Context:
Location: |
Selston, Nottinghamshire, England (SK4553) |
Year: |
Perf. about 1913 |
Time of Occurrence: |
Christmas, New Year |
Collective Name: |
Mummers |
|
Source:
R.W.Storer (Ed.)
Selston 1913 : 'End of an era'
Selston, Selston Branch of the Workers' Educational Association, 1983
|
Cast:
|
Text:
Introducer
A open the door, and enter in,
A beg y' pardon to begin,
Whether A stand, sit, or fall,
A'll do me' duty to please y' all
A room, a room a gatherin' room
A room to see a fight
Stir up that fire an' mek' a' light
To see these brave boys act tonight
If y' don't believe these words A say
Step in Bull-Guy an' clear the way
{Enter Bull-Guy}
Bull-Guy
In comes Bull-Guy
From England A've sprung
A've travelled all the nations round
To find King George's Son
A've found him at the slaughter
A slew the King of Egypt's daughter
{Enter King Georges Son}
King Georges Son
In comes King George's Son
Me' hands an' head are made uv' hard knuckle bone,
An' no man can mek' me feel
Bull Guy
Can't a mek' the feel?
King Georges Son
No, tha' can't mek' me feel
Bull Guy
Stand back, stand back, tha' dirty dog
A'll mek' thee buttons fly
A'll fill thee belly full o'bones an' stones
An' thou shall surely die
King Georges Son
Shall A' die?
Bull Guy
Yea' thou shall surely die
King Georges Son
Shake hand before A' die
{They fence and King George's Son stab Bull Guy
who falls to the floor as his father rushes in}
Father
Oh' George, Oh' George, what has tha' done,
Tha's killed an slain me' only son,
Me' only son lies dying here'
Send for a' doctor.
{Enter the Doctor}
Doctor
In comes Doctor
A noble Doctor too
Father
How comes tha' to be a Doctor?
Doctor
Be me' travels
Father
Where are thee travels?
Doctor
Ickally, pickally, France an' Spain
Oer' hills and hom' ag'en
Father
Where else?
Doctor
Ye'sir, upstairs, downstairs an' in
Me' mothers bread an' cheese basket
Father
What can tha cure?
Doctor
The itch, stitch, palsy an' gout
Pains wi'in an' pains wi'out
Father
How much will tha cure me' son for?
Doctor
Oh' five pounds, bein' a poor man - ten
Father
Cure him then
Doctor
Her Jack, tek' a drop o' this nick-nack
an' let it run down thee tic-tac
an' rise an' fight agen'.
Father
Y' fool, he's never shifted
Doctor
Oh' dear. 'Ave gin him wrong bottle.
Thiz another bottle in me smock-coat pockit
Here Jack, tek a drop o' this nick-nack
an' let it run down thee tic-tac,
an' rise an' fight agen
{Bull-Guy rises}
Bull-Guy
A wuz slain, now a'm live agen
Doctor
Now ladies an' gentlemen all a'round
'Ave cured this man, both safe an sound
'Ave healed his wounds - 'ave cleansed his blood
'Ave gin him stuff that'll do him good
If you can't believe these words A say
Step in Bel-ze-bub an' clear the way
{Enter Beelzebub}
Beelzebub
In comes owd' Bel-ze-bub
O'er me back, 'a carry me club
In me 'and a drippin' pan
Don't y' think 'am a jolly ow'd man
If y' don't, a do
Plum puddin's hot, plum puddings cowd
Plum puddin's in a pot - nine days owd
Money a want, an' money a'll 'ave
If you don't gimmee that
A'll blow y' away
If you 'ant got a penny - a a'penny will do
If you aint got that - God bless you.
{All the company sing together}
[All]
We've come to steal your ow'd black hen
You'd better leave us a'lone then
She lays two eggs on ev'ry day
An' on a Sunday three ....
An' on a Sunday three
|
Notes:
Collected from Mr. Abraham Edward Simpson-Coleman's (87 yrs old).
|
File History:
1994-12-26 - Entered by Peter Millington
1997-03-25 - File named by Peter Millington
2001-01-08 - Performance date adjusted 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
Other Information
There may be more about this text at: https://folkplay.info/resources/texts-and-contexts/selston-mummers-play-1913.
|
|