ABSTRACT
Two words that were in common use at this time were ‘pleg’ (play) and ‘gomen’ (game). Derived from them were the words ‘player’ and ‘gamester’ describing the active participants in these activities, whether employed in an athletic or a mimetic context. Likewise, in literate monastic and clerical establishments, three Latin words that had survived from Roman times—mimes, lusores and histriones—continued to be used to describe these same participants in plays and games, whether athletic or mimetic. These words, however, could commonly be extended in their use to embrace musicians, both instrumentalists and singers; so when the authors encounter either of these words used to cover payments to performers in monastic or civic account books and other documents, they need to be on our guard when attempting to decide which kind of performer was intended by the scribe.
