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Paying Compliments, or "Gi’e Us a Bus, Coz"
Author: Jenny Thompson Orders of the day, Volume 31, Issue 6, Dec/Nov 1999
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At the Army Council this year I was asked to give a brief talk about ‘paying compliments’, and was then asked to provide a written version for “Orders”. Many members are already doing most of this, so bear with me if you are one of those people, but a few simple things will help improve our appearance greatly. Social status of the seventeenth century demanded that respect should be obviously shown to one’s ‘betters’ and rules were followed which gave continuous reinforcement to this system. It is not necessary to follow all of them slavishly in the Knot, certainly not on the battlefield, although there are opportunities in the crowdlines and the authentic campsite for more in-depth performances. If you wish to go a bit further than I am suggesting here, a list of reading is attached. Paying compliments is extremely relevant to the portrayal of Civil War battles. In the seventeenth century your status was judged very much by appearance and quality of clothing, and even if officers may have been on campaign for several weeks they would still have good quality clothing, though its condition may have been affected by conditions and lack of facilities. Wherever possible officers would have been billeted under some form of cover, though it certainly varied considerably in comfort and quality. All officers should therefore be noticeably genteel, albeit ‘shabby genteel’ as circumstances demand. Comments are made in letters of the period about the importance of appearance, and derogatory comments about those who did not come up to scratch. Oliver Cromwell was the butt of jokes as his linen was none too clean and his clothing often greasy and dirty. The message here is - if they are dressed well, pay compliments to them. These comments and those following, unless stated otherwise, are addressed to those who are or portray men. The simplest way of paying compliments is to bow from the waist, inclining the head and sweeping the hat in an arc with the right hand. During the period of the Civil Wars most gentlemen would have been horrified to show the inside of the hat to another while bowing, or to have it done to them, though by the Restoration this was changing and by the end of the century showing the inside was expected. Compliments of this kind should be paid to anyone encountered who could be, or is known to be of a higher status. Personal space tends to vary with historical period and was quite large in Stuart times, so stand a little further away to bow than your modern mind might indicate. No gentleman or lady would look into the eyes of a superior until it had been indicated by that superior that this was desirable. This indication could be verbal (“What is your business with me?”) or physical (a beckoning hand). Touching a superior is, of course, frowned upon. When meeting an equal who is not a close friend, bow in the same way but not as low, and do not avert your eyes or wait for a signal to begin your conversation or message. Upon meeting a close friend, bow as to an equal and then embrace, holding each other by the shoulders. Close friends would also kiss as in the upper-class ‘airkiss’, still seen at society gatherings. Such a kiss was called a ‘bus’ - a corruption of the Spanish. (Why not try this, gentlemen, and show that your modern prejudices do not interfere with authenticity!) Soldiers, lower civilians and respectable beggars should always acknowledge those of a higher status by bowing and keeping their heads down until the superior is a reasonable distance away. Should the superior be passing by either on horseback or on foot, the inferior should stop until the superior has passed. Obviously these things are not necessarily either possible or advisable while actually fighting or preparing to close with the enemy in the next few moments! Those of dubious professions, both male and female, should not approach gentry except in exceptional circumstances - and never royalty. Those of a higher status should always acknowledge those of lesser degree with at least a slight nod and a look in their direction. Remember always the lesson that our forefathers had drummed into them from birth: rank may have its privileges, but more important are its duties. A seventeenth century gentleman tended to think of himself as being in the position of a father of a large family as far as those who relied upon him for their livelihood were concerned, and it was as dishonourable to let them down as it was unforgivable of them to let him down. This does not imply that he was unaware of the difficulties of their lives or had a special sympathy with them. He believed, as they did, that God had ordered each one of us to the status that suited His plan. Royalty should always be attended and guarded, and compliments should be paid to them by everyone. No-one should catch the King’s eye but the Queen and royal children unless requested to do so, and, of course no touching. On those occasions when ‘ladies’ are present, gentlemen should bow to them, kissing their own fingertips and waving the kiss at the lady or ladies. Royalty and the clergy should not kiss their fingers in this way as it would have been considered undignified. Women and ladies, when meeting females or males of equal status, should incline their heads but should acknowledge a bow with a shallow curtsey, inclining their heads and looking through their eyelashes. Royalty should receive a curtsey every time they look towards the woman and women should always bob a brief curtsey whenever an officer or woman of superior rank passes. The higher the social status the more formal the manners should appear. The lower classes can relax a lot more with each other. Intermixing between social levels should always bring a certain distance and formality. The use of the words ‘higher’, ‘superior’, ‘lower’ or ‘inferior’ is purely descriptive in period terms and no-one should suppose that I mean to imply, by my use of them, that some members are superior or inferior in themselves. Social status is a complicated thing and my comments are generalisations. The past is, as Mr Hartley wrote, a foreign country and they do things differently there. By taking some basic behavioural traits and adding them to our already considerable repertoire we can only improve our performance to everyone’s benefit. May I thank those of you who already work along these lines and I hope to encourage others to try. Bibliography
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