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Location: Compton, Berkshire, England (SU5279) Year: Publ. 1888 Time of Occurrence: Christmas Collective Name: Mummers
B.Lowsley
A Glossary of Berkshire Words and Phrases
London, Trubner, 1888, pp.17-22
{The foregoing is the rendering of the MUMMERS' PLAY, generally given in Mid-Berkshire, but the Mummers of most parishes have slight variations. For instance, we find the Compton Mummers have amongst their dramatis personae a Turkish knight in place of a French officer. He thus announces himself:}
Turkish Knight
Yer comes I, a Turkish Knight,
Come vrom Turkeyland to vight;
I myzelf and zeven moor
Vaught a battle o' 'leven scoor -
'Leven scoor o' well-armed men
We never got conquered 'it by them.{To whom King George replies;}
Whoa thou little veller as talks zo bawld,
'Bout thaay other Turkish chaps
I've a bin tawld.
Dray thee zoord mwoast parfic knight,
Dray thy zoord an' on to vight,
Vor I'll hev zatisvaction avoor I goes to-night.
My yead is maayde o' iron,
My body maayde o' steel,
An' if 'e wunt bele-uv muh
Jus' dray thee zoord an' veel.{They fight.}
Indexer's Notes:
These fragments, and the ensuing notes are appended to Lowsley's Mid-Berkeshire text - see B.Lowsley (1888) pp.17-21.
Lowsley's Notes:
"In the performance by the Steventon Mummers we find King George announces himself as the 'Afrisky King.' His antagonist, however, is Beau Slasher, the French officer.
The Brightwaltham Mummers have Molly give the title of Queen Mary."
8th October 2000 - Scanned & OCRed by P.Millington