Charles Davidson — English Mystery Plays. 



155 



as given above/ In E the people are invited^ to come and see the 

 place where the Lord was laid. The sepulchre is found to contain 

 grave clothes, which are taken out and shown to the clergy, who 

 forthwith sing " Surrexit," etc. The linen is laid upon the altar, 

 and the Prior begins " Te deum laudamus." 



An examination of these plays seems to lead irresistibly to one of 

 two conclusions; either they spring from a common source in the 

 liturgy, or they are copies, with modifications, of one original. The 

 three possible sources in the Gospels are:^ — 



Matth. 28. 5-7. 



5. Respondens autem 

 angeliis dixit mulieribus 

 Nolite timere vos : scio 

 eniTYi quod lesum qui cru- 

 cifixus est quceritis : 



6. Non est hie, surrexit 

 enim sicut dixit: venite 

 et videte locum ubi posi- 

 tus erat dominus. 



7. Et cito euntes dicite 

 discipulis eius quia sur- 

 rexit, et ecce prcecedit vos 

 in Galilceam : ibi eum 

 videbitis. Ecce prsedixi 

 vobis. 



Mark 16. 6-7. 



6. Qui [sc. angelus] dicit 

 illis : Nolite expavescere : 

 lesuTYi quceritis Nazare- 

 nuin crucifixutn: surrexit, 

 non est hie : ecce locus ubi 

 posuerunt eum. 



7. Sed ite dicite disci- 

 pulis eius et Petro quia 

 prcecedit vos in Galiloeatn : 

 ibi eum videbitis, sicut 

 dixit vobis. 



Luke 24. 5-8. 



5. Cum timerent autem 

 et declinarent vultum in 

 terram, dixerunt ad illas : 

 Quid quceritis viventem 

 cum inortuis ? 



6. Non est hie, sed sur- 

 rexit : recordam.ini quali- 

 ter locutus est vobis, cum. 

 adhuc in Galilaea esset, 



7. Dicens quia oportet 

 filium hominis tradi in 

 manus bominum pecca- 

 torum et crucifigi et die 

 tertia resurgere. 



The question now arises as to what part of the service contained 

 the germ of these earliest dramas. Mone* believes that they sprang 

 from the responses and antiphons, as the most dramatic portion of 

 the liturgy; Wilken,^ that they arose from the first part of the 

 Victimae Paschali with the Responsorium belonging thereto, in- 

 fluenced, however, by the Gospel text. Milchsack,^ after a close 

 analysis, bases all the plays upon Matthew and Mark. 1 do not 

 know that it would betoken any unaccountable origin alitj'', if some 

 priest, thoroughly familar with the Gospel passages and with the 

 Victimae Paschali with its introductory verse and response, should 

 have borne all in mind while shaping the Easter drama. If, as 

 Milchsack' thinks, we have here actually the first step in the devel- 

 opment of the drama, it is a sufiiciently serious departure from the 

 ritual to imply conscious authorship rather than the slow, uncon- 

 scious modification of an existing custom; and this, as it seems to 



1 See p. 153. 2 See p. 151. s Milchsack, p. 30. •* Mone 1, 6. 



6 Wilken, p. 68 ff. 6 Milchsack, p. 34. 7 Milchsack, p. 34. 



