matter from the creation of the world," and probably concluded with the day of judgement, in the prefence of most of the nobility and gentry of England.'

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 Cambridgefhire, which is an accompt of the expences and receptions for acting the play of SAINT GEORGE at Baffingborne, on the feast of Saint Margaret, in the year 1511. They collected upwards of four pounds in twenty-feven neighbouring parishes for furnishing the play. They difburfed about two pounds in the reprefentation. Thefe difbursements are to four minstrels, 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 dreffes, decorations, and implements, and for play

3 Probably either the Chefter or Coventry Myfteries. "In the ignorant ages the Parish-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 almost 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 fellowthip by King Henry the Third about the year 1240, under the patronage of faint Nicholas.Their profeffion, employment, and character, naturally dictated to this fpiritual brotherhood the reprefentation of plays, especially 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 England afforded in the fourteenth century, at a religious farce, for more than one week." Warton's Hiftory of English Poetry, Vol. II. p. 396.

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

The following lift of the properties used in a Mystery formed on the ftory of Tobit in the Old Teftament, which was exhibited in the Broad-gate, Lincoln, in July 1563, (6 Eliz.) appeared in The Gentleman's Magazine for June, 1787:

books, xxs. To John Hobard, brotherhoode preefte, that is, a priest 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 fifh and bread, and to fetting up the ftages, ivd. For painting three fanchoms and four tormentors, 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 manuscript of the Coventry plays, that a temporary fcaffold only was erected for thefe performances."5

In the ancient religious plays the Devil was very frequently introduced. He was ufually 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 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."

"Lying at Mr. Norton's house in tenure of William Smart. "First Hell-mouth, with a nether chap. Item, A prison, with 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 houfe. It. The kyngs palace at Laches. It. A firmament with a firy cloud, and a double cloud, in the cuftody of Thomas Fulbeck, Alderman."

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

"It was a pretty part in the old church-playes," fays Bishop

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 MxsTERIES 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 hiftorical perfonages was natural and obvious."

Dr. Percy in his account of the English Stage has given an Analyfis 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 of King Edward the Sixth. As Dr. Percy's curious and valuable collection of ancient English Poetry is in the hands of every fcholar, I fhall content myself with merely referring to it. Many other Moralities are yet extant, of fome of which I fhall give titles below. Of one, which is not now ex

Harfenet, "when the nimble Vice would fkip 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 Vice-haunted." Harfenet's Declaration of Popish Impoftures, &c. 4to. 1603.

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

8 Magnificence, written by John Skelton; Impatient Poverty,

tant, we have a curious account in a book entitled, Mount Tabor, or Private Exercifes of a Penitent Sinner, by R. W. [R. Willis] Efqr. published in the year of his age 75, Anno Domini, 1639; an extract from which will give the reader a more accurate notion of the old Moralities than a long differtation on the subject.

"UPON A STAGE-PLAY WHICH I SAW WHEN I WAS A CHILD.

"In the city of Gloucester the manner is, (as I think it is in other like corporations,) that when players of enterludes come to towne, they first attend the Mayor, to enforme him what noblemans fervants they are, and fo to get licence for their publike playing; and if the Mayor like the actors, or would fhew refpect to their lord and master, he appoints them to play their first play before himself, and the Alderman and CommonCounfell of the city; and that is called the Mayor's play: where every one that will, comes in without money, the Mayor giving the players a reward as hee thinks fit to fhew refpect unto them. a play, my father tooke me with him, and made me ftand between his leggs, as he fate upon one of the benches, where we faw and heard very well. The play was called The Cradle of Security," wherein

At fuch

1560; The Life and Repentance of Marie Magdalene, 1567; The Trial of Treafure, 1567; The Nice Wanton, 1568; The Disobedient Child, no date; The Marriage of Wit and Science, 1570; The Inter lude of Youth, no date; The longer thou liveft, the more Fool thou art, no date; The Interlude of Wealth and Health, no date; All for Money, 1578; The Conflict of Confcience, 1581; The three Ladies of London, 1584; The three Lords of London, 1590; Tom Tyler and bis Wife, &c.

The Cradle of Securitie is mentioned with feveral other Moralities, in a play which has not been printed, entitled Sir Thomas More. MSS. Harl. 3768.

was perfonated a king or fome great prince, with his courtiers of feveral kinds, among which three ladies were in fpecial grace with him; and they keeping him in delights and pleafures, drew him from his graver counsellors, hearing of fermons, and liftening to good councell and admonitions, that in the end they got him to lye down in a cradle upon the stage, where thefe three ladies joyning in a fweet fong, rocked him afleepe, that he fnorted againe; and in the mean time clofely conveyed under the cloaths wherewithall he was covered, a vizard, like a fwines fnout, upon his face, with three wire chains faftened thereunto, the other end whereof being holden feverally by those three ladies; who fall to finging againe, and then discovered his face, that the fpectators might fee how they had transformed him, going on with their finging. Whilft all this was acting, there came forth of another doore at the fartheft end of the ftage, two old men; the one in blew, with a ferjeant at armes his mace on his fhoulder; the other in red, with a drawn fword in his hand, and leaning with the other hand upon the others fhoulder; and fo they went along with a foft pace round about by the fkirt of the ftage, till at laft they came to the cradle, when all the court was in the greatest jollity; and then the foremost old man with his mace ftroke a fearfull blow upon the cradle; wherewith all the courtiers, with the three ladies, and the vizard, all vanished; and the defolate prince ftarting up bare-faced, and finding himself thus fent for to judgement, made a lamentable complaint of his miferable cafe, and fo was carried away by wicked fpirits. This prince did perfonate in the Morall, the wicked of the world; the three ladies, Pride, Covetoufness, and Luxury; the two old men, the end of the world,