S.Piggott (1929) pp.268-270

Context

Location: town
Church Broughton
SK2033
Time of Occurrence
[Not given]
Collective name
[Not given]

Source

Source author
Stuart Piggott
Source title
Collectanea. Mummers' Plays from Berkshire, Derbyshire, Cumberland, and Isle of Man.
Source publication
1929, Vol.40, No.3, pp.268-270

Cast

First Speaker
King George
Boldslasher / Jack
Doctor
Beelzebub

Text

First Speaker.-

"I open the door, I enter in,
For your favour I shall win.
Whether I rise, sit, stand, or fall,
I do my duty to please you all.
Stir up the fire and strike a light,
And see my merry boys act tonight.
If you can't believe these words I say,
Step in, King George, and clear the way."

{Enter King George.}

K.G.-

"Here am I, King George,
And King George is my name,
And by bright sword I mean to win
Boldslasher's fame.
If you can't believe these words I say,
Step in Boldslasher."

{Enter Boldslasher.}

B.-

"Here am I, Boldslasher,
Boldslasher is my name,
And by my bright sword
I mean to win King George's fame.
Yes I mean to win my fame,
Pull out thy purse and pay,
Draw forth thy sword and fight away."

{They fight, and Boldslasher falls. They call for the Doctor.}

{Enter Doctor.-}

[Doctor]

"Here am I, the doctor."

First Speaker.-

"How cam'st thou to be a doctor?"

Doctor.-

"By my travels."

First Speaker.-

"How far hast thou travelled?"

Doctor.-

"I've travelled through Italy, Spitally, France, and Spain,
Ten times round the world,
And now return to old England again."

First Speaker.-

"What canst thou cure?"

Doctor.-

"I can cure the itch, the stitch, the grunt, and the gout,
A pain within and a pain without."

First Speaker.--

"Cure this man."

Doctor.-

Here, Jack, take a sup of my nip-nap,
And let it run down thy tip-tap.
If thou be not quite slain,
Rise up Jack and fight again.

{He does not stir.}

First Speaker.-

"You can't cure him."

Doctor.-

"I've got a little bottle in my side pocket,
Called oham, poham, githeram oceam,
Which will fetch a dead man to life again.
Here, Jack, take a sup out of my little bottle,
And let it run down thy trocle. [sic]
If thou be not quite slain,
Rise up Jack and fight again."

{Enter Beelzebub.}

B.-

"Here am I, old Beelzebub,
On my shoulder I carry a club,
And in my hand a dripping pan,
And I think myself a jolly old man.
With a rink, tink, tink,
And a drop more drink,
To make the kettle go round oh,
For all these lads are mine."

Notes

Piggott's Notes:

"Oral. Communicated to me by Mr. H. A. Auden, 1930. For this version, as for those from Repton (5, below), Cumberland (6 below) and the Isle of Man (7, below), I am indebted both to Mrs. M.B.Furneaux of Godalming, and Mr. H. A. Auden, who were instrumental in securing the versions for me"