Recordings & Info 45. King John and the Bishop
[Be sure to read, A New Text of an Old Ballad- Cornelius 1931 (attached to this page), about the Corpus Christi text which dates back to c. 1550.
R. Matteson 2012]
CONTENTS: 1) Alternative Titles
2) Traditional Ballad Index
3) Folk Index
4) Child Collection Index
5) Excerpt from The British Traditional Ballad in North America by Tristram Coffin 1950, from the section A Critical Biographical Study of the Traditional Ballads of North America
6) Wiki
7) English Fairy Tale: King John and the Abbot of Canterbury; Collected and edited by Joseph Jacobs
8) King John and the Abbot of Canterbury (pre 1695 text with footnotes)
9) King John and the Abbot of Canterbury (Percy's text from: http://www.exclassics.com/percy/perc105.htm)
10) Text from Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. (1863–1944). The Oxford Book of Ballads. 1910
ATTACHED PAGES: (see left hand column)
1) Roud 302: King John and the Bishop (70 listings)
2) A New Text of an Old Ballad- Cornelius 1931
3) The Egyptian Prototype of King John and the Abbot
Alternative Titles
The Jolly Abbot
King John and the Abbot of Canterbury
I'le tell you a story, a story anon
The Bishop of Canterbury
King and the Abbot
The Bishop of Old Canterbury
King John
The King's Three Questions
A New Ballad of King John and the Abbot of Canterbury
Derry Down
The Old Abbot and King Olfrey
The Bishop of Canterbury and King John
Traditional Ballad Index: King John and the Bishop [Child 45]
DESCRIPTION: King John tells the (bishop of Canterbury) he must answer the King's questions or die. The bishop, unable to answer, turns to a shepherd (his brother?). The answers are so clever the king rewards the shepherd and pardons both (makes the shepherd bishop)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1695 (broadside) [Corpus Christi text dates back to c. 1550.]
KEYWORDS: questions help riddle royalty
HISTORICAL REFERENCES: 1199-1216 - Reign of King John
FOUND IN: Britain(England,Scotland(Aber)) US(MW,MA,NE,NW)
REFERENCES (17 citations):
Child 45, "King John and the Bishop" (2 texts)
Bronson 45, "King John and the Bishop" (15 versions plus1 in addenda)
GlenbuchatBallads, pp. 198-200, "King John" (1 text)
GreigDuncan2 281, "The Jolly Abbot" (1 text)
Percy/Wheatley II, pp. 303-312, "King John and the Abbot of Canterbury" (2 texts, one from the Percy folio and one as printed in the _Reliques_)
BarryEckstormSmyth p. 445, "King John and the Bishop" (brief notes only)
Flanders/Olney, pp. 111-112, "The King's Three Questions" (1 text)
Flanders/Brown, pp. 200-203, "The King's Three Questions" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #11; note that Bronson has the wrong date in his headnotes}
Flanders-Ancient1, pp. 280-298, "King John and the Bishop" (5 texts plus 2 fragments, 3 tunes; the texts are listed A1, A2, B1, B2, B3, C, D, because A1 and A2 were both ultimately derived from the same singer through different informants and B1, B2, B3 are from the same informant at different times) {A1=Bronson's #11}
Gardner/Chickering 155, "King John and the Bishop" (1 fragment, 1 tune) {Bronson's #5}
Leach, pp. 154-158, "King John and the Bishop" (1 text)
Leach-Labrador 2, "King John and the Bishop" (1 text: Newfoundland story related by theme to the ballad)
OBB 172, "King John and the Abbot of Canterbury" (1 text)
Niles 19, "King John and the Bishop" (1 text, 1 tune)
BBI, ZN1364, "I'le tell you a story, a story anon"
DT 45, KJONCANT*
ADDITIONAL: Katherine Briggs, _A Dictionary of British Folk-Tales in the English Language_, Part A: Folk Narratives, 1970 (I use the 1971 Routledge paperback that combines volumes A.1 and A.2), volume A.2, pp. 423-424, "King John and the Abbot of Canterbury" (1 text, a folktale close enough to this song as to strongly imply common origin)
Roud #302
RECORDINGS:
Warde Ford, "The Bishop of Canterbury" (AFS 4196A, 1938; tr.; on LC57, in AMMEM/Cowell) {Bronson's #4}
SAME TUNE:
The Shaking of the Sheets (Chappell/Wooldridge II, pp. 228-229; British Library Add. MS. 15225; entered in the Stationer's Register for John Awdelay 1568/9; Playford, The Dancing Master, 1651; rec. by The Baltimore Consort on The Ladye's Delight)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The King and the Bishop
NOTES: King John did not have a good relationship with the Catholic Church; he refused, e.g., to accept Stephen Langton, the Pope's choice for Archbishop of Canterbury (Warren, pp. 161-163). From 1208 to 1213 England was placed under Interdict by the Pope. John responded by removing bishops from their offices -- and taking away their mistresses (though he allowed them pensions). The historical story bears only the slightest similarity to the tale in the ballad, however, which may also have been influenced by the war of wills between John's father Henry II and Thomas Becket.
The one thing that is certain is that John (reigned 1199-1216) had a horrid relationship with the church. McLynn, p. 78, says that his early upbringing in Fontrevrault abbey "seems to have turned him violently against the Christian religion," adding that John collected works of theology so he could read them and mock them.
It is also of note that, while his father and brother promised to take part in the Third Crusade (his father Henry II did not live, but of course Richard went), John never took a crusading vow, and never went to the Orient (McLynn, p. 110). The flip side of this is, this was partly in obedience to his father -- and there had been an earlier offer to make John King of Jerusalem, and John had been forced to turn this down because his father reasoned, correctly, that the Crusader State was too internally weak to hold up to serious attack (Warren, pp. 32-33).
McLynn, p. 29, says that "John was notable for quasi-autistic tendencies, and he always seemed to have a grudge against the world." It is noteworthy that older parents are more likely to have autistic children -- and John was born when his mother was at least 41 and very likely 44 or even 45. However, I don't buy the "quasi-autistic" bit -- John had a strong streak of low humor, which indeed cost him badly in Ireland (Warren, p. 36), and this is most unusual for victims of autism, or even of autism spectrum disorders. It strikes me as much more reasonable to assume that John, as the last of many children, had a lot of grudges.
More likely is McLynn's conjecture on p. 94 that John suffered from bipolar disorder, or perhaps simply clinical depression. This would explain his occasional tendency to sit on his hands in the case of trouble (e.g. when Normandy was falling; Warren, p. 99). It would also explain his tendency to extreme anger.
And he was a typical Plantagenet in his violent rages (Warren, p. 2); this was simply the way the family worked. Markale, p. 68, brands him "almost a lunatic," but his father and brothers were equally capable of fury; it's just that they were wiser in their use of their anger. Warren, p. 47, in comparing John to his three older brothers claims that John as king "was to show a grasp of political realities that eluded the young Henry, more fierce determination than ever Geoffrey could boast of, as sure a strategic sense as Richard displayed and a knowledge of government to which the heroic crusader never even aspired." His real fault, in Warren's view, was a lack of forgiveness -- he was always kicking people while they were down, causing them to become permanent enemies. Certainly that was true of his relations with the Church!
Even McLynn, who considers John a very bad king, admits that although John "lacked his brother [Richard]'s military genius he had wider interests. He had more administrative ability, a greater sense of the art of the possible, was more cunning and devious. In time he also turned himself into an above average general. Infinitely more complex than Richard... John was in many ways a psychological oddity.... Yet one should not exaggerate John's unique qualities. Although he was well known to imitate his father by biting and gnawing his fingers in rage... this was a general, shared Angevin characteristic" (p. 94).
Bronson notes that the song has been in constant contact with broadside prints, and doubts that any of the versions arose entirely from traditional stock. Several of the broadsides list the tune as "The Shaking of the Sheets"; see the "Same Tune" reference.
Briggs, volume A.2, pp. 410-411, has a folktale, "The Independent Bishop," on much the same theme; in it, the king is George and the bishop is Bishop of Winchester. Which George is not specified. The tale originally comes from Hrefordshire; see Leather, pp. 177-178. She also has a tale, "The Story of the Miller," on volume A.2, pp. 485-487, which has some parallels but is not as close. And is very bad, from a science standpoint, but I'll spare you the analysis of that.... - RBW
Bibliography
Markale: Jean Markale (translated by Jon E. Graham), Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen of the Troubadours (French title: La vie, la legende, l'influence d'Alienor), 1979, 2000; English edition, Inner Traditions, 2007
McLynn: Frank McLynn, Richard & John: Kings at War, Da Capo, 2007
Warren: W. L. Warren, King John, 1961 (I use the 1978 University of California paperback edition)
Folk Index: King John and the Bishop [Ch 45]
Leach, MacEdward / The Ballad Book, Harper & Row, Bk (1955), p154 [1794]
Douglas, Jim. Contentment or, the Compleat Nutmeg-State Songster, Pedlar, LP (1986), trk# B.02
Farnham, George. Flanders, Helen H. & George Brown / Vermont Folk Songs and Ballads, Folklore Associates, Bk (1968/1931), p200 [1930/08/26] (Kings Three Questions)
Hubbard, Salley A.. Hubbard, Lester A. / Ballads and Songs from Utah, Univ. of Utah, Bk (1961), p 10/# 5 [1946/06/10]
MacArthur, Margaret. MacArthur, Margaret / Ballads Thrice Twisted, Whetstone WR 05, CD (1999), trk# 3
Ratliff, Rufe. Niles, John Jacob / Ballad Book of John Jacob Niles, Bramhall House, Bk (1961), p110/N 19 [1930s] (King and the Bishop)
Child Collection Index
Child No.-- Artist --Title --Album-- Year-- Length-- Have Rec.
045 Chris Foster King John and the Abbot of Canterbury/Jump at the Sun All Things in Common 1979 7:06 Yes
045 Elmer George King John and the Bishop The Library of Congress No
045 Elmer George King John and the Bishop Burly Banks of Barbry O: Eight Traditional British-American Ballads 1953 No
045 Elmer George King John and the Bishop (1) The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection No
045 Elmer George King John and the Bishop (2) The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection No
045 George Farnham King's Three Questions The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection No
045 Jack McNally King John The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection No
045 Jennifer Stearns King John and the Abbot 50 Famous Stories Retold By James Baldwin - Version 2 2008 8:15 Yes
045 Jim Douglas King John and the Bishop Contentment Or, the Compleat Nutmeg-State Songster 1986 No
045 Margaret MacArthur King John and the Bishop Ballads Thrice Twisted 1999 6:26 Yes
045 Mrs. M.P. Daniels King John and the Bishop The Library of Congress No
045 Mrs. Myra Daniels King John and the Bishop The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection No
045 Mrs. Myra Daniels King John and the Bishop (1) The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection No
045 Simply English King John and the Abbot of Canterbury A Story So Merry 1997 3:42 Yes
045 Warde Ford The Bishop of Canterbury The Library of Congress No
045 Warde Ford The Bishop of Canterbury California Gold - Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collected By Sidney Robertson Cowell 193? 4:04 Yes
045 Warde H. Ford The Bishop of Canterbury Child Ballads Traditional in the United States, Vol. I 1960 No
045 Warde H. Ford The Bishop of Canterbury and King John The Library of Congress No
Excerpt from The British Traditional Ballad in North America
by Tristram Coffin 1950, from the section A Critical Biographical Study of the Traditional Ballads of North America
45. KING JOHN AND THE BISHOP
Texts: Barry, Brit Bids Me, 445 (trace) / Flanders, Garl Gn Mt Sg, 58 / Flanders, Vt F-S Bids, 200 / Gardner and Checkering, Bids Sgs So Mich, 379 / JAFL, XXI, 54, 57 / NTFLQ, I,#i, 45 / Parsons, F-L Cape Verde Is, 94 (prose) / Smith and Rufty, Am Anth Old Wrld Bids, 8.
Local Titles: King John and the Abbot, King John and the Bishop, The Bishop of Canterbury.
Story Types: A: Mighty King John sends for the Archbishop of Canterbury and tells the churchman that he is a greater scholar than this king (or makes some such accusation) and that if he doesn't answer three questions correctly he will be beheaded. The questions are how much the King is worth mounted in all his state, how long the King will be travelling this world about, and what the King is thinking. The bishop goes homeward. On the way he meets a shepherd who offers to disguise himself as the churchman and answer the riddles. The shepherd tells King John that he is worth a piece less than Jesus, may go with the sun and circle the world in twenty-four hours, and thinks the man before him is the Archbishop of Canterbury. The King is amused by the wit of the man and excuses both.
Examples: Flanders, Ft F-S Bids; JAFL, XXI, 54.
Discussion: The American versions, all from the North, seem to be closely related to Child B. See Gardner and Chickering, Bids Sgs So Mich, 379 and Flanders, Ft F-S Bids, 200. The story is varied in a number of minor details, such as the shepherd's reward and the reason for the riddles being asked.
However, even the refrain "derry down, etc.", is retained in the Vermont text. See Flanders, loc . cit.
The riddles of the story are not unusual. They appear in the same general form in European, American, Cape Verde, and Phillipine prose and poetic folklore. See MAFLS, XV, 94; XII, 287; JAFL, XXI, 58 (from N. J. via Missouri); and Child, I, 405 ff.
King John and the Bishop From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
King John and the Bishop is an English folk-song dating back at least to the 16th century. It is catalogued in Child Ballads as number 45 and Roud Folk Song Index 302.
The song recounts the poor relationship between King John and the archbishop of Canterbury, but is also an example of a riddle-song. Francis James Child makes the comment that the roots of this ballad may be much older - perhaps going back to the sixth century, when riddling was a much stronger tradition in English poetry.
It is sufficiently old and widespread to have its own entry in the Aarne-Thompson classification system of fokltale classicifications, where it is classed as "AT 922". It is theoretically possible that it began as mythic folk tale, and was superimposed onto a story from history and then written as a song.
Synopsis
King John is firstly described as a man who does great harm and little good. He has heard that the bishop (or abbot) of Canterbury is running a very efficient household. On visiting Canterbury, he demands an answer to three questions:
- How long do I travel in a day?
- How much money am I worth?
- what am I thinking?
The bishop of Canterbury replies that these are hard questions. It will take him three days to find some replies. If he fails to arrive at the rights answers, King John will then execute the bishop. On his travels, the bishop meets a shepherd (or his own brother), and explains his dilemma. The shepherd says, "Lend me your clothes, I will deliver the correct answers for you". The disguised shepherd then meets King John. His answers are:
- You rise in the morning with the sun. It travels all round in the sky till the following morning, when it is back where it started. That's how far you travel.
- Judas sold Christ for thirty pieces of silver. You are worth almost as much as Christ. You are worth 29 pieces of silver.
- You are thinking I am the bishop of Canterbury. In fact I am a shepherd in disguise.
As a result of this clever response, King John allows the bishop to live.
Commentary
On the one hand the song is an oblique reference to the poor relationship between King John and the archbishop of Canterbury. On the other hand it can be enjoyed as a clever riddle-song. Francis James Child makes the comment that the roots of this ballad may be much older - perhaps going back to the sixth century, when riddling was a much stronger tradition in English poetry. (see Exeter Book and Anglo-Saxon literature).
The "Derry down" chorus belongs very much to the sixteenth century, similar to the song "The Keeper". A website dedicated to the printed books of William Chappel ("Popular music of Olden Time") suggests that milkmaids frequently sang as they went milking. The explanation of the "Derry down, down hey, derry down" might be the milkmaids pulling the cow teats down. (see Olden Times). However no other site endorses this theory.
In the "New York Folklore Quarterly", 1973 W. F. H. Nicolaisen went so far as to suggest that the song "originated before 850 A.D. in a Jewish parish in the Near East." Short of reading the magazine, it is hard to see how this theory can stand up.
An unusual version of the title is "The old Allot and King Olfrey" (Douce Collection, fol. 169). Olfrey is supposed to be a corruption of Alfred.
Historical Background
King John's father, Henry II, indirectly made a martyr out of Thomas a Beckett. Like his father, John had conflict with the Catholic Church, and refused to ratify the Pope's choice for the post of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton. The Pope responded with bureaucratic constraints, and in retaliation John removed several bishops from office.
The song has been found in England, The USA and Canada. The historical aspects of the song are for most people a mere backdrop to the real appeal of the song, as a riddle.
Cultural Relationships
The idea that a shepherd, or the lesser brother of a bishop, could out-wit a king, is quite subversive. Most of the Robin Hood ballads have the same characteristics, except that the sherrif is in place of the king. King John is closely associated with Robin Hood, so perhaps this is not a coinidence. There is also the suggestion that the educated bishop (or abbot) is not as wise as the uneducated brother (or shepherd) - implying there is a "native wit" that is more valuable than school-book wisdom.
Standard References
The song is catalogued in Child Ballads as number 45 and Roud Folk Song Index as 302.
It is sufficiently old and widespread to have its own entry in the Aarne-Thompson classification system of fokltale classicifications, where it is classed as "AT 922". It is theoretically possible that it began as mythic folk tale, and was superimposed onto a story from history and then written as a song.
In 1923 Walter Anderson wrote a monograph called "Kaiser und Abt", mentioning 640 versions of the story. One of the Till Eulenspiegel stories has the King of Poland pitted against Till Eulenspiegel in a similar battle of riddles.
Percy Grainger collected a version in 1906. Helen Hartness Flanders made a field recording on wax cylinder some time between 1930 and 1958.
Broadsides
Over 10 ballad operas mention the tune by name. There are another 3 or 4 instances of broadside printings/Chapbook printings of it, for example by Dicey and Marshall of Northampton.
It is included in D'Urfey's "Wit and Mirth or Pills to Purge Melancholy" (1719–1720). Another printing occurred a couple of years later in Collection of Old Ballads (1723)
Textual Variants
The song exists under the titles:
"King John and the Abbot of Canterbury"
"King and the Abbot"
"The Bishop of Canterbury"
"The Bishop of Old Canterbury"
"King John"
"King John and the Bishop"
"The King's Three Questions"
"A New Ballad of King John and the Abbot of Canterbury"
"Derry Down"
"The Old Abbot and King Olfrey"
"The Bishop of Canterbury and King John"
The versions from the USA, and versions collected in the twentieth century are less likely to depict King John as a villain in the opening verse.
Motifs
The ballad is discussed in "Notes and Queries" number 48, 2001, by James A Bracher. Six riddling questions are asked in Captain Wedderburn's Courtship (Child ballad 46). Riddles Wisely Expounded (Child 1) has a similar character.
Literature
The short stories (novelle) of Franco Sachetti (b 1335) contain a version of the story.
"More English Fairy Tales" by Joseph Jacobs (1894) contains a version adapted from the song. In his scholarly notes he says that there is a version by Vincent of Beauvais.
There is an illustrated children's book called "Riddle Me This! Riddles and Stories to Challenge Your Mind" (2003) by Hugh Lupton. It contains "The Riddle Song" and "King John and the Bishop of Canterbury". Jan Mark wrote an illustrated children's book called "King John and the Abbot" (2006), based on the song.
The English poet John Gower wrote a story called "The Tale of the Three Questions" in "Confessio Amantis". The King is guilty of envy, asks three difficult questions, and sets a similar time limit. A distant relative of inferior standing comes to the rescue. The only problem is that the riddles are not the same as the ones in the ballad. It has been suggested that the ballad was re-written in the sixteenth or seventeenth century in order insert new riddles, and so generate extra sales.
James Balwin retold the story in prose in the collection "Fifty Famous Stories Retold".
Collected by Asbjornsen and Moe as "The Parson and The Sexton".[1]
Music
The tune is also known as "Shaking of the Sheets". It was printed with this title in 1776 in Hawkins "History of Music". It also appears as "Shakinge of the Sheetes" in William Ballet's lute manuscript. A tune of this title appears in the Stationer's register of 1568/9. The title is also mentioned in a play of 1560. The words that accompany this tune are a witty comparison between the bedsheets (a dance of life) and the winding sheets (the dance of death). "Shaking of the sheets" is sung by Steeleye Span on the album Tempted and Tried and by "The City Waites" on "Ghosts, Witches and Demons" (1995)
In Playford's dance manual (1650) this tune has the title "The Night Peece". Only with difficulty can the words of the Percy manuscript text, be made to fit this version of the tune. The tune also goes by the name "Derry Down". "The Night Peece" is the name of a dance in Playford's books.
Recordings: Album/Single Performer Year Variant Notes
"Burly Banks of Barbry O: Eight Traditional British-American Ballads" Elmer George 1953 "King John and Bishop" .
"Child Ballads Traditional in the United States, Vol. 1" Warde H Ford 1960 (recorded 1938) "The Bishop of Canterbury" .
"All Things in Common" Chris Foster 1979 "King John and the Abbot of Canterbury" .
"Contentment Or, the Compeat Nutmeg-state songster" Jim Douglas 1986 "King John and the Bishop" .
"D-Major Singers Vol 3" D-Major singers 1994 "Bishop of Canterbury" .
"Ballads Thrice Twisted" Margaret MacArthur 1999 "King John and the Bishop" .
Musical variants
In 1891 Charles Josph Frost wrote a cantata "King John and the Abbot of Canterbury" based on the ballad.
Other songs with the same tune
Thomas Baker's play "Tunbridge-Walks; or, The Yeoman of Kent" (1703) contains the ballad, but only the opening verses. This appearance may have been the inspiration for the tune being used on stage several times over the next 50 years, with different words.
In 1728 the ballad opera "Penelope" by Thomas Cooke and John Mottley used the tune. The same is true for Charles Johnson with his ballad opera "The Village Opera". In Charles Coffey's ballad opera "The Beggar's Wedding" (1729) there is a song ("When beggars do marry for better for worse"), set to the air "Abbot of Canterbury". He used the tune again in "The Devil To Pay" (1731), and yet again in "The Boarding School" (1733).
Thomas Cooke's ballad opera "Love and Revenge" (1729) uses the tune. In 1731 the ballad opera "The Jovial Crew" (by Matthew Concanen and others) was published with one song, entitled "The Snipe". It carried the direction that it was to be sung to the tune "The Abbot of Canterbury". Henry Fielding's play "Tumble-Down Dick" (1736) contains a song, "You Wonder Perhaps at the Tricks of the Stage", sung to the air "Abbot of Canterbury".
Abraham Langford's play "The Lover His Own Rival" (1736) uses the tune. In 1737 Dr Johnson published a collection of opinions on poems and songs. It includes this entry:
'The Gossipping: a ballad. To the tune of King John and the Abbot of Canterbury.' A mythological ditty of fourteen verses, each ending with a derry down.
It is not known where this song comes from.
In 1750 "The Gentleman" magazine published a song called "A Ballad of New Scotland", to be sung to the tune "King John and the Abbot of Canterbury". "New Scotland" is a reference to Halifax in Canada, founded 1749. A collection of songs called "The Button Hole Gallery" (c 1720 - 1750) contains a riddling song called "The Button Hole". It was sung to the air "The Abbot of conterbury". It reappeared as part of a collection of songs called "Merry Songs" (1897), edited by John S. Farmer.
References
1.^ Asbjørnsen, Peter Christen; Jørgen Moe (1990). Norwegian Folktales 1. Norway: Dreyer. pp. 17–18. ISBN 8209105981.
[edit] Further reading"English and Scottish Popular Ballads" (1904) by Helen Child Sargent and George Lyman Kittredge
"A Garland of Green Mountain Song" (1934) by Helen Hartness Flanders
"The Ballad Book of John John Jacob Niles" (1961) by John Jacob Niles
[edit] External links Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Child's Ballads/45
The ballad is discussed here:
Columbia State University OK
brief discussion
brief discussion
The Gower issue is discussed here:
Gower and Child
W. F. H. Nicolaisen's theory
New York Folklore Quarterly
Jan Mark's book:
Jan Mark
The lyrics are given here:
Sacred Texts
Peter Robbins
Quiller-Couch
Poetry month
The lyrics to "Shaking of the Sheets" are given here:
[1]
Prose version by Joseph Jacobs:
Joseph Jacobs
Aarne-Thompson Type 922:
Kaiser und Abt
Various Ballad operas mention the tune:
Ballad Operas
The text of Coffey's "The Beggars' Wedding" is given here:
Beggar's Wedding
The text of Fielding's "Tumble-Down Dick" is given here:
Tumble-down Dick
The songs from "The Jovial Crew" are listed here:
Ballad Operas
Quotations from Dr Johnson's "Poems on various occasions" are given here:
Dr Johnson
The song "The Button Hole" is given here:
Merry Songs
A description of the dance "The Night Peece" is given here, together with printed music
Night Peece
Night Piece
______________
King John and the Abbot of Canterbury (Fairy tale: Collected and edited by Joseph Jacobs)
IN the reign of King John there lived an Abbot of Canterbury who kept up grand state in his Abbey. A hundred of the Abbot's men dined each day with him in his refectory, and fifty knights in velvet coats and gold chains waited upon him daily. Well, King John, as you know, was a very bad king, and he couldn't brook the idea of anyone in his kingdom, however holy he might be, being honoured more than he. So he summoned the Abbot of Canterbury to his presence.
The Abbot came with a goodly retinue, with his fifty knights-at-arms in velvet cloaks and gold chains. The King went to meet him, and said to him, 'How now, father Abbot? I hear it of thee, thou keepest far greater state than I. This becomes not our royal dignity, and savours of treason in thee.'
'My liege,' quoth the Abbot, bending low, 'I beg to say that all I spend has been freely given to the Abbey out of the piety of the folk. I trust your Grace will not take it ill that I spend for the Abbey's sake what is the Abbey's.'
'Nay, proud prelate,' answered the King, 'all that is in this fair realm of England is our own, and thou has no right to put me to shame by holding such state. However, of my clemency I will spare thy life and thy property if you can answer me but three questions.'
'I will do so, my liege,' said the Abbot, 'so far as my poor wit can extend.'
'Well, then,' said the King, 'tell me where is the centre of all the world round; then let me know how soon can I ride the whole world about; and, lastly, tell me what I think.'
'Your Majesty jesteth,' stammered the Abbot.
'Thou wilt find it no jest,' said the King. 'Unless thou canst answer me these questions three before a week is out, thy head will leave thy body'; and he turned away.
Well, the Abbot rode off in fear and trembling, and first he went to Oxford to see if any learned doctor could tell him the answer to those questions three; but none could help him, and he took his way to Canterbury, sad and sorrowful, to take leave of his monks. But on his way he met his shepherd as he was going to the fold.
'Welcome home, Lord Abbot,' quoth the shepherd; 'what news from good King John?'
'Sad news, sad news, my shepherd,' said the Abbot, and told him all that had happened.
'Now, cheer up, Sir Abbot,' said the shepherd. 'A fool may perhaps answer what a wise man knows not. I will go to London in your stead; grant me only your apparel and your retinue of knights. At the least I can die in your place.'
'Nay, shepherd, not so,' said the Abbot; 'I must meet the danger in my own person. And to that, thou canst not pass for me.'
'But I can and I will, Sir Abbot. In a cowl, who will know me for what I am?'
So, at last the Abbot consented, and sent him to London in his most splendid array, and he approached King John with all his retinue as before, but dressed in his simple monk's dress and his cowl over his face.
'Now welcome, Sir Abbot,' said King John; 'thou art prepared for thy doom, I see.'
'I am ready to answer your Majesty,' said he.
'Well, then, question first -- where is the centre of the round earth?' said the King.
'Here,' said the shepherd Abbot, planting his crozier in the ground; 'an' your Majesty believe me not, go measure it and see.'
'By St Botolph,' said the King, 'a merry answer and a shrewd; so to question the second. How soon may I ride this round world about?'
'If your Majesty will graciously rise with the sun, and ride along with him until the next morning he rise, your Grace will surely have ridden it round.'
'By St John,' laughed King John, 'I did not think it could be done so soon. But let that pass, and tell me question third and last, and that is -- What do I think?'
'That is easy, your Grace,' said he. 'Your Majesty thinks I am my lord the Abbot of Canterbury; but as you may see,' and here he raised his cowl, 'I am but his poor shepherd, that am come to ask your pardon for him and for me.'
Loud laughed the King. 'Well caught. Thou hast more wit than thy lord, and thou shalt be Abbot in his place.'
'Nay, that cannot be,' quoth the shepherd; 'I know not to write nor to read.'
'Well, then, four nobles a week thou shalt have for the ready wit. And tell the Abbot from me that he has my pardon.' And with that King John sent away the shepherd with a right royal present, besides his pension.
Bio from Wiki: Joseph Jacobs (29 August 1854 – 30 January 1916) was a folklorist, literary critic and historian. His works included contributions to the Jewish Encyclopedia, translations of European works, and critical editions of early English literature. Jacobs wrote for journals and books on the subject of folklore and produced a popular series of fairy tales.
From 1899-1900 he edited the journal Folklore, and from 1890 to 1916 he edited multiple collections of fairy tales - English Fairy Tales (1890), Celtic Fairy Tales (1892 anthology), More Celtic Fairy Tales (1894), More English Fairy Tales (1894), Indian Fairy Tales (1912), European Folk and Fairy Tales (also known as Europa's Fairy Book)[3] (1916) - which were published with distinguished illustrations by John Dickson Batten. He was inspired in this by the Brothers Grimm and the romantic nationalism common in folklorists of his age; he wished English children to have access to English fairy tales, whereas they were chiefly reading French and German tales;[4] in his own words, "What Perrault began, the Grimms completed."
Although he collected many tales under the name of fairy tales, many of them are unusual sorts of tales. Binnorie (in English Fairy Tales)[5] and Tamlane (in More English Fairy Tales[6]) are prose versions of ballads, The Old Woman and Her Pig (in English Fairy Tales) is a nursery rhyme, Henny-Penny (in English Fairy Tales)is a fable, and The Buried Moon (in More English Fairy Tales) has mythic overtones to an extent unusual in fairy tales. According to his own analysis of English Fairy Tales, "Of the eighty-seven tales contained in my two volumes, thirty-eight are Märchen proper, ten sagas or legends, nineteen drolls, four cumulative stories, six beast tales, and ten nonsense stories."7
_______________
King John[1] and the Abbot[2] of Canterbury [from: http://www.is.wayne.edu/mnissani/esl/kING%20JOHN.htm]
Anonymous (England, before 1695) [see footnotes below]
An ancient story I'll tell you anon,
Of a notable prince, that was called King John;
He ruled over England with main and might,
But he did great wrong, and maintained little right.
And I'll tell you a story, a story so merry,
Concerning the Abbot of Canterbury;
How for his housekeeping and high renown,
They rode[3] post to bring him to London town.
A hundred men, as the King heard say,
The Abbot kept in his house every day;
And fifty gold chains, without any doubt,
In velvet coats waited the Abbot about.
"How now, Father Abbot? I hear it of thee,
Thou keepest a far better house than me;
And for thy housekeeping and high renown,
I fear thou work'st treason against my crown."
"My liege,[4]" quoth the Abbot, "I would it were known,
I am spending nothing but what is my own;
And I trust your grace will not put me in fear,
For spending my own true‑gotten gear."
"Yes, yes, Father Abbot, thy fault is high,
And now for the same thou needest must die;
And except thou canst answer me questions three,
Thy head struck off from thy body shall be."
"Now first," quo' the King, "as I sit here,
With my crown of gold on my head so fair,
Among all my liegemen of noble birth,
Thou must tell to one penny what I am worth."
"Secondly, tell me, beyond all doubt,
How quickly I may ride the whole world about;
And at the third question thou must not shrink,
But tell me here truly, what do I think?"
"O, these are deep questions for my shallow wit,
And I cannot answer your Grace as yet;
But if you will give me a fortnight's space,
I'll do my endeavor to answer your Grace."
"Now a fortnight's space to thee will I give,
And that is the longest thou hast to live;
For unless thou answer my questions three,
Thy life and thy lands are forfeit to me."
Away rode the Abbot all sad at this word;
He rode to Cambridge and Oxenford;
But never a doctor there was so wise,
That could by his learning an answer devise.
Then home rode the Abbot, with comfort so cold,
And he met his shepherd, a‑going to fold:
"Now, good Lord Abbot, you are welcome home;
What news do you bring us from great King John?"
"Sad news, sad news, Shepherd, I must give;
That I have but three days more to live.
I must answer the King his questions three,
Or my head struck off from my body shall be."
"The first is to tell him, as he sits there,
With his crown of gold on his head so fair
Among all his liegemen of noble birth,
To within one penny, what he is worth."
"The second, to tell him, beyond all doubt,
How quickly he may ride this whole world about;
And at question the third, I must not shrink,
But tell him there truly, what does he think?"
"O, cheer up, my lord; did you never hear yet
That a fool may teach a wise man wit?
Lend me your serving‑men, horse, and apparel,
And I'll ride to London to answer your quarrel."
"With your pardon, it oft has been told to me
That I'm like[5] your lordship as ever can be:
And if you will but lend me your gown,
There is none shall know us at London town."
"Now horses and serving‑men thou shalt have,
With sumptuous raiment gallant and brave;
With crosier[6], and mitre,[7] and rochet,[8] and cope,[9]
Fit to draw near to our father, the pope."[10]
"Now welcome, Sir Abbot," the King he did say,
"Tis well thou'rt come back to keep thy day;
For if thou canst answer my questions three,
Thy life and thy living both saved shall be."
"And first, as thou seest me sitting here,
With my crown of gold on my head so fair,
Among my liegemen of noble birth,
Tell to one penny what I am worth."
"For thirty pence our Saviour was sold[11]
Among the false Jews as I have been told;
And twenty‑nine is the worth of thee;
For I think thou are one penny worse than he."
The King, he laughed, and swore by St. Bittle,
"I did not think I was worth so little!
Now secondly tell me, beyond all doubt,
How quickly I may ride this world about."
"You must rise with the sun, and ride with the same,
Until the next morning he riseth again;
And then your Grace need never doubt
But in twenty‑four hours you'll ride it about."
The King he laughed, and swore by St. Jone,
"I did not think I could do it so soon!
Now from question the third thou must not shrink,
But tell me truly, what do I think?"
"Yea, that I shall do, and make your Grace merry:
You think I'm the Abbot of Canterbury.
But I'm his poor shepherd, as plain you may see,
That am come to beg pardon for him and for me."
The King he laughed, and swore by the mass,
"I'll make thee Lord Abbot this day in his place!"
"Now nay, my Liege, be not in such speed;
For alas! I can neither write nor read."
"Four nobles[12] a week, then I'll give to thee,
For this merry jest thou has shown to me;
And tell the old Abbot, when thou gettest home,
Thou has brought a free pardon from good King John."
Footnotes: [1] King John (1166-1216) reigned in England in the years 1199-1216. He is the evil monarch portrayed in The Legend of Robin Hood and he plays an even more central role in Sir Walter Scott’s novel, Ivanhoe. He was involved in a long dispute with the Pope, a dispute that foreshadows Henry VIII’s more successful revolt against papal authority over England (that is why most English people today are Anglican, not Catholic). However, lovers of freedom remember King John with mixed feelings, for his unscrupulousness, unpopularity, sexual transgressions, and defeats in war led, in 1215, to the Great Charter (Magna Carta), an important milestone on the Western road to a system of checks and balances. Winston Churchill wisely said: "When the long tally is added, it will be seen that the British nation and the English-speaking world owe far more to the vices of John than to the labours of virtuous sovereigns."
[2] Abbot: Head of monastery. Nowadays, the archbishop of Canterbury is the head of the Anglican church.
[3] Ride post: Carry messages on horseback. Since such riders were fast, “to ride post” meant to do something quickly and expeditiously.
[4] Liege: high-ranking individual in feudal England.
[5] Like: The shepherd and the abbot look alike
[6] Crozier: A staff (walking stick) carried by bishops and abbots as a symbol of office.
[7] Mitre: A headdress worn by bishops and abbots
[8] Rochet: A white linen ceremonial robe with close-fitting sleeves worn especially by bishops
[9] Cope: Robe worn by church officials
[10] Pope: In the 13th Century, England was still subservient to Rome
[11] Sold: Jesus Christ and his twelve apostles were Jews, living in what is now the states of Israel and Palestine. Jesus was betrayed, for thirty shekels, by one of his apostles, Judas Iscariot.
[12] Noble: an old English gold coin.
________________
King John and the Abbot of Canterbury (Percy's text from: http://www.exclassics.com/percy/perc105.htm)
The common popular ballad of King John and the Abbot seems to have been abridged and modernized about the time of James I. from one much older, intitled, King John and the Bishop of Canterbury. The Editor's folio manuscript contains a copy of this last, but in too corrupt a state to be reprinted: it however afforded many lines worth reviving, which will be found inserted in the ensuing stanzas.
The archness of the following questions and answers hath been much admired by our old ballad-makers; for besides the two copies above-mentioned, there is extant another ballad on the same subject, but of no great antiquity or merit, intitled, King Olfrey and the Abbot.[1] Lastly, about the time of the Civil Wars, when the cry ran against the Bishops, some Puritan worked up the same story into a very doleful ditty, to a solemn tune concerning "King Henry and a Bishop;" with this stinging moral:
"Unlearned men hard matters out can find,
When learned bishops princes eyes do blind."
The following is chiefly printed from an ancient black-letter copy to the tune of "Derry down."
AN ancient story Ile tell you anon
Of a notable prince, that was called King John;
And he ruled England with maine and with might,
For he did great wrong, and maintein'd little right.
And Ile tell you a story, a story so merrye,
Concerning the Abbot of Canterbùrye;
How for his house-keeping, and high renowne,
They rode poste for him to fair London towne.
An hundred men, the king did heare say,
The abbot kept in his house every day;
And fifty golde chaynes, without any doubt,
In velvet coates waited the abbot about
"How now, father abbot, I heare it of thee,
Thou keepest a farre better house than mee,
And for thy house-keeping and high renowne,
I feare thou work'st treason against my crown."
"My liege," quo' the abbot, "would it were knowne,
I never spend nothing, but what is my owne;
And I trust, your grace will doe me no deere,
For spending of my owne true-gotten geere."
"Yes, yes, father abbot, thy fault it is highe,
And now for the same thou needest must dye;
For except thou canst answer me questions three,
Thy head shall be smitten from thy bodìe.
"And first," quo' the king, "when I'm in this stead,
With my crowne of golde so faire on my head,
Among all my liege-men so noble of birthe,
Thou must tell me to one penny what I am worthe.
"Secondlye, tell me, without any doubt,
How soone I may ride the whole world about.
And at the third question thou must not shrink,
But tell me here truly what I do think."
"O, these are hard questions for my shallow witt,
Nor I cannot answer your grace as yet:
But if you will give me but three weekes space,
Ile do my endeavour to answer your grace."
"Now three weeks space to thee will I give,
And that is the longest time thou hast to live;
For if thou dost not answer my questions three,
Thy lands and thy livings are forfeit to mee."
Away rode the abbot all sad at that word,
And he rode to Cambridge, and Oxenford;
But never a doctor there was so wise,
That could with his learning an answer devise.
Then home rode the abbot of comfort so cold,
And he mett his shepheard a going to fold:
"How now, my lord abbot, you are welcome home;
What newes do you bring us from good King John?"
"Sad newes, sad newes, shepheard, I must give;
That I have but three days more to live:
For if I do not answer him questions three,
My head will be smitten from my bodìe.
"The first is to tell him there in that stead,
With his crowne of golde so fair on his head,
Among all his liege men so noble of birth,
To within one penny of all what he is worth.
"The seconde, to tell him, without any doubt,
How soon he may ride this whole world about
And at the third question I must not shrinke,
But tell him there truly what he does thinke."
"Now cheare up, sire abbot, did you never hear yet,
That a fool he may learn a wise man witt?
Lend me horse, and serving men, and your apparel,
And I'll ride to London to answere your quarrel."
"Nay frowne not, if it hath bin told unto mee,
I am like your lordship, as ever may bee:
And if you will but lend me your gowne,
There is none shall knowe us at fair London towne."
"Now horses, and serving-men thou shalt have,
With sumptuous array most gallant and brave;
With crozier, and miter, and rochet, and cope,
Fit to appeare 'fore our fader the pope."
"Now welcome, sire abbott," the king he did say,
"'Tis well thou'rt come back to keep thy day;
For and if thou canst answer my questions three,
Thy life and thy living both saved shall bee.
"And first, when thou seest me here in this stead,
With my crowne of gold so fair on my head,
Among all my liege-men so noble of birthe,
Tell me to one penny what I am worth."
"For thirty pence our Saviour was sold
Amonge the false Jewes, as I have bin told;
And twenty nine is the worth of thee,
For I thinke, thou art one penny worser than hee."
The king he laughed, and swore by St. Bittel,[ 2]
"I did not thinke I had been worth so littel --
Now secondly tell me, without any doubt,
How soon I may ride this whole world about.
"You must rise with the sun, and ride with the same,
Until the next morning he riseth againe;
And then your grace need not make any doubt,
But in twenty-four hours you'll ride it about."
The king he laughed, and swore by St. Jone,
"I did not think, it could be gone so soone!--
Now from the third question thou must not shrinke,
But tell me here truly what I do thinke.
"Yea, that shall I do, and make your grace merry:
You thinke I'm the Abbot of Canterbury;
But I'm his poor shepheard, as plain you may see,
That am come to beg pardon for him and for mee."
The king he laughed, and swore by the masse,
"Ile make thee lord abbot this day in his place!"
"Now naye, my liege, be not in such speede,
For alacke I can neither write ne reade."
"Four nobles a weeke, then I will give thee,
For this merry jest thou hast showne unto mee;
And tell the old abbot, when thou comest home,
Thou hast brought him a pardon from good King John."
***
NOTES:
1. See the Collection of Historical Ballads, 3 vols. 1727. Mr. Wise supposes Olfrey to be a corruption of Alfred, in his pamphlet concerning the WHITE HORSE in Berkshire, p. 15.
2. Meaning probably St. Botolph.
________________
Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. (1863–1944). The Oxford Book of Ballads. 1910.
173. King John and the Abbot of Canterbury
I. AN ancient story I’ll tell you anon
Of a notable prince, that was callèd King John;
And he rulèd England with maine and with might,
For he did great wrong, and maintein’d little right.
II. And I’ll tell you a story, a story so merrye, 5
Concerning the Abbot of Canterbùrye;
How, for his house-keeping and high renowne,
They rode poste for him to fair London towne.
III. An hundred men, the King did heare say,
The Abbot kept in his house every day; 10
And fifty golde chaynes, without any doubt,
In velvet coates waited the Abbot about.
IV
‘How now, Father Abbot, I heare it of thee
Thou keepest a farre better house than mee,
And for thy house-keeping and high renowne, 15
I feare thou work’st treason against my crown.’—
V
‘My liege,’ quo’ the Abbot, ‘I would it were knowne,
I never spend nothing, but what is my owne;
And I trust your Grace will doe me no deere
For spending of my owne true-gotten geere.’ 20
VI
‘Yes, yes, Father Abbot, thy fault it is highe,
And now for the same thou needest must dye;
For except thou canst answer me questions three,
Thy head shall be smitten from thy bodìe.
VII
‘And first,’ quo’ the King, ‘when I’m in this stead, 25
With my crowne of golde so faire on my head,
Among all my liege-men so noble of birthe,
Thou must tell me to one penny what I am worthe.
VIII
‘Secondlye, tell me, without any doubt,
How soone I may ride the whole worlde about. 30
And at the third question thou must not shrinke,
But tell me here truly what I do thinke.’—
IX
‘O, these are hard questions for my shallow witt,
Nor I cannot answer your Grace as yet:
But if you will give me but three weekes space, 35
I’ll do my endeavour to answer your Grace.
X
‘Now three weekes space to thee will I give,
And that is the longest time thou hast to live;
For if thou dost not answer my questions three,
Thy lands and thy livings are forfeit to mee.’ 40
XI
Away rode the Abbot all sad at that word,
And he rode to Cambridge, and Oxenford;
But never a doctor there was so wise,
That could with his learning an answer devise.
XII
Then home rode the Abbot of comfort so cold, 45
And he mett with his shepheard a-going to fold:
‘How now, my lord Abbot, you are welcome home;
What newes do you bring us from good King John?’—
XIII
‘Sad newes, sad newes, shepheard, I must give;
That I have but three days more to live: 50
For if I do not answer him questions three,
My head will be smitten from my bodìe.
XIV
‘The first is to tell him there in that stead,
With his crowne of golde so fair on his head,
Among all his liege-men so noble of birthe, 55
To within one penny of what he is worthe.
XV
‘The seconde, to tell him, without any doubt,
How soone he may ride this whole worlde about:
And at the third question I must not shrinke,
But tell him there truly what he does thinke.’— 60
XVI
‘Now cheare up, sire Abbot, did you never hear yet,
That a fool he may learn a wise man witt?
Lend me horse, and serving-men, and your apparel,
And I’ll ride to London to answere your quarrel.
XVII
‘Nay frowne not, if it hath bin told unto mee, 65
I am like your lordship, as ever may bee:
And if you will but lend me your gowne,
There is none shall knowe us at fair London towne.’—
XVIII
‘Now horses and serving-men thou shalt have,
With sumptuous array most gallant and brave, 70
With crozier, and miter, and rochet, and cope,
Fit to appeare ’fore our Father the Pope.’—
XIX
‘Now welcome, sire Abbot,’ the King he did say,
‘’Tis well thou’rt come back to keepe thy day;
For and if thou canst answer my questions three, 75
Thy life and thy living both savèd shall bee.
XX
‘And first, when thou seest me here in this stead,
With my crown of golde so fair on my head,
Among all my liege-men so noble of birthe,
Tell me to one penny what I am worthe.’— 80
XXI
‘For thirty pence our Saviour was sold
Amonge the false Jewes, as I have bin told;
And twenty-nine is the worthe of thee,
For I thinke thou art one penny worser than hee.’
XXII
The King he laughed, and swore by St. Bittel, 85
‘I did not thinke I had been worthe so littel!
—Now secondly tell me, without any doubt,
How soone I may ride this whole world about.’—
XXIII. ‘You must rise with the sun, and ride with the same,
Until the next morning he riseth againe; 90
And then your Grace need not make any doubt,
But in twenty-four hours you’ll ride it about.’
XXIV. The King he laughed, and swore by St. Jone,
‘I did not think it could be gone so soone!
—Now from the third question thou must not shrinke, 95
But tell me here truly what I do thinke.’—
XXV. ‘Yea, that shall I do, and make your Grace merry:
You thinke I’m the Abbot of Canterbùrye;
But I’m his poor shepheard, as plain you may see,
That am come to beg pardon for him and for mee.’ 100
XXVI. The King he laughed, and swore by the Masse,
‘I’ll make thee Lord Abbot this day in his place!’—
‘Now naye, my liege, be not in such speede,
For alacke I can neither write, ne reade.’—
XXVII. ‘Four nobles a weeke, then, I will give thee 105
For this merry jest thou hast showne unto mee;
And tell the old Abbot when thou comest home,
Thou hast brought him a pardon from good King John.