♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



[JcLT 31, 1885. 



The foiitur.. romnir 

 combinatinii <.f ihr l,-:, 



both'in thr',sulM,',,liu';, 



r,l 



l,c fnin- rr,ll,.,-ti,.ns is flioir I rimnsino-, mv\. ;,s . 



V.-t. ,,.,■;■:(. 1 i;, 11, r 11, M. ■ r,;,vi,-;,l f,„',,,. v.].\ 



V,,r.:.llsr l,,i,t, ,\ 1 





M\ 



ll,r 



T.,^^nelL.y. TLe Cuvt-utry S,-,- 

 on the apocyvi'^'*! booLs ef ihr (Ml irst; 

 several. fpuficled on those nf tl,r Xi ,v ']',:,! mi 

 Jealmisy of Joseph, tho Trl 1 . f M :,v ; i, 1 . 



■atud by the 

 lii,'-nity. In 



Tu 





TheOUIe and Newe lestanmu:, with livelye comfortb, 

 Intermn^glinge tlierewith, onely to make sporte, 

 Some thinges not warranted by any writt.t 

 Which to gladd the hearers he woulde men to take yt" 



The qualities attached to certain characters became more 

 extravagant as the jilayers depended more for success on 

 fun and burlesque, auii as the audiences demanded some 

 new sensation or excitement to mirtli, in the main of 

 harmless sort. . For even the grossnes^ which is no un- 

 common feature of the plays, notably in the Towneley, 

 was due not so mucli to low moral tone in actors and 

 spectators, as to lack of refinement and the unstudied 

 plainness which calls a spade a spade. Moreover, the 

 plays are often obviously founded on French originals, in 

 which there was no lack of laughter-compelling scenes. 

 In the early miracle-play of j S. Nicholas, the vulgar con- 

 versation of pot-house gamblers is a mirth-provoking imi- 

 dent ; in the Towneley mystea-ies, Cain brawls, and bullii s 

 Lis hind like a coarse and vulgar Yorkshire farmer ; 



■ full 



jtand 



ployed at tlu 

 Nativity, telling' . 

 quaint oiferings of 

 by murrain in th 

 drinking between 

 Herod ; and the 

 manual j-l. 1 -. :; • 

 IlluslratiM'. • • 



nai-rated i 

 probably I 



>a_rr lure and there 

 the I'arpenter'B tools 

 ■is well us those em- 

 r cold weather at the 

 ern Christmas ; the 

 he ruin/ of the poor 

 !!■ ten plagues ; the 

 vife ;. the sleejjing of 



ef 





, .!■; , - . l.,Tmg 



'l ) . ;,ial 'the trial 

 lai r ■ill Par lament 



. aial juis down the 

 l.as and the sharp 



, Afy.terj play t is 



' , :. i ■ earlier part uf the rei-n of 

 ae, •;, ^ . f this pojailar play wHl be 

 III ni.iiii.;- of the general contents of 



Koger's records of the Chester Plays {Harleian 

 ^e is made to the enstom of gilding the face of 

 d God, and to a reqnest that as this gilding 

 ," tlie nmissionof the Deity might be pardoned, 

 \. nil) aiit expect God " to appear in shape or 



Printed in Mr. Colliei 



§ Cf. Cowper'a Apocryphal Gofpets, pp. 3 



