390
NOTES AND QUERIES. [12 s. i. MAY 13, me.
difficult of access. Have others read those
letters otherwise, or better ? Does that
formula occur elsewhere on mediaeval bells
in honour of St. Mary ? The other bell in
that towe'r was cast in 1732, by Tosier of
Salisbury. E. S. DODGSON.
9 Kingston Road, Oxford.
ST. GEORGE MUMMING PLAY.
(12 S. i. 327.)
MB. F. GORDON BROWN will, I think, find a copy of this play in " Everyman's Library " (London, J. M. Dent & Sons). Reference should also be made to The Gentleman's Magazine, June, 1830 ; * The Vindication of Christmas,' 4to, 1653 ; ' Christmas Mummers in Dorsetshire,' by J. S. UDAL, in Folk-Lore Record, vol. iii. pt. i. ; and W. Sandys's
- Christmas Cards ' (London, 1833).
I have in my note-book a copy of ' The Peace Egg, or St. George's Annual Play for the Amusement of Youth ' (Preston, printed by J. Harkness, 31 Church Street, n.d.), and a curious and interesting copy made by me from a MS. used by some Cornish performers in the latter half of last century. The players of this Cornish version which ] subjoin went from house to house anc performed in the open, borrowing a mal "for the Turkish knight to die on" if the ground were damp.
The libretto is from a MS. in the posses- sion of John D. Enys (1905), who got it from Mylor. The original is written by a very illiterate man ; but T have followed it closely for fear of a wrong conjecture. For the same reason I have kept the lines of the original.
P. 1.
'A PLAY FOR CHRISTMAS.'
William Solomon first part.
Rume rume Galants rume Give me a rume to
rime for in this house i mine to shew some of my past
time
Now gentlemen an Ladys it is Christmas time i am a blade that knew my trade all people doth a dear me i will swager an banter an i will drive the town be fore me if i am naked or if i am prict i will give aman an answer the very first man or boy i mits my soard shall be is fencer be hind the
doar
thare lye a score pray Git it out if you can sur i walke away have nothing to pay an let in the
swagering man sur
John Rowe part the second.
lare comes i ould father Christmas welcom or
welcom not
hope ould father Christmas will never be forgot ould father Christmas a pair but woance a yare le lucks like an ould man of 4 score yare
Penty Landin part the third
icpen the doar and Lat me in i hope your faver i shall wind wether irise or wether ifoll i will do my ndeavour to please you all
P. 2.
St. George is at the doar and swear he will com in with soard an buckler by is side i fear he will
purs my skin i now he is no fool i now he is some stoute
why he will say more by wan inch of candle than ican
performe White ten pound born out 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 Fouth
here am i the king of eagipt Ho plainly doth apare St. George he is my only son my only son an hear walk in St George and boldly act thy part let all
the royal family see the royal act
F Roice 12*
here comes i ould belzey bob upon my shoulder i cary my club and in my hand a d ripen and ham not i a hansam good loocking ould man
P. 3.
Henry Crossmans part 5 Hear come's I son George from England have I
sprung sum of my worndras works now for to begin first into
a Closat I was put then into a Cave was lock I sot my foot
upon a Eockhe stone their did I make my sad an grievus
mone how many men have I slew and rund the firehe
dragon thrue I fought them all Courragesly and stil got
of thire victory England's right England admorration now
ear I drow my bloody weepon ho is the man that doth
be fore me Stand I will cut him down with my Courrageus
hand
Penty Landin 6
Hear come's I the Turkish Knight came 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
- Altered : qu. 12 or 13. It is clearly out of place.
Probably the numbering was intended to show the sequence of the parts, of which this was omitted in the proper place, and inserted on a blank space on p. 2 of MS.
