262 Charles Davidson — English Mystery Plays. 



These plays are older than the Woodkirk and true Coventry 

 cycles, because both W and Co borrowed from the York, though 

 not from the extant text of the York. Since the text is a variant of 

 the present York, it is probable that the borrowing was prior to the 

 registration of the play. It is reasonable to suppose that actors' 

 copies were collated with the registered play after the authoritative 

 copy was in existence. 



The relationship of author's MS., registered play, and actor's copy 

 must be finally made out for each play, even — where there has been 

 patchwork — for each scene separately. It is sufficient for our pur- 

 pose here to state that, in many places, a text better than the present 

 York can be established by the readings of the other cycles ; there- 

 fore, in those plays at least, the borrowing was earlier than the regis- 

 tration. 



Moreover, in plays of the early septenar stanza, W and Co bor- 

 rowed from Y, not Y and these from a common original. The 

 proof of this lies — 



1. In the stanza, which does not occur without variation outside 

 of the parent cycle. 



2. In the evidence of damage suffered by the stanza at the hands 

 of redactors, which is serious in W and Co, and but slight in Y. 



3. In the fact that W pieces plays of Y with stanzas from other 

 plays ; see Y XXXVIl. 



As regards the question of authorship, I am of the opinion that 

 the parent York cycle was the work of one author. This opinion 

 rests upon characteristics of phraseology, riming words, style of treat- 

 ment, uniformity of verse movement, caesura, and general rhythm in 

 stanzas — matters that must be elucidated in extenso. 



We conclude, then, — 



1. That there was a parent cycle of plays at York. 



2. That W and the true Co borrowed certain plays from this 

 cycle. 



3. That this cycle was the work of one author. 



What, then, were the plays that formed this earliest cycle ? My 

 hypotheses are that it contained — 



1. All the plays of the characteristic stanza. 



2. Y VIII and IX as well. 



3. Also W, ' Conspiracio ' from "Cayphas" to "Tunc dicet 

 Sanctus Johannes." 



The evidence in favor of the admission of Y VIII and Y IX to 

 the cycle will be considered first. 



