[SCA-Dance] Interpreting the last chorus of "Cuckolds All A Row"

[Tim McDaniel]

On Mon, 19 Mar 2012, Aaron Macks <upelluri at gmail.com> wrote:
> Related reconstruction question: Do you do the first verse as a do-si-do
> or a gypsy?

Playford has, for the first chorus,

Turne back to back to the Co. We. faces againe, goe about the
Co. We. not turning your faces _._  Turne back to back to your owne,
faces againe, goe about your owne not turning faces _:_

Terp has that as do-si-do your contrary, gypsy your contrary, do-si-do
your partner, gypsy your partner.

Thinking about it now, I can see only two other interpretations:

(1) turn single halfway so you're back to back, then finish the turn
and gypsy.  But then why not describe this as just turning single?
And how does that occupy the 8 beats available?

(2) a gypsy addorsed, to use heraldic terms: gypsying with backs
facing.  Then gypsy as normal.  But then why use different terms to
describe both -- why "turne" for the first, "goe about" for the
second?

So neither seems likely or satisfying to me.  I still agree with Terp:
do-si-do and then gypsy, twice.

Lovelace is of little help, as he has something different:

then each
man shall goe round about his
owne woeman, then the last parte
of the tune is to be playd againe,
after that he hath gone round about
his owne woman, first, and
then about the woman, that is
opposite against him, and then hee
shall goe round the woeman that
was opposite to him first, and
his own last;

which looks to me like Pattricke is calling for four do-si-dos.
(What's with that "then the last parte of the tune is to be playd
againe" only one-fourth of the way thru?)

Danielis Lincolia
-- 
Tim McDaniel, tmcd at panix.com