224 Charles Davidson — English JSlystery Plays. 



1390, July 18, 19, 20. Skinner's Well (Passion of our Lord and the Creation of the 

 World). Played by the Parish-clerk gild.i Probably in French and closely modeled 

 upon the plays of the Puys of France.2 The King- conti-ibuted 10 7.3 



1409, Skinner's W^ell, lasted eight days (' of matter from the creation of the world '). 

 By the same gild. The eight days' duration a significant link to continental ti-adition, 

 being the octave of a church holy day. Patronized as before by the nobility. 



These plays of the Parish clerks hold common traditions with the 

 French plays, and should not be confounded with the other cycle 

 plays of England. There were no craft-gild plays in London. The 

 constant calls upon the gilds for stationary pageants for Koyal 

 Entries and for movable pageants for the Lord Mayor's Show, 

 together with their many processions, seem to have made them 

 averse to the additional expense of the craft -gild plays.* 



1464. The Holy Trinity Gild, St. Botolph without Aldersgate, possessed a roll con- 

 taining the pageants of the Holy Trinity, St, Fabyan, St. Sebastian, St. Botulf and 'the 

 terement ' (The Burial of Christ), ' paynted and lemenyd with gold.' » These were in no 

 sense mystery plays, but the roll contained a description and representation of the 

 pageants which were carried in procession by the gild. 



1557, June 7th, Grey Friars (Passion of Christ). " The sam day be-gane a stage play at 

 the Grej^ freers of the Passyon of Cryst."6 An attempt under Queen Mary to revive 

 old customs. 



1557. Church in Silver Street, or Saint Olave's Day (Miraculous History of Saint 

 Olave).'? Played from 8 p. m. till 12 at night, four hours. A miracle play of the patron 

 saint. An Incident In the attempt of the lovers of the old customs to revive them under 

 Queen Mary. 



1603. Elie House in Holborn (Christ's Passion). " Witnesse the acting of Christ's 

 Passion at Elie house in Holborne when Gundemore lay there, on Good-Friday at night, 

 at which there were thousands present." s 



XV. Northumberland, 1512 (Nativity and Resurrection). Plays in the Earl's chapel. 

 The entries of the Household-Book are interesting as showing the pi'ominence given to 

 plays and the station and remuneration of players. The plays are examples of the 

 multitude of occasional plays presented at that time throughout England. It seems 

 that one qualification for my Lord's chaplain was that he "be a maker of Interludes." » 



XVI. Paris, France, 1313. Special performance before Edward II of England. A 

 mystere mime.io If such ai-e to be listed, there should be added : 



1420, Dec. 1st. At entry of Charles VI and Henry V. 

 1424, Sept. 8th. At entry of the Duke of Beaufort. 

 1431, Dec. 2nd. At entry of Henrj' VI, etc. 



XVII. Reading, 1498-1557. Evidence not at hand. Evidently church plays such as 

 were presented in every prominent church in the kingdom. 



XVJII. Shrewsbury, 1574 (A stage-play acted in the High Street). A play by the 

 players of the Earl of Essex, n A study of those companies of playei'S that were coinci- 



1 Survej' of London, p. 7 ; Hone's Ancient Mysteries, p. 206. 2 See p. 209. 



3 Notices of Leicester, p. 29, referring to Devon's Issues of the Exchequer, p. 244. 



4 It would seem that the entry in Stowe's Survey, p. 7,— "Other smaller wells were 

 many near unto Clarkes well, namelj^ Skinner's well, so called for that the skinners of 

 London held there certain plays yearly, played of Holy Scripture," etc.— were due to a 

 confusion about the clerks' plays which were played at the skinners' well. I find no 

 other I'eference to any plays by the skinners. 



5 Hone, p. PL 6 Machyn's Diary, p. 138; Strype, vol. 3, part 2, p. 6. 

 7 Strype, vol. 3, part 2, p. 6. s Prynue, Histrio-Mastix, p. 117. 



9 Percy, p. 139. 10 Julleville, vol. 2, p. 188 ; also, see p. 148. n Fosbroke, vol. 2, p. 665. 



