Context:

Location: Longcot, Berkshire, England (SU2790)
Year: Col. 1893
Time of Occurrence: Christmas
Collective Name: Mummers

Source:

Alice Gomme
Longcot, Nr Faringdon, Berks. Mummers' Play
Thomas Fairman Ordish Collection, https://www.vwml.org/record/TFO/1/1/6

Cast:

Text:

{LONGCOT[1] Nr FARINGDON, BERKS, MUMMERS PLAY}

{Folk-lore Society Material from Ms sent to Mrs Gomme (signature indecipherable)}

{Father Christmas enters and walks round the room saying,}

[Father Christmas]

In comes I, old Father Christmas,
Welcome or welcome not;
I hope ild Father Christmas
Will never be forgot.
A room, a room I will presume
For you and my brave gallant soul
Pray give me room to rhyme,
For I am come to show you a captivity
This merry Christmas time.
Activety such as was never seen or acted on any stage.
As I was going down a long narrow, crooked lane
[I] saw a house thatched with candle sticks
and paved with red herrings.
I knocked at the maid and the door came out;
She asked me if I could eat a jug of her brown ale
or drink a crust of her bread and cheese,
And I said 'Yes, no thank you' but I means 'Yes if you please'-
Walk in Bold Slasher and King George.

King George

In comes I King George, the noble knight
Who lost his blood in English Fight;
The English Fight then is the reason
That makes me carry this awful weapon.

Bold Slasher

I am a valiant soldier bold
Bold Slasher is my name'
With my sword and buckler by my side
I hopes to win the game

King George

Slasher, Slasher, don't thee be so hot
For in this room thee doesn't know who thee's got.
From thy word I will stand good,
And from thy body I'll draw thy blood.

Slasher

A battle, a battle between thee and I
To see which on the ground shall lie
So mind thy head and guard thy blows,
And mind thy face, and face thy foes.

{They fight.}

Father Christmas

Doctor, Doctor where beest thee?
King George is wounded in the knee.
Doctor, Doctor play thy part!
King George is wounded in the heart
Five shillings or five pound
I will lay down
If this noble doctor can be found.

{Enter Doctor}

[Doctor]

Yes, in comes this noble doctor -
Travels more at home than he do abroad,
And comes more to kill than to cure.

Doctor

I don't go about like your quack doctors,
I do about for good of country

Father Christmas

Dost think thee can'st cure this man?

Doctor

I'll try at it.
What shall be the matter with him?
Toothache in the backbone?
In my box I carries a pill,
In my bottle I carries a smell.
On my hand there's no disdain;
Rise up King George and fight again!

Father Christmas

Walk in Jack Rinney

Molly

My name's not Jack Rinney,
My name is Mrs Finny,
A man of great property,
Can do as much as thee or any other man

Father Christmas

What cans't do then?

Molly

Cure the magpie with the toothache

Father Christmas

How do'st do that then?

Molly

Cut its head off and throw the body in the ditch!

Father Christmas

Oh, that's how thou dost it,
I suppose that Thomas hast seen?

Molly

Ah, her was a daring young lad,
Saved five shillings and bought him a nag;
His bridle was made of two pigs' tails,
His stirrups was made of two horse-shoe nails,
His saddle was made of lirking shin,
His back was growed out, and his belly growed in!
T'will do, 'twill do says Thomas Akin,
My father has killed a fat hog.
And that you can plainly see.
My mother she gave me bladder to make me this hurdy-gurdy
Green sleeves and yellow leaves,
Come my boys and let us dance a-pace
For Molly is in great distress
for want of a little money

{(Version dated 1893)}

Notes:

S.Roud & M.Bee (1991) p.30

"Ordish Collection: Manuscript text, original now lost, but copy made by Alex Helm placed in the Ordish Papers."

File History:

2024-02-14 - Proof-read and Encoded by Peter Millington
2024-02-15 - TEI-encoded by Peter Millington

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