{"id":2497,"date":"2023-01-02T05:09:45","date_gmt":"2023-01-02T13:09:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/?p=2497"},"modified":"2023-01-01T05:40:46","modified_gmt":"2023-01-01T13:40:46","slug":"galatian-to-welcome-in-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/2023\/01\/02\/galatian-to-welcome-in-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Galatian, to welcome in the year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Happy New Year!<\/p>\n

I thought you might like something old for a new year. It\u2019s a short folk play from 1841 from Peebles, in Scotland, called \u201cGalatian, a New-Year Play\u201d, collected by Robert Chambers. It originally came from the Select Writings of Robert Chambers, Vol. VII, Edinburgh, Chambers, 1841, Vol.VII, pp.299-384. My source, however, is one of the best places for folk plays on the internet: https:\/\/folkplay.info\/<\/a> I love this site. It\u2019s been around for a long time, and is full of amazing resources. It’s tremendously useful for fantasy writers and for people who build worlds for games.<\/p>\n

Why this? I have had a long interest in folk plays, mumming, regional traditions and a whole heap of related stuff. I was going to introduce you to one of my novels today (here\u2019s a link, just in case someone feels disconsolate at missing the introduction https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1838\/9781034584728<\/a>) and instead I thought you might enjoy one of the many thousands of reasons there are morris dancers in that novel. I\u2019ll tell you about the novel another day. This is the new year, and you deserve something special.<\/p>\n

{Galatian, a New-Year Play}<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

{Talking Man enters}<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Talking Man<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Haud away rocks, and haud away reels,
\nHaud away stocks and spinning wheels,
\nRedd room for Gorland, and gi’e us room to sing,
\nAnd I will show you the prettiest thing
\nThat ever was seen in Christmas time.
\nMuckle head and little wit, stand ahint the door;
\nBut sic a set as we are, ne’er were here before.
\nShow yourself, Black Knight!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

{Black Knight enters}<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Black Knight<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here comes in Black Knight, the great King of Macedon,
\nWho has conquered all the world save Scotland alone.
\nWhen I came to Scotland my heart it grew cold,
\nTo see a little nation so stout and so bold –
\nSo stout and so bold, so frank and so free:
\nCall upon Galatian to fight wi’ me.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

{Galatian enters}<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Galatian<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here comes I, Galatian., Galatian is my name;
\nSword and buckler by my side, I hope to win the game.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Black Knight<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The game, sir, the game, sir, it is not in your power;
\nI’ll hash you and slash you in less than half an hour.
\nMy head is made of iron, my heart is made of steel,
\nAnd my sword is a Ferrara, that can do its duty weel.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

{They fight, and Galatian is worsted, and falls.}<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Down Jack, down to the ground you must go.
\nOh! Oh! what is this I’ve done?
\nI’ve killed my brother Jack, my father’s only son.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Talking Man<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here’s two bloody champions that never fought before;
\nAnd we are come to rescue him, and what can we do more?
\nNow, Galatian he is dead, and on the floor is laid,
\nAnd ye shall suffer for it, I’m very sore afraid.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Black Knight<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I’m sure it was not I, sir, I’m innocent of the crime.
\n‘Twas this young man behind me, who drew the sword sae fine.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Young Man<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Oh, you awful villain! to lay the blame on me;
\nWhen my two eyes were shut, sir, when this young man did die.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Black Knight<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How could your two eyes be shut, when you were looking on?
\nHow could your two eyes be shut, when their swords were drawn?
\nIs there ever a doctor to be found?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Talking Man<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Call in Dr Brown,
\nThe best in all the town.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

{Doctor enters}<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Doctor<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here comes in as good a doctor as ever Scotland bred,
\nAnd I have been through nations, a-learning of my trade-,
\nAnd now I’ve come to Scotland all for to cure the dead.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Black Knight<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What can you cure?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Doctor<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I can cure the rurvy scurvy,
\nAnd the rumble-gumption of a man that has been seven years in his grave or more;
\nI can make an old woman of sixty look like a girl of sixteen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Black Knight<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What will you take to cure this dead man?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Doctor<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ten pounds.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Black Knight<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Will not one do?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Doctor<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Black Knight<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Will not three do?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Doctor<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Black Knight<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Will not five do?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Doctor<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Black Knight<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Will not seven do?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Doctor<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Black Knight<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Will not nine do?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Doctor<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yes, perhaps nine may do, and a bottle of wine.
\nI have a little bottle of inker-pinker [small beer] in my pocket.
\n{Aside to Galatian}<\/i> Take a little drop of it.
\nBy the hocus-pocus, and the magical touch of my little finger,
\nStart up, John.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

{Galatian rises and exclaims:}<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Galatian<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Oh, my back!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Doctor<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What ails your back?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Galatian<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There’s a hole in it you may turn your nieve ten times round in it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Doctor<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How did you get it?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Galatian<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Fighting for our land.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Doctor<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How many did you kill?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Galatian<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I killed a’ the loons but ane, that ran, and wadna stand.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

{The whole party dance, and Galatian sings.}<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Oh, once I was dead, sir, but now I am alive,
\nAnd blessed be the doctor that made me revive.
\nWe’ll all join hands, and never fight more,
\nWe’ll a’ be good brothers, and we have been before.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

{Judas enters with bag}<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Judas<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here comes in Judas, Judas is my name;
\nIf ye put not silver in my bag, for guidsake mind our wame!
\nWhen I gaed to the castle yett, and tirled at the pin,
\nThey keepit the keys o’ the castle, and wadna let me in.
\nI’ve been i’ the east carse,
\nI’ve been i’ the west carse,
\nI’ve been i’ the carse of Gowrie,
\nWhere the clouds rain a’ day pease and beans
\nAnd the farmers theek houses wi’ needles and prins.
\nI’ve seen geese gawn on pattens,
\nAnd swine fleeing i’ the air like peelings o’ ingons!
\nOur hearts are made o’ steel, but our bodies sma’ as ware –
\nIf you’ve onything to gi’e us, stap it in there.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

{All sing}<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[All]<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Blessed be the master o’ this house, and the mistress also,
\nAnd all the little babies that round the table grow-,
\nTheir pockets full of money, the bottles full of beer –
\nA merry Christmas, guizards, and a happy New Year.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Happy New Year! I thought you might like something old for a new year. It\u2019s a short folk play from 1841 from Peebles, in Scotland, called \u201cGalatian, a New-Year Play\u201d, collected by Robert Chambers. It originally came from the Select Writings of Robert Chambers, Vol. VII, Edinburgh, Chambers, 1841, Vol.VII, pp.299-384. My source, however, is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[637,638],"class_list":["post-2497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction","tag-folk-play","tag-new-year"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2497"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2497\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2498,"href":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2497\/revisions\/2498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}