KNOV^^LEDGE 



[Oct. 9, 1885. 



IIYSTERIES AND MORALITIES. 



By Edward Clodd. 

 CONCLUSION. 



THE introduction of Moralities dates from the reign of 

 Henry VI., that is, about the middle of the fifteenth 

 century. The personification of abstract qualities -which 

 had already found its way into the Mysteries* was a 

 necessary element as the religious plays became less his- 

 torical and more didactic in character, and the popularity 

 of Moralities obviously quickened, because they were 

 admirable vehicles for attacks upon or defence of current 

 beliefs and superstitions, and could readily concern 

 themselves with the social, political, and religious ques- 

 tions of the time, expressing through their allegorical 

 character the thoughts of men's minds upon these topics. 



The earliest extant English Moralities are in manu- 

 script, and of these Mr. Paj-ne Collier gives interesting 

 abstracts in his " History of Dramatic Poetry. "t whilst 

 Mr. Carew Hazlitt, in the additions which he has made 

 to the re-issue of Dodsley's " Old Plays," has supplied 

 us with several valuable specimens. The moral play with 

 which that edition opens is not so early as was once held, 

 but is especially interesting, as setting forth the advan- 

 tage of the pursuit of natural knowledge. It is entitled, 

 " A New Interlude and a Mery of the Nature of the Four 

 Elements (i.e., the earth, the water, the air, and fire), 

 and is assigned to the early part of the sixteenth century. 

 The "Messenger," a name usually given to the pro- 

 logue, is followed by Natm-a Naturata, who discourses, 

 it must be admitted very tediously, to Humanity, upon 

 the ethereal region of the heavens and the lower region 

 of the earth, and counsels him to study these. Humanity 

 is, however, beguiled by Sensual Appetite, but, at the 

 last, accepts Nature's reproof. The only known copy of 

 the play is imperfect, the middle and concluding leaves 

 being lost. 



Of a still earlier date, although printed in 1522, is the 

 '_' Propre Newe Interlude of the Worlde and the Chylde," 

 in which the several stages of human life are repre- 

 sented, Man appearing successively as Infans, Wanton, 

 Lust and Lykynge, Mauhode and Age. Perseverance 

 recites to him the " Twelve Articles of the Faith " and 

 "The Commandments Ten," when Age signifies his 

 adhesion, and is thereupon named Repentance. J 



In the more important " Morall-playe of Everyman," 

 we meet with some admirable moral teaching in associa- 

 tion with expositions of the Roman Catholic religion, the 

 defence of which appeai-s to have been one of the objects 

 of the play. Everyman is the representative of the 

 human race, and is summoned by Death, already per- 

 sonified in the Coventry plays as the messenger of God, 

 to appear before the Divine tribunal, and bring his " book 

 of counte," for 



" a reckoning he will need have 

 Without any lenger respite." 



In his fear, Everyman asks his friends — Fellowship, 

 Kindred, Goods, Strength, Beauty, and others — to accom- 

 pany him ; but they one by one forsake him when they 

 learn who has summoned him ; and in his despair he 

 betakes himself to Good Deeds, " who is so weak that she 

 cannot stand, verily." She upbraids him for neglect, but 

 leads him to her sister Knowledge, who takes him to the 

 holy man Confession. Everyman then does penance, 

 receives the sacrament, and, with comforting words from 



* Vide KNOWLEDGE, p. 219, Sept. 11, 1885. 



+ Vol. II., pp. 200— 21G. 



J Dodsley, vol. i., p. 273. 



Good Deeds, expires, \^1le^eupon the Doctor who has 

 attended him steps forward and delivers the moral : — 



An Act was passed in the reign of Henry VIII., for- 

 bidding any person to " play in interludes, siug or rhyme 

 any matter contrary to the doctrine of the Church of 

 Rome." This was repealed under Edward VI., and 

 accordingly among the Moral Plays of his time we have, 

 in " Lusty Juventus," a defence of the Bible against 

 tradition and the superstitions of the Romish Church. 

 The " parsonages that speake " are "Messenger, Lusty 

 Juventus, Good Counsaill, Knowledge, Sathan the devyll, 

 his son Hypocrisie, Felowship, Abhominable Lyvying, 

 and Cm. J'.-; ^[ir.ifull Promises." Lusty Juventus repre- 

 sents tlu' '■ fraili 'u- of youth," of " nature prone to vyce," 

 and is Ifl astr.iv Iv ;i gay woman, Abhominable Lyvyng, 

 but tinully ivciuiiiied by good Counsaill. The edifying 

 speeches of Good Counsaill and Knowledge are fortified 

 with Bible references by no means contributory to the 

 rhythm, as thus : — 



The prophet David saith, that the man is blessed 



Which doth e.xercise himsel in the law of the Lord, 



And doth not follow the ^Yay of the wicked ; 



As the first psalm doth plainly record ; 



The fourscore and thirteenth psalm thereunto doth accortL 



Jly meaning is, as Christ saith in the sixth chapter of Matthew, 



To do to him as you would be done to. 



I will show you what Saint Paul doth declare 



In his Epistle to the Hebrews and the tenth cbapter.f 



Satan is wittily represented as lamenting the downfall 

 of the old religion : " ful well," he says, 

 I know the cause, 

 That my estimacion doth thus decay ; 

 The olde people would beleve stil in my lawes. 

 But the yonger sort leade them a contrary way. 

 They wyU not beleve, they playnly say, 

 In old traditions and made bv men. 

 But they wyll lyve as the Scripture teacheth them. 



Hypocrisie recites a long list of the mummeries by 

 which he had deceived men "since the world began" : 



Holy cardinals, holy popes, 



Holy vestments, holy copes, 



Holy pardons, holy beads. 



Holy saints, holy images. 



With holy, holy blood. 



Holy stocks, holy stones. 



Holy clouts, holy bones. 



Holy was, holy lead. 



Holy water, holy bread, 



Holy brooches, holy rings, 



Holy kneeling, holy censings, 



And a himdred trim-trams mo. j 

 But such contempt was not confined to the Protestants. 

 In John Hey wood's " Enterlude of the Four P's," i.e., a 

 Palmer, a Pardoner, a 'Poticary, and a Pedlar, the author, 

 although a staunch Catholic, flings some coarse satire 

 against the relic-mongers. The play itself is amusing as 

 hinging on a disptite between the four characters as to 

 who could tell the biggest lie. The credit falls to the 

 Palmer, who remarks incidentally that he never saw a 

 woman out of patience, whereupon the others, taken off 

 their guard, declare it to be the greatest lie they ever 

 heard. It is through the Pardoner that Hey wood directs 



* Collier, II., 228. 



t Dodslev, Vol. I., pp, 5.5, 59. 



J Dodsley, Vol. II., pp. 65-6. 



