Ed. Oh, a morrice is come, observe our country sports,
’Tis Whitson tyde,[98] and we must frolick it.
Enter the morrice.
The song.
Skip it, and trip it, nimbly, nimbly,
Tickle it, tickle it lustily,
Strike up the taber, for the wenches favour,
Tickle it, tickle it lustily.
Let us be seen, on Hygate greene,
To dance for the honour of Holloway.
Since we are come hither, let’s spare for no leather,
To dance for the honour of Holloway.
Ed. Well said, my boyes, I must have my lord’s livory: what is’t? a maypole? Troth, ’twere a good body for a courtier’s impreza, if it had but this life, Frustra florescit. Hold, cousin, hold. [He gives the fool money.
Foole. Thankes, cousin, when the lord my father’s audit comes, wee’l repay you againe. Your benevolence too, sir.
Mam. What! a lord’s sonne become a begger!
Foole. Why not? when beggers are become lord’s sons. Come, ’tis but a trifle.
Mam. Oh, sir, many a small make a great.
Foole. No, sir, a few great make a many small. Come, my lords, poore and neede hath no law.
S. Ed. Nor necessitie no right. Drum, downe with them into the celler. Rest content, rest content; one bout more, and then away.
Foole. ‘Spoke’ like a true heart: I kisse thy foote, sweet knight. The morrice sing and dance and exeunt.”
It is therefore highly probable, as hath been already suggested, that the May-game of Robin Hood and the morris-dance had originally no sort of connection; that the performers had united their forces, because their joint efforts proved more successful, lucrative, or agreeable; and that, in fine, the latter gradually shook off companions from whose association they no longer derived any advantage.[99]
An old writer, describing a country bridal show exhibited before Queen Elizabeth at Kenilworth Castle in 1575, {cvii} mentions “a lively moris dauns, according too the auncient manner, six daunsers, mawd Marion, and the fool.”
Stubbs’s chapter, upon “Lords of mis-rule” (Anatomie of Abuses, 1583) contains a singular description of a grand parochial morris-dance, which is worthy of perusal.
It is observable that, in the sham second part of Hudibras, published 1663, this place is said to be
“Highly famed for Hocktide games.”
(Grey’s edition of Hudibras, ii. 90.) Of what nature these were (at Kingston) we are not informed. See Plot’s Natural History of Oxfordshire; Leland’s Collectanea, v. Roas.
Hocktide or Hock-day was the Tuesday fortnight after Easter. Two falsehoods are asserted of this festival: one, that its celebration was owing to the general joy excited by the death of Hardecnute, which in fact took place on the 8th of June: the other, that it was the anniversary of the general slaughter of the Danes in 1042; which Henry of Huntingdon and others expressly fix on St. Brice’s day, being the 13th of November.
It plainly appears, by these extracts, that Robyn Hode, Little John, the frere, and mayde Maryan were fitted out at the same time with the mores daunsars, and, consequently, it would seem, united with them in one and the same exhibition.[100]
“Also it was said, that the ladie hir selfe, the same daie hir husband and she should be crowned, said that she feared they should prove but as a summer king and queene, such as in countrie townes the yoong folks choose for short to danse about maipoles” (Holinshed, at the year 1306).