Honi Soit qui Mal y Pense

"Honi Soit qui Mal y Pense" as motto

This motto is derived from an Anglo-Norman maxim which apparently originally meant something like "Shame on whomsoever would think badly of it" in Old French, though at times re-interpreted to mean "Evil to him who evil thinks".[1] It is most famous for its use as the motto of the British chivalric Order of the Garter[2].

The motto was used often in the 19th century by theatre and charitable organizations and theatrical and other cultural companies. Also on occasion serving as the name of certain companies.

The theatre company Honi Soit qui Mal y Pense in Cape Town

Villet's company

The motto was first utilized in Cape Town by the first French-Dutch players in the Cape, best known as Het Fransche Liefhebbery Geselschap (or the French Amateur Company in English), founded by C.E. Villet. They clearly have the orginal meaning in mind, for the motto is given in the full phrase Consacre a la Bienfaisance, Honi Soit qui Mal y Pense (= "Dedicated to charity, Evil to him who thinks ill of it"). However the company never used the motto as the name for their company.

When C.E. Boniface became involved with the French Theatre Company in the period 1807-9, he apparently also used the motto and perhaps even used it as an informal name for the company as well.

The Multilingual company

With the collapse of the French Theatre Company and the founding of the Dutch Company Tot Nut en Vermaak , the shortened version of the motto, Honi Soit qui Mal y Pense, formally became the name of the bilingual company in 1814, when it was first used in the advertisment for the Boniface's ballet Sappho. (First official performance July 4, 1815. The ballet was a mixture of dialogue, song and dance; music by Lemmig; choreography by Peterson.) It was an extremely disciplined and influential multilingual French-Dutch-English company, which performed in Dutch, French, English, or a combination thereof. It was nevertheless overshadowed by Tot Nut en Vermaak, especially during 1817-18. In 1819 it became part of Men Doet Wat Men Kan.

Boniface's company

In 1823 they performed as "Honi Soit qui Mal y Pense" again, now with C.E. Boniface as formal manager. Also later referred to as Het Zuid-Afrikaansche Tooneel Gezelschap or The South African Amateurs in most adverts. "Honi" became Door Yver Bloeit de Kunst in 1833 and eventually Vlyt en Kunst in 1834-1837. All in all had an enormous impact on the development of Boniface's art and on the Afrikaans theatre in particular.

The company members

According to W.G. Groom (quoted by F.C.L. Bosman, 1928, p 372) the key members of the company - besides C.E. Boniface himself - included Jannie Overbeek, Michael Wolff, Jan Smalberg, P. Auret, L.P. Biel, G. Martin, Miss Roselt, Miss de Necker, possibly L.H. Meurant. From handbills can be added the names of B. van de Sandt, D. Disant, H. Roselt, W. Brandt, F. Waldek, De la Sablonière, A. de Waal, W. Burnet, R.S. Allemann, De la Colline, J. Terhoven, A. de Kock, J. de Kock, K. de Kock, J. Herholdt, C. Brink, Mr Munnik, J.J. Piton, and Miss L.E. Meurant. In addition there were many dancers who performed for his company.

Productions

De Burger Edelman on 28 May 1825

De Vrouw met Twee Mannen (Pixérecourt) and The Liar (Foote) on 15 October 1825.

Celina, of Het Kind des Geheims (Pixérécourt) and De Dolzinnige, of De Gewaande Dolleman (Boniface) on 6 October 1823.

The theatre company Honi Soit qui Mal y Pense in Grahamstown

Graham’s Town Theatrical Amateur Society [sic], which used the same motto from 1837-1839.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honi_soit_qui_mal_y_pense

F.C.L. Bosman, 1928[3]

F.C.L. Bosman, 1980

Jill Fletcher, 1994;

P.W. Laidler, 1926;

P.J. du Toit, 1988

[TH, JH]

Go to the ESAT Bibliography

Return to

Return to South African Theatre Venues, Companies, Societies, etc

Return to The ESAT Entries

Return to Main Page