Charles Davidson — English Mystery Plays. 211 



but now we find that other subjects are crowding in, breaking the 

 sequence of the story, and rendering some designation necessary to 

 interpret them to the beholder ; for this reason verses were attached. 



But when the necessity of choosing a Biblical theme was no longer 

 present, the artist naturally selected some subject that would be 

 complimentary to the high personage in whose honor the pageant 

 was set up. Affixed verses he could not easily read, so the compli- 

 mentary address to the King arose, or a laudatory conversation was 

 carried on between actors. This is approaching very near to the 

 borders of the spoken drama, but I have found no instance of royal 

 entry where a genuine, spoken drama was acted. Further, it would 

 seem that this development of the pageant arose earlier in England 

 than in France. 



1431,* Dec. 2. Of the entry of Henry VI of England into Paris 

 this description is given : 



"Depuis le poncelet en tirant vers la seconde porte de la rue Saint 

 Denis avoit personnages, sans parler, de la nativite Notre Dame, de 

 son mariage et de I'adoration des trois Rois, des Innocents^ et du 

 bonhomme qui semoit son ble." 



1432. Entry of Henry YI into London after his coronation at 

 Paris. Allegorical pageants with verses by Lydgate.^ 



1445. Entry of Queen Margaret into London. Seven pageants 

 with verses by John Lydgate.^ 



1461, Aug. 31. Entry of Louis IX into Paris, — "y avoit une 

 passion par personnages et sans parler, Dieu estendu en la croix, et 

 les deux larrons a dextre et a sinistre.* 



1461, Sept. 20. Entry of Louis IX into Orleans. Twelve pa- 

 geants, stationary, laborers, moral virtues, David and Goliath,^ etc. 



1498, July 2. Entry of Louis XII into Paris. All the pageants 

 were allegorical except those of the Confreres de la Passion who 

 presented The Trinity, Abraham's Sacrifice, and the Crucifixion.* 



So, fifty years after London, Paris bows to the popular demand 

 for allegory. 



1514, Nov. 6. Entry of Mary of England into Paris. 



1515, Feb. 15. Entry of Francis I into Paris. 



1517, May 12. Entry of the Queen into Paris, In these three the 

 subjects were allegorical." 



1521. Entry of the Emperor, Charles V, into London. 



1 Julleville, vol. 3, p. 191, quoting Enguerrand de Monstrelet. 



2 Fabyan, p. 603, fol. 190. a Stow, p. 385. ^ Julleville, vol. 2, p. 196. 

 6 Julleville, vol. 2, p. 201. e Julleville, vol. 2, pp. 205-6. 



