Charles Davidson — English Mystery Plays. 245 



Lines 1 and 2 alliterate on g, lines 3 and 4 on b, lines 5 and 6 on 1, 

 lines 8 and 9 on t, lines 12 and 13 on b. 



So similar are examples 22, 23, and 24, that I do not hestitate to 

 pronounce them products of the same school. Examples 23 and 24 

 were possibly by the same author, and written in the neighborhood 

 of Carlisle. 



It would seem, then, from the evidence of the stanza, that 1500 is 

 too late for Gawan and Gologras, and 1350 a date much too early 

 for th'fe ' Anturs,' 



Ex. 26. Of Saynt John the Euaungeiist,' date about 1440.'^ 

 Stanza 1. 



ou — —^u^ 



= MU 



<J u 



tMM' '>U 



MO 



— —. u u 



^lOOtl 1 



UUtiO 



uou 



OO (»0 : 



II 



o o 



OO rr— 



o» 



-r— OO 



0—r=r (>i> 



0" o 



^i — oc 



OU OO 



nt;0 



- — 



O C>0<J 



n o 



■r=z= OO 





ij 



OO 



- 



(J 



OO 





O 



OO 





u 



CO 





O 



OO 





o 



Olj 



ababababccdccd. 



Each alliteration is carried through two lines. The first short line 

 recasts the thouglit of the last long line. It is impossible to deter- 

 mine with certainty whether these more corrupt forms are de- 

 scendants of the septenar stanza, or are offshoots from the Southern 

 stanzaic forms. 



Ex. 27. Susanna,^ date about 1360.* Stanza 1. 



UUO=OOOi= n OU 





OO0= ^== 0"0-— 



0(JU 



IllKf—r-liU- 1,(1 



OO 



tm inj—— 



OO 



O=:0Oss= U l> UOD 





— rrr O — rrUOlin 



o 



O OO Out) 



o 



l\ 0(J— T <)«/» (1 , 



JUOO 





o • 



ooo 



UO : 



=a=.0000: 



OU 



OO- 





UO. 



= ) a b a b a b a b c d d d c.s 



I E. E. T. S. No. 28. 2 Schipper, vol. 1, p. 220. s Anglia, 1, p. 93. 



■i Schipper, vol. 1, p. 219, s'ivcn on the authority or Horstmann. 

 5 Insert a breve before last breve of sixth line. 

 Trans. Conn. Acad., Vol. IX. October, 1802. 



18 



