Charles Davidson — English Mystery Plays. 193 



Such plays make us conscious of the feeble beginnings from 

 which dramatic art has arisen. This play reads like a children's 

 play for an improvised theater. The playwright succeeds fairly 

 well in the capture, though the absurdity shown in the confidence of 

 the soldiers that such a capture fulfilled such a command is appar- 

 ently not evident to the author. The child is now in the king's 

 power ; how to contrive a reasonable escape would seem a diffi- 

 cult problem, but it does not trouble our dramatist. The boy is 

 reintroduced through his conversation with the king, though this 

 expedient would seem to make his unobserved escape a difficult 

 matter. Not at all ; an invisible St. Nicholas enters and sets the 

 boy over the threshold, when he is free to go where he will." The 

 infancy of art alone possesses such resources. Rex Marmorinus 

 does not leave his seat during the play, and Rex Getron simply 

 walks to the church and back. Such simplicity of action requires 

 a narrative play with no complexity of situation and but few lead- 

 ing characters. To such requirements the Bible story readily adapts 

 itself, as we shall now see in the condensed cyclic play found in 

 the earliest extant Italian mystery play, and in one of the thir- 

 teenth century in Germany. 



XL 



THE STAGE AND THE PLAY IN ITALY. 



According to Klein the oldest Italian plays, ' known as "Devo- 

 zioni," were designed, the first for Maundy Thursday, the second 

 for Good Friday.^ An analysis may be given as follows :^ 



The scene opens with the meal at the house of Lazarus six days before Easter.-i 

 Christ enters as from Jerusalem. Mary, followed by Mary Magdalene and Martha, 

 g'oes to meet Him, embraces Him, and conjures Him not to return, as the Jews will 

 kill him. Christ answers that He mvist do the will of His Father, but that she must 

 not be sad, as He will tell her before He goes. They embrace again. 



At that the meal is served. Mary remains standing by Christ, aajang continually, 

 " My Son, My Son." In the meal Lazarus takes part. At the close Christ calls Mary Mag- 

 dalene to his side and informs her, while she kneels before Him, that He will go to-day 



1 Dialect old and mixed ; Palermo, as referred to by Klein, vol. 4, p. 165. Date in first 

 half of fourteenth century.— Klein, vol, 4, p. 165. 



2 The only Italian repx-esentative of this step of development.— Ebert, vol. 5, p. 66. 

 The play not in the liturgy but acted during service.— Ebert, vol. 5, p. 67. 



3 The following abstract follows Klein 4, p. 157 If., and Ebert in Jahrbuch filr Uoman- 

 Ische und Englische Literatur 5, p. 58 If. 



4 Ebert believes that there was a scull'old in the middle aisle, ui)on which liethany and 

 the Mount of Olives were located.— Ebert, vol. 5, p. 68 ; cp. p. 104. 



