Journey's End. (at LAST!)

(Wednesday, March 15th, 1600)

After spending Tuesday in the village of Hingham, Will Kemp set out on the final stage of his journey to Norwich this morning. With five boisterous young men running alongside, we make it through Barford Bridge, until we are within sight of the city. And within sight, and hearing of the astonishing crowds that have turned out, even on a working day, to welcome Master Kemp. I think Will is wise to take the advice offered by George Sprat to take his gelding and ride to lodgings which have been offered a stone's throw from St.Giles's gate; to try to dance through the crush would be almost impossible, not to mention physically dangerous! In the evening, talking to drinkers in the White Lion tavern I learn that Will has been advised by Master Roger Wiler, Mayor of the city, to delay dancing into the city until Saturday (March 25th) by which time many nobles, and other wealthy patrons will have had time to visit the city to witness the spectacle (and of course, spend their money!). In the meantime, Will and his company are offered the hospitality of the city. For myself, I manage to turn a small profit on three dozen pairs of fine woolen stockings that I bought before leaving London; enough to cover my travelling expenses and the remaining costs of my stay here in Norwich if I live frugally. And I have, besides, some letters entrusted for delivery which I hope will gain me a few more pennies. (Saturday, March 25th, 1600) The weather has improved noticeably since Will began his astonishing dance, and this morning, by ten O'clock, having returned to St.Giles's gate to resume his progress the air is mild and the sky has cleared after an early shower. And this time, to combat the press of the crowds Mayor Wiler has appointed Wifflers to make room for Kemp to dance forward. At St.Stephen's gate, Thomas Gilbert recites a short poem of his own composition to welcome Master Kemp to the city:

W With hart, and hand, among the rest, E Especially you welcome are : L Long looked for, as welcome guest, C Come now at last you be from farre. O Of many within the Citty sure, M Many good wishes you haue had. E Each one did pray you might indure, W VVith courage good the match you made. I Intend they did with gladsome hearts, L Like your well vvillers, you to meete : K Know you also they'l doe their parts, E Eyther in field or house to greete M More you then any with you came, P Procur'd thereto with trump and fame.

And before I leave for my own time once more, I am able to buy a printed copy for a farthing, perhaps from one of the same ballad-sellers who will later give Will such grief by publishing sorry slanders, suggesting quite unfairly that he cheated on his wager in various ways. We were just past the market place (and believe me, even in the twenty-first century, that's something to see!) when Will had the misfortune to land on the hem of a young woman's petticoat. Naturally, she jumped, trying to get out of his way, and something broke, leaving her blushing crimson in bodice and shift while a gang of boys (why do cities always have these ruffians?) made off with her fallen skirts. By St.John's churchyard Will leapt over the churchyard wall, apparently thinking to take a shortcut to the Mayor's house, but it seems at that point, his overseer, George Sprat lost sight of him, which I suppose gave rise to many of the slanders against poor Will. At this point, let me thank you, my patient friend, for your patience in going with us through frost, mud and pressing crowds, and refer you once more to Will Kemp's own account of his dance, where in closing, he offers some advice concerning good management of business.

Kemp's Jigg

arranged by Frank Nordberg

X: 1
T: Kemp's Jig
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Dmaj
f>g fe | d>e dc | BA Bc | d4 |
f/e/f/g/ fe |d/c/d/e/ dc | BA B/A/B/c/ | d4 |
~fa ~fa |fa/g/~f2 | eg eg |ed/=c/ B^c |
dA FA |dA/G/ FA |BA Bc | d4 |
fa f/g/a | fa/g/ f/e/d |eg e/=f/g | ed/=c/ B^c |
dA F/>G/ A | d/A/B/A/ F/>G/ A | BA B/A/B/c/ | d4 |]

And with Mr.Dowland's jaunty "Kemp's Jigg" I bid you adieu, at least for now.

References

For a map of Norwich

Kemp's Jig on Google Maps

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Presenting Arms

(Friday, March 13th, 1600)

In order not to be conspicuous, I can't carry a personal wristwatch in this century. But I can get away with a pendant watch on a necklace. Whoever was occupying the room next to mine at the Bell Inn for the last couple of days was suffering with a very bad chest infection; coughing and wheezing all night and most of the day when I was there. And the inn staff were often bringing hot soup and strong-smelling home remedies to the room. While I haven't been able to get much sleep, I've managed. But I feel worse for the poor soul in the next room. According to my pendant watch at about four thirty this morning one of the inn staff woke me banging on his door, and it turned out that he had finally succumbed to his illness.

After that, I couldn't really sleep - too much coming and going; a priest administering a final blessing, the constable of the town making certain that no mischief had been done, and two men from the almshouses to collect the body.

One of the good things about an inn is that it never sleeps. For the next couple of hours I sat in the snug nursing a mug of mulled cider before breakfasting on oatmeal with cream and a drop of honey. And for once, Master Kemp didn't leave me behind. Although I should admit I was still brushing down Leto and had to make haste to saddle her.

By mid-morning we had reached the village of Rockland where Master Kemp intends to rest awhile, generously standing a round of drinks for all in the party. But forasmuch as he would like to speak to the innkeeper, Master Garner would not see us until he had put off his workaday clothes for his armour! When he finally honored us with his presence he made Master Kemp such a welcome as I don't think I have seen anywhere else, nor do I expect to, as Will himself later remembered it: "Going down on his knees he blessed the hour that any of the Queens well-wishers or friends would vouchsafe to come within his house." (Personally, I think he was a little overawed firstly by Will's reputation which had preceded him by some days, and secondly by a visit from a gentleman from London, no less. Someone who had entertained Her Majesty!)

Yet again, someone who has heard tell of Kemp's epic journey chooses to keep company with him in his dance, but like so many before him, Trojan that he is, Master Garner lays down in the way, red-faced and puffing before we have gone two furlongs from the village.
And once more, the road, such as it is, is so muddy, wet and sticky, that I am obliged to dismount for fear of Leto losing her footing.

X:209
T:The Queen's Delight
M:6/8
C:
S:Bacon (MDT)
N:
A:Bucknell
O:English
R:Jig
%P:A/2(AB$^3$)$^6$(AC$^3$)$^2$
P:A.(AB3)6(AC3)2
K:G
Q:C3=100
P:A
|: d2 g dcB | cBc ABc  | d2 G d2 c | BcA G3  :|
P:B
cBc  cBc | ABc def  | gfg  eag  | gfe def |
g2 g gfe | dec ABc  | d2 G d2 c | BcA G3  ||
P:C
cBc  cBc | ABc d2 e |
M:3/8
L:1/8
f3 |
M:6/8
g2 f g3 | (2ea g3 | g2 f e3 |
M:3/8
L:1/8
def |
M:6/8
g2 g gfe | dec ABc  | d2 G d2 c | BcA G3  ||
%abc

Kemp's Jig on Google Maps

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Run rabbit, run rabbit! run! run! run!

(Friday, March 10th, 1600)

During our stay in St.Edmundsbury I have had opportunity to ask around, and found that Moyse's Hall is currently the home of the King family, local merchants. From Mistress Woodgate, one of the family servants, I learn that the house was, as I thought, originally the home of a Jewish financier who dedicated the hall on the first floor for use as a synagogue, although later part of the building was used as a tavern before being bought by the King family.

Since Will Kemp planned to stay a few more days in Bury St. Edmunds, I had time to follow up my ambition to trace the town walls. Of course there are places where it was difficult or impossible to follow the path of the walls, but in many places the knapped flint walls are still standing at least partially. And the houses don't reach all the way to the wall; in many places there are small meadows with sheep or blanketed horses huddling against the snow and munching from bundles of hay on both sides of the wall.

In the course of my exploration I took a few minutes to ask one of the shepherds about the tedious business of stone-picking and he told me that the flints grow underground during the winter, so that every year there are more stones to be picked!

Once again, undeterred by the frosty dark, Will Kemp sets out at 7a.m., jigging with unbelievable stamina past conyers heath*, and through the villages of Timworth and Ingham where an enterprising carter has stationed a wagon beside the road for curious villagers to cheer him onward, and by 10 o'clock we reach the enthusiastic crowds at the edge of the small market town of Thetford!

Since the assizes are in progress the town is packed and Sir Edwin Rich of Mulbarton, in deep crimson velvet hat and cloak greets Will personally from horseback, welcoming him to the town, and inviting him to accept the hospitality of his manor.

I feel obliged to write in support of Master Kemp that though he has been succoured in diverse places, he has remained true to his cause in taking up his jig at whatever place he left off. And it has been encouraging to see the generosity that has been offered to him by men of all stations appointed by God.

X:246
T:Three Handed Reel
T:Fanny Frail
C:Trad.
A:Bromsberrow Heath, Gloucestershire
S:Dommett
B:Dommett, p. 4, 26, 43
N:originally entered by Rich Holmes, 1996 Sept.
M:4/4
K:D
L:1/8
I:speed 300
fd A2 fd A2 | g2 f2  ec A2 | g2 f2 e2 d2 | edcB  AGFE |
DF A2 EG B2 | A2 d>d fd B2 | A2 dc B2 E2 | C2 F2 D4   ||
%abc

*Conyers Heath; so named for the rabbit-catchers who lived there, providing the town with a plentiful supply of meat and skins.

Kemp's Jig on Google Maps

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Saint Edmundsbury

(Saturday, March 4th, 1600)

It's my birthday! I've already celebrated my birthday this year in my native time, so am tempted to have a second birthday back here. However, Will Kemp keeps up a cracking pace; even Tom Slye has admitted that sometimes he has trouble keeping up, and he's been a taberer these past fifteen years, five of them with Will.

Since Will has been staying with the Colts family, I have touched base with Master Slye, and am ready for once, when Will sets out before dawn, in the frosty March air. Master Colts' fool is accompanying Will in his dance as a good-sized crowd, some of whom must have been up as early as five a.m. trot along after.

It seems quite a detour to me, but Will Kemp has chosen to make his way through the village of Clare making a visit to the widow Everet.

Since I am not invited to visit I take the time to talk to some of the village folk who know Mistress Everet and their accounts are uniformly full of praise: a woman full of charity and virtue, quiet, devout, modest and well-spoken. I learn from them, that in his time, her husband was a Yeoman, a farmer who owned and worked his own land, which explains her comparative wealth.

By the time we reach the outskirts of St.Edmundsbury the lowering sky has started to snow lightly: tiny tingling flakes that catch in my eyelashes and hair. And my fingers are numbly grasping the reins, scarcely feeling inside my gloves. And the crowds here are busier than anywhere we have visited so far. I learn later, that Sir John Popham, the Lord Chief Justice of the realm was entering the town at the same time, by another route and as the crowds cleared a path for the honorable gentleman, most of them made haste to gawp as Will Kemp danced and frolicked his way into the town, being forced to pause seven times before he could reach the Angel Inn opposite the abandoned abbey.

X:204
T:The Morris March (Winster Processional)
M:2/2
C:
S:Bacon (MDT)
N:
A:Winster
O:English
R:Reel
%P:(AB)$^{infty}$
P:(AB)8
K:G
I:speed 400
L:1/8
P:A
|:g2 d2 d2 ef | g2 d2 d2 ef | g2 d2 d2 c2 | B4 G2 z2 :|
P:B
|:c2 e2 e2 dc | B2 d2 d2 cB | A2 B2 c2 d2 | B4 G2 z2 :|
%abc

Kemp's Jig on Google Maps

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Leapfrogging twixt Chelmsford and Braintree

Having arrived late in Chelmsford, I caught up the day's events over breakfast with Will Kemp the next morning (Saturday). To summarise:

Sir Thomas Mildmay met him at the gates of his estate, where he graciously received a pair of garters from Master Kemp.

When Will finally made it through the crush to the Saracen's Head he was too weary to dance further, so tossed a few gags from the window for the crowds gathered below.

After breakfast, Will set out, but only made three miles of the road toward Braintree before turning back. I think he had overestimated his stamina and needed more time to recover.

During the stopover in Chelmsford a young lady of fourteen obtained permission from her parents to dance a Morris (or three). The innkeeper was good enough to clear a large dining room, and the pair danced for almost an hour, with bells jingling, and handkerchiefs waving merrily.

(Monday, February 28th, 1600)

When I got up this morning I found that Master Kemp had already accepted a ride with a gentleman setting out in the moonlight a little after 6am, shortcutting the distance he had danced previously.

The road between Chelmsford and Braintree left a lot to be desired: on either side of the road thick brambles and other undergrowth sealed the edges of the forest and the road itself was a well-trodden mire. Ruts, potholes, puddles and mud all the way. At times I was obliged to dismount my horse for fear of losing her footing, and by the time we caught up with Tom Slye and Will Kemp, we were all thoroughly muddy.

Before we caught up though, I saw a couple of equally damp and muddy lads making their way down the Great Waltham road. I found out later that these two game fellows had essayed to keep Master Kemp company in his dance, thinking it a small thing to dance a few miles from one town to the other, but they soon found the mud too much for them. After one of them fell into a huge puddle that Will managed to jump almost completely, he compared them to a couple of frogs, each trying to pull the other out of the mud!

X:87
T:Glorisher (Leapfrog)
M:6/8
C:
S:Bacon (MDT)
N:
A:Field Town (Finstock)
O:English
R:Jig
%P:A.(AB)$^2$.(AC)$^2$
P:A.(AB)2.(AC)2
K:G
Q:C3=100
P:A
d/2c/2 | BAG GFG | ABA D2 (3E/2F/2G/2 | ABA Adc | BcA GAB |
cde de=f | def g2 (3g/4a/4g/4f/2 | edc BcA | G>AG G2 ||
P:B
z | e2 d dAB | cdc cAB | cde edc | GAG FED |
G2 g gfg | G2 g g2 g/2f/2 | edc B>cA | G>AG G2 ||
P:C
z | e3 d3 | d A2 B3 | c2 d c3 | c A2 B3 | c2 d e3 |
(2ed(2cB | (2AB G3 | (2FE D3 | G3 g3 | (2gf g3 |
G3 g3 | g3- g2 (3g/4a/4g/4f/2 | edc B>cA | G>AG G2 ||
%abc

Kemp's Jig on Google Maps

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The north wind doth blow and we shall have snow...

February, from the Tres Riches Heures of the Duc de Berry

Fall is fast approaching and back here in 13th century Europe, the Roman technology of under-floor heating has been forgotten. Having changed your identity again and left the monastery, winter with a peasant family will be a time of bitter cold, damp, and scarce food. Animals will need to be housed in barns wherever possible, or indoors with the family. Folks will snuggle together to sleep, sharing each others warmth (and fleas). Days will be short, nights long, and candles have to be saved for when we need them most.

Even when the ground is covered with snow, somebody will have to go out to forage for firewood. Since there are still dangerous animals out in the forest, not to mention lawless men, you will probably want to take someone with you, and go armed; by now your dagger should be your constant companion - your only table implement, self-defense, and maid-of-all-work tool around the demesne. Menfolk are also required by the Lord of the Manor to practise regularly with the English longbow, so have someone who knows how to shoot go with you when you have to leave the demesne and no matter how hungry you are, don't shoot any deer, deer are property of the crown, and there's a fearful penalty for poaching them.

X:52 % number
T:Mery yt ys
C:Anon
O:English
M:4/4
L:1/4
Q: % tempo
K:F
A A D | E F G E/C/ | G F<D C-|C A A D |
w:Mery yt ys whil sumer y-last_ with fughe-les song;_ Oc! Now negh-
E F G E/C/ | G F<D C-|C z A B | (3A/G/F/ G/A/ F D |
w:eth wind-ès blast_ and we-der strong!_ Ey! Ey! What__ this_ night ys
C2 A B | (3A/G/F/ G/A/ F D | C2 F E/G/ | F<D D<C-| C2 F E/G/ |
w:long and I wit__ wel_ much-el wrong. Sor-we and mur-ne and fast.* Sor-we and
F<D D<C-|C3 z|]
w:mur-ne and fast.

In modern English:

Life is good while summer lasts with birds (fugheles) singing,
But now the wind wails and the weather turns nasty!
The night is so long and everything is so miserable!
My wretched stomach won't stop rumbling!

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].