Recruiting Speech of 1796

J.Granger (1904)

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Context:
Location: Nottingham, Notts., England (SK5741)
Year: 1796
Time of Occurrence: [Not given]
Collective Name: [Not given]
Source:

James Granger
OLD NOTTINGHAM : Its Streets, People, &c. : SECOND SERIES
Nottingham, Nottingham Daily Express Office, 1904, pp.59-60

Cast: (Click on any name for the character name index.)
Text:

English Officer

I will lead you into a country
where the rivers consist of fine nut-brown ale -
where the houses are built of hot roast beef,
and the wainscots papered with pancakes.
There, my boys, it rains plum-pudding every Sunday morning,
the streets are paved with quartern loaves,
and nice roasted pigs run about
with knives and forks stuck in them, and crying out,
'Who will eat me? Who will eat me?'

Notes:

This satirical parody of a recruiting speech shares "Land of Cockaigne" motifs that are also found in some folk plays.

File History:
19th Jan.1995 - Entered by Peter Millington
25th Mar.1997 - File named by Peter Millington
28th May 2002 - Notes amended by PTM
The recommended URL for this web page is www.folkplay.info/Texts/79sk54gj.htm
Last generated on 26/12/2007 by P.Millington (Peter.Millington1@virgin.net)