264 Charles Davidson — J^nglish Mystery Plays. 



and was widely cultivated in Southern England through French influ- 

 ence. In this verse alliteration was never structural, but, especially 

 on the borders of the Northern district, simulated structural allitera- 

 tion so closely at times, that other tests must be relied upon to detect 

 the affiliations of the verse. In this case the tests will be those that 

 would reveal a common authorship. 



In the poems of this stanza the riming series and the riming words 

 are important indications of authorship. In each typical stanza there 

 must be four rimes, of which two must contain a series of four words 

 each. Redactors may distort the stanza and modernize, or translate 

 into another dialect, the riming words ; still, so much of the original 

 riming system will remain intact that restoration is commonly a 

 comparatively simple task. 



Furthermore, the riming series were few, and the number of words 

 of one rime was limited. The poets were so closely bound by the 

 fetters of their stanza that a new riming series of six words was a 

 discovery of prime importance, and the changes were rung in series 

 of four almost to the limits of possible permutations. 



This test, then, of a riming series and of the words that form such 

 a series is easy of application, and would afford a ready solution of 

 the problem of authorship, were it not for the remarkable uniformity 

 in these series as used by different writers. Here lies a serious diffi- 

 culty. Certain riming series were common to all writers of English 

 for centuries, if, indeed, they are not now employed by the authors 

 of hymns. Such are the rimes upon 'be,' 'here,' 'will,' 'noght,' 

 * land,' etc. Other correspondences were confined to certain poems 

 in common with the York cycle ; thus the Northern Gospel of 

 Nicodemus shows such agreements with the plays of the early 

 septenar stanza that one is led to suspect the existence of a school 

 of poetry' with headquarters at York, but with disciples throughout 

 the North, and continuing through several steps of stanzaic change. 



The necessity of a division of riming series into three classes 

 becomes, therefore, apparent. These classes are formed of — 



1. Those series that were used by all writers of Middle English 

 verse with masculine rimes. 



2. Those series that seem to mark a common tradition among 

 certain poets working in a somewhat similar manner. 



3. Those series that appear to arise from the individual choice of 

 the author. 



1 This subject merits a special investigation. 



