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satisfied with the things of this world-it cannot be divested of a natural" longing after immortality"-it feels an alliance with something beyond and above the earth. The effect even of the insipid Mysteries on the general mind must have been great, considering the tremendous impulse which was communicated to it when the word of God itself was laid open to the public in all its simplicity and solemnity. The Mysteries indeed were sufficiently accurate as to facts. As an exemplification of this, we shall make a short extract from one among the very old MS. collection of Mysteries before mentioned. It is called the Draper's Play, and the subject of it is the Creation.

"Then God doth make the woman of the ribb of Adam, then Adam wakinge speaketh unto God as followeth :

Adam. O Lorde, where have I longe bene,

For, since I slepte, moch have I seene;

Wonnder that withouten weene

Hereafter shal be wiste.

Deus. Rise up, Adam, and awake,

Here have I formed thee a make,

Her to thee thou shalt take,
And name her as thy [liste.]

Adam risinge up, saithe :

Adam. I see well, Lorde, through thy grace,

Bone of my bone thou her mase,

And fleshe of my fleshe she hase,
And my shape through thy lawe,

Wherefore she shal be called I wysse

Virago, nothinge amisse,

For out of man taken she is,

And to man she shall drawe.
Of earth thou madest first me,

Bouth bone and fleshe now I see,

Thou hast her given thorough thy postye
Of that life I in me had.

Therefore, man kindely shall forsake

Father and mother, and to wife betake;

Too in one flesh, as thou tane make

Eyther other for to gladd.

Then Adam and Eve shall stande naked, and shall not be ashamed; then the Serpent shall come up out of a hole, and the Devill walking shall saye," &c. &c.

"Then Adam and Eve shall cover themselves with leaves, hydinge themselves under the trees-then God shall speake to Adam, sayinge -(mynstrells playinge.)

Deus. Adam, Adam, where art thou?

Adam. O Lord, I harde thy voice nowe,
For I ame naked and make a vowe,

Therefore nowe I hyde me.

Deus. Who told thee, Adam, thou naked was?

Save only thine owne trespass,

That of the tree thou eaten hast

That I forbade thee.

Adam. Lord, this woman that is heare,

That thou gave to my fere,

Gave me parte at her prayer,
And of

yt I did eate."-&c. &c.

"Adam. (Mynstrells playinge.)
Highe God and highest Kinge
That of naught made all thynge,
Beaste, foule, and grasse growinge,
And me of earth made.

Thou gave me grace to do thy willinge,
For after greate sorrowe and sighinge,
Thou hast me lent greate lykinge,

Two sonnes my harte to gladd."—&c. &c.

The above stage-directions certainly contain a singular display of primitive simplicity-it appears from this extract, that the representation itself was accompanied with music.

The Mystery of Candlemas Day, or the killing of the children of Israel, was written by Jhan Pafre in 1512; and is printed, in Mr. Hawkins's book, from an old MS. This Mystery does not, by any means, literally pursue the account given in the New Testament, like some of the Mysteries on the Old Testament. The prologue is spoken by the poet (poeta) as the worthy Jhan Pafre styles himself-the facts represented are the flight of Joseph and Mary into Egypt; during which, Herod's knights are directed to walk about the stage-the slaughter of the Innocents and the death of Herod-the return of the Virgin and Son, and the presentation in the temple.

The Nunc dimittis is twice sung in the temple; and the play concludes with music and a dance. The author has attempted, and not unsuccessfully, to communicate a degree of elevation to the speech of Herod, with which the piece opens.

"Herodes. Above all kynges under the clowdys cristall,
Royally I reigne in welthe without woo,
Of plesaunt prosperytie I lakke non at all;
Fortune I fynde, that she is not my foo,
I am kyng Herowd, I will it be knowen so,

Most strong and myghty in feld for to fyght,
And to venquyshe my enemyes that ageynst me do;
I am most be dred with my bronde bryght.

My grett goddes I gloryfye with gladnesse,
And to honoure them I knele upon my knee;
For thei have sett me in solas for all sadnesse,
That no conqueroure nor knyght is compared to me;
All the that rebelle ageyns me ther bane I will be,
Or grudge ageyns my godds on hyll or hethe;
All suche rebellers I shall make for to flee,

And with hard punyshements putt them to dethe."

It is worthy of remark, that a sort of fool or buffoon is introduced, under the name of Watkyn, the King's Messenger.

The following is a specimen of the speeches put into the mouth of this personage. He has obtained Herod's permission to accompany the knights appointed to slay the children.

"Watkyn. Nay, nay, my lord, we wyll let for no man,
Though ther come a thousand on a rought;

For your knyghts and I, will kylle them all, if we can:
But for the wyves that is all my dought,
And if I see ony walkyng a bought,
I will take good hede tyll the be goon,
And assone as I aspye that she is out,
By my feith, into the hous I will
go anon.

And this I promyse you, that I shall never slepe,
But evermore wayte to fynde the children alone;

And if the moder come in, under the bench I will crepe,

And lye stille ther tyll she be goon,

Than manly I shall come out and hir children sloon,
And whan I have don I shall renne fast away:

If she founde hir child dede, and toke me ther alone,

Be my feith, I am sure we shuld make a fray."

There is more discrimination of character in these two persons than in most of the Mysteries, as will be observed from the contrast between the foregoing extracts.

The Tragydye or Enterlude manyfesting the chefe promyses of God unto man by all ages in the old lawe, from the fall of Adam to the encarnacyon of the Lord Jesus Chreste, by Bishop Bale, was a later production than the foregoing, being printed in 1538. The interlocutors are, Pater cœlestis, justus Noah, Moses sanctus, Esaias propheta, Adam primus homo, Abraham fidelis, David rex pius, and Joannes baptista; and Baleus is the prolocutor. It is divided into seven acts or distinct

Mysteries, each of which is opened by Pater cœlestis, and consists of a dialogue between him and one of the other personages. There are only two speakers in each act, and this famous tragedy might, with more propriety, be termed a series of dialogues. From this brief account it will be seen, that it has far less pretensions to the title of drama, or, as prolocutor Baleus would say, to tragydye, than the very curious old Mystery of Candlemas-Day.

We shall, however, trespass on the reader's attention for a few minutes, by quoting one passage from it. Pater cœlestis threatens destruction to Sodom and Gomor. Abraham fidelis beseeches him not to cast away the good with the ungodly, and suggests, that there might be fifty righteous persons within these cities, whom he could not be so rigorous as to destroy. The dialogue then proceeds as follows:

"Pater cœlestis. At Sodom, if I may fynde just persones fiftye, The place wyll I spare for their sakes verelye.

Abraham fidelis. I take upon me, to speake here in thy presence, More then become mé, Lorde pardon my neglygence,

I am but ashes, and were lothe the to offende.

Pater cœlestis. Saye fourth, good Abraham, for yll dost thu non intende.

Abraham fidelis. Happlye there maye be fyve lesse in the same nombre ;

For their sakes I trust thu wylt not the rest accombre.

Pater cœlestis. If I amonge them myght fynde but fyve and fortye, Them wolde I not lose for that just cumpanye.

Abraham fidelis. What if the cytie maye fortye ryghteouse make? Pater cœlestis. Then wyll I pardone it for those same fortye's sake. Abraham fidelis. Be not angrye, Lorde, though I speake undyscretely. Pater cælestis. Utter thy whole mynde, and spare me not hardelye. Abraham fidelis. Parauventure there maye be thirty founde amonge them.

Pater cœlestis. Maye I fynde thirty, I wyll nothynge do unto them. Abraham fidelis. I take upon me to moche, Lorde, in thy syght. Pater cœlestis. No, no, good Abraham, for I knowe thy faythe is

ryght.

Abraham fidelis. No lesse, I suppose, than twenty can it have. Pater cœlestis. Coulde I fynde twenty, that cytie wolde I save. Abraham fidelis. Ones yet wyll I speake my mynde, and then no

more.

Pater cœlestis. Spare not to utter so moche as thu hast in store. Abraham fidelis. And what if there myght be ten good creatures

founde?

Pater cœlestis. The rest for their sakes myght so be safe and sounde, And not destroyed for their abhomynacyon."

So much for Bishop Bale's tragedy. We now proceed to a few specimens from the Moralities. The very old piece of this class called Hycke-Scorner, was written in the reign of Henry the Eighth. The object of it is, to rescue two dissolute characters, distinguished by the names of Freewyll and Imagynacyon, from a vicious course of life. Hycke-Scorner, who gives the title to the Morality, and who has just returned from his travels, takes a much less considerable part in it than his two companions Freewyll and Imagynacyon. A quarrel having arisen between the two latter, Pytie attempts to make peace between them; an interference which they take so ill, that they put him in the stocks. Perseverance and Contemplation soon release him, and they go in search of Freewyll and Imagynacyon, whom they succeed in converting to a virtuous life, but what becomes of Hycke-Scorner does not appear. This Morality has no inconsiderable pretensions to liveliness and humour, for although the personages are devoid of any distinctive character, they afford us a very lively picture of the manners of the dissolute youth of the age.

Hycke-Scorner gives the following curious list of a fleet, which he describes as having been lost in the Irish Channel.

66

Herken, and I wyll shewe you theyr names eche one:
Fyrst was the Regent, with the Myghell of Brykylse,
The George, with the Grabryell, and the Anne of Foye,
The starre of Salte-Ashe with the Ihesus of Plumoth,
Also the Hermytage, with the Barbara of Dartmouth,
The Nycolas, and the Mary Bellouse of Brystowe,
With the Elyn of London and James also."

Freewyll's account of his escape from prison, is humorous.
"Freewyll. Make you rome for a gentylman, syrs, and pease;
Duegarde, seygnours, tout le preasse,

And of your jangelynge yf ye wyll sease,

I wyll tell you where I have bene:

Syrres, I was at the taverne, and dronke wyne,
Methought, I sawe a pece that was lyke myne,
And, syr, all my fyngers were arayed with lyme,
So I convayed a cuppe manerly:

And yet ywys, I played all the fole,

For there was a scoler of myne owne scole;
And, syr, the horesone aspyed me.
Than was I rested, and brought in pryson;
For woo than I wyste not what to have done,
And all bycause I lacked monaye,

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