Feriae tonsurae ovium

Feriae tonsurae ovium, Anglice Sheep-Shearing Feast, quotannis in vere, quo tempore tonsura ovium perfecta sit, et saepius mense Iunio ineunte, a pastoribus Britanniae celebrabatur. Tales feriae in litteris describuntur.

Pandosto et The Winter's Tale

Feriae tonsurae ovium sunt crisis (act. 4 sc. 3-4) fabulae scaenicae The Winter's Tale a Gulielmo Shakesperio anno incerto compositae, anno 1611 doctae, primum in editione in folio (titulo Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories & Tragedies) anno 1623 impressae. Initium huius episodii iam in mythistoria Pandosto a Roberto Greene scripta reperitur, qui haec narrat:

It happened not long after this that there was a meeting of all the farmers' daughters in Sicilia, whither Fawnia was also bidden as the mistress of the feast, who, having attired herself in her best garments, went among the rest of her companions to the merry meeting, there spending the day in such homely pastimes as shepherds use (Robertus Greene, Pandosto (1907 ed., p. 42).

Apud Greene virgo Fawnia ibi primum a Dorasto videtur, qui statim amore captus est.

Shakesperius situm et nomina mutavit: feriae iam in Bohemia celebrantur, magistra epuli Perdita, amator Florizel; is iam Perditam amabat, sed in eis feriis pater eius Leontes primum de amoribus certus fit. Ante ferias celebratas Clown, Perditae frater, enumerat res quae ad comedendum sive et coquendum emere oportet:

Let mee see, what am I to buy for our Sheepe-shearing-Feast? Three pound of Sugar, fiue pound of Currence, Rice: What will this sister of mine do with Rice? But my father hath made her Mistris of the Feast, and she layes it on. Shee hath made-me four and twenty Nose-gayes for the shearers (three-man song-men, all, and very good ones) but they are most of them Meanes and Bases; but one Puritan amongst them, and he sings Psalmes to horne-pipes. I must haue Saffron to colour the Warden Pies, Mace: Dates, none: that's out of my note: Nutmegges, seuen; a Race or two of Ginger, but that I may begge: Foure pound of Prewyns, and as many of Reysons o'th Sun (The Winter's Tale act. IV sc. 3).

The Sad Shepherd

Feriae tonsurae ovium sunt res principalis ludi pastoralis imperfectae The Sad Shepherd a Beniamino Jonson scriptae. Ibi a Mariana, muliere Robin Hood, praecepta festivitatis enuntiantur:

Fall to your Cheese-Cakes, Curds, and clawted Cream,

Your Fools, your Flaunes; and of Ale a stream

To wash it from your Livers: strain Ewes Milk

Into your Cyder Sillabubs, and be drunk

To him, whose Fleece hath brought the earliest Lamb

This year; and wears the Baudrick at your Bord!

Where you may all go whistle; and record

This i' your Dance: and foot it lustily (The Sad Shepherd act. I sc. 7).

Bibliographia

Henry Bourne; John Brand, ed., Observations on popular antiquities: including the whole of Mr. Bourne's Antiquitates vulgares, with addenda to every chapter of that work (Novi Castelli, 1777) cap. 28
A. M. Stirling, "Holkham: a famous sheep-shearing feast" (1908); reimpressum in Adelaide L. J. Gosset, ed., Shepherds of Britain (1911) pp. 214-216 (Paginae selectae apud Google Books)

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