'In

Thefe religious dramas were ufually reprefented on holy festivals in or near churches. "İn feveral of our old fcriptural plays," fays Mr. Warton, "we fee fome of the fcenes directed to be reprefented cum cantu et organis, a common rubrick in a miffal. That is, because they were performed in a church where the choir affifted. There is a curious paffage in Lambarde's Topographical Dictionary, written about the year 1570, much to our purpose, which I am therefore tempted to tranfcribe. the dayes of ceremonial religion, they used at Wytney (in Oxfordshire) to fet fourthe yearly in maner of a fhew or interlude, the refurrection of our Lord, &c. For the which purposes, and the more lyvely heareby to exhibite to the eye the hole action of the refurrection, the prieftes garnifhed out certain fmall puppettes, reprefenting the perfons of Chrift, the Watchman, Marie, and others; amongeft the which, one bore the parte of a waking watchman, who efpiinge Chrifte to arrife, made a continuall noyce, like to the found that is caufed by the metynge of two ftickes, and was therefore commonly called Jack Snacker of Wytney. The like toye I myself, beinge then a childe, once faw in Powles Church, at London, at a feaft of Whitfuntyde; wheare the comynge downe of the Holy Ghoft was fet forthe by a white pigeon, that was let to fly out of a hole that yet is to be fene in the mydft of the roofe of the great ile, and by a longe cenfer 3 which defcendinge out of the fame place

2 P. 459, edit. 1730, 4to.

3 This may serve to explain a very extraordinary passage in Stowe's Annales, p. 690, edit. 1605: “And on the morrowe hee [King Edward the Fourth] went crowned in Paul's church in London, in the honor of God and S. Paule, and there an Angell came downe, and cenfed him."

almost to the verie grounde, was fwinged up and downe at fuch a lengthe, that it reached with thone fweepe, almoft to the weft-gate of the churche, and with the other to the quyre ftaires of the fame; breathinge out over the whole churche and companie a moft pleasant perfume of fuch fwete thinges as burned therein. With the like doome-fhews they ufed everie where to furnish fondrye parts of theire church fervice, as by their fpectacles of the nativitie, paffion, and afcenfion,"4 &c.

In a preceding paffage Mr. Warton has mentioned that the finging boys of Hyde Abbey and St. Swithin's Priory at Winchefter, performed a Mystery before King Henry the Seventh in 1487; adding, that this is the only inftance he has met with of choir-boys performing in Myfteries; but it appears from the accompts of various monafteries that this was a very ancient practice, probably coeval with the earliest attempts at dramatick reprefentations. In the year 1378, the fcholars, or chorifters of Saint Paul's cathedral, prefented a petition to King Richard the Second, praying his Majefty to prohibit fome ignorant and unexperienced perfons from acting the HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, to the great prejudice of the clergy of the church, who had expended confiderable fums for a publick prefentation of that play at the enfuing Christmas. About twelve years afterwards, the Parish Clerks of London, as Stowe informs us, performed fpiritual plays at Skinner's Well for three days fucceffively, in the presence of the King, Queen, and nobles of the realm. And in 1409, the tenth year of King Henry IV. they acted at Clerken

• Warton's Hiftory of English Poetry, Vol. I. p. 240.

well for eight days fucceffively a play, which" was matter from the creation of the world," and probably concluded with the day of judgment, in the prefence of moft of the nobility and gentry of England.5

66

We are indebted to Mr. Warton for fome curious circumftances relative to thefe Miracle-plays, which appear in a roll of the Churchwardens of Baffingborne, in Cambridgeshire, which is an accompt of the expences and receptions for acting the play of SAINT GEORGE at Baffingborne, on the feaft of Saint Margaret, in the year 1511. They collected upwards of four pounds in twenty-feven neighbouring parifhes for furnishing the play. They difburfed about two pounds in the reprefentation. Thefe difbursements are to four minftrels, or waits, of Cambridge, for three days, vs. vjd. To the players, in bread and ale, iijs. ijd. To the garnement-man for garnements and propyrts, that is, for

5 Probably either the Chefter or Coventry Myfteries. "In the ignorant ages, the Parith-clerks of London might juftly be confidered as a literary fociety. It was an effential part of their profeffion not only to fing, but to read; an accomplishment almoft wholly confined to the clergy; and, on the whole, they feem to come under the character of a religious fraternity. They were incorporated into a guild or fellowship by King Henry the Third about the year 1240, under the patronage of Saint Nicholas.Their profeffion, employment, and character, naturally dictated to this fpiritual brotherhood the reprefentation of plays, efpecially thofe of the fcriptural kind: and their conftant practice in fhews, proceffions, and vocal mufick, eafily accounts for their addrefs in detaining the best company which Eng'and afforded in the fourteenth century, at a religious farce, for more than one week." Warton's Hiftory of English Poetry, Vol. II. p. 396.

"The property-room," as Mr. Warton has obferved, "is yet known at our theatres."

The following lift of the properties ufed in a Myftery formed.

dreffes, decorations, and implements, and for playbooks, xxs. To John Hobard, brotherhoode preefie, that is, a prieft of the guild in the church, for the play-book, ijs. viiid. For the crofte, or field in which the play was exhibited, js. For propyrtemaking, or furniture, js. ivd. For fish and bread, and to fetting up the ftages, ivd. For painting three fanchoms and four tormenters, words which I do not understand, but perhaps fantoms and devils - - - The reft was expended for a feast on the occafion, in which are recited Four chicken for the gentilmen, ivd.' It appears by the manufcript of the Coventry plays, that a temporary fcaffold only was erected for thefe performances."

In the ancient religious plays the Devil was very frequently introduced. He was usually reprefented with horns, a very wide mouth, (by means of a mafk,) ftaring eyes, a large nofe, a red beard, cloven feet, and a tail. His conftant attendant was the

on the ftory of Tobit in the Old Testament, which was exhibited in the Broad-gate, Lincoln, in July 1563, (6 Eliz.) appeared in The Gentleman's Magazine for June, 1787:

"Lying at Mr. Norton's house in tenure of William Smart. "First Hell-mouth, with a nether chap. Item, A prifon, with a covering. It. Sarah's chamber."

"Remaining in St. Swithin's church.

"It. A great Idol. It. A tomb with a covering. It. The cyty of Jerufalem with towers and pinacles. It. The cyty of Rages, with towers and pinacles. It. The city of Nineveh. It. The kings palace of Nineveh. It. Old Tobyes house. It. The kyngs palace at Laches. It. A firmament with a firy cloud, and a double cloud, in the cuftody of Thomas Fulbeck, Alderman."

7 Hiftory of English Poetry, Vol. III. p. 326. "Strype, under the year 1559, fays, that after a grand feast at Guildhall, the fame day was a fcaffold set up in the hall for a play." Ann. Ref. I. 197, edit. 1725.

Vice, (the buffoon of the piece,) whofe principal employment was to belabour the Devil with his wooden dagger, and to make him roar for the entertainment of the populace.8

As the Myfteries or Miracle-plays "frequently required the introduction of allegorical characters, fuch as Charity, Sin, Death, Hope, Faith, or the like, and as the common poetry of the times, efpecially among the French, began to deal much in allegory, at length plays were formed entirely confifting of fuch perfonifications. These were called MORALITIES. The Miracle-plays or MysTERIES were totally deftitute of invention and plan: they tamely reprefented ftories, according to the letter of the fcripture, or the refpective legend. But the MORALITIES indicate dawnings of the dramatick art: they contain fome rudiments of a plot, and even attempt to delineate characters, and to paint manners. From hence the gradual tranfition to real historical perfonages was natural and obvious."9

Dr. Percy, in his Account of the English Stage, has given an Analysis of two ancient Moralities, entitled Every Man, and Lufty Juventus, from which a perfect notion of this kind of drama may be obtained. Every Man was written in the reign of King Henry the Eighth, and Lufty Juventus in that

8" It was a pretty part in the old church-playes," fays Bishop Harfenet, "when the nimble Vice would ikip up nimbly like a Jack-an-apes into the Devil's necke, and ride the devil a course, and belabour him with his wooden dagger, till he made him roar, whereat the people would laugh to fee the Devil fo Vicehaunted." Harfenet's Declaration of Popish Impoftures, &c. 4to. 1603.

9 Warton's Hiftory of English Poetry, Vol. I. p. 242. Percy's Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, Vol. I. p. 128.