the overseer of the and i think you be for it s eyes nose c is as much like yo wo my lad take ho and mind he does that makes me as when i was down my old grandmothe and grazed her sh and made her sto and i cured that draw a leg set a too she will not get a she has been liv in a fortnight without she has swallowe one drop in a mor and swall ow the bo you must take one jolly old man may i ve three sons he in comes ki ng willi what s that you say any doctors in this they have been see but i m here this v is them all the cur madam i ve got ho madam i ve got w all i want is a ni ce for we are all hun a barl ey chaff dum he has been t ry in what s that doctor if you don t i do and see these joll i wasn t talk ing abo what were you tal about what i can c here s two or three we ve come a pac i hope you ll prove we ll come no mo so the first that co he s a star on his and i hope you ll r so the next that co he s a valiant old he s a hump on h and al l his deli ght put your hands in put your hands in and gi ve us a trifle cry ing god save the in comes i the rea many a batt le hav both abroad and a very good doctor t what s this man got born to defend all please wi ll you giv allow me to draw more like a camel battl e to bat tle wit in comes i old eez on my shoulder i c yes i thought so w back o the head ag those pil ls are virg i have brought the i cured old mrs co knocked hi m over safe cure doctor
Peter Millington – Textual Analysis of English Quack Doctor Plays: Some New Discoveries
116
Figure 2 - Screen Dump of Mesa Graph
`
Folk Drama Studies Today - International Traditional Drama Conference 2002
117
Figure 3 - Dendrogram Results of Cluster Analysis
J.White's Alexander Chapbook - 1746-1769 74nz26wh
Penkridge Christmas Play, 1899 89sj91jn
The White Boys [Isle of Man] 1845 84sc28hw
J.Pearce's Mummers' Act or Morris Dancers 'Chapbook - 1837-1849 84sk38pj
W.Walker's Peace Egg Chapbook - 1840-1877 84se24ww
Guysers Play from Underwood, Notts., 1935 & 1936 93sk45hb
Cheshire Play - Before 1788 78sj--df
A Christmas Play, Performed by the Derbyshire Mummers - 1849 84sk--hj
"Saint George and Slasher" - Sandbach, 1817 81sj76ej
Mummers' Play from Hamstall Ridware (Staffs.) 1884 88sk11kd
Kirk Hallam Christmas Guisers Play - 1907 90sk44cj
5. "Guisers" play on Xmas Eve, Repton, Derbyshire, Jan., 1909. 90sk32ps
4. Church Broughton, Derbyshire. [1930] 93sk23ps
Selston Mummers' Play - 1913 91sk45sc
Bull Guysering Play from Selston, Notts. - 1932 93sk45cl
The Somercotes Guisers, 1942-1945 94sk45ka
Hawkshead Easter Pace-Egg Play - 1898 89sd39ch
Pace-Egging from Ambleside (Westmorland) 1930 93ny30kd
Dendron Pace Egg Mummers Play, 1904 90sd27ha
The Paceakers’ Play, Heptonstall - 1909 90sd92tr
Souling Play from Huxley, Cheshire, 1913 91sj56gb
Words of the Ripon Sword-Dance - 1920 92se37kd
Mummers’ Play from Skelton (Yorkshire) 1930 93nz61kd
Morrissing in North Notts. - 1845-1850 84sk78se
Plough Boy's Play from Selby - 1892 89se63sh
Mummers’ Play from Coxwold (Yorkshire) 1930 93se57kd
Truro [Formerly Mylor]: "A Play for Christmas", 1780s 78sw84em
Cornish Christmas Play - 1833 83s---sw
The Silverton Mummers' Rhymes - 1873 87ss90fs
Lutterworth St. George Play - 1863 86sp58kw
South Notts Plough Bullock Day Play - 1873 87sk--bc
Romsey Mummers' Play - 1796-1837 79su32lj
Ovingdean, Sussex play - 1870 87tq30tr
The Christmas Mummers [Yonge's novel] 1858 85su--yc
Christmas Play from Bursledon, Hants. - 1913-1916 91su40kc
Sompting Tipteerers’s Play, 1882 88tq10sf
Christmas Play from Burghclere, Hants. : Version 1 - 1908 90su45h1
Johnny Jacks Play from Overton, Hants. - 1913 91su54cc
3. Witley, Reading, Berks. [1930] 93su77ps
Christmas Boys or Mummers, Potterne, 1876-1890 87st95bw
Tipteerers' Duologue from Cocking, Sussex - 1903-1906 90su81tr
Mummers’ Play from Alton Barnes (Wiltshire) 1930 93su16kd
The Mummers [Sixpenny Handley, Dorset, 1880s] 88st91ws
Christmas Play from Hampshire - 1859 85su--cb
Cornish Christmas Play - 1827 82s---sw
Christmas Play from Llanmadoc and Cheriton - 1879 87ss49dj
South West Dorset Mummers’ Play 1880 88sy--uj
Guise-Dance Play, Saint Keverne [Cornwall, 1855] 85sw72mw
Camborne, Cornwall : The Christmas Play - 1913-1916 91sw64tj
Mummers' Play from Upper & Lower Howsell, Worcs. - 1856-1857 85so74bc
Play from Malvern, Worcs. - 1913-1916 91so74tr
Mummer's Play : Change Islands, Newfoundland - 1900 90----pj
Dunvant Christmas Sport, Collected 1916 91ss59gw
Christmas Play from North Somerset - 1913-1916 91st--tr
Symondsbury Mummers’ Play 1880 88sy49uj
Christmas, Yule-Boys play from Galloway - 1824 82nx--mt
Chiswick Mummers' play, 1860 86tq27ps
King George Play from Kirkby Woodhouse, Notts. - 1887 88sk45sj
The Islip Mummers' Play of 1780 78sp51be
Oxfordshire Christmas Mummers play - 1794 79sp--je
Belfast Christmas Rhyme - Smyth & Lyons (1803-1818) 80ij37sl
Christmas Rhymers in the North of Ireland : Belfast 1872 87ij37pw
Ballybrennan, Wexford play – about 1823 81it01kp
Christmas Rhymers from Mullaghcarton - 1885 88ij16ge
Pace, Peace, or Paste Egging [Hulme, 1842] 84sj89lj
Christmas play from Dromore - 1886 88ig86ge
Boys' play from Braganstown - 1890 89io09jb
Boys’ play from Dundalk - 1915 91ij00jb
Belcoo Christmas Play, c.1940 94ih03dl
Tenby Guisers’ Play - 1857 85sn10bl
2. Stanford-in-the-Vale, Berks. [Mummers, 1900] 90su49ps
Mummers’ Play from Kirtlingon[?] - 1815-1816 81sp51rg
Play from Ilmington, Warks. - 1913-1916 91sp24tb
Play from Leafield, Oxfordshire - 1913-1916 91sp31tr
Christmas Play from Cinderford, Glos. - 1913-1916 91so61tr
Play from Great Wolford, Warks. - 1913-1916 91sp23tr
The Mummers' Act from Cuddesdon, Oxon - 1914 91sp50jl
Waterstock, Oxfordshire play - 1914 91sp60tr
Christmas Mummers of Stoneleigh [1925] 92sp37hm
Mumming [Thenford, Northants. 1854] 85sp54ba
Mid-Berkshire Mummers 1888 88su--lb
Christmas Play from Burghclere, Hants. : Version 2 - 1914 91su45h2
Christmas Mummers' Play from Weston-sub-Edge, Glos. - 1864 86sp14bc
Mumming Play from Longborough, Glos. - 1905-1906 90sp12ta
Christmas Play from Icomb, Glos. - 1913-1916 91sp71tr
Christmas Mummers Play from Sapperton, Glos. - 1914 91so90cw
The Mummers’ Performance, Lower Heyford - 1885 88sp42fh
Broadwell Christmas Play, 1900 or 1901 90sp46gi
Play from Pillerton, Warks. - 1913-1916 91sp24tr
Mumies Play from Badby, Northants. - 1913-1916 91sp53tr
A Christmas Play from Keynsham [Hunter] 1822 82st66hs
Inglesham Christmas Play - 1840 to 1850 84su29wa
Christmas Mummers Play from Kempsford, Glos. - 1868 86su19cj
Bold Robin Hood : Shipton-under-Wychwood, Oxon. - 1913-1916 91sp21tr
The Sword Dancers, Tyne & Wear, 1815 81nz--tr
Sword Dancers, Durham, 1834 83nz--sc
Gainford, Durham, Sword-Dance Play - 1860 86nz11ce
Bellerby Sword Dance Play, 1879 & 1926 87se19km
Greatham Sword Dance Play - 1924 92nz42pn
Ampleforth Play - 1898 89se57ce
Guisards Play from the Abbotsford Collection Text (b) 1812-1832 82nt53ab
Stirling Play of Galations, 1835 83ns79mj
The New Year Mummers' Tale of Galaschin - Forfarshire 1888 88no--dw
"Sword Dancers" play, Haughton-le-Skerne, Durham [1913-1915] 91nz31ss
Crieff Guisers’ Play, 1884 88nn82lm
Culross play, 1893 89ns98cg
Scremerston Guizards, Northumberland [before 1913] 91nu04ru
Galation from the Abbotsford Collection Text (a) 1812-1832 82nt53aa
Christmas Gysarts Play from Bowden - 1815 81nt53wt
Hogmany Play from Falkirk - J.W.Reddock, 1825 82ns88rj
Galatian, a New-Year Play [from Peebles] 1841 84nt24cr
Falkirk Play, 1841 84ns88cr
The Mummers [Allendale, 1860-1870] 86ny85bg
Hallowe’en Play from Balmaghie, 1897 89nx76gw
Laurieston Hallowe'en Play (a), 1897 89nx66ga
Laurieston Play (b), 1897 89nx66gb
Cumnock Play, c.1883 88ns52da
Rugby Christmas Mumming Play, 1899 89sp57bf
A Redruth Christmas Play : 1910-1925 91sw64ed
6. "The Sword-dancers" Cumberland. [1930] 93ny--ps
The "Plouboys oR modes dancers" at Revesby 1779 77tf26al
Bassingham Men's play 1823 Xmas 82sk95bd
Bassingham Childrens play Xmas 1823 82sk95be
A Christmas Play [Broughton, Lincs.] - Text A - 1824 82sk95ba
Recruiting Sergeant [1823-1888] 82sk--bc
Swinderby Decr. 31st 1842 Play 84sk86bc
Plough Jacks’ Play from Willoughton - 1889 88sk99re
Blidworth Plough Bullocking Play, 1896 89sk55wr
Cropwell, Notts. Ploughboys' Play - 1890 89sk63cm
Plough Jagg’s Play : Bassingham - 1952 95sk95re
The Plough Boys (from Tollerton, Nottinghamshire) 1950 95sk63sm
Play from Bulby, Lincs. - 1913-1916 91tf02tr
A Plough Monday Play from Clayworth, Notts. - 1913-1916 91sk78ta
North Muskham, Notts. - Plough Monday Play - 1914 91sk75gw
Jerusalem, Lincs., Plough Play - 1914 91sk97pa
Kirton-in-Lindsey Plough-Jags Play - 1980 89sk99pm
The "Plough Jacks’" Play from Kirmington, Lincs. - 1923 92ta11tr
Lincolnshire Plough Jags play - 1890 89----be
Edith Weston Morris-Dancers Play, c.1898 89sk90cb
Another Plough Monday Play from Clayworth, Notts. - 1913-1916 91sk78tb
Plough-Jags' Ditties from North Lincolnshire - 1876 87se91pm
Hibaldstow Ploughboys’ Play -1901 90se90pm
N
S
E
C
D
G
H
W
Dissimilarlty (%) 100
P
0
Peter Millington – Textual Analysis of English Quack Doctor Plays: Some New Discoveries
118
Figure 4 - Clustered Mesa Graph
All Plays
J.W
hite
's A
lexan
der C
hap
bo
ok - 1
746-1
76
9
Pen
krid
ge
Chris
tma
s P
lay, 1
899
Th
e W
hite
Boy
s [Is
le o
f Ma
n] 1
84
5
J.P
earc
e's
Mum
mers
' Act o
r Morris
Dan
cers
'Cha
pbo
ok - 1
837-184
9
W.W
alk
er's
Pe
ace
Eg
g C
hap
boo
k - 1
84
0-1
877
Gu
ysers
Pla
y fr
om
Un
derw
oo
d, N
otts
., 19
35
& 1
936
The P
acea
kers
’ Pla
y, H
ep
tonsta
ll - 190
9
Wo
rds o
f the
Rip
on S
wo
rd-D
an
ce - 1
92
0
Tru
ro [F
orm
erly
Mylo
r]: "A
Pla
y fo
r Ch
ristm
as", 1
780
s
Corn
ish C
hris
tma
s P
lay - 1
833
Lu
tterw
orth
St. G
eorg
e P
lay - 1
863
Sou
th N
otts
Plo
ugh B
ullo
ck D
ay P
lay - 1
87
3
Che
shire
Pla
y - B
efo
re 1
788
A C
hris
tma
s P
lay, P
erfo
rme
d b
y th
e D
erb
yshire
Mum
mers
- 18
49
"Sa
int G
eo
rge
and
Sla
sh
er" - S
an
dba
ch, 1
817
Mum
mers
' Pla
y fr
om
Ha
msta
ll Rid
ware
(Sta
ffs.) 1
884
Kirk
Halla
m C
hris
tma
s G
uis
ers
Pla
y - 1
907
5. "G
uis
ers
" pla
y o
n X
mas E
ve, R
epto
n, D
erb
ysh
ire, J
an., 1
909
.
4. C
hurc
h B
rou
ghto
n, D
erb
yshir
e. [1
930
]
Sou
ling P
lay fro
m H
uxle
y, C
heshire
, 19
13
Sels
ton M
um
mers
' Pla
y - 1
91
3
Bu
ll Guyse
ring P
lay
from
Se
lsto
n, N
otts
. - 193
2
The
So
merc
ote
s G
uis
ers
, 194
2-1
945
Ch
ristm
as, Y
ule
-Boy
s p
lay
from
Gallo
way - 1
824
Chis
wic
k M
um
me
rs' p
lay, 1
86
0
Kin
g G
eo
rge
Pla
y fro
m K
irkby W
ood
ho
use
, No
tts. - 1
88
7
Mo
rrissin
g in
No
rth N
otts
. - 18
45
-18
50
Plo
ug
h B
oy's
Pla
y fro
m S
elb
y - 1
892
Mum
mers
’ Pla
y fr
om
Co
xw
old
(Yorkshir
e) 1
930
Ha
wksh
ead
Easte
r Pac
e-E
gg
Pla
y - 1
898
Pace
-Egg
ing
from
Am
ble
sid
e (W
estm
orla
nd) 1
930
Den
dro
n P
ace
Egg M
um
mers
Pla
y, 1
90
4
Ro
mse
y M
um
me
rs' P
lay - 1
796
-18
37
Ovin
gd
ea
n, S
ussex p
lay - 1
870
Th
e C
hris
tmas M
um
mers
[Yon
ge's
nove
l] 185
8
Chris
tma
s P
lay fro
m B
urs
led
on
, Ha
nts
. - 191
3-1
916
So
mptin
g T
ipte
ere
rs’s
Pla
y, 1
882
Ch
ristm
as P
lay fro
m B
urg
hcle
re, H
ants
. : Vers
ion 1
- 19
08
Jo
hnn
y J
acks P
lay fro
m O
ve
rton, H
ants
. - 1913
3. W
itley, R
ea
din
g, B
erk
s. [1
93
0]
Ch
ristm
as B
oy
s o
r Mum
me
rs, P
otte
rne, 1
876
-18
90
Mum
mers
’ Pla
y fro
m A
lton
Ba
rne
s (
Wilts
hire
) 19
30
Tip
tee
rers
' Duolo
gue fro
m C
ockin
g, S
usse
x - 1
903
-19
06
The
Mum
me
rs [S
ixpe
nn
y H
an
dle
y, D
ors
et, 1
88
0s]
Chris
tma
s P
lay fro
m H
am
ps
hire
- 185
9
Th
e S
ilverto
n M
um
me
rs' R
hym
es - 1
87
3
Mum
mers
' Pla
y fro
m U
pp
er &
Lo
wer H
ow
sell, W
orc
s. - 1
85
6-1
85
7
Pla
y fro
m M
alv
ern, W
orc
s. - 1
913
-19
16
Corn
ish C
hris
tma
s P
lay - 1
827
Ch
ristm
as P
lay fro
m L
lanm
ado
c a
nd
Che
riton
- 1879
Sou
th W
est D
ors
et M
um
mers
’ Pla
y 1
880
Guis
e-D
ance
Pla
y, S
ain
t Ke
vern
e [C
orn
wa
ll, 18
55]
Cam
born
e, C
orn
wa
ll : Th
e C
hris
tmas P
lay - 1
91
3-1
916
Dun
van
t Chris
tma
s S
port, C
olle
cte
d 1
916
Chris
tma
s P
lay fro
m N
orth
Som
ers
et - 1
913-1
91
6
Sym
on
dsbu
ry M
um
mers
’ Pla
y 1
880
Belfa
st C
hris
tmas R
hym
e - S
myth
& L
yon
s (1
80
3-1
81
8)
Ch
ristm
as R
hym
ers in
the N
orth
of Ire
land : B
elfa
st 1
872
Ba
llybre
nna
n, W
exfo
rd p
lay –
abou
t 182
3
Ch
ristm
as R
hym
ers fro
m M
ulla
gh
carto
n - 1
88
5
Pace
, Pe
ace
, or P
aste
Eggin
g [H
ulm
e, 1
842
]
Ch
ristm
as p
lay fro
m D
rom
ore - 1
88
6
Bo
ys' p
lay fro
m B
rag
an
sto
wn
- 1890
Bo
ys’ p
lay fro
m D
und
alk
- 19
15
Be
lcoo
Chris
tmas P
lay, c
.19
40
Mu
mm
er's
Pla
y : C
ha
ng
e Is
lan
ds, N
ew
foun
dla
nd
- 190
0
Te
nby G
uis
ers
’ Pla
y - 1
857
2. S
tanfo
rd-in
-the-V
ale
, Be
rks. [M
um
mers
, 190
0]
Th
e Is
lip M
um
me
rs' P
lay o
f 1780
Oxfo
rdsh
ire C
hris
tmas M
um
mers
pla
y - 1
79
4
Mum
me
rs’ P
lay fro
m K
irtlingo
n[?
] - 181
5-1
81
6
Pla
y fro
m Ilm
ingto
n, W
ark
s. - 1
913
-19
16
Pla
y fro
m L
eafie
ld, O
xfo
rdsh
ire - 1
913
-19
16
Chris
tma
s P
lay
from
Cin
derfo
rd, G
los. - 1
913
-19
16
Pla
y fro
m G
reat W
olfo
rd, W
ark
s. - 1
91
3-1
916
The M
um
mers
' Act fro
m C
udd
esd
on, O
xon - 1
914
Wate
rsto
ck, O
xfo
rdshire
pla
y - 1
91
4
Chris
tma
s M
um
me
rs o
f Sto
nele
igh [1
925]
Mu
mm
ing [T
hen
ford
, North
an
ts. 1
854]
Mid
-Berk
sh
ire M
um
me
rs 1
88
8
Ch
ristm
as P
lay fro
m B
urg
hcle
re, H
ants
. : Vers
ion 2
- 19
14
Ch
ristm
as M
um
mers
' Pla
y fro
m W
esto
n-s
ub
-Edg
e, G
los. - 1
86
4
Mum
min
g P
lay fro
m L
ong
bo
rou
gh, G
los. - 1
905-1
90
6
Ch
ristm
as P
lay fro
m Ic
om
b, G
los. - 1
91
3-1
91
6
Chris
tma
s M
um
me
rs P
lay fro
m S
appe
rton, G
los. - 1
914
The
Mum
me
rs’ P
erfo
rman
ce, L
ow
er H
eyfo
rd - 1
885
Bro
adw
ell C
hris
tmas P
lay, 1
90
0 o
r 19
01
Pla
y fro
m P
illerto
n, W
ark
s. - 1
91
3-1
91
6
Mu
mie
s P
lay fro
m B
ad
by, N
orth
an
ts. - 1
91
3-1
91
6
A C
hris
tma
s P
lay fro
m K
eynsh
am
[Hun
ter] 1
82
2
Ing
les
ham
Chris
tma
s P
lay - 1
840
to 1
850
Ch
ristm
as M
um
me
rs P
lay fro
m K
em
psfo
rd, G
los. - 1
868
Bo
ld R
ob
in H
ood
: Ship
ton
-un
der-W
ych
wo
od, O
xon. - 1
913-1
91
6
The S
word
Danc
ers
, Tyn
e &
We
ar, 1
815
Sw
ord
Da
ncers, D
urh
am
, 183
4
Ga
info
rd, D
urh
am
, Sw
ord
-Dan
ce P
lay
- 18
60
Belle
rby S
wo
rd D
ance
Pla
y, 1
87
9 &
19
26
Gre
ath
am
Sw
ord
Dan
ce P
lay - 1
924
Am
ple
forth
Pla
y - 1
898
Gala
tion fro
m th
e A
bb
ots
ford
Colle
ctio
n T
ext (a
) 18
12
-18
32
Ch
ristm
as G
ysa
rts P
lay fro
m B
ow
den
- 181
5
Ho
gm
any P
lay
from
Falk
irk - J
.W.R
edd
ock, 1
825
Ga
latia
n, a
Ne
w-Y
ear P
lay [fro
m P
eeb
les] 1
841
Fa
lkir
k P
lay, 1
84
1
Guis
ard
s P
lay fr
om
the A
bb
ots
ford
Colle
ctio
n T
ext (b
) 18
12
-18
32
Stirlin
g P
lay o
f Gala
tion
s, 1
835
The
New
Year M
um
mers
' Ta
le o
f Gala
schin
- Fo
rfars
hire
1888
"Sw
ord
Dan
cers
" p
lay
, Ha
ug
hto
n-le
-Skern
e, D
urh
am
[191
3-1
91
5]
The
Mu
mm
ers
[Alle
nda
le, 1
860-1
87
0]
Laurie
sto
n H
allo
we'e
n P
lay (a
), 189
7
La
urie
sto
n P
lay (b
), 18
97
Hallo
we’e
n P
lay fro
m B
alm
agh
ie, 1
897
Cum
nock P
lay, c
.1883
Ru
gby C
hris
tma
s M
um
min
g P
lay, 1
89
9
Crie
ff Guis
ers
’ Pla
y, 1
88
4
Culro
ss p
lay, 1
893
Screm
ersto
n G
uiz
ard
s, N
orth
um
berla
nd [b
efo
re 1
91
3]
A R
ed
ruth
Ch
ristm
as
Pla
y : 1
910
-19
25
Mum
me
rs’ P
lay fro
m S
kelto
n (Y
ork
sh
ire) 1
93
0
6. "T
he S
wo
rd-d
ance
rs" C
um
be
rland. [1
93
0]
The "P
lou
boys
oR
mod
es d
ance
rs" a
t Reve
sby 1
779
Bassin
gh
am
Me
n's
pla
y 1
823
Xm
as
Bassin
gh
am
Ch
ildre
ns p
lay X
mas 1
823
A C
hris
tma
s P
lay [B
rou
gh
ton, L
incs.] - T
ext A
- 18
24
Recruitin
g S
erg
ea
nt [1
82
3-1
888
]
Sw
ind
erb
y D
ecr. 3
1st 1
84
2 P
lay
Plo
ugh
Ja
cks’ P
lay fro
m W
illoug
hto
n - 1
889
Blid
wo
rth P
lou
gh
Bu
llockin
g P
lay, 1
896
Cro
pw
ell, N
otts
. Plo
ughb
oys' P
lay - 1
89
0
Plo
ugh
Ja
gg
’s P
lay : B
assin
gh
am
- 19
52
Th
e P
lough
Boys (fro
m T
olle
rton
, Nottin
gha
mshire
) 19
50
Pla
y fro
m B
ulb
y, L
incs. - 1
913
-19
16
A P
loug
h M
onda
y P
lay fro
m C
layw
orth
, No
tts. - 1
91
3-1
916
North
Mu
skham
, No
tts. - P
lou
gh
Mo
nd
ay P
lay - 1
914
Je
rusa
lem
, Lin
cs., P
lou
gh
Pla
y - 1
914
Kirto
n-in
-Lin
dsey
Plo
ug
h-J
ags P
lay - 1
89
0
The "P
lou
gh J
acks’" P
lay fro
m K
irmin
gto
n, L
incs. - 1
923
Lin
coln
sh
ire P
loug
h J
ag
s p
lay - 1
89
0
Ed
ith W
esto
n M
orris
-Da
ncers P
lay, c
.189
8
Ano
ther P
loug
h M
onda
y P
lay fro
m C
layw
orth
, No
tts. - 1
91
3-1
916
Plo
ugh
-Jag
s' D
itties fro
m N
orth
Lin
co
lnshir
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87
6
Hib
ald
sto
w P
loug
hbo
ys’ P
lay -1
90
1
what hoe where a s ti ll pouring in the and neuer perfect c ome forth your a out of my sight what as melancho prithee what tricke for christmas com in nottingham the h is name is arthur with a long pik est s o wel l he can clea by two and by thre for he hath no l ist and as he went fo into the forrest of to view the r ed dee there met he with as soon as bo ld ro he thought some therefore out o f ha and thus to him he why what art thou that r anges so bol in sooth to be brie that comes to stea for i am a keeper the king puts me i therefore stay the and hast such a g y et thou must hav befor e thou make or any that i do ne but i have a staff o i know it w il l do th s peak cleanly goo and g ive better te e lse i ll thee cor re and make thee mo but le t me measur e ight foot and a h and i hope it wi ll k hold thy hand hold and let out quarre for here we may t and get no coyn a c ome tripping dow o what is the matt master i pray you t why do y ou stand i fear al l is not we o man i do stand a the tanner that stan he is a bonny blad for soundly he ha he is to be comme i f such a feat he c i f he be so stout we and he shall tan my for as i do unders bounce buckram v and when it come but when it s gone where s fa ther from france from s and from a ll parts for to cure al l stra whose face and n as if you d fear to i can make her p lu i f any man has go that makes him w let him but repair t w ith one pi ll i ll ma or send her head the pox the palsey pains wi th in and a broken legs and a are the easiest wo nay more than tha break your neck i or ask you nothing i ll put him in on i f s hal l make h im fig or any one that ha s ee si rs see here here take my b il ls the gout the stone the mull igrubs the thousands i ve diss thousands new er take th is and you great bel ly d maid and cure the love the hot the co ld th and sc our you o r and i f you die nev to see a lady brigh s o shamefully be t oh here comes i s and with my spea i slew the dragon and by that very m p lay musick s ilence brave gen a lexander is my n a ramble here i to three actors hear the fi rst i do prese he s just come fro the next that doth had i t not been fo o ld d ives is the ne who by lending of s o gentlemen you s tand of a l ittle wh r oom room brave for in this room we r esor t and to repea for remember good the time to cut up s o we ar e come to at the sounding o make room brave we are the merry we are the merry we are the merry s tep in thou king o i am the king of eg and prince george s tep in therefore my and shew for th thy in egypt s fields i but by my valour i i sounded at the g and out came a g he gave me a b low but i up with my s hold slacker hold for on this spot th tis i that s to hash and send thee to minch p ies hot mi i ll send thee to sa but ho ld prince ge e ither thou or i mu s ome mortal woun s o le t is fight it ou c urs d christian wh thou hast r uin d m he gave me challe how h igh he was o sambo s ambo h for i never was in for thou to stand wi and to fight at my y es my l iege i w il l and by my sword y onder stands he i ll try if he be spru and through his b gentlemen you se or else i d run it do is there never a d that can cure my s y eas there is a do what diseases can o hor rible terrible t a man dr ove out o and out of fi fteen o hor rible terrible t thou si lly ass that i li ve in hopes to bu s ir unto you i bend s tand of thou slav a slave sir that is f that word deserve to be stab d si r is t appoint your time i ll cross the wate i ll meat you there s he can ta lk both i ll have none such why dont you love y es i love my lear i love a learned sc s tand off had i as as you have had s s ir to express thy for thy face shines thy teeth are no w s tand off thou d irt i ll make thy body oh what is here oh our king is slain the take up the body for in this p lace no but farewel l christ farewell farewel a i hope we have m but gentlemen you we ve done the be a doctor a doctor her am i c an you bring a d take a li ttle of my put it on your nin now rise up slas he c um fo llow me me tho wee hauve ma and they wil l wond i wil l give h im the how know father mareham church but it is made of ir and unto death we that i may arise an good people a ll yo wee hauve cut do and hear he lies a no no my ch ildren for hear i found my in cupits cool a fool a fool a foo l a fool i heard them hear cums i that n i hauve a great he tho my head be g i can p lay the fo l f my name it is nou i am cumd to show make room for no and a ll h is good c i am a val rant nigh y ou do mow mee i can ci ll you one or i can ci ll you te i hauve a ould she and i lap it wel l in s oard and buckler for had not i been i should not a sho s hee has fingers l i am my fathers el and in a short tim i wass brought up hear stands a fa ir but you shal l see tis i that carys the here come i the ro with my broad swo where is the man a ltho you swagge c all the doctor cal doctor doctor do y the king is wounde as you can plainly i shan t fetch them i am a doctor a do who s hand were i f the devi l in i can s ome to cure and i hav e travel led th been to europe an hocus pocus alec here come i o ld fa s hes got the tooth c ome wri te me do that fi rst created m i hav e a diamond where al l my joy a i ll g ive you gold i i f you can fancy m i t is not your gold to leave off my ple i do never intend to be at any youn o go your ways yo i f you are shy i ll be for i don t fear but another fai r maid o stay young man y ou seem afraid y let reason ru le yo and unto you i wi l thy sorrow and tro my joy and c omfo but the gi rl that al now proves my co hare comes i ould i hope ould fa ther hopen the doar an i hope your faver wether i ris e or we s ain t geor ge is a t t w ith soard an buck i now he is no fool he wi ll say more b than ican perform and i f you would no walk in s t george let al l the royal fam here comes i ould upon my s houlder and in my hand a ham not i a hansa hear comes i son s um of my worndr then into a cav e wa i sot my foot upon their d id i make my how many men ha and r und the fi reh i fought them all c and sti l got o f thi r england s right en now ear i drow my hear come s i the t c ame from the turk i wil l fight s un geo and i f is blood is ho drow thy sord and drow thy pus and for satisfaction i w no satisfaction sh no pardon shall yo s o drow thy sord a i wil l seek the bou th is crue l chr istan pray ware as t thou by al l my rich fortu o docter docter wa fu ll fifty ginues is but sunes tis for is s hal l make th is go o par don pardon s s pai r me my l ife a y es proude torke and te ll what a bo had i t ben a thous for to mentain gra great britians righ and fight free for e with al l my gallent god b less the rora i f you please to th have i been tried y et i deny that eve we have none of t but some of the ro s lip in sa in t georg i am saint george i am a val iant so ld and send thy carc farewell sa in t geo i am prince sa ladi whose famous co for through the ir h god zooks and sc what makes my n my legs are made now prince salad i take him away and for i cannot behol now gentlemen an my hat is dumb an pray put somethin for me and my bra then mind your ey and sh ie ld your fa doctor doctor com s aint geor ge is wou my father kil led a my mother gave m where the houses and the wainscots the str eets are pa and n ice r oasted with kn ives and fo who will eat me w and in this room t the finest battle th between sa in t geo i am a li ttle man th much like a lad th oh doctor doctor i take it i ll crop his wings in come i cut and i and seven more r oast beef plum p no body loves the a mug of your chr and money in our in comes twing tw l ieutenant of ye pr i press a ll these b with my wife and c gentlemen and la i wish you a merry a pock et fu ll o f mo active young and the like was neve i freed fa ir sabra f what more could m and wil l always fig i am the man that and with my sword who are you but a i am a turky cham to fight you the gr and after i hav e d i f you have a mind fu ll fifty guineas i moreoverthan that i f you bring me an enter in saint patr here come i sa in t a famous champio what was s ain t geo he fed is horse se and afterwar ds be i say by george yo pul l out your swor pul l out your purs i ll run my sword t and make you run s o enter in ol iver here comes i o live i conquered many i made my foes fo and beat a ll my op enter in be lzebub enter devi l doubt here come i l ittle d i f you don t g ive m money i want and i f you don t g ive m our box now must our box would spe n ine or ten sh il ling a ll silver and no b y our ce llar doors and i t s al l for the had awa rokes ha had awa stock s a s ic as was never s i cal l upon belzeb here comes in bla c ome to conquer he is so bold and here come i poor and i am like to lo a lthough i be too and i wil l free ly sp i cal l upon galatio i hav e sla in h is fa he wi ll never r ise t y ou di rty dog y ou y ou wi th my sword ten pounds for a do here comes in a d the best that scotl i hav e gone from and now i ve com wil l not seven do no now i l l put a l ittle and a little to h is b and they never fou the next that i ca ll now galoshin you y oung man you ll oh you vil lain bo ld i m sure that both oh how could you i saw you slip beh galoshin shal l be now once i was de and b lessed are t b less the master w and the pretty bab there are four o f u and p leasure for t and what you free meikle head and l c all for a lexander and when i came to see that li ttle na what ai ls your back i hav e been east i auld wives flying i c ats gaun upon p i am sure t was non i m sure twas non twas him that fol lo then cheer up my we ll take him to t s tep in king george but now i am com to see which on th doctor doctor has s ee thou make no five pounds i d fre in comes i li ttle do the best li ttle doct my p ills shall work where com st thou in her coffin e ight i f she s on ly got o i f she can only ma i ll be bound in the i f there any man c let him step in i f h my name is not ja my name is mr fin c ure a magpie wi t and how canst do by cutting off h is h and throwing h is b no barbary at a ll b i can cure this ma s o pray me hones the next young ma he s admiral of th the game sir the g i ll draw my blood i ll draw my blood fight on fight on b i ll g ive any man t when thei r two swo but we wi ll all gree we thank the mas i f you have anythi s ix actors i have b last i come in mys and i f you d know the doctor says yo i am bold slasher thy lofty courage m hold ho ld sa in t geo my honour to mai for i f he could he o crue l christian wh or on the ground h a doctor a doctor from the fi re side t no further at a ll to cure the man th s o now our p lay is gentlemen and la and being come th s o we l l join our ha don t go about l ike i go about for the y es sir th is man is not de i th ink you had be gentlemen gentle and i f sa in t georg good evening lady i hope you wil l no i hav e some mor e i hav e some l ittle good master and r emember us poo the mire i t is deep we wi ll thank you good master and here comes the fa upon my princip le i m come to woo t to gain her love h to gain my love i t y ou speak too clo therefore out o f my a witty man or i l l a man for wi t i am a lawyer i suppos y ou plead your cau but by an by i ll te y ou plead a cause here comes old da c omes dableing a c omes jumping ab look about you o ld long time i have s s arrah come take bastar d you jade i here comes the p i ll speak for myse my o ld grey ha irs t i ll do the best for me th ink s me see on you i ve fix d my do you th ink i d m no i l l have one of k ick me lady out o i ll be hang d over where have you le i hav e traveled for and there had a m try your skil l docter i wil l fee l of th is m looks old man and wipe thy eyes and i f ever i come nea i wil l turn myself a prithee fel low hold my b lood it rise wh i wil l stand before no king am i thou but with my sword i am come to invit what you like bes we wi ll have a jov w l l have long ta il w l l have a good s w l l have a l im of w l l have a farth in good master and we wi ll make it in we thank you for s s ome can dance a i f you wi ll consent in am a noble ser my order s are to e l ikewise the noble i boy and i am a fo fa ith i can sing an i can nei ther danc but if you begin to good people g ive i wil l tel l you of a y he is a lmost broke and beauty as en my drooping wing p ity my c ondition for th is fa ls g irl i a c hear up mandon for in a short time he swers if i don t he wi ll l ist for a so madame if he con as onc e praphaps he wi ll l ist for a so i thank you kind s i nev er mean to m i wil l have anothe i hav e gold and si y ou shall have a s c ome my lads tha c ome and go a lon y ou shall have all and ten gu ines th y our hat shal l be s and we wi ll cut a g i then kind si r i wi dash me i f i wil l gr gentlemen and la i m come to see y that knows no oth but i ll te ll you wh hedge about boys oh hon my bac k i there s a hole in t how d id youget i t fighting for our land how mony did you i kil led a the lons here comes in jud i f ye pit bought si l where the clouds and the farmers th our hearts are ma here comes i that i ll try his c ourage i ll never pardon a therefore arise an gentlemen and la let fa ther christma i am not come her i ll cut h im down o who s he that see and ca lls so angry that english dog w with my long teeth of such i d break u and stay my stom i ll fight saint geor i ll make him yield he br ags to such he think there s n many bloody deed my famous name i fo llowed a fai r la wherein i put the d i ve searched the but one to equal m d isable disable i t s tand off slasher a for i f i draw my sw how canst thou br a las alas my ch ie what must i do to i ll loving ly for a d are you the doctor by my art and acti y ou l l be very cun o yes a great deal how far a ll sorts what al l sorts i ve in my pockets s pectacles for b lin packsaddles and p la isters for broke i cured the devil o here jack take a l i and let it run down o my back and my heart is co o har k sa in t georg that summons us down yonder is th now prince of par and what fine sigh dost thou th ink no dares such a b lack lay down thy swor then i l l fight thee and a ll h is joys en he is slain i did him slay i did r ise hector hector i f that be he that d that slew my mast thou st got one wi and lay thine ange many bloody battl but fr om saint geo here comes from why master d id i e why jack d id ever thou proud sauc y a coxcomb i defy t w ith a sword thou s tabbing is the lea and made the tyra then i resolved wi to burst the door a that s l ittle john my they give me the n c ould do more tha as i was walking d i knocked at the m and she as ked me and eat a cup of a and i said no than i ll ca ll in the slash i ll hash you and s her comes fa ther a merry act i wi ll b thou art a bold fe l my only son my o one day as i went s tep prince of par c ome in brav e turk i come to fight a fa fo l de ridd le o ll fo l de ro le y es now since you ha c ome and do not l iquewise kiss the s o now my love h i nev er wil l greiv e wel l spoken doctor what medicine do s end for a doctor doctor doctor doc i can put my arm d and turn the an im i heal the sick i cu i f i can but find king i carry him some p the clock s truck one and the hour is go with a rink a tink a and i ll make your and see which on hard corns soft co my man jack c oming sir good morrow frien we are r ight g lad i banish d serpent and i m sa int andr men fra that part a o f taffy s land i m i cha llenge al l my and i ll assist wid and you shall find odds b lud and i so huzza fi rst i fought in ire now i v e come to drop a li ttle on thi in comes i the nob with my broadswo h is body s dead h and r aise the dea with naked s word to help pass away and perhaps wil l n s o walk in sa in t ge therefore thou turk i ll battle thee to s i ll bring her youn thou be st a noble that go about the and te ll you as ma but what i does i do and lad ies and ge and i t w il l str ike th my fami ly s lar ge t and so a li ttle he lp enter the turkish k and that s a rovin y ou si r aye si r there is no five c an you do anythi y es i can the fi rst that i cal l he s the first man god b less you hon i ve come to act my i ll ca ll our young as good a swordm and here i do adv and i m the r agge dance dance wert hark canny fel low or steal ing the sw i am a king and a have i to be offen and now the next one b ird in the ha y es indeed that i w good morrow gen i ve had such a sl but now i am awa s o we l l have a da when fi rst king he he bought six pecks and i am he can c i ll star ve them on i f a man want to fi but if you p lease b a room a room a r i brought this old befor e i set th is ga hold my hors e jack hold him yourse lf what s that you sa g ive him a bucket and wel l rrrrom do fe tch i t yersel f si r fe tch me my p inch oh i ve got him si r i met a bark and h i went to the stic k last christmas nigh i bur nt me finger an the sparks flew ov the pot lid kicked t w ith his long tai l s wore he d send t in comes the grid i m the justice brin i went on a bi t furt i came to king cha i came to two l ittle one gave a hard c c ut a s id through k illed a li ttle jed d s ent him down bu r ack him up wi th a what is t thee name green sleeves and now my boys we l i see you pay or un and make them ri i ve searched his i ve given h im tha now i c ome but a let my wife do lly c here comes i l ittle drinking gin is a ll y es yes saint geo pray heal th is man here comes i the g flap port and good once i was a b loo where out my lads i m the c hap they out o leven i got b out of seven i got s o you ve see us music strike up an y es i am a doctor travel led i ve trave where there is ne wooden chur ches is that al l doctor fa ll to work doctor s he is in a ver y ba i ll show you al l m s ome are here an walk in room agai walk in doctor and with my gl itte i f you can dance i y e th ink we re of t s ti r up the fir e and for in this house th here comes i auld with a bunch of b l here comes i wee i m the man that li i f ye don t put a p s tep in bulgard an in comes bulgard s ain t geor ge sa int or to conquer or to i ve healed h is wo and there i met a doctor s a coming i t l l go down his th put that in to a pig and sti r i t well rou here comes i buck i beg your pardon i f you haven t got i f you haven t got an hopes tis no off an we u ll z oon go i keer not vor spa wher s the man as wel l shaayken avo y er s a tooth enou the roo ads be d ir z o plee uz put zumm the more i hear th c an t c ome under p lease tak e ho ld o does a man s pu ls y es that s the str on tommy bring the b is there any old w ten to stop away s o raise her up an in comes i bo ld to i hav e come to tas oking poking franc the recru iting serg are you free heart in your hand i p la dost thou love me y es tommy to my when shall be our tommy love to mo and tommy love to in comes i old thra my o ld dad learnt i wil l thrash you to in comes i the farm don t you s ee my i go forth and p lou and turn it ups ide how i s tra ight i go i scarce ly make a and to my horses as they go marchi hov ve gee wo i t s none of mine who told you bring the overseer o f th and i th ink you be for i ts eyes nose c is as much l ike y ou wo my lad take ho and mind he does that makes me as when i was down my o ld grandmoth and grazed her sh and made her sto and i cured that draw a leg set a to s he wi ll not get a s he has been l ivin a fortnight without s he has swal lowe one drop in a mor and swal low the b y ou must take one jol ly old man may i ve three sons he in comes king wil l what s that you say any doctors in th is they have been se but i m here th is v is them al l the cur madam i ve got ho madam i ve got w a ll i want is a nic e for we are a ll hun a bar ley chaff dum he has been tryin what s that doctor i f you don t i do and see these jol l i wasn t talking ab what were you ta l about what i can c here s two or thre we ve come a pac i hope you ll prove we ll come no mo s o the first that co he s a star on h is and i hope you ll r s o the next that co he s a val iant old he s a hump on h and a ll h is delight put your hands in put your hands in and g ive us a trifle c rying god save th in comes i the real many a battle hav both abroad and a v ery good doctor t what s th is man got born to defend al l p lease wil l you g iv a llow me to dr aw more like a camel battle to battle wi t in comes i old eez on my shoulder i c y es i thought so w back o the head a those p il ls are vi rg i hav e brought the i cured old mrs c o k nocked him over s afe cure doctor
Folk Drama Studies Today - International Traditional Drama Conference 2002
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Figure 5 - Trellis Graph Line by
Text
Key to Text Cluster Codes
C = Cotswolds Versions N = Northern English Versions
G = Galoshins Versions P = Recruiting Sergeant Plays
H = Halloween Versions S = Southern English Versions
E = Irish Versions W= Multiple Wooing Plays
P
01
H W
02
03
D GN S E C
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
16
17
12
13
14
15
Peter Millington – Textual Analysis of English Quack Doctor Plays: Some New Discoveries
120
Figure 6 – Reconstructed Proto-Text
Std.ID Example Line Line No. 1380 Open the door and let us come in
1390 I hope your favour we shall win
1400 Whether we stand or whether we fall
1410 We’ll do our endeavour to please you all 13* Room, room brave gallants give us room to sport 5
16* For remember good sirs this is Christmas time
1950 Activity of youth activity of age
1960 The like was never acted on a stage
145* If you don’t believe the words I say
240 Step in Saint George and clear the way 10
1460 I am King George that valiant knight
1470 Who lost his blood for England’s right
1480 England’s right and England’s reason
1490 Makes me carry this bloody weapon
29* I am Prince George a champion brave and bold 15
30* With my sword and spear I won ten thousand crowns in gold
310 I fought the fiery dragon and brought him to the slaughter
320 And by that means I gained the King of Egypt’s daughter
2100 where is the man that dares bid me stand
211* I’ll cut him down with my courageous hand 20
1500 I am a valiant soldier Slasher is my name
1510 Sword and buckler by my side I hope to win the game
410 I will hash thee and smash thee as small as flies
42* And send him to the cook shop to make mince pies
3860 Stand off Slasher let no more be said 25
1860 My head is made of iron, my body’s made of steel
187* My hands and feet of best knuckle bone I challenge thee to field 490 O cruel Christian what hast thou done?
500 Thou hast ruined me by killing my best son
53830 To cure the man that here lies slain 30
157* What is your fee?
158* Ten pounds is my fee but five I’ll take of thee
12540 How camest thou to be a doctor?
12550 I have travelled for it
12560 where have you travelled? 35
160* I’ve travelled through Italy High Germany and Spain
1610 And am now returned to old England again
13250 Three times round the world and back again
680 What diseases can you cure?
1620 All diseases whatever you pleases 40
700 The itch pox palsy and the gout
690 All diseases both within and without
328* If the Devil’s in I can fetch him out
323* I’ve got a little bottle by my side called elecampane
1650 Here Jack take a little of my nip nap 45
3590 Pour it down thy tip top
1660 Rise up Slasher and fight again
2460 Here comes I old Beelzebub
2470 Upon my shoulder I carry my club
2480 And in my hand a dripping pan 50 2490 Don’t you think I’m a jolly old man?
17620 Here comes I that never came yet
3350 With my great head and little wit
17630 Though my head is great and my wits be small
Folk Drama Studies Today - International Traditional Drama Conference 2002
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Figure 7 – New Classification of Quack Doctor Plays
Class
Defining Characters
Trellis
Block
Quack Doctor plays Doctor All
Plough Plays Dame Jane W & P
Multiple Wooing plays Noble Anthony, Father’s Eldest Son,
Farming Man, Lawyer, Ancient Man
W
Recruting Sergeant plays Bold Tom, Recruiting Sergeant, Ribboner,
Lady Bright and Gay, Farmer’s Man
P
Hero-Combat plays N to H
North British plays D to H
Sword Dance plays No individual combatants – Dancers include the Squire’s or Farmer’s Son
D
Galoshins plays Galation G & H
Irish plays Saint Patrick, Oliver Cromwell E
Southern English plays Father Christmas, Turkish Knight S
Cotswold plays Jack Finney C
Robin Hood plays Robin Hood, Arthur Abland C07
Northern English plays Slasher?, [Bull Guy] N
Others -
West Indian Mummies Saint George, Saint Andrew, Saint Patrick
and Saint David
-
Composed and compiled plays None - Highly variable -
Wexford Mummers No Doctor – Father Murphy, Wolfe Tone,
etc.
-
Peter Millington – Textual Analysis of English Quack Doctor Plays: Some New Discoveries
122
Figure 8 - Illustration from W.Sandys (1852, p.152)
"The performers, who are usually young persons in humble life, are
attired, including St. George and the Dragon, much in the same manner,
having white trousers and waistcoats, showing their shirtsleeves, and
decorated with ribbons and handkerchiefs; each carrying a drawn sword
or cudgel in his hand : as one of the Somersetshire mummers says, 'Here
comes I liddle man Jan wi' my sword in my han!' They wear high caps of
pasteboard, covered with fancy paper, and ornamented with beads, small
pieces of looking-glass, bugles, &c., and generally have long strips of
pith hanging down from the top, with shreds of different coloured cloth
strung on them, the whole having a fanciful and smart effect. The Turk
sometimes has a turban; Father Christmas is represented as a grotesque
old man, with a large mask and comic wig, and a huge club in his hand;
the Doctor has a three-cornered hat, and painted face, with some
ludicrous dress, being the comic character of the piece; the lady is generally in the dress of the last century, when it can be got up; and the
hobby-horse, when introduced, which is rarely, has a representation of a horse's hide. Wellington and Wolfe, when they appear, are dressed in any
sort of uniform that can be procured for the nonce, and no doubt will now be found as militia men of the county where the play is represented."
(W.Sandys, 1852, pp.154-155)
Folk Drama Studies Today - International Traditional Drama Conference 2002
123
Figure 9 - Suggested Genealogy of the Quack Doctor Plays
Proto-George& Slasher play
Northern
English group
Multiple Wooing
Play
EarlyRecruiting
Sergeant
Enhanced
RecruitingSergeant
South MidlandProto-variant
Sword Dance
Play
Independent
Calling-on
Earliest
Galoshins
Later
Galoshins
Peace Egg
Chapbook
Alexander
Chapbook
Performed
Derivatives
IndependentWooing Scene
Irish Plays
Wexford
Mummers
Cotswold
Jack Finney
Enhanced with
Tangle Talk
Robin Hood Play
Southern English
Father Christmas
& Turkish Knight
Proto-George& Slasher play
Northern
English group
Multiple Wooing
Play
EarlyRecruiting
Sergeant
Enhanced
RecruitingSergeant
South MidlandProto-variant
Sword Dance
Play
Independent
Calling-on
Earliest
Galoshins
Later
Galoshins
Peace Egg
Chapbook
Alexander
Chapbook
Performed
Derivatives
IndependentWooing Scene
Irish Plays
Wexford
Mummers
Cotswold
Jack Finney
Enhanced with
Tangle Talk
Robin Hood Play
Southern English
Father Christmas
& Turkish Knight
Peter Millington – Textual Analysis of English Quack Doctor Plays: Some New Discoveries
124
Map 1 - Approximate Dates of Plays - Excluding Literary & Ballad Parallels
�
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Key
� = Up to the 1820s
� = 1830s to 1880s
� = 1890s onwards
Key to 100km Grid Squares
HP
HY
HU
NB NC ND
NF NG NH NJ
NM NN NO
NR NS NT NU
IB IC
NX
IF IG IH IJ
SC
IL
NY NZ
TG
IM IN IO
SH
SD SE TA
SJ
SO SP TL
IQ IR IS IT
SK TF
TM
IV IW
SS ST SU TQ TR
SN
SZSW SX SY
Folk Drama Studies Today - International Traditional Drama Conference 2002
125
Map 2 - George's Introductory Line
K
C
S
S S C
K
S S
C K
S
S SCK
K
K
SCM CM
SC CK
M C
SK C
C
C
C C
CK C
CK
K
S
M K
K
K
M
K K M K
C K
K M
M MK
M
K M
K M M M
M
M
M S
C
M
Key
C = Std.ID 290 - Here am I Saint George a noble champion bold
M = Std.ID 295 - In comes I King George the man of courage bold
K = Std.ID 1460 - I am King George that valiant knight
S = Std.ID 1970 - Here comes I Saint George from England I have sprung
SZSW SX SY
SP TL TM
IV
SU TQ TR
IQ IR IS IT
SJ
SN SO
IW
SS ST
SK TF TG
IN IO
SH
TASD SE
NY NZ
IB IC
NX
IF IG IH IJ
SC
IMIL
NR NS NT NU
NM NN NO
NC ND
NF NG NH NJ
HU
NB
Key to 100km Grid Squares
HP
HY
Peter Millington – Textual Analysis of English Quack Doctor Plays: Some New Discoveries
126
Map 3 - The Distribution of Slasher and the Turk
S
S
S S
C
C C
S
C S
S S
CKS
S S
S
S
C
S
C
C
CS
S
S
KS S
S K
CS
K
K S K K S
KCKS K
K K
S KS
KS K
KS
KS
KS
KS KS KS KS
CK
K K
K
K
Key
C = Std.ID 2150 - I am a Turkish Champion from Turkeyland I came
K = Std.ID 3150/3160 - In comes I the Turkish Knight / Come from the Turkish land to fight
S = Std.ID 1500 - I am a valiant soldier and Slasher is my name
SZSW SX SY
SP TL TM
IV
SU TQ TR
IQ IR IS IT
SJ
SN SO
IW
SS ST
SK TF TG
IN IO
SH
TASD SE
NY NZ
IB IC
NX
IF IG IH IJ
SC
IMIL
NR NS NT NU
NM NN NO
NC ND
NF NG NH NJ
HU
NB
Key to 100km Grid Squares
HP
HY
Folk Drama Studies Today - International Traditional Drama Conference 2002
127
Map 4 - Distribution of Clusters
G
G
G G
G G
G
H
H H N
H
E D
E E D G N
N
N D
E N
N N ND
E
E N
N
N
P P
P
E P
N NP
P
N N P W
NS P P WP
N
N P
N P
N N
P
S
C H
E C
S C C C
C C
C C
C C C EC C
E C C C
S S C C E
S S
C S
S SC
S
S
S S
S S S S
S
SH S
S
Key
C = Cotswolds Versions G = Galoshins Versions P = Recruiting Sergeant Plays
D = Sword Dance Versions H = Halloween Versions S = Southern English Versions
E = Irish Versions N = Northern English Versions W = Multiple Wooing Plays
SZSW SX SY
TM
IV IW
SS ST SU TQ TR
SN SO SP TL
IQ IR IS IT
SJ SK TF TG
IM IN IO
SH
SD SE TA
NY NZ
IB IC
NX
IF IH IJ
SC
IL
IG
NR NS NT NU
NN NONM
NF NG NH NJ
NC ND
Key to 100km Grid Squares
HP
HY
HU
NB
Peter Millington – Textual Analysis of English Quack Doctor Plays: Some New Discoveries
128
Map 5 - My head is made of iron. My body's made of steel
... I challenge thee to feel
SF
S
SF
SF
SF SF
SF
SF
SF SF
SF SF SF
SF
SF
SF
SF
SF SF
SF SF SF
SF
SF
SF S SF
SF
S SF
SF SF
SF
SF
SF
F S
SF
SF
S SF SF
Key
S = Std.ID 1860 - My head is made of iron. My body's made of steel
F = Std.ID 1870 - My hand and feet of knuckle bone. I challenge thee to feel
SZSW SX SY
SP TL TM
IV
SU TQ TR
IQ IR IS IT
SJ
SN SO
IW
SS ST
SK TF TG
IN IO
SH
TASD SE
NY NZ
IB IC
NX
IF IG IH IJ
SC
IMIL
NR NS NT NU
NM NN NO
NC ND
NF NG NH NJ
HU
NB
Key to 100km Grid Squares
HP
HY
Folk Drama Studies Today - International Traditional Drama Conference 2002
129
Map 6 - Beelzebub, the jolly old man
Y
M
Y
M
M M M M
M
M M M
M
M M
M
M
M Y
Y
M M
Y Y Y Y
Y
M Y
M Y
Y YM
Y
Y
M Y
Y M Y Y
Y
Y Y
Y Y Y Y
Y Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y Y
Key
M = Std.ID 2490 - I think myself a jolly old man
Y = Std.ID 2495 - Don't you think I'm a jolly old man
SZSW SX SY
SP TL TM
IV
SU TQ TR
IQ IR IS IT
SJ
SN SO
IW
SS ST
SK TF TG
IN IO
SH
TASD SE
NY NZ
IB IC
NX
IF IG IH IJ
SC
IMIL
NR NS NT NU
NM NN NO
NC ND
NF NG NH NJ
HU
NB
Key to 100km Grid Squares
HP
HY
Peter Millington – Textual Analysis of English Quack Doctor Plays: Some New Discoveries
130
Map 7 - I am a doctor pure and good / And with my skill I can staunch his blood
G
G G
G
G
G
G
G
G
G
G
G G
G G G
G
Key
G = Std.ID 2210/2220 - I am a doctor pure and good / And with my skill I can staunch his blood
HY
TR
SP TL TM
ST SU TQ
IQ
SW SX
IV IW
SS
IR IS
SY SZ
IT
SJ
SN SO
SK TF TG
IM IN IO
SH
SC SD SE TA
NY NZ
NU
IB IC
NX
IF IG IH
NN NO
IL
NR NS NT
IJ
NM
NF NG NH NJ
HU
NB
Key to 100km Grid Squares
NC ND
HP
Folk Drama Studies Today - International Traditional Drama Conference 2002
131
Map 8 - Beelzebub v Father Christmas
B
B
B
B B B
B
B B B
B
B B
B
B
BC B
B
B B
B B
B
B B
B B
B B
B
B
B
B B
BC BCBC B
BC C
B
B B BC B
BC BC C
C BC C
C B
C C
C C
C
C
C C
C C C BC
C
C
C BC
C
Key
B = Std.ID 2460 - Here comes I old Beelzebub
C = Std.ID 3060 - In comes I old Father Christmas,welcome or welcome not
SZSW SX SY
SP TL TM
IV
SU TQ TR
IQ IR IS IT
SJ
SN SO
IW
SS ST
SK TF TG
IN IO
SH
TASD SE
NY NZ
IB IC
NX
IF IG IH IJ
SC
IMIL
NR NS NT NU
NM NN NO
NC ND
NF NG NH NJ
HU
NB
Key to 100km Grid Squares
HP
HY
Peter Millington – Textual Analysis of English Quack Doctor Plays: Some New Discoveries
132
Map 9 - Use of W.Walker's "Peace Egg" Chapbook in Folk Plays
�
�
�� �
� �� �
�
� � ��
� �� � � � � �
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� � � � �
� �� � �
�
�� �
� � � �� �
�
� ��
�
Key
� = 1 to 16 lines
� = 17 to 32 lines
� = 33 or more lines
¢ = W.Walker's "Peace Egg" Chapbook
Key to 100km Grid Squares
HP
HY
HU
NB
SZSW SX SY
TM
IV IW
SS ST SU TQ TR
SN SO SP TL
IQ IR IS IT
SJ SK TF TG
IM IN IO
SH
SD SE TA
IG
NY NZ
IB IC
NX
IF IH IJ
SC
IL
NR NS NT NU
NM NN NO
NC ND
NF NG NH NJ