In 1399, after John of Gaunt died, the king disinherited Gaunt’s son, Henry of Bolingbroke, who had previously been exiled. Henry invaded England in June 1399 with a small force that quickly grew in numbers. Claiming initially that his goal was only to reclaim his patrimony, it soon became clear that he intended to claim the throne for himself.

“My gracious lord, I come but for mine own.”
Henry Bolingbroke, The Tragedy of King Richard II, Shakespeare, 1597, Act 3, Scene 3

“He asketh nought but that is His.”
Christmas Carol: Now May We Singen as it Is, Trinity Roll, 1420

 The Trinity Roll is a collection of carols including “Deo Gracias Anglia”, the Agincourt Carol. It is a scroll of parchment housed in Trinity College, Cambridge (Manuscript O.3.58).  It was written about 1420, the year that King Henry concluded the Treaty of Troyes and became regent and heir apparent to the French throne, and then married Catherine of Valois.

 “Deo Gracias Anglia” is obviously written to praise the King. Was “Now May We Singen as it Is” also written to praise the King’s father Henry IV by making a comparison to Christ? The carol begins:

This babe to us that now is born,
Wonderful works He hath ywrought,
He would not lose what was forlorn,
But boldly again it bought;
And thus it is,
For sooth I wis,
He asketh nought but that is His.

 And later:

His ransom for us hath ypaid.
Good reason have we to be His.

 So, the carol says directly that Christ ransomed us so we should serve him. Since He has already paid the price, “He asketh nought but that is His.”

 The story of Henry Bolingbroke coming for what already belonged to him was well enough known 200 years later that it was included in the play. Wouldn’t it have been known 20 years later? Was this such a common phrase and concept that two similar references in 20 years is unsurprising, or is the lyricist intentionally echoing the famous story about the King’s father?

I don’t think we have enough information to prove it either way, but it is interesting.

Cultural Literacy is the common language used within a culture to express ideas without explaining in detail. It reflects the shared experiences and stories of the culture. For example, people in the SCA know that “call the blow” means to acknowledge your mistake, but others would not understand it. If you talk about “crying wolf”, “Cupid’s arrow”, “the road to Jericho”, or “met his Waterloo” most Americans will understand. Cultural literacy helps to define a group, and brings its members closer together. As we try to understand a culture that existed centuries before we were born, it would be helpful to know what its cultural literacy was.

Elizabethans knew Greek mythology and medieval stories like King Arthur or Robin Hood. The second most popular book, after the Bible, was “Acts and Monuments of Martyrs” which is more commonly knows as Fox’s book of Martyrs. This detailed the deaths of famous and recent martyrs, especially protestant reformers.

Perhaps the most famous renaissance book is “The Book of the Courtier” by Baldesar Castiglione. He describes discussions at the court of Urbino about the ideal courtier. It was published in 1528 and translated into English by 1561. It was widely read in the renaissance throughout Europe, and was considered to be the definition of courtly behavior.

Another popular book on etiquette was “Galateo” by Giovanni Della Casa. It was published in 1558 and translated to English in 1576. It has long been out of print. In the Renaissance if someone was rude it was said that he “did not know his Galateo”. Like quoting Miss Manners, people would make their point by saying, “Monsignor Della Casa says …”.

Other Elizabethan books that describe popular culture are Benjamin Harrison’s “Description of England” and Stowe’s “A Survey of London”. These describe occupations, neighborhoods, diet, clothing, and a wealth of other useful details. Phillip Stubbes’ “Anatomy of Abuses” is a complaint about the extravagant lifestyles of Elizabethan courtiers. He explains in great detail what they do and what he doesn’t like about it.

Sometimes modern books about the time can give the modern reader a better understanding of the culture than period sources. A good one is “Daily Life in Elizabethan England” by Jeffrey Singman. Singman was one of the founders of the “Trayn’d Bands”, another living history group.

The best book for understanding Elizabethan ideas is “The Elizabethan World Picture” by E. M. W. Tillyard. He describes the medieval and renaissance concepts of order, and discusses the differences. This short book will help you understand many of the concepts, jokes, and sayings of period authors. It is often used as a college textbook, so you can sometimes find it used in college bookstores.

If you read the stories, plays, sermons, and advice books of a culture, you can understand it and portray it better.