SATURNALIA.
| Hercules |
| Curius |
| Doulus |
"This shew was very well liked of our selves, and the better: first, because itt was the voluntary service of a younge youth; nexte, because there were no strangers to trouble us.
"St. Steevens day was past over in silence, and so had St. John's day also; butt that some of the Prince's honest neighbours of St. Giles's presented him with a maske, or morris, which though it were but rudely performed, yet itt being so freely and lovingly profered, it could not but bee as lovingly received.
"The same nighte, the twelve daies were suddenly, and as it were extempore, brought in, to offer their service to the Prince, the holy-daies speaking Latine, and the working-daies English, the transition was this:
Yee see these working-daies they weare no satten, And I assure you they can speake no Latten; But if you please to stay a-while, Some shepheard for them will change the style.
"After some few daunces the Prince, not much liking the sporte (for that most of them were out both in their speeches and measures, having but thought of this devise some few houres before) rose, and lefte the hall, after whose departure, an honest fellow to breake of the sportes for that night, and to void the company made suddenly this Epilogue:
These daunces were perform'd of yore By many worthy Elfes, Now if you will have any more Pray shake your heeles your selves.
"The next day being Innocents-day, it was expected, and partly determined by our selves, that the Tragedy of Philomela should have been publickly acted, which (as wee thought) would well have fitted the day, by reason of the murder of Innocent Itis. But the carpenters being no way ready with the stage, or scaffolds (whereof notwithstanding some were made before Christmas), wee were constrained to deferre it till the nexte day, which was the 29th of December.