The Faire Spoken Greeting

One way to join in the fun of Faire is to ‘speak the speech’- the language of Queen Elizabeth and William Shakespeare, Kit Marlow and the King James Bible. You’ll find performers at any Faire who are always happy to exchange a few words, and you may find yourself playing a bigger part than you expected. Remember that language is everyman’s sport- the playing field that’s open to every level of society, and one where a ploughboy can outshine an earl… provided he keeps his manners.

To play well with others, it’s good to know something about the rules. Let’s start with the basics: thou and thee. Thy friends will be thee, and also thy social equals, and all those who are below thine own rank in life- what we know as station. (The exception to this is God, who is addressed as thou, like a familiar friend.) Thou and thee confuse people sometimes, partly because of that business about God: so here’s a way to remember which is which. Thou goest to the Faire… but thy friend goeth with thee.

In the modern world, it’s polite to treat everyone as equal., but at Faire, we’re all pretty proud of our station- whatever it is. A husbandman- a farmer working rented land- is proud to be above the labourer and the beggar. …And if the yeomen, the merchants and tradesmen, the gentry, the nobility and the Queen are all above him, well, so is the sky. That’s just the way it is. So when thou speakest to the Queen or some of her velvet nobles, ‘tis well to remember: to such folk as thou and I, they are always addressed as you. Any time thou art in doubt, assume the polite form is correct- nobody ever took insult at hearing themselves called you. (In fact, that’s basically how poor old thou drifted out of the English language.)

Today in thy wanderings, thou wilt pass by hundreds of people on the streets of the Faire. Add to thy pleasure, then, by greeting some of them in passing, seeing how thine eye can learn to judge their station in a glance.

To commoners (and close friends):

Give thee good day, Goodman Farmer.

Good morrow, Goodwife.

Well met, Cousin! (Any close friend or relative, Coz for short.)

How doth the day find thee, Ploughman?

How now, good fellow?

God save thee, Goodman Chandler (a candle-maker).

How dost thou this day, Gaffer/Gammer? (Grandfather and Grandmother, but thou canst use them for any person old enough- or mock thy friends with the titles when they seem to speak with greybeard wisdom.)

Good after-noon to thee, brave lad. ( means ‘good-looking’.)

Good fore-noon to thee, pretty lass. (If thou holdest the girl in kissing acquaintance, then by all means call her sweeting or sweetin’. Be certain she’s in agreement on the subject, or thou shalt haply have thine ears boxed for thee, and deserve it too.)

How farest thou this morn, Goodman Shepherd?

…And on parting with any of these same, a “Farewell” or a “Fare-thee-well” can add a further touch of colour to thy speech.

To those who, um, might be well-to-do commons or might be gentry, blast it, I’m not quite sure, how do I play it safe?:

How do you this day?

Give you good morrow, Master Shipwright. (Boat-building is a skilled trade- but is he above thy station?)

How now, Master?

Good day to you, fair Mistress.

Doth the day find you well, Master Smith?

Fair morning to you, sir.

Give you good day, Mistress Puritan.

How fare you, Mistress Dyer? (Cloth dyers were a guild with closely-guarded trade secrets, because natural dyes fade quickly unless the cloth is treated.)

Well met, Master Joiner (a carpenter).

Nice clothes, bright colours, I bet they’re gentry:

How do you, sir?

Fair day to you, good dame.

The blessings of the day to you, sweet madam.

How now, good sir?

Mistress, how do you?

How doth the day find you, Master?

Good morrow to you, sir and dame.

If they’re gentlemen or gentlewomen, they have no trade or work- by definition, in fact. A gentleman is a man who does no necessary work with his hands. (He can work for his pleasure if he wants.) So thou need’st not concern thyself with what their occupations might be: they own property, or businesses, or do engage themselves in trading ventures abroad. Just do thy best to call them you, in right mannerly fashion, and all else is well.

They’re wearing jewels and velvet, must be nobility:

God save you, good my Lord.

How do you this day, my Lady?

Cry your pardon, my Lord and Lady.

Is this not a wondrous Faire, good my Lady?

A good fore-noon to you, my Lord.

God you good den, my Lord, my Lady. (This basically means ‘good afternoon’.)

Purple and gold: it’s the Queen!:

God save Your Grace!

Give you good day, Your Majesty.

If by chance Her Majesty should choose to speak with thee, then “Aye, Your Majesty” will likely be the most of thy speech. (“Nay” is a word to use very cautiously with the Crown of England, or any other land either.) But it might be handy for thee to remember also, “An it please Your Grace,” which is simply to say, “Whatever you like.” Queens do ever like to hear that sort of thing.

And here are a couple of all-purpose greetings to thy friends and acquaintance, good for any time of the day or even.

What ho!

How now!

Gereg Jones-Muller