From flours to flowers; tulipmania

On a warm summer's evening in 1634 the deal has been concluded and title deeds have been exchanged. In a deal that took me by surprise, a rustic miller sold the mill that he can no longer run for five rare tulip bulbs! (Unfortunately, by my time the famous Semper Augustus is extinct, and these are actually Adonis, a flower with a similar pattern to S.Augustus and to an untrained eye, indistinguishable).

The disabled miller proposes that we should celebrate by visiting the tavern and getting Fleemered (his word, not mine!). Far be it from me to object: while the rare bulbs with which the mill was bought were expensive in my own time, they were not worth nearly as much as they are in seventeenth century Holland.

The Dolfijn tavern offers tobacco as well as drinks, and as soon as Sebastiaan has made himself comfortable, both he and Susanna order tobacco as well as a round of drinks.

I can't help being a little concerned about Sebastiaan's long-term welfare: while the local community operates a primitive form of welfare, it is barely adequate to maintain the one or two derelicts that have no home beyond the village, and although the miller insists that he will learn to cope with his disability, I doubt that he will achieve a meaningful independence within the next couple of years, by which time the proceeds from the sale of his mill will certainly have been spent, not even allowing for the inevitable services of doctor and apothecary.

As the alcohol begins to weave its spell among us Sebastiaan confides in me that he has heard very promising reports concerning the tulip markets, and it seems to him that it would not be inconceivable that he could make a respectable living as a florist, using the proceeds of the days sale as his first stock-in-trade.

Perhaps it is just as well that Susanna is with us; as the evening wears on, I see a couple of young ladies with a very breezy manner making the rounds of the tables and even though there are only a handful of patrons, they seem intent on spreading mirth and flirting regardless of age, although perhaps they are paying a little more attention to those who are more finely arrayed?

My suspicions aren't entirely without justification, and while Susanna is absorbed in watching Sebastiaan try to blow smoke rings, I catch the sound of giggles and the occasional squeal from another room.

When I mention to Sebastiaan that I think somebody is playing "Klop de bever" in the back room, he guffaws, and bursts into song with Susanna joining in raucously. The irony strikes me that, at least for now, the purse isn't empty! The transcription of their song, presented below, is taken from Tylman Susato's Musyck Boexken of 1551, a rich collection of songs in the Dutch language.

Dutch	English
Och hoort toch ons bediet, Dit laetste liet Singt al verdriet, Omdat wy moeten scheyden. Ons mach gheen wyn verleiden, Maer tgelt en isser niet. Wy moeten trueren wat: Die buers is plat, Sy heeft een gat. Syn dat niet grote rampen? Wy souden meer slampampen Hadden wyt in de clampen.	Oh hear our story well, This last song Sounds quite sad, Because we must depart. Yonder wine might tempt us, But there is no money. We must suffer a bit: The purse is flat, It has a hole. Is that not a terrible thing? We would like to "play" a while longer If it was within our grasp.

Since the song covers four pages, I'm not offering a graphic, but a PDF file (as well as the abc notation, of course).
X:24
T:Och hoort toch ons bediet % title
C:A.Barbe % composer
O:Musyck Boexken 1, pub. Tylman Susato % origin.
M:2/2 % meter
L:1/4 % length of shortest note
Q: % tempo
V:1 name="Superius" sname="S." clef=treble
V:2 name="Contratenor" sname="Ct." clef=treble
V:3 name="Tenor" sname="T." clef=treble
V:4 name="Bassus" sname="B." clef=bass
K:F % key
%==2====3=======4=========
V:1 % voice 1 z4 | c4 | c4 | z2 c2 | w:Och hoort, och
V:2 f4 | f4 | z2 f2-| f2 e e | w:Och hoort, och hoort, och
V:3 z4 | c4 | c4 | z2 c2 | w:Och hoort, och
V:4 f4 | f4 | z2 f2-| f2 c c | w:Och hoort, och hoort, och
%
%5======6=========7=========8========9
V:1 c A B c | A c B G | A c B B | A4 |
w:hoort toch ons be-diet, Dit laet-ste liet Singt al ver-driet,
V:2 f f d e | c f d e | c f f e | f2 z c |
w:hoort, toch ons be-diet, Dit laet-ste liet Singt al ver-driet, Om-
V:3 c c B G | A A B c | c A B B | c4 |
w:hoort, toch ons be-diet, Dit laet-ste liet Singt al ver-driet,
V:4 f f g c | f f g c | f f g g | f4 |
w:hoort, toch ons be-diet, Dit laet-ste liet Singt al ver-driet,
%
%9=====10=======11========12========13
V:1 z A c c | c B A2 | G2 z A | c c c B |
w:Om dat wy moe-ten schey-den, Om dat wy moe-ten
V:2 f f f e | d2 c2 | z4 | z c f f |
w:dat wy moe-ten schey-den, Om-dat wy
V:3 z4 | z2 z A | c c c>B | A G z F |
w:Om-dat wy moe-ten schey-den, Om
V:4 z4 | z4 | z c f f | f e d2 |
w:Om-dat wy moe-ten schey-
%
%13=======14===========15==========16===========17
V:1 A G>A B/G/ | A>B c d- | d/c/ c2 B | c G A B-|
w:schey-------------den, wy moe-ten_
V:2 f e d2 | c e>d g- | g f g G | c>d e f |
w:moe-ten schey-------den, Om-dat wy moe-ten
V:3 c c c B | A2 G2 | z c d d | e>d c B/A/ |
w:dat wy moe-ten schey-den, Om-dat wy moe-ten schey-
V:4 c2 z g | c' c' c' b | a2 g2 | z c c d |
w:den Om-dat wy moe-ten schey-den. Ons mach gheen
%
%17=======18=====================19===============20======================
V:1 B A2 G | A2 z2 | z4 | z2 z F |
w:* schey-den. Ons
V:2 g f/e/ d e |[L:1/8] f3 e/d/ c2 c2 |[L:1/4] c d e f | g2 d d |
w:schey--------den. Ons mach gheen wyn ver-lei-den, Maer
V:3 G A B2 | A F F G | A B c2 |[L:1/8]G2 G2 B3 A/G/ |
w:---den. Ons mach gheen wyn ver-lei-den, ver-lei-
V:4 e f g2 | d d f e | f d c f | e c g b |
w:wyn ver-lei-den, Maer tgelt en is-ser niet, Ons mach gheen wyn ver-
%
%21================22=======23===========24=========
V:1 F G A B | c2 G B | A G>F F-| F E F2 |
w:mach gheen wyn ver-lei-den, Maer tgelt en_ is--ser niet.
V:2 f e f d | c e2 d-| d/ c/ c2 B | c2 z c |
w:tgelt en is-ser niet, Maer tgelt_ en is-ser niet. Wy
V:3 [L:1/4] F B c B | G c2 B | c G A B | G G F2 |
w:den, Maer tgelt en is--ser niet, Maer tgelt en is-ser niet.
V:4 a g/ g/ f/ f/ g/ g/ | c2 g2 | f e f d | c2 z f |
w:lei-den, Maer tgelt en is-ser niet, Maer tgelt en is-ser niet. Wy
%
%25====26========27=======28========29=========
V:1 z4 | z c B c | A B c2 | z4 | z2 z C |
w:Wy moe-ten true-ren wat: Die
V:2 c c d c | A2 z2 | z2 z c | B c A c | B G A2 |
w:moe-ten true-ren wat: Die buers is plat, Sy heeft een gat,
V:3 z4 | z c d e | f d c2 | z4 | z2 z c |
w:Wy moe-ten true-ren wat: Die
V:4 e f d e | f2 z2 | z2 z c | d e f c | d e f2 |
w:moe-ten true-ren wat: Die buers is plat, Sy heeft een gat,
%
%30====31=======32==========33========34==========
V:1 D E F E | F G C2 | z4 | z2 z c | B e A c |
w:buers is plat, Sy heeft een gat, Die buers is plat, Sy
V:2 z4 | z2 z c | d e f e | f g c f | f c d A |
w:Die buers is plat, Sy heeft een gat, Die buers is plat, Sy
V:3 B c A c | B G A2 | z4 | z2 z c | d e f c |
w:buers is plat, Sy heeft een gat, Die buers is plat, Sy
V:4 z4 | z2 z c'| b c' a c' | b g a f | b a f a |
w:Die buers is plat, Sy heeft een gat, Die buers is plat, Sy
%
%35====36========37=======38================
V:1 B G A2-| A2 z2 | z2 z G | A/G/ A/B/ c G |
w:heeft een gat._ Syn dat_ niet_ gro-te
V:2 f c c2 | z2 c2 | f f f e |d c/B/ A/G/ c-|
w:heeft een gat. Syn dat niet gro-te ram-
V:3 d e f c | f f f e | d2 c2 | z2 c2 |
w:heeft een gat. Syn dat niet gro-te ram-pen, Syn
V:4 b c' f2-| f2 z2 | z2 c2 | f f f e |
w:heeft een gat._ Syn dat niet gro-te
%
%39==========40============41=====================42============
V:1 A F/G/ A/B/ c-| c B c2 | G2 c c | c B A2 |
w:ram--------pen, Syn dat niet gro-te ram-
V:2 c B c2 | z d e c/d/ | e/f/ g2 f | g d f f |
w:--pen, Syn dat niet gro-te ram-pan, Syn dat niet
V:3 f f f e | d2 c/d/e/f/ |[L:1/8] e2 d3 c/B/ c2 |[L:1/4] d4 |
w:dat niet gro-te ram----------pen.
V:4 d2 c2 | z g c' c' | c'b a2 | g2 z d |
w:ram-pen, Syn dat niet gro-te ram-pen, Syn
%
%43=====44======================45====================
V:1 G4- | G4 | z4 |
w:pen?_ V:2 f e d2 | [L:1/8] c2 e3 d/c/ d2 |[L:1/4] e2 c c/ d/ |
w:gro-te ram------pen? Wy sou-den
V:3 z G B B | G c2 B | c4 |
w:Syn dat niet gro-te ram-pen?
V:4 e c g g | c2 g2 | z c f/ g/ a/ b/ |
w:dat niet gro-te ram-pen? Wy sou-den meer slam-
%
%46================47======================48======================
V:1 z2 F F/ G/ | A/ B/ c G/ G/ B/ B/ | A F G2 |
w:Wy sou-den meer slam-pam-pen Had-den wyt in de clam-
V:2 e/ f/ g d/ d/ f/ d/ |[L:1/8] e c f3 e/d/ e2 |[L:1/4] f c c c |
w:meer slam-pam-pen Had-den wyt in de clam----pen, Wy sou-den
V:3 z4 | z f b>c | d/ e/ f c/ c/ e/ e/ |
w:Wy sou-den meer slam-pam-pen Had-den wyt
V:4 c' g/ g/ b b | a f g2 | f2 z c |
w:pam-pen Had-den wyt in de clam-pen, Had-
%
%49================50====================51=======================
V:1 F/ F/ B/ B/ A/ F/ G-|[L:1/8]GF F3 E/D/ E2 |[L:1/4] F2 z2 |
w:pen, Had-den wyt in de clam-------pen,
V:2 A G A G/ G/ | d/ d/ d/ B/ c c | c c/ d/ e/ f/ g |
w:meer slam-pam-pen Had-den wyt in de clam-pen, Wy sou-den meer slam-pam-
V:3 d B c B/ G/ | B/ B/ A/ F/ G2 | F2 z2 |
w:in de clam-pen, Had-den wyt in de clam-pen,
V:4 f g c e | d2 c c | f/ g/ a/ b/ c' g/ g/ |
w:den wyt in de clam-pen, Wy sou-den meer slam-pam-pen Had-
%
%52=================53================54==================
V:1 F F/ G/ A/ B/ c | G/ G/ B/ B/ A F | G2 F/ F/ B/ B/ |
w:Wy sou-den meer slam-pam-pen Had-den wyt in de clam-pen, Had-den wyt
V:2 d/ d/ f/ d/ e/ c/ f-| f/e//d// e f c | c c A G |
w:pen Had-den wyt in de clam-----pen, Wy sou-den meer slam-
V:3 z2 z F | B>c d/ e/ f | c/ c/ e/ e/ d B |
w:Wy sou-den meer slam-pam-pen Had-den wyt in de
V:4 b b a f | g2 f2 | z c f g |
w:den wyt in de clam-pen, Had-den wyt
%
%55===
V:1 A/ F/ G>F F-| F/E//D// E F2-| F4-| F4-| !fermata! F4 |]
w:in de clam-------pen.___
V:2 A G/ G/ d/ d/ d/ B/ | c c z c | d d d d | c2 c2-| !fermata! c4 |]
w:pam-pen Had-den wyt in de clam-pen, Had-den wyt in de clam-pen._
V:3 c B/ G/ B/ B/ A/ F/ | G2 F2-| F4-| F4-| !fermata! F4 |]
w:clam-pen, Had-den wyt in de clam-pen.___
V:4 c e d2 | c c f f | d d B2 | f4-| !fermata! f4 |]
w:in de clam-pen, Had-den wyt in de clam-pen._

References

• euphemisms for "drunk"
• tulip mania - what happened?

To convert the code above to sheet music, or listen to the tunes, copy the code for a single song, then paste it here and [submit].

Footprints in the flour

A few days before leaving on my latest expedition I met with my director who advised me that she was planning a longer-term investigation in the Netherlands around the Sixteenth to Seventeenth centuries.

Of course, I was immediately interested, having been there when the pilgrims were preparing to leave for America, and the director suggested that I might be a good choice for someone to look for a vacant property that could be bought to use as a base for operations.

One of the places that was recommended to me was a windmill. The miller had become disabled recently as the result of an accident and his wife, who had become his caregiver, had expressed an interest in selling the mill as a going concern.

When I got there the miller himself was sitting under an apple tree in a wheelchair; literally a chair which had been adapted by mounting it on a low cart. The extent of his injuries was quite apparent; he was missing his right leg from the knee down, and all of his right arm. He admitted that his injuries had been caused by the mill machinery, but he also admitted that he had been foolish enough to try to carry out a running repair when he was drunk, that should have been done when the mill was idle.

Although he is clearly in some pain, he insists on showing me through the mill itself, with the help of his wife. He asks me if I have considered running the mill myself, pointing out that he has added several labor-saving devices all of which are powered from the mill's main drive shaft. The devices include an ingenious harnessing of the power to operate sack hoists which can be used to lift heavy weights both inside and outside the mill, and a boulter, for sifting flour to produce a finer grade. Of course, the mill also makes use of several simple machines such as ropes and pulleys for lifting, screws to regulate the grain feed, and levers on the weighing scales.

My own thinking is that, for the rather high one thousand nine hundred and fifty guilders asking price, we could not only have a useful base of operations in this time, but a very important source of much-needed income in local coin.

Before committing to a deal it seems sensible to ask the miller about the craft of milling. If there is one thing that I have learned in my travels (and my colleagues agree) it is that there are very few occupations in this age that don't involve some knowledge of specialized skills. The miller chuckles and tells me that when he started learning, all his master would tell him was that he needed to know how to "whistle up the wind" on a calm day! However, there are some things that are worth knowing and he doesn't mind teaching me. For example, whenever you have to make a part for machinery that will be exposed to water on a regular basis, use elm rather than oak, for elm will outlast oak when immersed in water and both are roughly equally hard for durability.

It is as we are descending to the exit door that I hear something scrabbling on the stairs behind us, and turn around just in time to see a very-well-fed mouse skitter down the wall and into a crevice. Despite being startled by the mouse, I am reminded of a favorite song from my own younger days: (also in Dutch)

X:73                          % number
T:A Mouse lived in a windmill
M:3/4
O:http://www.mudcat.org/thread.CFM?threadID=10434 Q:1/4=160 P:ABABABA K:G P:A VERSE ^A6 |"G" B2 d2 DD |"C" E2 G2 G2 |"F" A2c2C2 |"Bb" D4 D2 |"Eb" G2^A2^A,^A, | w:A mouse lived in a wind-mill in old Am-ster-dam, A wind-mill with a "Ab" C2 ^D2 ^D2 |"D" D2 F2 A2 |"G" G2 B3 ^A |B2 d2 D2 |"C" E2 G2 G2 |"F" A c3 C2 | w:mouse in and he was-n't grous-in'. He sang eve-ry morn-ing, "How luc-ky I "Bb" D6 |"Eb" G2 ^A2 ^A,^A, |"Ab" C2 ^D2 ^D2 |"D" D2 F2 A2| "G" G6 || w:am, Liv-ing in a wind-mill in old Am-ster-dam!" P:B CHORUS G6 |-G2 B2 d2| "C" e6 | c6 |"G" d2 B2 G2 | D6 |"D" c2 A2 F2 | D4 e2 |"G" d5 ^c | w:I_ saw a mouse! Where? There on the stair! Where on the stair? Right there! A d^c d2 ^d2 |"C" e6 | c6 |"G" d2 B2 G2 | D2 e2 d2 |"A" ^c2 ^cA ^c2 |"D" c2 A2 F2 | w:lit-tle mouse with clogs on. Well I de-clare! Go-ing clip-clip-pe-ty-clop on the "G" G2 DEGB | A2 G2 A2 | G6 |] w:stair! * * * * * * Oh yeah! W: W:This mouse, he got lonesome, he took him a wife W:A windmill with mice in, it’s hardly surprisin’ W:She sang every morning “How lucky I am W:Living in a windmill in old Amsterdam” W: W:(Chorus) W: W:First they had triplets and then they had quins W:A windmill with quins in, triplets and twins in W:They sang every morning “How lucky we are W:Living in a windmill in Amsterdam – ya” W: W:(Chorus) W: W:The daughters got married and so did the sons W:The windmill had christenings when no one was listening W:They all sang in chorus “How lucky we am W:Living in a windmill in old Amsterdam” W: W:(Chorus) W: W:A mouse lived in a windmill, so snug and so nice W:There’s nobody there now but a whole load of mice W: W:EEN MUIS IN EEN MOLEN IN MOOI AMSTERDAM W: W:Er was eens een muisje in mooi Amsterdam W:Dat zat in een molen heel stiekem verscholen W:Hij zong elke morgen: 'Wat is het toch fijn W:Een muis in een molen in Mokum te zijn' W: W:REFREIN: Ik zag een muis. Waar? W:Daar op de trap. Waar op de trap? W:Nou, daar! W:Een kleine muis op klompjes W:Nee, 't is geen grap W:'t Ging van klipklipperdieklap op de trap W:Oh ja! W: W:Het muisje was eenzaam en zocht naar een vrouw W:En 'Piep' zei de muis in het voorhuis, 'ik trouw' W:Dus zongen ze samen 'Wat is het toch fijn W:Een muis in een molen in Mokum te zijn'. REFREIN W: W:Ma Muis kreeg een vijfling, en allen gezond W:Dus aten de muisjes beschuitjes met muisjes W:En iedereen zong toen 'Wat is het toch fijn W:Een muis in een molen in Mokum te zijn'. REFREIN W: W:De muizenfamilie werd vreselijk groot W:De molenaar vluchtte, hij was als de dood W:Voor de muizen die zongen ' Wat is het toch fijn W:Een muis in een molen in Mokum te zijn. REFREIN W: W:De muizen die hebben het fijn naar hun zin W:De molen staat leeg want geen mens durft er in... W:Ieeeee! 

To convert the code above to sheet music, or listen to the tunes, copy the code for a single song, then paste it here and [submit].

Of course, by the time we are on the ground outside the mill once more, two of the mill cats are snoozing in the sun. Blissfully ignorant of the juicy meal they might have had.

Stand and Deliver!

I accept a certain amount of risk as an occupational hazard of travelling in time, so I suppose I have to accept the consequences when I find myself in the middle of a hazardous situation, although to be honest, it doesn't happen very often. One of the easiest ways I've found to infiltrate myself into a time and place is to join a travelling party early in the day as they prepare to set out. Of course, that also means I am accepting the same risk as my fellow-travellers, of being intercepted and robbed on the road, and in May of 1721 my complacency about the potential risk was confronted with the reality in the middle of Epping Forest, miles from the nearest village. It took me a few minutes to realize what was happening when we were ordered to disembark from the coach in which we were travelling. A number of possible causes for our unscheduled halt ran through my mind:

• One of the horses had been lamed? (during the ride one of my companions told me how a couple of years ago, the Essex Gang, led by Mr.Turpin, sowed the road with caltrops, laming the horses of an express team in a most cruel manner).
  
• A wheel had come off the coach? (unlikely, the coach would probably have tipped)
• A fallen tree blocking the road?

When I saw the masked horseman pointing a flintlock pistol I got the shock of my adventurous life. One of the most notorious highwaymen of the period is "Dick" Turpin, originally an Essex lad, who served his apprenticeship as a butcher and has become notorious for his daring and violent robberies. He has already outlived the Essex Gang with whom he allied for a while; apparently his cavalier disregard for hazard was more than they felt their lives justified. But it seems my concerns were not altogether justified; our interrogator's manners were very much those of a gentleman, assisting myself and an older lady in dismounting from the coach (not the easiest maneuver in a hoopskirt), and while he would not spare any coin or jewelry, at least he apologized to us for inconveniencing us so rudely.
X:1
T:Air XX, March in Rinaldo with Drums and Trumpets % title
T:Adapted by John Gay for The Beggar's Opera
C: % composer
O:http://www.gutenberg.org/files/25063/25063-h/music/air_XX.pdf % origin.
M:C % meter
L:1/8 % length of shortest note
Q: % tempo
K:Bb % key
V:1 % voice 1
z2 z2 DE | F4 F4 | F6 Bc | dcde d2 d2 |
w:Let us take the Road. Hark! I hear the Sound of Coach-es!
d4 f4 | dcde d2 d2 | d4 f3 e | e2 cd edcB |
w:The Hou-r of At-tack ap-proach-es, To your Arms, bra-ve Boy-s an-d
c6 || AB | c4 c4 | !trill! c6 f2 | FGAB c2 d2 |
w:load. See the Ball I hold! Let the Chy-mists toil like Ass-
e4 f3 e | d2 cd edcB | c2 F2 f3 e | dcBc !trill! c3 B |
w:es, Our Fire their Fi-re sur--pas--ses And turns all our Lead__ to_
B6 |]
w:Gold.
Our assailant did, however, unhitch one of the team of horses, which he took with him. While the animal might not be broken to saddle, and difficult to ride, it still represents a considerable loss to the coaching company. The shortfall in the team means that any further progress will be painfully slow, and some of us will have to continue on foot, alongside the coach. And I will probably have to explain to my director the loss of a couple of items of antique jewelry, which cannot be replaced. The music, which I thought would be appropriate to this little adventure, is from the Beggar's Opera by John Gay, produced by John Rich, which as one wag put it,

made Gay rich, and Rich gay

After I got back here a little research suggested that the most likely identity for our assailant would be "Captain" King, so called because of his delightfully gallant manners! To convert the code above to sheet music, or listen to the tunes, copy the code for a single song, then paste it here and [submit].

Black Coffee

The Playhouse A Satyr,

by Robert Gould,

1685

The Middle Galle'ry first demands our View; The filth of Jakes, and stench of ev'ry Stew! Here reeking Punks like Ev'ning Insects swarm; The Polecat's Perfume much the Happier Charm...

Discreet in this, their Faces not to shew; The Mask the best Complexion of the two. Their Noses falling and their Eyes sunk in, A wrinkl'd Forehead and a Parchment Skin...

Choak't with the stench of Brimstone, 'twill be fit To Visit next the Boxes and the Pit, And for the Muse a Nobler Scene prepare, And let Her breathe awhile in Milder Air.

But such a sudden Glare invades her Eyes, So vast a Crowd of diffe'rent Vanities, She knows where not to fix her Rancour first; So very Wicked all, that all are worst!...

Such Giddy Insects here for ever come, And very little Dare, but much Presume: Perpetually the Ladies Ears they Ply, And whisper Slander at the Standers by:

Then laugh aloud; which now is grown a part Of Play-house Breeding, and of Courtly Art. The true Sign of Your Modish Beau Garson Is Chatt'ring like a Ladies lewd Baboon,

Shewing their Teeth to charm some pretty creature; For Grinning, amoung Fops, is held a Feature...
All People now, the Place is grown so ill, Before they see a Play shou'd make their Will:

For with much more Security , a Man Might take a three Years Voyage to Japan.

Having walked north from Westminster Abbey we probably have an hour or two before Drury Lane theatre begins the evening performance, and since we're in the vicinity of several coffee houses it seems a good place to stop, wet our whistles and ask about what's playing.

Inside the atmosphere of mouth-watering coffee scent is underlaid by the whiff of smoke from clay pipes. The variety of coffees and chocolate on offer is bewildering, with so many spices and roasts to choose from I think we would be justified in spending a few minutes considering before we choose.

I'm glad you insisted on Will's Coffee House (can't miss it, look for the sign of the Rose), rather than the Turk's Head which I thought looked like a good bet. I've heard several people discussing recent plays since we settled at this table. The impression I get is that most of the plays aren't staged for very long; a week or two at most and the audiences are ready for something new.

The small huddle of gentlemen engaged in conversation a few tables over has been dwindling since we came in, and now the last two have left and I recognize the face of Mr.Dryden. I think we should invite him to join us at our table.

"Have I the honour of addressing Mr. Dryden?"

"You have, sir. Though few enough would count it an honour these days."

"Then might I invite you to share our table for a few minutes, and we shall count it both an honour and a pleasure, sir."

What I am hoping is that we might be able to find out if any of Dryden's plays are currently on the stage, but it seems that since he lost his position as Poet Laureate seven years ago, even his plays have lost their lustre with the public. I can quite understand his slightly melancholy mood.

However, as he tells us, he is free now to work on something that has interested him since his collegiate days; a translation of the works of Publius Virgilius Maro. Once he starts explaining the fascination of the classical poet's works, his face lights up with a new enthusiasm.

Returning eventually to the question of the London stage, I ask whether he knows what is playing at present, that might be worth the cost of admission.

It seems that the only play he feels would be worth our time, and that more for the theatrical music than the play itself, is a revival of Abdelazer, or The Moor's Revenge by the late Aphra Behn, as a series of benefit performances for the widow of Michael Mohun. Although she was widowed more than a decade ago, she has always been supportive of the acting community, and being unable to work because of increasingly painful arthritis, reluctantly sought their help.

While we are talking, we are joined once more by the familiar figure of Mr.Pepys. As soon as introductions have been made (I am flattered that Samuel Pepys remembers us by the sound of our voices, from our previous encounter in the Lloyds Coffee House), Mr.Pepys cautions us against the Orange Girls.

These traders visit the playhouses to sell fruit at extortionate prices, and Pepys himself tells us how:

The orange-woman did come in the pit and challenge me for twelve oranges, which she delivered by my order at a late play, at night, to give to some ladies in a box, which was wholly untrue, but yet she swore it to be true. But, however, I did deny it, and did not pay her; but , for quiet, did buy 4s.¹ worth of oranges of her, at 6d. a-piece.'

Dryden summarises the play for us as follows: it was published in 1657 and tells the story of a vengeful wicked Moor, whose kingdom has been vanquished by Spain, who tires of his affair with the lascivious Queen of Spain and plots with her to murder the King, thinking to murder her afterwards, and reign with his innocent young wife. However, the Queen in her turn kills his wife, and plots to take her son’s throne. It is full of action with armies engaged on stage, people in disguise escaping from imprisonment and torture and a final act in which the wicked are punished and the good prince wins the throne.²

If Mr.Dryden felt that the music for the play was better than the play itself, I can hardly disagree with him. From the play, here is Mr. Henry Purcell's Rondeau.

X:4 % number T:Rondeau % title C:Henry Purcell % composer O:Music for Abdelazer or The Moor's Revenge (Dolce Edition) % origin. M:3/4 % meter L:1/8 % length of shortest note Q: % tempo P:ABACA %%staves Sop | {Hr1 Hr2 Hl} V:Sop name="Soprano" sname="S." clef=treble V:Hr1 name="Harpsichord" sname="Hp." clef=treble V:Hr2 clef=treble V:Hl clef=bass K:F % key P:A %1===============================2====================3================4================= [V:Sop]|: D2 F2 A2 | de/f/ g/f/e/d/ ^c2 | ad/f/ a/f/d b2 | gc/e/ g/e/c a2 | [V:Hr1]|: [FDA,]2 [FDA,]2 [EA,]2 | F G/A/ B2 [AE^C]2 | A2 d2 d/B/G | [cGC]4 c/A/F | [V:Hr2]|: Z | D2 DG z2 | D4 z2 | Z | [V:Hl] |: d2 d2 c2 | B2 G2 A2 | f4 g2 | e4 f2 | % %5=====================6=================7=======================8========================== [V:Sop] fB/d/ f/d/B g2 | eA/^c/ e/c/A f2 | e/f/e/d/ ^cf e/f/e/d/ | Ad ^c/d/e/c/ !fine! d2 :| [V:Hr1] [BFD]4 B/G/E | [AEA,]4 A/F/D | [BD]2 [AE^C]2 [GD]2 | GF E2 [FDA,]2 :| [V:Hr2] Z | Z | Z | ^CD A,2 z2 :| [V:Hl] d4 e2 | ^c4 d2 | G2 A2 B2 | A4 d2 :| % P:B %9========================10=====================11=====================12===================== [V:Sop] F2 A2 c2 | fg/a/ b/a/g/f/ ef/g/ | ab/a/ ga/g/ fF/G/ | ab/a/ ga/g/ Ff/e/ | [V:Hr1] [CA,]2 [FC]2 [GC]2 | AB/c/ [dBF]2 [cGE]2 | [cAF]2 [cGC]2 A=B | [cE]2 [GE]2 [cFC]2 | [V:Hr2] Z | F2 z2 z2 | z2 z2 F2 | Z | [V:Hl] f4 e2 | d2 B2 c2 | c2 B2 A2 | c2 B2 A2 | % %13=========================14====================15====================16============================ [V:Sop] de/d/ cd/c/ Bg/f/ | ef/e/ de/d/ Ca/g/ | fg/f/ ef/e/ dg | cf e/f/g/e/ f2 || [V:Hr1] [BFD]2 [cFC]2 [BGD]2 | [GEC]2 [GD]2 [AEC]2 | [AFD]2 [AE]2 AB/A/ | [GE][AF] [GEC]2 [AFC]2 || [V:Hr2] Z | Z | z2 z2 FD | Z || [V:Hl] B2 A2 G2 | c2 B2 A2 | d2 c2 B2 | c4 F2 || % P:C %17===============================18============================19============================= [V:Sop] !trill! c>d c/d/e f/e/d/c/ | !trill! =B>c B/c/d e/d/c/B/ | !trill! c>d c/d/e f/e/d/c/ | [V:Hr1] [AEC]4 [cE]2 | [=BE]4 [BE]2 | [AEC]4 [AFD]2 | [V:Hr2] Z | Z | Z | [V:Hl] a2 A2 a2 | ^f2 e2 g2 | a2 A2 d2 | % %20======================21============================22===========================23============================= [V:Sop] !trill! c3 =B A2 | !trill! e>f e/f/g a/g/f/e/ | !trill! f>g f/g/a b/a/g/f/ | !trill! e>f e/f/g a/g/f/e/ | [V:Hr1] A2 ^G2 [AEC]2 | ^c>d c/d/e f/e/d/c/ | d>e d/e/f g/f/e/d/ | ^c>d c/d/e f/e/d/c/ | [V:Hr2] [E=B,]4 z2 | [AE]4 A2 | A4 B2 | A4 A2 | [V:Hl] e4 A2 | a2 ^c'2 a2 | d'2 d2 g2 | a2 A2 d2 | % %24=========================================== [V:Sop][L:1/32] f6g2 !trill! g6fg !D.C.! a8 || [V:Hr1] [dAF]2 [dGD]2 [^cAE]2 || [V:Hr2] Z || [V:Hl] dc B2 A2 || To convert the code above to sheet music, or listen to the tunes, copy the code for a single song, then paste it here and [submit]. If you know the music of Benjamin Britten, you might also recognize this as the theme for his "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra".

Notes

1. English currency before decimalisation:

Pounds	Shillings	Pence
£	s.	d.

2. I would like to acknowledge Dawn Lewcock's article for a summary of the plot.

The Queen is dead. Long Live the King.

"'at's Queen Mary. She choked on a plum."
"she did not. You bin listenin' to Possle again encha? 'E don't know nuffin' so 'e makes it up."
My two young advisers are a couple of Thames mudlarks, urchins who, in the absence of better employment, contribute to their families welfare by searching the mud of the riverbank at low tide for dropped valuables and the occasional coin. Although they're equally likely to be found knocking hats off unwary heads with a well-aimed stone. And only the sharpest wits are ever likely to see exactly where the missile originated.
"'ere 'e is nah. Wotcha Possle!"
"Permit me to introduce myself sirs. I have the honour to be your humble servant, Oliver Postlethwaite, apothecary surgeon".
Possle is a rather tatty-looking character with stockings that don't quite match and a pervasive odour of stale urine.
"If I may be so bold sir, your complexion suggests that you suffer from a weakness of the stones, for which I can offer a very efficacious remedy."
He may be half-wasted, but Possle's diagnosis is worryingly accurate, at least to the point of identifying that I have a very feminine appearance.
We are here on the edges of a crowd that is still assembling outside Westminster Abbey to pay our final respects to the late Queen Mary(or just take advantage of an excuse to close the shop for an hour or two). As the funeral procession approaches, the drumbeat changes while remaining consistent.
Tan tan tan ta-ta tan
Tan ta-ta tan tan tan
Ta-ta tan tan ta-ta tan
Tan tan ta-ta tan tan
Until inside the abbey, a final TAN-TAN! marks the halt. I can't see anybody signalling from here at the back of the crowd, but it seems somebody has performed a very deft sleight-of-hand, because, precisely as the catafalque entered the abbey, the organ began a sombre tune in perfect time to the drumbeat.
Among the other vendors working the crowd is a ballad-seller with something very unusual, and very interesting to me: a copy of Purcell's Ode on the Birthday of Queen Mary composed only eight months earlier for the celebrations.

X:3 T:Strike the viol % title C:Henry Purcell % composer O:William F. Long transcription % origin. N:http://www.drdrbill.com/music.html M:3/4 % meter L:1/8 % length of shortest note Q:60 % tempo %%staves Ct { ( Hr1 Hr2 ) ( Hl ) } V:Ct name="Countertenor" sname="Ct" % voice 1 V:Hr1 name="Harpsichord" sname="Hp" clef=treble V:Hr2 clef=treble V:Hl clef=bass K:C % key %1======================2============================3==================4============================= [V:Ct] Z | Z |: e>d c2 dB | c2 A2 z2 | w:Strike__ the_ vi-ol, [V:Hr1] [ECA,]4 [EDB,]2 | [ECA,]2 z [FCA,] [EB,^G,]2 |: [ECA,]4 [EDB,]2 | [ECA,]2 z [FCA,] [EB,^G,]2 | [V:Hl] A3 a ^ge | a2 z d eE |: A2 z a ^ge | a2 z d eE | % %5======================6============================7==================8============================ [V:Ct] e>d c2 dB | c2 A2 z2 | c2 z2 B/c/d | B2 z2 cG | w:strike__ the_ vi-ol, touch, touch,__ touch, touch_ [V:Hr1] [ECA,]4 [EDB,]2 | [ECA,]2 z [FCA,] [EB,^G,]2 | [ECA,]4 [FB,A,]2 |[FB,G,]2 z [DB,G,] [ECG,]2 | [V:Hl] A3 a ^ge | a2 z d eE | A3 a fd | g2 z g ec | % %9===============================10==================11================12============================ [V:Ct][L:1/16] ABc2 BA3G3 ^F |[L:1/8] E4 z2 | A^GAc B2 | c4 z2 | w:touch,__ touch__ the Lute; wake___ the Harp, [V:Hr1] [FCA,]2 z [FCA,] [DB,G,]2 | [ECG,]4 [EB,^G,]2 | [ECA,]4 [EDB,]2 | [ECA,]2 z [FCA,] [EB,^G]2 | [V:Hl] f2 z d gG | c2 z d eE | A2 z a ^ge | a2 z d eE | % %13====================14==========================15========================16============ [V:Ct] A^GAc B2 | c4 z2 | cBce d2 | e4 dc | w:wake___ the Harp; wake___ the Harp, in- [V:Hr1] [ECA,]4 [EDB,]2 | [ECA,]2 z [FCA,] [EB,^G]2 | [ECA,]2 z [ECG,] [DG,]2 | [ECG,]6 | [V:Hl] A2 z a ^ge | a2 z d eE | A2 z c BG | c2 z d ec | % %17=======================18========================19========================20================== [V:Ct][L:1/16] B3cABcdc3 B |[L:1/8] c4 z2 | cBcd e2 | e4 dc | w:spire______ the Flute; wake___ the Harp, in- [V:Hr1] [FB,A,]4 [FB,G,]2 | [ECG,]3 [FCA,] [DB,G,]2 | [ECG,]2 z [ECG,] [DG,]2 | [ECG,]4 [GCG,]2 | [V:Hl] f3 d gG | c3 d GG, | C2 z c BG | c3 d ec | % %21========================22==================23========================24============================= [V:Ct][L:1/16] B2c2Bcd2c3 B |[L:1/8] c4 z2 :| c4 z2 |: z2 G2 G2 | w:spire_____ the flute; flute; Sing, your [V:Hr1] [FB,A,]4 [FB,G,]2 | [ECG,]4 [EC^G,]2 :| [ECG,]2 z [FCA,] [DBG]2 |: [ECG,]2 z [FCA,] [DB,G,]2 | [V:Hl] f3 D gG | c2 z d cB :| c2 z F GG, |: c2 z F GG, | % %25============================26==========================27===============28=========================== [V:Ct] G4 G2 | ABAB c2 | B4 z2 | z2 d2 d2 | w:Pa-tro-ne----ss's praise, Sing your [V:Hr1] [ECG,]2 z [ECG,] [DG,]2 | [ECG,]2 z [ECA,] [^FCA,]2 | [GDB,]4 [ADC]2 | [GDB,]2 z [GEC] [^FDA,]2 | [V:Hl] C2 z c BG | c2 z A dD | G2 z g ^fd | g2 z c dD | % %29===================30==========================31================32===============33================== [V:Ct] d3e d2 | dedf e2 | f4 d2 | z2 B2 e2 | z2 A2 cB | w:Pa--tro-ness's____ praise, Sing, sing, sing, sing in_ [V:Hr1] [GDB,]4 [ADC]2 | [GDB,]2 z [FDA,] [E^CA,]2 | [FDA,]4 [ADA,]2 | [GDB,]4 [GEC]2 | [FCA,]4 [FDG,]2 | [V:Hl] G2 z g ^fd | g2 z d aA | d2 z e fd | g2 z g ec | f2 z f dB | % %34=======================35=========================36================37======================= [V:Ct] ^GE/^F/GFGF/E/ | AA/B/cBc/B/A | dB/c/dcd/c/B | cc/d/ede/d/c | w:cheer---------- [V:Hr1] [EB,^G,]4 [^GEB,]2 | [AEA,]2 z [^GEB,] [AEC]2 | [GDB,]4 [GFB,]2 | [GEC]2 z [GFD] [EC]2 | [V:Hr2] Z36 | z4 GA | [V:Hl] e2 z B eB | c2 z e ae | f2 z d gd | e2 z d cA | % %38=============39==========================40==========================41==== [V:Ct] fedc B A | AB A/B/c BA |[1 A4 z2 :|[2 A6 |] w:----full and har--mo---nious_ lays. [V:Hr1] [^GFB,]6 | [AEC]2 z [FCA,] [EB,^G,]2 |[1 [ECA,]2 z [ECG,] [DG,] :|[2 [ECA,]6 |] [V:Hl] e2 z B cA | e2 z d eE |[1 A2 z c BG :|[2 A6 |] To convert the code above to sheet music, or listen to the tunes, copy the code for a single song, then paste it here and [submit]. To listen to the Funeral March for Queen Mary II, click the gramophone.

I don't know about you, but after the funeral, I feel like something a bit more cheerful. What say we totter along to Drury Lane and see if Mr.Dryden has something new to entertain us?