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[theannotateddean]

“We probably look like Dwarves to the dragons,” said Patrick. “We don’t look anything like them!” said Laura. She watched Patrick decide to bypass the chance for an insult. He said patiently, “Dwarves and people look more like one another than like dragons; just like a mouse and a hamster look a lot alike to you.” “I can tell a mouse from a hamster!” “Can you tell a hawk from a handsaw?” said Ellen, but both of them ignored her. “That’s because you’ve had a scientific upbringing,” said Patrick. “I have not! I just looked at them.” “Observation, that’s the scientific method.” “Observation means looking?” “Yes.” “Okay, that’s how I said the dragons could tell us from the Dwarves!”

Chapter 10, The Hidden Land

Ellen is referencing Hamlet, Act II Scene 2, addressing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern:

Hamlet. Gentlemen, you are welcome to Elsinore. Your hands, come! Th' appurtenance of welcome is fashion and ceremony. Let me comply with you in this garb, lest my extent to the players (which I tell you must show fairly outwards) should more appear like entertainment than yours. You are welcome. But my uncle-father and aunt-mother are deceiv'd.

Guildenstern. In what, my dear lord?

Hamlet. I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw.

[theannotateddean]

“Maybe I was wrong,” [Ellen] said in Laura’s ear. “Maybe he is sorry.” Then Laura understood. No witchcraft charm thee, and Randolph had killed the King with a magical poison. The King sat in Dumferling town, drinking of the blood-red wine. And Randolph had put the poison in the wine. “What will they think?” she whispered back. The song’s the thing, she thought wildly, wherein we’ll catch the conscience of the counselor. “Just that he misses the King and doesn’t want to be reminded of what happened,” said Ellen, serenely confident as always. “Well, he’d better watch out.”

Chapter 10, The Hidden Land

A play on the famous line from Hamlet, Act II Scene 2, where Hamlet explains his plan to have the new King and Queen watch a play about similar treachery and scrutinize their reactions for signs of guilt:

Hamlet. Fie upon't! foh! About, my brain! Hum, I have heard That guilty creatures, sitting at a play, Have by the very cunning of the scene Been struck so to the soul that presently They have proclaim'd their malefactions; For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak With most miraculous organ, I'll have these Players Play something like the murder of my father Before mine uncle. I'll observe his looks; I'll tent him to the quick. If he but blench, I know my course. The spirit that I have seen May be a devil; and the devil hath power T' assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps Out of my weakness and my melancholy, As he is very potent with such spirits, Abuses me to damn me. I'll have grounds More relative than this. The play's the thing Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King.

[theannotateddean]

“Patrick Spens,” said Matthew, quickly, and they began it. Laura knew this one, and was pleased. It did unsettle her, a little, to hear a Scottish song in the Secret Country. She smiled at Ted, but he was still staring at Randolph. The King sits in Dumferling toune, Drinking of the bluid-red wine, Oh, where shall I find a steely skipper To sail this gallant— The music of the recorder wavered, squawked, and fell silent. Matthew was silent also. “I cry you mercy,” he said after a moment. “No, I cry you,” said Randolph. His voice was steady. “My skill is someways rusty. Fence?”

Chapter 10, The Hidden Land

Matthew and Randolph have begun singing the traditional ballad Sir Patrick Spens; Randolph falters after the first few lines, which reference a king drinking wine – as Ellen and Laura note later, this likely strikes a pang of guilt in Randolph; he poisoned King William’s wine.

There are many variants of Sir Patrick Spens; Dean appears to be referencing the lyrics specifically used by Fairport Convention:

The King sits in Dunfirmline town, Drinking of the blood-red wine "Where can I get a steely skipper To sail this might boat of mine?" Then up there spoke a bonny boy, Sitting at the King's right knee "Sir Patrick Spens is the very best seaman That ever sailed upon the sea" The King has written a broad letter And sealed it up with his own right hand Sending word unto Sir Patrick to come to him at his command "An enemy then this must be Who told the lie concerning me For I was never a very good seaman, Nor ever do intend to be" "Last night I saw the new moon clear With the new moon in her hair And that is a sign since we were born That means there'll be a deadly storm" They had not sailed upon the deep a day, A day but barely free When loud and boisterous blew the winds And loud and noisy blew the sea Then up there came a mermaiden, A comb and glass all in her hand "Here's to you my merry young men for you'll not see dry land again" "Long may my lady stand Qith a lantern in her hand Before she sees my bonny ship Come sailing homeward to dry land" Forty miles off Aberdeen, The waters fifty fathoms deep There lies good Sir Patrick Spens With the Scots lords at his feet

[theannotateddean]

The song’s tune was sprightly; its words otherwise: “Fear no more the heat o’ the sun, Nor the furious winter’s rages; Thou thy worldly task hath done, Home art gone and ta’en thy wages. […] Fear no more the frown o’ the great; Thou art past the tyrant’s stroke; Care no more to clothe or eat; To thee the reed is as the oak: The scepter, learning, physic, must All follow thee, and come to dust.” […] Matthew sang, “Fear no more the lightning-flash,” but Laura only half-heard him. […] Randolph was singing now, in a voice lighter than Matthew’s, and one that sounded somehow less trained, but was very clear. “Not the all-dreaded thunder-stone.” “Fear not slander,” said Matthew, “censure rash.” “Thou has finished joy and moan.” Randolph’s voice faltered a very little; perhaps he had been out of breath from his playing. Laura looked at Ted again. He was staring at Randolph as if he expected him to begin doing cartwheels. The next lines Matthew and Randolph sang together, as Laura’s mother and father did, as though they were used to it: All lovers young, all lovers must Consign to thee, and come to dust. Laura wondered where Ruth was; Ruth, whose lover Randolph was supposed to be, except that Randolph had seemed to prefer Claudia. Then Matthew, “No exorcisor harm thee.” And Randolph, “Nor no witchcraft charm thee,” and his voice cracked on the word “witchcraft” and barely recovered for the end of the line. Matthew, his face anxious, went on, “Ghost unlaid forbear thee,” and Fence’s voice rose and mingled with his. “For the love of heaven, Matthew, something cheerier.”

Chapter 10, The Hidden Land

Matthew and Randolph are singing a song sung by Guiderius and Arviragus in Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, Act IV Scene 2:

[SONG]

Guiderius. Fear no more the heat o' the sun, Nor the furious winter's rages; Thou thy worldly task hast done, Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages: Golden lads and girls all must, As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.

Arviragus. Fear no more the frown o' the great; Thou art past the tyrant's stroke; Care no more to clothe and eat; To thee the reed is as the oak: The sceptre, learning, physic, must All follow this, and come to dust.

Guiderius. Fear no more the lightning flash,

Arviragus. Nor the all-dreaded thunder-stone;

Guiderius. Fear not slander, censure rash;

Arviragus. Thou hast finish'd joy and moan:

Guiderius. [with Arviragus] All lovers young, all lovers must Consign to thee, and come to dust.

Guiderius. No exorciser harm thee!

Arviragus. Nor no witchcraft charm thee!

Guiderius. Ghost unlaid forbear thee!

Arviragus. Nothing ill come near thee!

Guiderius. [with Arviragus] Quiet consummation have; And renowned be thy grave!

The song is one of mourning and is sung while waiting for the dead body of Cloten to be brought forth and set to rest. As Fence points out, it is not a particularly cheery song to start with, and as Laura and Ellen note later, the lyrics have an eerie second meaning when sung by Randolph, who poisoned his liege lord with a bespelled poison.

[theannotateddean]

Someone somewhere blew a trumpet, and everybody looked at Ted. No doubt he was to lead them to wherever the play would be performed. All my imperfections on my head, he thought wildly.

Chapter 8, The Hidden Land

Ted is quoting the ghost of Hamlet’s father, Act I Scene V. This seems to be a case of an internal echo of word choice alone; there are no real similarities in circumstance:

Thus was I, sleeping, by a brother's hand Of life, of crown, of queen, at once dispatch'd: Cut off even in the blossoms of my sin, Unhousel'd, disappointed, unanel'd, No reckoning made, but sent to my account With all my imperfections on my head: O, horrible! O, horrible! most horrible!

[theannotateddean]

Laura came with her, hugging her elbows. Mother, mother, make my bed/Make for me a winding sheet/Wrap me up in a cloak of gold/See if I can sleep. They didn’t play that when they thought she could hear it, and they didn’t sing it at all. But she had heard. Patrick tagged along with them. They sat in the dry brown grass a few feet from the Well, and examined it. “Still looks wrong,” said Ellen. “I can’t get over that pink.” Laura looked up the hill she had rolled down, and then squinted sideways at the house. In case they were not going home, she had better see just what Claudia was up to. She set him in a golden chair/She gave him sugar sweet. Laura stared at the mullioned windows, the odd sprouting round towers with their drapes of ivy, the red-tile roof going in humps like somebody’s drawing of the ocean, until her eyes watered. But she saw nothing except what was there. She laid him on a dressing-board / And stabbed him like a sheep.

Chapter 9, The Hidden Land

Dean is very specifically quoting the lyrics of Steeleye Span’s version of the ballad, which does not quite match verbatim any of the versions compiled by Child under Child 155 but keeps the same story and uses various phrasings from different versions throughout the lyrics. The most notable change in Steeleye Span’s version is the removal of the blood libel endemic to most versions of the ballad; in this version, little Sir Hugh’s murderer is only described as a lady dressed in green and no references to Judaism are made whatsoever:

Mother mother make my bed Make for me a winding sheet Wrap me up in a cloak of gold See if I can sleep Four and twenty bonny bonny boys playing at the hall Along came little Sir Hugh, he played with them all He kicked the ball very high, he kicked the ball so low, He kicked it over a castle wall where no one dared to go Out came a lady gay, she was dressed in green "Come in, come in little Sir Hugh, fetch your ball again" "I won't come in, I can't come in without my play mates all For if I should I know you would cause my blood to fall" She took him by the milk white hand, led him to the hall Till they came to a stone chamber where no one could hear him call She sat him on a golden chair, she gave him sugar sweet She lay him on a dressing board and stabbed him like a sheep Out came the thick thick blood, out came the thin Out came the bonny heart's blood till there was none within She threw him in the old draw well fifty fathoms deep

See the Sacred Texts page to compare all Child 155 variants.

See Sir Hugh or the Jew’s Daughter / Little Sir Hugh / The Jews’s Garden for more info on contemporary recordings and some analysis of the song itself, including multiple excerpts of commentary on the blood libel.

[theannotateddean]

“Well,” he said again, “it could be a multiple of the number going up.” “It could go down forever,” said Laura. “Sounds just like something Fence would do,” said Patrick sourly. He started down the steps again. “Look,” he said, when Laura stayed where she was. “Just two hundred and eight more, okay? Except, hell, in magic things go in threes.” “I am not,” said Laura, “going down two times two hundred and eight more steps.”

Chapter 7, The Hidden Land

Here, Patrick is referring to the tendency of fairytales and western folklore to place especial emphasis on the number three. (They also place especial emphasis on the number seven, but thankfully for the legs of all concerned, that was not the case here.)

[theannotateddean]

“Green Caves sorcerers don’t go to war,” said Ruth slowly. She looked suddenly frightened. “So why did Lady Ruth go?” Ted asked her. Ellen snickered. “Probably because she’s in love with Edward. You dress in men’s array, Ruthie, and quickly heal his wounds.” “And you and Laurie can dress in men’s array and carry the bandages,” said Ruth, absently; she still seemed worried.

Chapter 5, The Hidden Land

This is an indirect reference to a traditional ballad sometimes titled Jack Monroe (Roud 268, Laws N7, c. 1818) – Dean is most likely referencing the version recorded by Steeleye Span, based purely on the specific turns of phrases quoted by Ellen and her other references to Steeleye Span renditions of traditional ballads.

In this quote, Ellen is very deliberately paralleling the language used in stanzas 4 and 9.

There was a wealthy merchant, in London he did dwell. He had a beautiful daughter, the truth to you I’ll tell. She had sweethearts a-plenty and men of high degree But none but Jack the sailor her true love ere could be. Jack he’s gone a-sailing with trouble on his mind He’s left his king and his country and his darling girl behind. She went down to a tailor’s shop and dressed in men’s array She’s signed a bill of passage to convey herself away. Before you get on board, Sir, your name we’d like to know. She smiled all in her countenance, they call me Jack-A-Roe. I see your waist is slender, your fingers they are small. Cheeks too red and rosy to face the cannonball. I know my waist is slender, my fingers they are small, But it would not make me tremble to see ten thousands fall. The war soon being over she went and looked around, Among the dead and wounded her darling boy she found. She picked him up all in her arms and carried him to the town, She sent for a physician who quickly healed his wounds. This couple they got married, so well they did agree; This couple they got married so why not you and me?

The ballad itself tells the story of a young woman who crossdresses and follows her forbidden lover to war, saving him from his wounds. The parallel is apt for the characters / actual Lady Ruth and Prince Edward, who are ostensibly pining for each other in a forbidden manner.

See Jackie Munro / The Wars of Germany / There Was a Wealthy Merchant for more information on the ballad itself and its variants.

[theannotateddean]

“Whoever heard of a feast after a funeral?” demanded Ellen, her head in their wardrobe. “Funeral baked meats,” said Laura, foggily.

Chapter 5, The Hidden Land

Laura is quoting Hamlet, Act I Scene ii, when Hamlet speaks scornfully to Horatio about how soon his mother’s remarriage followed his father’s death, noting that the same meat pies served after the funeral were served again at the wedding:

HORATIO My lord, I came to see your father's funeral. HAMLET I pray thee, do not mock me, fellow-student; I think it was to see my mother's wedding. HORATIO Indeed, my lord, it follow'd hard upon. HAMLET Thrift, thrift, Horatio! the funeral baked meats Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables. Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven Or ever I had seen that day, Horatio!

Note that funeral baked meats in of themselves are not necessarily a Shakespeare reference, as they were simply a way of describing a dish served following funerals, but Laura herself would have likely only known the term from reading Hamlet.

[theannotateddean]

“The bright day is done,” said Benjamin, as if Fence were personally responsible, “and we are for the dark.” “See to thy torches, then,” said Fence. Benjamin seemed a little taken aback; then, shocking Ted, he laughed. “Aye,” he said. “Fire is the test of gold.”

Chapter 4, The Hidden Land

Here, Benjamin is quoting the first part of a (translated) well-known saying by Seneca:

Latin: Ignis aurum probat, miseria fortes viros. Translation: Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of brave men.

This is clearly meant to reference the second half of the saying and give them all encouragement, while still playing off of Fence's original play on words.

[theannotateddean]

“The bright day is done,” said Benjamin, as if Fence were personally responsible, “and we are for the dark.”

Chapter 4, The Hidden Land

This is a verbatim echo of Iras to Cleopatra in Shakespeare's Anthony and Cleopatra, Act V Scene ii:

CLEOPATRA. He words me, girls, he words me, that I should not Be noble to myself: but, hark thee, Charmian. [Whispers CHARMIAN] IRAS. Finish, good lady; the bright day is done, And we are for the dark. CLEOPATRA. Hie thee again: I have spoke already, and it is provided; Go put it to the haste. CHARMIAN. Madam, I will.

[theannotateddean]

“Well,” said Fence. “Confusion now hath made his masterpiece. Say you still that Randolph’s hand is in this?” “I don’t see how he could have done it, Fence,” said Ted, truthfully enough. “I was watching him every minute.”

Chapter 4, The Hidden Land

Fence here echoes Macduff utterly verbatim and in similar circumstances, Macbeth Act II, Scene iii:

MACDUFF     O horror, horror, horror! Tongue nor heart     Cannot conceive nor name thee! MACBETH LENNOX     What's the matter. MACDUFF     Confusion now hath made his masterpiece!     Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope     The Lord's anointed temple, and stole thence     The life o' the building!

Macduff is telling Macbeth that the king has been killed, killer unknown. Fence has just listened to enough details of the king's death to see that there is no clear culprit and the killer remains unknown. Both are essentially declaring it a mystery.

[theannotateddean]

“[Randolph is ill], too?” [Fence] asked Matthew. “He says not,” said Matthew; “he says ‘tis but some gaingiving as might perhaps trouble a woman.” Ted thought that the women at the door had no gaingivings troubling them. Then he thought that Randolph must know that, too. Some such gaingiving, he thought, as might perhaps trouble a woman who has poisoned the King. Or anybody with any sense.

Chapter 4, The Hidden Land

Nearly a verbatim echo of Hamlet to Horatio, Act V Scene ii:

HAMLET It is but foolery; but it is such a kind of gain-giving, as would perhaps trouble a woman. HORATIO If your mind dislike any thing, obey it: I will forestall their repair hither, and say you are not fit.

[theannotateddean]

“Thou cream-faced loon!” exclaimed Claudia [as Ted vomited]. “Where gotst thou that goose-look?”

Chapter 3, The Hidden Land

An insult used in Macbeth to berate a servant, Act V Scene 3:

The devil damn thee black, thou cream-faced loon!  Where got'st thou that goose look?

[theannotateddean]

How did the lines go, from which the game’s version of this even had derived its inspiration? So mortal, that but dip a knife in it, where it draws blood, no cataplasm so rare can sve the thing from death that is but scratched withal.

Chapter 3, The Hidden Land

Nearly verbatim quote of the poison’s description in Hamlet Act IV, Scene vii – Ted has forgotten a piece in the middle.

LAERTES I will do't: And, for that purpose, I'll anoint my sword. I bought an unction of a mountebank, So mortal that, but dip a knife in it, Where it draws blood no cataplasm so rare, Collected from all simples that have virtue Under the moon, can save the thing from death That is but scratch'd withal: I'll touch my point With this contagion, that, if I gall him slightly, It may be death.

[theannotateddean]

Of course, it might already be too late. Had Randolph poisoned the cloth with which Conrad was polishing glasses? No, that was silly, that would get everyone. How in the world did it go in the story: how did Randolph administer the poison? In the wine, yes. But in what form was it: a liquid, a pill? Had they followed Hamlet and made the poison a pearl?

Chapter 3, The Hidden Land

Direct reference to Hamlet, Act V Scene ii, in which Hamlet's uncle attempts to poison Hamlet by dropping a pearl in the cup of wine intended for him:

KING CLAUDIUS Stay; give me drink. Hamlet, this pearl is thine; Here's to thy health. Trumpets sound, and cannon shot off within Give him the cup.

[theannotateddean]

“Is the truth an insult?” Randolph turned red again, and in his voice the gentleness was replaced by nothing in particular. “On occasion,” he said. “It is also, perhaps, ill-mannered to speak of things that speaking can but worsen.” “How if I think it can better them?” Randolph made a wry face. “Speak, then. I am bound to hear.” Ted, wondering uneasily what ritual he had invoked, said, “What is the King’s mind now, regarding the Dragon King?”

Chapter 1, The Hidden Land

This is an almost verbatim echo of Hamlet's response to the ghost of his father exhorting him to listen to his tale, Act I Scene v:

HAMLET Alas, poor ghost! Ghost Pity me not, but lend thy serious hearing To what I shall unfold. HAMLET Speak; I am bound to hear.