There is an interesting story about someone who went to interview the author Thomas Hardy in the 1920's, just before he died, about Mummer's Plays, which were undergoing a revival after having essentially died out. Hardy was asked whether there were any differences between the revived Mummer's Plays and the ones he had seen growing up in "Wessex". He replied that the big difference was that the new versions were done with great enthusiasm and vigour, while the originals were done as if it were some kind of necessary chore. The interviewer said, how could that be? And Hardy replied, It was because for the originals, it was a necessary ritual, it was part of their lives, and they did it, even though they no longer knew why -- so they dragged themselves from place to place.

A different take on the past.

Yours, Peter