The Origins and Development of English Folk Plays
Peter Thomas Millington
Ph.D. Thesis, University of Sheffield, May 2002
Reconstructed Proto-text
To facilitate computerised analysis, each dialogue line type was given a numeric Standard Identifier (Std.ID) - numbered in tens. Some line types have distinct variants, and for these the final digit of the Std.ID was varied to reflect this, e.g.:
3280 And if the Devil's in I'll drive him out
and
3285 If there are nineteen devils in a man I cast twenty of them out
Where appropriate, only one of the variants is given in the reconstruction, selected at random. In such cases the final digit of the Std.ID has been replaced by an asterisk.
| Std.ID | Example Line | Line No. | |
| 1380 | Open the door and let us come in | ||
| 1390 | I hope your favour we shall win | ||
| 1400 | Whether we stand or whether we fall | ||
| 1410 | We'll do our endeavour to please you all | ||
| 13* | Room, room brave gallants give us room to sport | 5 | |
| 16* | For remember good sirs this is Christmas time | ||
| 1950 | Activity of youth activity of age | ||
| 1960 | The like was never acted on a stage | ||
| 145* | If you don't believe the words I say | ||
| 240 | Step in Saint George and clear the way | 10 | |
| 1460 | I am King George that valiant knight | ||
| 1470 | Who lost his blood for England's right | ||
| 1480 | England's right and England's reason | ||
| 1490 | Makes me carry this bloody weapon | ||
| 29* | I am Prince George a champion brave and bold | 15 | |
| 30* | With my sword and spear I won ten thousand crowns in gold | ||
| 310 | I fought the fiery dragon and brought him to the slaughter | ||
| 320 | And by that means I gained the King of Egypt's daughter | ||
| 2100 | where is the man that dares bid me stand | ||
| 211* | I'll cut him down with my courageous hand | 20 | |
| 1500 | I am a valiant soldier Slasher is my name | ||
| 1510 | Sword and buckler by my side I hope to win the game | ||
| 410 | I will hash thee and smash thee as small as flies | ||
| 42* | And send him to the cook shop to make mince pies | ||
| 3860 | Stand off Slasher let no more be said | 25 | |
| 1860 | My head is made of iron, my body's made of steel | ||
| 187* | My hands and feet of best knuckle bone I challenge thee to field | ||
| 490 | O cruel Christian what hast thou done? | ||
| 500 | Thou hast ruined me by killing my best son | ||
| 53830 | To cure the man that here lies slain | 30 | |
| 157* | What is your fee? | ||
| 158* | Ten pounds is my fee but five I'll take of thee | ||
| 12540 | How camest thou to be a doctor? | ||
| 12550 | I have travelled for it | ||
| 12560 | where have you travelled? | 35 | |
| 160* | I've travelled through Italy High Germany and Spain | ||
| 1610 | And am now returned to old England again | ||
| 13250 | Three times round the world and back again | ||
| 680 | What diseases can you cure? | ||
| 1620 | All diseases whatever you pleases | 40 | |
| 700 | The itch pox palsy and the gout | ||
| 690 | All diseases both within and without | ||
| 328* | If the Devil's in I can fetch him out | ||
| 323* | I've got a little bottle by my side called elecampane | ||
| 1650 | Here Jack take a little of my nip nap | 45 | |
| 3590 | Pour it down thy tip top | ||
| 1660 | Rise up Slasher and fight again | ||
| 2460 | Here comes I old Beelzebub | ||
| 2470 | Upon my shoulder I carry my club | ||
| 2480 | And in my hand a dripping pan | 50 | |
| 2490 | Don't you think I'm a jolly old man? | ||
| 17620 | Here comes I that never came yet | ||
| 3350 | With my great head and little wit | ||
| 17630 | Though my head is great and my wits be small |
The lines given in Italics indicate what might be alternative speeches for the preceding line(s). The most significant of these are the two introductory speeches for King George. There is evidence to show that the speech in lines 11 to 14 is older than the speech in lines 15 to 19.