Charles Davidson — English 3Iystery Plays. 261 



XXI. 

 THE PARENT CYCLE OF THE YORK MYSTERY PLAYS. 



As we have seen in the preceding chapter, the existing York cycle 

 is a compilation, containing plays of very different styles and stan- 

 zaic structure. In the earlier discussion of the life history of the 

 Northern septenar stanza, it became evident that this stanza passed 

 through well-defined phases, of which one phase at a time dominated 

 the writers of its day. Therefore, since the different life stages of 

 this stanza are found in the present York cycle, it becomes possible 

 to date the plays relatively to each other by their stanzaic structure. 



The earliest form of the stanza found in the York plays — a struc- 

 ture showing already marked evidence of deterioration — is the stanza 

 of plays II, X, XI, XXIII, XXI S^, XXYII, XXXV, XXXVII, 

 XLIV, and portions of XII, XV, XVII. This stanza is also found 

 in a part of Woodkirk play XX, which has no correspondent in 

 York. These plays are therefore older than York plays XXVIII, 

 XXIX, XXX, XXXI, XXXII, which exhibit the stanza at a much 

 later stage of its development. 



The questions that immediately confront us are two: first, do 

 these plays represent an earliest cycle, which has been extended at 

 later and different periods by additions from one or more sources ? 

 and, secondly, are these plays the work of one author? These 

 questions merit a careful investigation. 



As regards the first question, it can be affirmed — 



1. That these plays are certainly older than the remainder of the 

 York plays, with the possible exception of a few plays of, as it 

 would seem, church origin. 



2. That they are the only plays of the York cycle, having a 

 common stanza, that could possibly form a cycle. 



3. That they aie older than the Woodkirk, true Coventry, and 

 so-called Coventry cycles. 



The first point is proved by the stanzaic structure, which excludes 

 all competitors, except for those stanzas directly dependent upon 

 church or French influence.^ The second position rests upon the fact 

 that these plays include the Creation, Abraham and Isaac, the Christ- 

 mas Cycle, the Crucifixion, and the Harrowing of Hell, the leading 

 plays of every possible extended cycle. The third point requires 

 further demonstration. 



1 See point 9, p. 251. 



Trans, Conn. Aoad., Vol. IX. October, 1892. 



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