A Cornwall Mummer.
CORNWALL
A PLAY FOR CHRISTMAS
William Solomon first part`.
Rume rume gallants rume give me rume to rime for in this house I mine to shew some of my past time now gentlemen an Ladies it is Christmas time I am a blade that knew my trade all people cloth a dear me I will swayer an banter an I will drive the town before me if I am naked or if I am prict I will give a man an answer the very first man or boy I mits my soard shall be is fencer behind the doer thare Iye a scoar pray Git it out if you can sur I walke away have nothing to pay an let in the swagering man sun
John Rowe part the second.
Father Christmas.
Here comes I ould father Christmas welcome or welcome not I hope ould father Christmas will never be forgot ould father Christmas a pair but woance a yare he lucks like an ould man of 4 score yare.
Penty Landin part the third.
Hopen the doer and Lat me in I hope your fever I shall wind wether I rise or wether I foil I will do my endeavour to please you all.
St George is at the doer and swear he will com in with soard and buckler by is side I fear he will purs my skin I now he is no fool I now he is some stoute whyke will say more by wan inch of candle than I can performe while ten pound born out {note 1}and if you would not believe what I say let the king of Eagipt com in and clare the way.
Wm Williams King of Egipt Forth.
Here am I the King of Eagipt ho plainly cloth apare St George he is my only son my only son an hear walk in St George and boldly act they part let all the royal family see the royal act.
F. Rowe.
Here comes I ould belzey bob upon my shoulder I carry my club and in my hand a dripen and ham not I a hansom good looking ould man
Henry Crossmans Part 5.
Hear comes I son George from England have I sprung sum of my wondras works now for to begin first into a Closet I was put then into a Cave was lock I sot my foot upon a Rokke stone their did I make my sad an grievus mone. how many men have I slew and runnd the firche dragon thrue I fought them all Courrageously and still got shire Victory England's wright England admorration now ear I crow my bloody weepon ho is the man that cloth before me Stand I will cut him down with my courrageous hand.
Penly Landin 6.
Hear comes I the Turkish Knight come from the Turkish land to fight I will fight Sun George that man of courrage and if is blood is hot soon will I make it Could.
Henry Crossman 7.
Thee come so far to fight such a man as I, I will cut thy doublets ful of Hylent hols and make thy butters fly
Penly Landin 8.
I am a man of vallour I will fight untill I die Sun George thou never will face me but a way from me will fly.
Henry Crossman 9.
Ha proud Turk what will thou tell me so with threting words and threting oaths crow thy sord and fight draw thy fees and pay, for satisfaction I will have be fore I go away
Penty Landin 10.
No satisfaction shall you have but in a moments time I will bring thee to thy grave
Henry Crossman 11.
Thee bring me to my grave I will fight with thee no pardon shall you have so crow thy sord and fight for I will concour you this night.
Solomon 12,
O docter docter wet is thy fee this champion for to rise the site of him cloth trouble me to see how dead he lies.
W. Williams 13.
Full fifty ginnes is my fee and money to have down but sunes tis for is majesty I will do it for ten pound I have a little bottle in the wrestbond of my britches that goes by the name of halycompane shall make this goodly champion rice and fight a gain are jack take a little of my drip drop pour it up in the tip top arize jack slash and fight again behould this motel now reving be tis by my sceel and strength the ficik see which make this goodly night revive and bring is aged father now alive awacke thou lustros knight also and I will take thee by the hand an try if thou canst go
P. Langdon I4.
What places is are what seens appare where ever I torn mine eye tis all around in chantin graound and soft delusions rise flowry mounting mossy fountins what will veriety Surprize 'tis on the alow walks we walks an hundred ecos round us stock from hils to hils the voices tost rocks rebounding ecos resounding not one single words was lost.2
Henry Crossman I5.
Behould on yander risen ground the bour that woander ever ending ever blending glades an glades shades an shades running on eternal round.
P. Langdon I6.
O pardon pardon St George one thing of thee I crav spair me my life and I will be thy constant slave.
H. Crossman I7.
Yes proude torke but arise and go in to thy on land and tell what a bould champion there cloth in England stand had it been a thousand or ten thousand such men as thee I would fight for to mantain graft Britains right great britians right I will mentain and fight for England wance again.
Wm. Solomon.
as I gist stiping out of my bed in hearing this my honly son was dead o cruel Christan what ast thou don thou ast ruin'd me and killed my only son.
Henry Crossman.
he was the first that chalins'd me and how can I deny to see the turkish dog stand up and folldon and die.
William Solomon.
I will seek the bouldest champion in my relam this cruel Christan's blood to overwealam o help me Sampo help me was thare ever a man in greater need to fight like a sowlejar make thy hart to bleed.
John Rowe.
Are am I Sampo I will slafter the man that spilt my master blood and with my body I will make the oacken flood.
Wm. Solomon.
O docter docter is there nary docter to be found or to be had this night can cuer this bloody wound and make him stand upright.
Wm. Williams.
O is there a docter to be found or to be had this night can heal this man's bloody wound and make him stand upright.
Wm. Solomon.
Pray ware ast thou travld ?
Williams.
I have travld to London garmenay scotland and spain by all my rich rortune safe returned to England again.
Solomon.
What canst thou cure ?
Williams.
I can cure the hick the stick the pox the gout all deses and comppleases if any man as got a scolin wife my balsom will cure her take but one drop of this upon my life she will never qr~nl nn more.
Wm. Williams.
Hear am I the bloody Warer o have I spent my time in bloody War slash cornary dam the Ribals carse stroll I wolk ones twoes thrise over the dark with out hat stockin shart I bow dack to every drunkerd or proud sot no by this Etarnal sord in hand the man that is not fit to dye is not fit to live stand delever push your pikestaf by theHyeway hoop that man's neck is not very big that fears a little rope I pray Mrs. doldorty git me gud shir for supper for I main to have gud shir 'tis not your fether fowl nor Apple pyes I main as your chised ches crids nor crym I can't eat none ad it teen a bit soceen pig I might have a chance to pic a bone all I leve and all I lack in come my man jack and carried all away in my nalsack.
Wm. Solomor 20.
Hear comes I little man John with a Sord in my hand and if any man offend me I will make him to stand I will cut him and slash him so small as the flys and send him to jemecka to make Appel pyes.
Wm. Solomom 21.
Hear am I the King of France King Henry I her is Riseing a army against France but let him come I will thonder him back he can not me with stand my milk wite corls my rid caps my yellow fethers deccar my resoralson stout and bould the Crown I will not spear I am the King of France and with my sord I will advance.
Penty 22.
My mester sent me onto you ten ton of gold that is due to him and if you dont send him is tribut home sone he in France land you see.{note 3}
Wm. Solomon 23.
Go tell your mester that he is yung and of tender years not fit to come within my degree and I will send three tennas bols that with him he may lam to play.{note 3}
Perty Lardin 24.
Hark hark wot vending vads my ears the conquers a porch I hear tis Henrys march tis Henrv time I now he comes victorous. Henry comes with obboys Tropets fifes and drums send from afar and sound of war foil of grief and every wind from walk to walk from shade to shade from strim to poolin strim convaid thrue all the minglin of the grove thrue all the minglin tracks of love tyrnin burnin changin Rangin full of "rife and full of woe impashent from my Lords return. {note 4}
Henry Crossman 25.
Whot nuse whot nuse my lovely Page whot nuse have you brought onto me I have brought such nuse from the King of France that you and he will never agree 6 for he says you am young and of tender years not fit to come in your degree and he will send you three tinnes bolls that with them you may Learn to play.{note 5}
Henry Crossmar 26.
From yender march King Henry with all my gallent company now I have taken upon me a charge to govern those poor ants {note 6} that the may wolk more large and in these wonts that the may wolk more safe and bring home shire relife and keep that wich I have from every Idol Theft but now the King is hear I will bow down lowe my knee all those that ventered hear is subject unto me god bless the Roral King and send him a long to reain and joy in Everything and free him from all pain I an my men and mine my Ants and all I have I command them the her mime so the King god save.
Wm. Solomor 27.
O pardon pardon King Henry the Ton of gourd I will pay to thee and the finest flour that is in all France to the rose of ingland I will give free.{note 7}
P. Langdon 28.
hear am I bing bing {note 8} ho in an alter of to swing ho did the batle folter o corced was the day that first I went to sea to fight the french and then to run away now are I stand with sord in hand and now I will fight any man.
H. Crossman 29.
here am I vorral {note 9} bould took six ships and lead the Spanyard gourd took shear of thare castle and port below made the proud spanyards look dismal and yellow but he was not danted a toll untill their come a boll and took un in the goll and queback foll from our hands the first brod side the frinch did fire they kild our Englesh men so free we keeld ten thousand of the Frinch gates with drum and trumpits so merrely o then be spock the old king of France {note 10}so he foll on his bended knee prince Henery I one of his gallent company I soon forsook bold London Town we went and took the Spanish crown we soun then won and now we have shoud you all our fun.
30.
Gentlemen and ladies all your sport is don I can no longer stay remember still St. George will bear the sway gentlemon and ladies all I hope you will bear the sway gentlemon and ladies all I hope you will be free for to subscribe a little part to pay the doctors fee.
31.
Here comes I that never come yet with a quat head and little wit if you please to throw in my hat what you think fit.
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Notes in the play.
- Note I.
- Mr. Thurston Peter suggested (improbably, I think) that this is possibly connected with candle auctions in which a candle end was used instead of a sand-glass to determine the time during which bids might be made, the going out of the candle being equivalent to the fall of the hammer. Another correspondent wrote from Cornwall that it was a habit of the miners when underground to stick a candle on to a stone or piece of timber and to talk and smoke until it had burned out, and consequently the expression That man will say more by one inch of candle than 'e can do in a lifetime is the equivalent of That man will make more loasls while a candle is burning one inch than he can make good in a Life-time.
The passage in the text may be paraphrased thus:—In the time it lakes to use ~ one inch of candle / will make more boasts than I could fulfil in The time it lakes to burn away ten pounds of candles. If this meaning is correct, it seems almost certain that the speech beginning, here comes I olde Father Christmas (John Rowe part the second) is out of place and that the words let in the swaggering man sur (William Solomon first part) should immediately precede the first speech of the Turkish Knight (Peter Landin part the third.)
- Note 2.
- Compare this and the following speech with Addison's Rosamond, an Oyera, Act I, sc. i.
What place is here!
What scenes appear !
Where're I turn my eyes,
All around
Enchanted ground
And soft Elysiums rise:
Flow'ry mountains,
Mossy fountains,
Shady woods,
Chrystal floods,
With wild variety surprise.
As o'er the hollow vaults we walk,
A humdred echoes round us lark:
From hill to hill the voice is toss,
Rocks rebounding,
Caves resounding,
Not a single word is lost.
See also, in the same scene:
Behold on yonder rising ground
The bower, that wanders
In meanders,
Ever bending,
Never ending,
Glades on glades,
Shades in shades,
Running an eternal round.
- Note 3.
- See the version of the ballad of King Henry Fifth's Conquest of France, on p.402 of English and Scottish Popular Ballads, from the collection of Francis James Child (1904):
'My master greets you, worthy sir:
Ten ton of gold that is due to he,
That you will send him his tribute home,
Or in French land you soon will him see.'
'Your master's young and of tender years,
Not fit to come into my degree,
And I will send him three tennis-balls,
That with them he may learn to play.'
- Note 4.
- See Addison's Rosamond, Act 1, sc. i.
Hark, hark ! what sound invades my ear?
The conqueror's approach I hear.
He comes, victorious Henry comes.
Hautboys,, {Trumpits, Fifes and Drums,'
In dreadful concert join'd,
Send from afar
A sound of war,
And f li with horror ev'ry wind.
See also Act 1, sc. i.
From walk to walk, from shade to shade,
From stream to purling stream convey'd,
Through all the mazes of the grove,
Through all the mingling tracts I rove,
Turning,
Burning,
Changing,
Ranging,
Full of grief and full of love.
Impatient for my Lord's return,
I sigh, I pine, I rave, I mourn.
C£ the concluding words of Act I, sc. iv.
"Tis Henry/'s march ! the tune I know :'
- Note 5.
- See the ballad of King Henry Fifth's Conquest of France:
'What news, what news, my trusty page?
What is the news you have brought to me?'
'I have brought such news from the King of France
That you and he will never agree.'
See also Note 3 above.
- Note 6.
- Ants. This word is almost illegible in the MS. and may therefore be incorrectly printed.
- Note 7.
- See the ballad of King Henry Fifth's Conquest of France:
'O I will send him his tribute home,
Ten ton of gold that is due to he,
And the finest flower that is in all France
To the Rose of England I will give free.'
The failure of Admiral Byng to relieve Minorca caused an outburst of popular indignation. He was tried by court-martial, and shot at Portsmouth on the 14th March 1757.
- Note 9.
- On the 20th. November 1739 Edward Vernon with nine ships captured the town of Porto Bello with only trifling losses and acquired immense popularity in England. He had boasted he would take the town with six ships. Porto Bello was protected by three castles. Vernon rewarded his men by distributing amongst them 10000 dollars which had been sent out to Porto Bello for the payment of the Spanish garrison (see the Memoirs of Edward Vernon, Esquire, in chap. xxiii of J ohn Campbell's Naval History of Great' Britain.)
- Note 10.
- See the ballad of King Henry Fifth's Conques of France:
The first shot that the Frenchmen gave
They killed our Englishmen so free;
We killed ten thousand of the French,
And the rest of them they ran away.
And then we marched to Paris gates,
With drums and trumpets so merrily:
O then bespoke the King of France,
'The Lord have mercy on my men and me!'
Found in:
Tiddy R. J. E. (1923) The Mummers' Play. Oxford University press.