and Comedy; for which reason I shall give a short analysis of them both. One of them is entitled Every Man. The subject of this piece is the summoning of Man out of the world by Death; and its moral, that nothing will then avail him but a well-spent life and the comforts of religion. This subject and moral are opened in a monologue spoken by the Messenger (for that was the name generally given by our ancestors to the prologue on their rude stage): then GOD is represented; who, after some general complaints on the degeneracy of mankind, calls for Deth, and orders him to bring before his tribunal Every-man, for so is called the personage who represents the human race. Every-man appears, and receives the summons with all the marks of confusion and terror. When Deth is withdrawn, Every-man applies for relief in this distress to Fellowship, Kindred, Goods, or Riches, but they successively renounce and forsake him. In this disconsolate state he betakes himself to Good-dedes, who, after upbraiding him with his long neglect of her, introduces him to her sister Knowledge, and she leads him to the "holy man, Confession," who appoints him penance: this he inflicts upon himself on the stage, and then withdraws to receive the sacraments of the priest. On his return he begins to wax faint, and after Strength, Beauty, Discretion, and Five Wits have all taken their final leave of him, gradually expires on the stage; Good-dedes still accompanying him to the last. Then an Aungell descends to sing his requiem: and the epilogue is spoken by a person called Doctour, who recapitulates the whole, and delivers the moral: "C. This memoriall men may have in mynde, Ye herers, take it of worth old and yonge, And forsake Pryde, for he disceyveth you in thende, And remembre Beautè, Five Witts, Strength, and Discrecion, They all at last do Every-man forsake; Save his Good Dedes there dothe he take: But beware, for and they be small, Before God he hath no helpe at all," &c. From this short analysis it may be observed, that Every Man is a grave solemn piece, not without some rude attempts to excite terror and pity, and therefore may not improperly be referred to the class of Tragedy. It is remarkable, that in this old simple drama the fable is conducted upon the strictest model of the Greek Tragedy. The action is simply one; the time of action is that of the performance; the scene is never changed, nor the stage ever empty. Every-man, the hero of 5 This play has been reprinted by Mr. Hawkins in his Origin of the English Drama, 3 vols. 12mo, Oxford, 1773. See vol. i. p. 27. The second person of the Trinity seems to be meant. Those above mentioned are male characters. 8 i. e. The five Senses. These are frequently exhibited as five distinct personages upon the Spanish stage (see Riccoboni, p. 98); but our moralist has represented them all by one character. the piece, after his first appearance, never withdraws, except when he goes out to receive the sacraments, which could not well be exhibited in public; and during his absence, Knowledge descants on the excellence and power of the priesthood, somewhat after the manner of the Greek chorus. And, indeed, except in the circumstance of Every-man's expiring on the stage, the "Samson Agonistes of Milton is hardly formed on a severer plan.9 The other play is entitled Hick-scorner,' and bears no distant resemblance to Comedy: its chief aim seems to be to exhibit characters and manners, its plot being much less regular than the foregoing. The prologue is spoken by Pity, represented under the character of an aged pilgrim; he is joined by Contemplacyon and Perseverance, two holy men, who, after lamenting the degeneracy of the age, declare their resolution of stemming the torrent. Pity then is left upon the stage, and presently found by Frewyll, representing a lewd debauchee, who, with his dissolute companion Imaginacion, relate their manner of life, and not without humour describe the stews and other places of base resort. They are presently joined by Hick-scorner, who is drawn as a libertine returned from travel, and, agreeably to his name, scoffs at religion. These three are described as extremely vicious, who glory in every act of wickedness; at length two of them quarrel, and Pity endeavours to part the fray; on this they fall upon him, put him in the stocks, and there leave him. Pity, thus imprisoned, descants in a kind of lyric measure on the profligacy of the age, and in this situation he is found by Perseverance and Contemplacyon, who set him at liberty, and advise him to go in search of the delinquents. As soon as he is gone, Frewyll appears again; and, after relating in a very comic manner some of his rogueries and escapes from justice, is rebuked by the two holy men, who, after a long altercation, at length convert him and his libertine companion Imaginacion from their vicious course of life; and then the play ends with a few verses from Perseverance, by way of epilogue. This, and every Morality I have seen, conclude with a solemn prayer. They are all of them in rhyme; in a kind of loose stanza, intermixed with distichs. It would be needless to point out the absurdities in the plan and conduct of the foregoing play; they are evidently great. It is sufficient to observe, that, bating the moral and religious reflection of Pity, &c., the piece is of a comic cast, and contains a humorous display of some of the vices of the age. Indeed the author has generally been so little attentive to the allegory, that we need only substitute other names to his personages, and we have real characters and living manners. We see, then, that the writers of these moralities were upon the very threshold of real Tragedy and Comedy; and therefore we are not to wonder that tragedies and comedies in form soon after took place, 9 See more of Every-Man, p. 95. Pref. to b. 5. Note. 1 Emprynted by me Wynkyn de Worde, no date; in 4to bl. let. This play has also been reprinted by Mr. Hawkins in his Origin of the English Drama, vol. i. p. 69. especially as the revival of learning about this time brought them acquainted with the Roman and Grecian models. II. At what period of time the Moralities had their rise here, it is difficult to discover; but plays of Miracles appear to have been exhibited in England soon after the Conquest. Matthew Paris tells us, that Geoffrey, afterwards Abbot of St. Alban's, a Norman, who had been sent for over by Abbot Richard to take upon him the direction of the school of that monastery, coming too late, went to Dunstable, and taught in the abbey there; where he caused to be acted (probably by his scholars) a MIRACLE-PLAY OF ST. CATHARINE, composed by himself.2 This was long before the year 1119, and probably within the eleventh century. The above play of ST. CATHARINE was, for aught that appears, the first spectacle of this sort that was exhibited in these kingdoms; and an eminent French writer thinks it was even the first attempt towards the revival of dramatic entertainments in all Europe; being long before the representations of Mysteries in France, for these did not begin till the year 1398.3 But whether they derived their origin from the above exhibition or not, it is certain that holy plays, representing the miracles and sufferings of the Saints, appear to have been no novelty in the reign of Henry II., and a lighter sort of interludes were not then unknown. In Chaucer's time, "Plays of Miracles" in Lent were the common resort of idle gossips.5 They do not appear to have been so prevalent on the continent, for the learned historian of the Council of Constance ascribes to the English the introduction of plays into Germany. He tells us that the emperor, having been absent from the council for some time, was, at his return, received with great rejoicings; and that the English 2 Apud Dunestapliam . . . . quendam ludum de sancta Katerina (quem MIRACULA vulgariter appellamus) fecit. Ad quæ decoranda, petiit a sacrista sancti Albani, ut sibi Capa Chorales accommodarentur, et obtinuit. Et fuit ludus ille de sancta Katerina. Vitæ Abbat. ad fin. Hist. Mat. Paris, folio, 1639, p. 56. We see here that Plays of Miracles were become common enough in the time of Mat. Paris, who flourished about 1240; but that indeed appears from the more early writings of Fitz-Stephens, quoted below. 3 Vide Abrégé Chron. de l'Hist. de France, par M. Henault, à l'ann. _179. See Fitz-Stephens's Description of London, preserved by Stow, Londonia pro spectaculis theatralibus, pro ludis scenicis, ludos habet sanctiores, representationes miraculorum, &c. He is thought to have written in the reign of Henry II., and to have died in that of Richard I. It is true at the end of this book we find mentioned Henricum regem tertium; but this is doubtless Henry the Second's son, who was crowned during the life of his father, in 1170, and is generally distinguished as Rex juvenis, Rex filius, and sometimes they were jointly named Reges Anglia. From a passage in his Chap. De Religione, it should seem that the body of St. Thomas à Becket was just then a new acquisition to the church of Canterbury. 5 See Prologue to Wife of Bath's Tale, v. 6137, Tyrwhitt's d. Fathers in particular did, upon that occasion, cause a sacred comedy to be acted before him on Sunday, January 31st, 1417; the subjects of which were:-THE NATIVITY OF OUR SAVIOUR; THE ARRIVAL OF THE EASTERN MAGI; and THE MASSACRE BY HEROD. Thence it appears, says this writer, that the Germans are obliged to the English for the invention of this sort of spectacles, unknown to them before that period. The fondness of our ancestors for dramatic exhibitions of this kind, and some curious particulars relating to this subject, will appear from the HOUSHOLD-BOOK of the fifth Earl of Northumberland, A.D. 1512,7 whence I shall select a few extracts, which show that the exhibiting Scripture Dramas on the great festivals entered into the regular establishment, and formed part of the domestic regulations of our ancient nobility: and, what is more remarkable, that it was as much the business of the Chaplain in those days to compose PLAYS for the family, as it is now for him to make sermons. "My Lordes Chapleyns in Household vj. viz. The Almonar, and if he be a maker of INTERLUDYS, than he to have a servaunt to the intent for writynge of the PARTS; and ells to have non. The maister of Gramer," &c.-Sect. v. p. 44. "Item.-My lorde usith and accustomyth to gyf yerely, if is lordship kepe a chapell and be at home, them of his lordschipes chapell, if they doo play the Play of the NATIVITE uppon Cristynmes day in the mornyinge in my lords chappell before his lordship,-xxs."-Sect. xliv. p. 343. "Item... to them of his lordship chappell and others his lordshipis servaunts that doeth play the Play before his lordship upon SHROFTEWSDAY at night yerely in reward-xs."-Ibid. p. 345. "Item... to them... that playth the Play of RESURRECTION upon Estur day in the mornnynge in my lordis 'chapell' before his lordshipe-xx8."-Ibid. "Item.-My lorde useth and accustomyth yerly to gyf hym which is ordynede to be the MASTER OF THE REVELLS yerly in my lordis hous in Cristmas for the overseyinge and orderinge of his lordschips Playes, Interludes, and Dresinge that is plaid before his lordship in his hous in the xijth dayes of Cristenmas, and they to have in rewarde for that caus yerly-xxs."-Ibid. p. 346. "Item. My lorde useth and accustomyth to gyf every of the iiij Parsones that his lordschip admyted as his PLAYERS to com to his lordship yerly at Cristynmes ande at all other such tymes as his lordship shall commande them for playing of Playe and Interludes affor his lordship, in his lordshipis hous for every of their fees for an hole yere-.. ."—Ibid. p. 351. "Item.-To be payd. for rewards to PLAYERS for Plays playd at 7 "The regulations and establishments of the household of Hen. Alg. Percy, 5th Earl of Northumb. Lond. 1770," 8vo. Whereof a small impression was printed by order of the late Duke and Duchess of Northumberland to bestow in presents to their friends. Although begun in 1512, some of the regulations were composed so late as 1525. Christynmas by Stranegeres in my house after xx. every play, by estimacion somme xxxiijs. iiij.”—Sect. i. p. 22. "Item.-My lorde usith, and accustometh to gif yerely when his lordshipp is at home, to every erlis Players that comes to his lordshipe betwixt Cristynmas ande Candelmas, if he be his special lorde and frende and kynsman-xxs."-Sect. xliv. p. 340. "Item.-My lorde usith and accustomyth to gyf yerely when his lordship is at home to every lordis PLAYERS, that comyth to his lordshipe betwixt Crystynmas ande Candelmas-x8.”—Ibid. The reader will observe the great difference in the rewards here given to such Players as were retainers of noble personages, and such as are styled Strangers, or, as we may suppose, only strollers. The profession of the common player was about this time held by some in low estimation. In an old satire entitled Cock Lorreles Bote,1 the author, enumerating the most common trades or callings, as carpenters, coopers, joiners, &c., mentions "Players, purse-cutters, money-batterers, III. It hath been observed already that plays of Miracles, or Mysteries, as they were called, led to the introduction of Moral Plays, or Moralities, which prevailed so early, and became so common, that towards the latter end of King Henry the VIIth's reign John Rastel, brother-in-law to Sir Thomas More, conceived a design of making them the vehicle of science and natural philosophy. With this view he published C. A new interlude and a mery of the nature of the iiii elements declarynge many proper points of phylosophy naturall, and of dyvers straunge landes, &c. It is observable that the poet speaks of the discovery of America as then recent: "Within this xx yere Westwarde be founde new landes, That we never harde tell of before this," &c. The West Indies were discovered by Columbus in 1492, which fixes 8 This was not so small a sum then as it may now appear; for in another part of the MS. the price ordered to be given for a fat ox is but 13s. 4d., and for a lean one 8s. 9 At this rate, the number of Plays acted must have been twenty. 1 Pr. at the Sun in Fleet-street, by W. de Worde: no date, b. 1. 4to. 2 Mr. Garrick has an imperfect copy (Old Plays, I. vol. iii.). The Dramatis Personæ are, "C. The Messengere [or Prologue] Nature naturate. Humanytè. Studyous Desire. Sensuall Appetyte. The Taverner. Experyence. Ygnoraunce. (Also yf ye lyste ye may brynge in a dysgysynge.") Afterwards follows a table of the matters handled in the interlude. Among which are C. Of certeyn conclusions prouvynge the yerthe must nedes be rounde, and that it hengyth in the myddes of the fyrmament, and that yt is in circumference above xxi M. myle." 66 |