ABSTRACT
Although Skelton's interlude does not refer directly to Flemish immigrants, it is nevertheless worth examining because it contains elements common to the interludes, particularly Wealth and Health. He bases his conjecture largely upon thematic and structural parallels, but he also draws attention to an intriguing line that he claims has no discernible relevance to the rest of the play: "It was a Flemynge hyght Hansy". The interludes examined in this chapter constitute all of the dramatic representations of the Flemish immigrant community through 1581, although one other work merits consideration, even though it was probably never acted. In this sense Gascoigne's play has more in common with the other interludes surveyed that seemed on the surface, for a disdain of Flemish avarice unites them. After the popularity of the interlude waned, these anxieties continued to find a voice in Elizabethan tragedy and especially comedy, where the "Flemynge hyght Hansy" was to remain the standard representation of the Flemish immigrant community.
