They should be a Morris dancers by their jingle, but they have no
    napkins.

    No, nor a hobby horse.

    Oh, he’s often forgotten, that’s no rule; but there is no Maid
    Marian nor friar amongst them, which is the surer mark.

    Nor a fool that I see.

But other characters, introduced for whatsoever reason, gradually disappeared, until the Morris company, as a general thing, consisted only of the dancers, the piper—­that is, the musician—­and the fool.

The hobby-horse, described later, was habitually associated with the Morris, until the Puritans, by their preachings and invective, succeeded in banishing it as an impious and pagan superstition.  This accounts for the expression, “The hobby-horse quite forgotten”; and gives a touch of prophecy to Shakespeare’s lament:  “For, O, for, O, the hobby-horse is forgot.”  As is well known, however, the hobby-horse still prances in England to-day; at Minehead and Padstow, for instance, as an ancient and hallowed institution on its own account, and performing with the Morris-men at Bidford.

Other implements and characters may be found, used by and performing with the Morris-men, that originally had no connection with the Morris, but were borrowed from other pastimes.  As we have said, however, this sets out to be no exhaustive study, whether of the Morris when it was a national dance, or of all its survivals at the present time.  Such a study would in scope and purpose far outrun the limits of our intention.

Broadly speaking, the peculiar characteristics of the Morris, as it was in its heyday and as it has survived amongst us, are these:  Leaving aside the solo dances, upon which we shall not touch further, the Morris is performed by six men; the records show that women have occasionally, but rarely, figured as performers.  A musician is of course indispensable; also, as it seems, a fool, to supply comic relief and give the dancers breathing-time.  The fool often goes by the name of “Squire,” sometimes of “Rodney.”  These are practically invariable; but beyond and beside these, other characters have accompanied the dancers.  The hobby-horse we have already mentioned as a popular addition.  Some took with them an assistant, called the ragman, to carry the dancers’ extra clothing.  Then, a person in various disguises and habiliments went—­and still goes—­with the dancers to collect money, if it might be, from admiring lookers-on:  sometimes the fool himself served both as the type of unwisdom and its opposite, who bears the money-box.

In some parts of the country a swordbearer accompanied the Morris-men.  This officer carried a rich pound-cake impaled upon his sword-point—­cake and sword were be-ribboned, the former being supplied by some local lady; and during the dances slices of it were given amongst the audience who were expected to respond with coin for the treasury.  A slice of cake was by way of bringing luck to the receiver; the credulous even treasured a piece of it the year round as a minister of good fortune.