what sort of protocols come into place with such an arrangement in 
your culture?  I wouldn’t dare say yes until I fully knew what I was 
getting into.  Oh…And what, may I ask, is a Norman sense of humor?   
(By the way, it’s the hour of rabbit in china, not here.)
 
Xie xie,

Dear Wise You

Protocols on Foolery haven't not been set in this Lovely Kingdom. It 
is rare for a Noble to have a Fool in Ansteorra. His Grace, Master 
Jonathan has Master Pepin as his Fools before the Crown took him as a 
King's Fool. Training people up for the King's Court is the duty of 
all Nobles so his Grace was please to see him advance, but it was sad 
to have lost him from our court. 

I do not know if there are any Fools currently active. Lord Wormey 
was active in Elfsea and we do have our Court of Phools in Elfsea but 
they do not function as personal Fools. 

In France ever Noble who can maintain a Fool has at least one at his 
Court. You do understand a "court" is not when someone is sitting in 
state, but is the full range of activates and people who travel and 
associate with a Noble. Normally going to "Court" means you are going 
to where the King and Queen are staying and traveling with them as 
they move around. Nobles who have land also have "courts" when they 
are on their own land and have little courts when they are travel. It 
is of the worse taste to "hold court" when you are "at Court" with 
the King and Queen. 

I mention this because sometimes His Grace and I are called 
to "Court". We would call on you to travel with us when you can and 
if possible come to "Court”, but at such times the Crown's Fool would 
hold sway and unless we were given permission it would be improper 
for my personal "Fool" to perform. It would be very improper for a 
Noble's personal "Fool" to make comments on the King or Queen or 
policy or court activities. Now if the Jester made some witty remark 
and gained the Crown's attention and the Crown invited the Fool to 
speak that would be acceptable. 

Comments about the Crown or the Crown's could be taken as treason and 
it do not want to be hung for your words. A Noble is held responsible 
for what his Fool and Herald says and does.  The Fool is protected 
when he is talking about the noble in the Noble's presence. His 
protection is not granted to include the local tavern or public 
byways.

 We will talk more on the subject later.

Duchess Willow de Wisp

I will leave you with a poem form a famous Fool.


	Robert Armin’s attitude towards his fool roles, and to¬wards 
fools tout court seems quite different as he con¬tinuously strives to 
prove that being a fool on stage does not coincide with being a fool 
for real. In his Quips upon Questions (1600) he sets out the reason 
why he plays the fool:
 
True it is, he playes the Foole indeed;
But in the Play he plays it as he must:
Yet when the play is ended, then his speed
Is better than the pleasure of thy trust:
For he shall have what thou that time hast spent,
For the foole, thy folly to content.
 
He plays the Wise man then, and not the Foole,
That wisely for his lyving so can do:
So doth the Carpenter with his sharp toole,
Cut his own finger oft, yet lives by’t to.
He is a foole to cut his limbe say I,
But not so, with his toole to live thereby.
 
Then tis his case that makes him seeme a foole,
It is indeed, for it is antick made:
Thus men waxe wise when they do goe to schoole,
Then for our sport we thanke the Taylers trade,
And him within the case the most of all,
That seemes wise foolish, who a foole you call.
 
Meete him abrode, and he is wise, meethinkes,
In curtesie, behavior, talke or going,
Of garment: eke when he with any drinkes
Then are men wise their money so bestowing,
To learne by him one time, a foole to seeme,
And twentie times for once, in goode esteeme.
 
Say I should meete him, and not know his name,
What should I say, yonder goes such a foole?
I, fooles will say so; but the wise will aime
At better thoughts: whom reason still doth rule.
Yonder’s the merry man, it joyes me much,
To see him civill, when his part is such. (C1v–C2r)

 

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