204 Charles Davidson — English Mystery Plays. 



sietently a condemnatory attitude. In 610, at the second council of 

 Braga, so in 813, and again in 816, the councils spoke in no uncer- 

 tain tone. They condemned absolutely the performances of the 

 Histriones, Musici, and Mimi. These continued tlie traditions of 

 the Roman stage, which had adopted the Greek drama of intrigue, 

 and exhibited realistically what the earlier drama had but insinuated. 

 The Fathers use clear language, and show unmistakably that they 

 condemn these because they teach immorality and all manner of 

 iniquity. Indeed, St. Augustine carefully makes a distinction be- 

 tween the mimes and the comedies and tragedies, " the latter class 

 being at least free from filthy language, while their study is approved 

 by elders in their scheme of liberal education." The plays of the 

 day pandered to the lowest imaginations of man. The classic 

 drama had been relegated to the closet. The attitude of the broader- 

 minded of the clergy — of those who did not consider all mental 

 activity a sinful waste when not devoted to the offices of the church 

 — was a reasonable one, distinguishing between lasciviousness of 

 motive and salutary instruction and diversion by theatrical repre- 

 sentation. 



We have seen^ that these licentious and comic plays survived until 

 the time of the mystery, and that in France they formed a partial 

 fusion with the sacred drama, giving rise to certain abnormal devel- 

 opments, such as the Feast of the Ass. When, therefore, we find 

 the church condemning certain plays and classes of actors under the 

 names of histriones, joculatores, etc., it is necessary to infer that the 

 same classes of play and actor are meant as aforetime, that their 

 intrusion into the church is reprobated, and that mystery plays that 

 have the taint within them are condemned. 



In the northern countries, as in France, the popular festivities of 

 the national holidays continually sought expression within and about 

 the church edifice. The church had made itself the centre of all 

 communal interests, so with the quickening of the national spirit an 

 expression was sought within the walls of the church home. But 

 this brought irreverence and indecorum. The hobby-horse in Eng- 

 land, the Schimmelreiter in Germany and other ' monstra lavarum ' ' 

 must keep out of the churches. This will explain various interdicts, 

 and will serve to show how in the Middle Ages many a distinction 



1 See p. 166. 



2 In a MS. of the twelfth century at Strasburg- is a drawing- of a ' Ludus monstrorum ;' 

 it is a puppet-show. For the use of monsters, dragons, giants, etc. in religious proces- 

 sions see Magnin, Histoire des Marionettes, pp. 61, 66, 213. 



