The Morris Book, Part 1: A History of Morris Dancing, With a Description of Eleven Dances as Performed by the Morris-Men of EnglandSharp, Cecil J. (Cecil James)
History
The Morris Book, Part 1: A History of Morris Dancing, With a Description of Eleven Dances as Performed by the Morris-Men of England
Sharp, Cecil J. (Cecil James)
Morris dance
Some dancers carry a white handkerchief--the middle finger thrust through
a hole in one corner--in all their dances; we have, elsewhere, described
the dances as we have seen them performed, with and without the
handkerchief.
[Illustration: MR. KIMBER, LEADER OF THE HEADINGTON MORRIS-MEN (1906)]
STICKS.
The stick, or staff, used in some dances, and the manner of using it, are
described elsewhere. Sometimes a bunch of ribbons is tied to the butt;
sometimes it is left unadorned.
OTHER PARAPHERNALIA.
As to the fool's properties, he always carries, after the time-honoured
fashion of the clown, a bladder swinging on the end of a stick, or ladle;
in some parts, even to-day, he is observing custom if he has a cow's tail
on the other end: this to be used also to whack the unsuspecting
looker-on.
The hobby-horse is, fundamentally, of wicker or some stout fabric stayed
with wood, having a hole from which its rider, or footman, emerges to the
waist, and is slung upon his shoulders in the familiar manner. The
horse's head and tail, a pair of stockings stuffed and shod--and
ludicrously disproportionate to the bulk of the horseman; the bit and
bridle and caparison, may all be fashioned according to the horseman's
humour.
* * * * *
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Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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