Context:

Location: Ancoats, Lancashire (SJ8598)
Year: 1836 to 1838
Time of Occurrence: Christmas
Collective Name: [Not given]

Source:

[Anon. (Auth.)]
The Peace Egg Book
Ancoats, R.Carr, c.1836-1838

Cast:

Text:

[Introducer]

Room, room, brave gallant boys come give us room to rhyme,
we are come to show our activity in Christmas time.
Active young, and active age,
the like was never acted on a stage
and if you don't believe what I say
enter in Prince George and clear the way.

[Prince George]

Here come I knight George from England have I sprung
one of those noble deeds of valour to begin
seven long years in a close cave have I been kept
and out of that into a prison leapt,
and out of that into a rock of stone,
where there I made my sad and grievous moan,
many a giant I did subdue
I run the fiery dragon through and through
I freed fair Sabra from the stake,
what more could mortal man then undertake ;
I fought them all courageously
and still have gained the victory,
and always fight for liberty
here I draw wy bloody weapon,
shew me the man that dare me
I'll cut him down with my courageous hand.

[Turkish Champion]

I am the man that dare you challenge, whose courage is great,
and with my sword I make dukes and earls to quake.

{George Answers.}

[Prince George]

Who are you, but a poor silly lad?

[Turkish Champion]

I am a Turkish Champion, from Turkey-land I come,
to fight you the great George by name.

[Prince George?]

A doctor, a doctor, ten pounds for a doctor,
is there not a doctor to be found,
can cure this man of his deep & mortal wound

[Doctor]

I am a doctor pure and good
and with my sword can staunch his blood
if you have a mind this man's life to save
full fifty guineas I must have.
What can you cure doctor?
I can cure the plague within, the plague without,
the palsy and the gout.
moreover
if you bring me an old woman of four score and ten
and knuckle bone of her toe broken
I can set it in again
and if you don't believe what I say,
enter in St. Patrick, and clear the way.

[St. Patrick]

Here come I St. Patrick, in shining armour bright
a famous champion and a worthy knight
What was St. George but St. Patrick's boy,
he fed is horse seven long years on oats and hay,
and after that he ran away.
I say by George you lie sir,
pull out your sword and try sir.
pull out your purse and pay sir
I'll run my rapier through your body
and make you run away, sir,
so enter Oliver Cromwell and clear the way.

[Oliver Cromwell]

Here come I Oliver Cromwell as you may suppose,
I conquered many nations with my copper nose ;
I made my foes to tremble and my enemies for to quake,
and beat all my opposers till I made their hearts to ache,
and if you don't believe what I say,
enter in devil Doubt and clear the way.

[Belzebub]

Here come I Belzebub,
and over my shoulders I carry my club,
and in my hand a dripping pan,
and I think myself a jolly old man,
and if you don't believe what I say
enter devil Doubt and clear the way.

Devil-doubt

Here come I little devil Doubt,
if you do not give me money I'll sweep you all out.
Money I want and money I crave ;
if you don't give me money, I'll sweep you all to he grave.

Notes:

Indexer's Notes

This text is reproduced here for non-profit purposes with the kind permission of the Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books, Toronto Public Library (www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/uni_spe_osb_collection.jsp).
This chapbook is described and discussed in full in:
E.Cass, M.J.Preston & P.Smith (2003) The Peace Egg Book: An Anglo-Irish Chapbook Connection Discovered, Folklore, Apr.2003, Vol.114, No.1, pp.29-52.

File History:

2009-04-30 - Entered by Peter Millington
2009-06-29 - Tweaked by Peter Millington
2021-01-15 - TEI-encoded by Peter Millington

Extras:

TEI-encoded File

A TEI-encoded XML version of this text can be downloaded here.

Text Relatives Map

See how many of the lines in this text also appear in other plays:
  • As a histogram sorted by the number of shared lines
  • On a map with markers sized according to the number of shared lines