ries of their religion, but also in softening their manners, at that time very gross and impure; creating insensibly, a regard for other arts than those of bodily strength and savage valour. The earliest mention of the performance of mysteries in Newcastle upon Tyne, occurs in the ordinary of the coopers, dated January 20th, 1426. They are mentioned also in those of the smiths* and glovers, A. D. 1436; skinners, 1437; barbers,+ 1442; slaters, 1451; bricklayers,|| 1454; saddlers, 1459; fullers and dyers,§ * The smiths were to play the "Purification." + The barbers to play the "Baptysyng of Crist." The following entry occurs in the old book of the slaters : Item in drencke 3d. to them that bare the care ld. to the pla Item for charcole 2d. Item for the detten of the croones 0 2 0 6" N. B. Their play was "The Offering of Isaac by Abraham.” || The bricklayers were to play "The Creation of Adam, and The Flying of our Lady into Egype." § The following memorandums occur in the old books of the fullers and dyers; "1561. The charggs of the play this yere. "The play lettine to Sir Robert Hert, Sir William Hert, George Walles, Robert Murton, 9s. "First for the rehersall of the play before ye crafft 10s. a mynstrell yt nyght 3d. Item to 1477; weavers,* 1527; tanners, 1532; goldsmiths, plumbers, glaziers, pewterers, and painters,† 1536; taylors,‡ 1536; and of the felt-makers, curriers, and armourers, 1546 and 1547. A. D. 1552, mention occurs of the merchant-adventurers, as being concerned in the exhibition of five plays; one of them is assigned to the heastmen, and charged to the account of the corporation. The drapers, mercers, and boothmen had probably each one, and the last might belong to the spicers, who appear anciently to have been a branch of the said fellowship of merchant adventurers. " Item for paynting the geyre 10s. Item for a salmone trout 15d. "Item for the mawndy loves and caks 2s. 8d. Item for wyn 3s. 6d. Item for 3 yerds and a d. lyn cloth for God's coot 3s. 2d. ob. Item ye hoysse and cot makyng 6d. Item for a payr of gloves 3d. Item for the care and banner berryng 20d. Item for the carynge of the trowt and wyn about the towne 12d. Item for the mynstrell 12d. Item for 2 spares for stanges 6d. Item for drynk and thayr suppers that wated of the paient 5s. Item for tentor howks 3d. talis 50s. ob. "Item to the clerk this yere because of the play 2s." Summa to * The title of the weavers' play was the "Beringe of the Crosse." + They were to play at their feast "The Three Kynges of Coleyn." The following entry occurs in the first leaf of their old book :66 XPS Jesus salvat nos. March day 5, anno salutis 1598. "An invoic of all the players apperell pertainyng to the goldsmyths, plumers, puderers, glacieres, and paynters. "Bye beards to the kynges three and for the messonger one with theyr head hayres. "Item three cappes and thre septers and thre crownes. "Item one sterre and twey crownes. "Item box with our ordinarie and oure playe book." The taylors were to perform "The Descent into Hell." || Merchants' old books,A. D. 1552. "Item paide of this revenus abovesaid for the fyve playes whereof the towne must pay for the ostmen playe 41. and so theis playes paid for with the fees and ordynarie charg's as aperes by perticulers wrytten in the stewards booke of this yere ys 311. 1s. 11d.” 66 Hogmagog" was the title of one of their plays, but by which branch of the society it was acted, is not known.* An act was made by the merchants of Newcastle, March 23rd, 1480, for settling the order of their procession on Corpus Christi day.+ By the ordinary of the millers, dated 1578, it seems the Corpus Christi plays were at that time on the decline, and never acted but by a special command of the magistrates of Newcastle. 66 Whensoever," says that authority, "the generall plaies of the towne shall be commanded by the mayor, &c." they are to play "the antient playe of their fellowship, called The Deliverance of the Children of Isrell out of the Thraldome, Bondage, and Servitude of King Pharo."" Thus also in that of the house carpenters, dated July 3rd, 1579, it is ordered, that "whensoever the generall plaies of the towne shall be plaied," they shall play "The Burial of Christ," pertaining anciently to the said fellowship. To this effect also it was ordered, by that of the masons, A. D. 1581, "that at all times hereafter, for ever, whensoever the generall plaies of the towne of Newcastle, antiently called the Corpus Christi plays, shall be plaied, they shall cause to be set forth and plaied among other plaies of the saide towne, the plaie antiently named The Buriall of our Lady Saint Mary the Virgin.'" And lastly, by the joiners' ordinary, dated 1589, it was provided, that "whensoever it shall be thought necessary * Merchants' old books, A. D. 1554. "For the charges in and about Hoggmaygowyk 41. 2s." The charges of "Hogmagoge" occur again A. D. 1558, 14s. 2d. "A. D. 1561. Corpus Christi plays for the setting fourth as apers by the buk 141. 9s. 6d. "Anno 6 Edwardi VI. receyved that was gathered of the ventyners for the play 39s. 10d." + Ibid. by the mayor, &c. to comand to be sett forth and plaied or exercised, any general playe or martial exercise, they shall attend on the same, and do what is assigned them." The only vestige that remains of the Newcastle mysteries, entitled "Noah's Ark, or the shipwrights' ancient play, or dirge," wherein God, an Angel, Noah and his wife, and the Devil, are the characters, may be seen in Brand's History of Newcastle. That gentleman says, he sought in vain in all the archives of the several societies of that town for another, and observes, that after the reformation, they were probably destroyed industriously as reliques of popish superstition. Glossary. A ANCHORS are too well known to require any description in this place. Annulet, a ring, from the Latin Annulus. Argent, the common French word for silver, of which metal all white fields or charges are supposed to consist. Ark, i. e. Noah's Ark. Armed at all points. A term used for a man completely covered with armour, except his face. Armed. When the horns, teeth, hoofs of bulls, rams, &c. are borne of a colour different from that of the creature itself, it is said to be armed so and so. Attired, a term used in speaking of the horns of a stag, goat, &c. Azure signifies blue. It is always expressed in engraving of arms, by horizontal lines. B Banded. This is said of any thing tied round with a band. Banner. A flag, standard, or ensign, carried at the end of a pole. Barbed. The five leaves which appear on the outside of a fullblown rose, are in heraldry called the barbs. A rose gules, barbed and seeded proper, is to be represented in painting thus: The rose gules, the barbs vert, and the seeds in the centre gold. Barry wavy. So called when the shield is divided transverse into several equal partitions by waved lines. Base. The bottom of the shield is called the base; and the charges thereon are said to be in base. Charged. Shields or ordinaries carrying some figure are sometimes said to be charged therewith. Chevron, resembling the two rafters of a house, joined together in chief, and descending in the form of a pair of compasses to the extremities of the shield. Chief, is an ordinary formed by a horizontal line, and occupying the upper third part of the shield. In Chief. When the charges are placed in the upper part of the field, they are termed in chief. Couchant signifies a beast lying down, but with his head lifted up. Counterchanged, is when the field is divided by any line of partition, and the arms are of two colours, or, more properly speaking, of a colour and a metal: although they consist of many different charges, they are termed counterchanged. Couped, is when the head or any other limb of an animal is cut evenly off. Crined, is a term used when the hair of an animal differs in tincture from its body. Cross, an ordinary, composed of four lines, two perpendiculars, and two transverse. Beaver. This term is used to Cross-patée, is small in the centre, |