Charles Davidson — English Mystery Plays. 225 



dent with the decline of the mystery play would be instructive, but foreign to the study 

 of the mystery. 



XIX. Sleaford, 1477. Gild of Holy Trinity (Three Kings of Cologne on Corpus 

 Christi day. and Play of the Ascension). Probably tableaux with explanatory speeches. 

 Possibly full plays By the crafts. i 



XX. Tewkesbury, 1578, 1585. Probably church plays. 



XXI. Winchester, 1487. By alms boys (Christi descensus ad inferos). Played by the 

 choir-boys of Hyde Abbey and Saint Swithin's Priory before Henry VII on Sunday 

 during dinner, on occasion of the birth of Prince Arthur.2 A cloister drama. 



XXII. Windsor, 1416 (St. George of Cappadocia).3 To entertain the Emperor Sigis- 

 mund. Probably a dumb show. Belongs with the pageants and plays of St. George 

 elsewhere exhibited.* 



XXIII. Witney, Oxfordshire, 16th century (The Resurrection. A dumb show). A 

 puppet show in the church. s The same authority refers to similar shows in St. Paul's, 

 London. 



XXIV. York, Before 1384. (Our Lord's Prayer). This play when first presented so 

 commended itself to the inhabitants of York that a Gild of the Lord's Prayer was 

 formed to maintain it. A play of the vices and virtues. The MS., delivered to Arch- 

 bishop Grindal for criticism in 1573, disappeared. Played on movable pageant Avagons.e 



XXV. York, 1446. (Creed Play). Given by the will of William Revetor, keeper of 

 the Corpus Christi Gild, to the gild with the condition that it should be publicly per- 

 formed every tenth year in various parts of the city. A considerable play, since in 1535 

 the gild plays were omitted because of it. In 1568 it was sent to Dean Hutton for exam- 

 ination. He advised that it should not be played. 7 Played on movable pageant wagons. 



XXVI. Kendall, Preston, and Lancaster. (Corpus Christi plays seen in the reign of 

 James I). " They call this Corpus Christi Play in my countrey which I have scene acted 

 at Preston, and Lancaster, and last of all at Kendall, in the beginning of the raigne of 

 King James."3 



An anecdote by Rev. John Shaw, 1664, of a man sixty years old who saw once at 

 Kendall a Corpus Christi play where there was a man on a tree and blood ran down. 9 



XXVI^;. Cornwall, Queen Elizabeth's reign. (Guary myracle play). A cycle of three 

 plays. Played in a circular plain prepared for the purpose. lo 



XXVIII. Newcastle-on-Tyne, 1426-1589. Plays undoubtedly older than 1426. Played 

 in a fixed spot, not on movable pageant wagons. n The pageants were, however, carried 

 in procession to the place of acting. 



XXIX. Wymondham, 1549. "This was doone before Midsummer, and so it rested 

 till the sixt of Julie, at which time there should be a publike plaie kept at Wimondham, 

 a town distant from Norwich six miles, which plaie had beene accustomed yearelie to 

 be kept in that towne continuing for the space of one night and one dale at least." 

 Advantage was taken of the concourse of people to foment rebellion. 12 



The list as analyzed yield the following : — 



1. Cycle mystery plays by craft gilds, on movable pageant wagons, 

 — Chester (IV), Coventry (V), Worcester, and York. 



2. Cycle mystery plays by craft gilds, not on pageant wagons, — 

 Newcastle-on-Tyne (XXVIII), Woodkirk. 



1 Oliver, History of the Holy Trinity Guild at Sleaford. 



2 Warton, vol. 2, p. 394. 3 Collier, vol. 1, p. 20; Marriott, p. xxvi. 

 4 See p. 214. 5 Lambarde, p. 459. 



6 Toulmin Smith, p. 138; York Plays, pp. xxviii, xxix; Da vies, p. 265. 



■? Smith, p. XXX : Davies, p. 258; Register of the Gild of Corpus Christi, p. 24. 



8 Weever's Funeral Monuments, as given by Sharp, p. 133. 



9 Halliwell-Phillipps, a^oI. 1, p. 48. 10 Cut of field, Borlase, p. 197. 

 11 Brand, vol. 2, X)p. 369-379; also in the account of each craft. 



13 Holinshead, vol. 3, p. 963. 



