The Truro cordwainers' play: a "new" eighteenth-century Christmas play - Research article: focus on traditional drama

   Scarcely any two sets of actors perform them alike, though the
   characters and plot, if it may be called one, are similar.

   So little do the actors know the history of their own drama, that
   sometimes General Wolfe is introduced, who first fights St George,
   and then sings a song about his own death. I have also seen the
   Duke of Wellington represented ... (Sandys 1833, cx).

This, together with Fees' sources, therefore indicates that the Truro play very much conformed to the local pattern of its day.

Setting the literary sources aside, the Truro play has textual similarities with at least three sub-types of the traditional hero-combat play:

* The Irish plays, typified by the Christmas Rhyme chapbooks, of which the earliest example is dated 1803-18 (Smyth and Lyons 1803-18; Boyes et al. 1999).

* A group of plays typified by the presence of the characters Father Christmas and the Turkish Knight, which occurs in the southern half of England. There is no known published archetypal source for this group of plays, therefore the ensuing discussion draws mainly on other plays of this type from Cornwall.

* Alexander and the King of Egypt, typified by the Newcastle and Whitehaven chapbooks of that title, of which the oldest edition is dated 1746-69 (Preston et al. 1977).

Irish Parallels and their Implications

The main similarities between Truro and the Irish plays are Saint George's introductory speech and Beelzebub's part, although there are a few other matching lines. I will compare the Saint George speech first:

Truro Play

   Hear comes I son George
   from England have I sprung
   sum of my worndras works now for to begin
   first into a Closat I was put
   then into a Cave was lock

   5 I sot my foot upon a Rockke Stone
   where there I made my sad & grievous moan
   how many men have I slew
   and rund the firehe dragon thrue

   10

   I fought them all Courragesly
   and stil got of thire victory
   England's right England admorration
   now ear I drow my bloody meepon

15 ho is the man that doth be fore me Stand
   I will cut him down with my Courrageus hand

Smyth and Lyons (1803-18)

   Here come I knight George
   from England have I sprung
   one of those noble deeds of valour to begin
   seven long Years in a close Cave have I been kept
   and out of that unto a prison leapt
   and out of that unto a rock of Stone
   where there I made my sad & grievous moan
   Many a Giant I did subdue
   I run the fiery Dragon thro' & thro'
   I freed fair Sabra from the stake
   what more could mortal man then undertake
   I fought them all courageously
   and still have gained the victory
   and will always fight for LIBERTY
   here I draw my bloody weapon
   shew me the man that dare me stand
   I'll cut him down with my courageous hand

Setting orthographical differences aside, the variation between equivalent lines in the two speeches generally consists of unremarkable paraphrasing. Lines seven have radically different wording, but essentially convey the same type of boast--that is success in battle. I am not aware of Truro's "how many men have I slew" occurring in any other text.