Just finished an article about Mummers, those medieval cosplay fans whose adherents are trying to keep the tradition alive today.

http://familychristmasonline.com/ceremo ... ummers.htm

Ron Shuttleworth writes:

Found your site interesting. Mine is http://www.folkplay.info/Ron/Index.htm

Particularly under 'Mummers Reemerge' you quote a poem from 1738. Could you let me have full details - and perhaps a copy please.

Ron Shuttleworth.

Keeper of the Morris Ring Folk-Play Archive. 5,000+ items, available to anyone.

-----------Our reply-------------------

Ron, thanks for getting in touch. The original quote is from a footnote to the Mobiad. A digitized version is here:

https://archive.org/stream/mobiadorbatt ... g_djvu.txt

Sorry about the bad scans, such as Georgian S's being scanned as F's.

(x) Engbmd*s Hir9e.'\ St. George for England. At
Chriftmas are (or at leaft very lately were) Fellows wont to
go about from Houfe to Houfe in Exeter it mumming ; one
pf whom, in a (borrowed) Holland Shjrt, moft gorgeoufly
be-ribbon'd, over hisWaiftcoat, (sfc. flourifliing a Faulchion,
yery valiantly entertains the admiring Spectators thus :
*' Oh ! here comes I Siidt George, a Man of Cout-d^c bold,
•« And witk my Spfear I wiftn'd three Crowns of Gold,
f' i (lew thfe Dragbn, and brought htm to the Slaughter ;
ff And by that very meant I married Sa^raj the beauteous
. tf I^ing oflEgyft'% jpa^ghtcr. — Play Mafick."
is work:


I may have first come across the quote in this work:

https://books.google.com/books?id=_DkwA ... &q&f=false

In either case, four lines of St. George's speech are all we are given. Millington's collection has several variants on that speech, though.

A more carefully edited version is the appendix to a short story about a Peace Egg play published about 1884.

http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/ ... peace.html

Hope this helps. - Paul