By the way, great patter.

That is proving to be an obstacle to me, ie. thinking of what to say.

Although HPJ does include patter, it is not the best model, at least in my opinion.

One thing you may have noticed is that so much of the patter implies betting on whether a feat can be done. There are also many examples of what would come across as insults. It is a far cry from the stories that people tell today.

Henry

Tells us a bit about the performance context for the time it was written, though, eh?

Check your PMs.

Patrick

Agreed.

In Elizabethan times a girdle was anything that encircled the waist. In modern parlence it would be a belt. The wealthy would adopt richly adorned and bejeweled girdles as status symbols. Hoi polloi would use a simple cord to gather their garments at the waist.

THANK YOU, Rik! With that, the last bit of the puzzle is in place.

In fact, now I distinctly remember a painting of Henry VIII that shows him sumptuously dressed, with only a knotted cord at his waist.

That’s a nice bit of information to find in checking in this morning.

Patrick