Charles Davidson — English Mystery Plays. 265 



Our present search is concerned with the third division only, 

 although the recognition of the other categories will aid us in the 

 interpretation of the data obtained. 



For these rime tests I have selected Y X, as a play undoubtedly 

 belonging to the parent cycle ; Y IX, the one whose authorship is 

 in question because of the irregular cauda ; Y VIII, one in a differ- 

 ent stanza through loss of the cauda ; and Y XXXIX, one agreeing 

 in every particular, so far as it has yet been examined, with VIII. 

 As a measure for the plays I take Y XI, which is unquestionably of 

 the parent cycle. 



XI agrees with X and with no other in rime series upon ' wiste/ ' fell,' ' name,' ' wise,' 

 'fayle,' 'said,' and 'kepe.' 



The identical rimes among- these are — 



kepe, schepe, X, 2H, XI, 8. 



same, hame, name, blame, X, 4. 



same, hame, blame, name, X, 31. 



wise, sacryflee, X, 7 and X, 19. 

 The included rimes are — 



fell, telle, X, IT. 



telle, fell, emell, Israeli, XI, 3. 



dwelle, telle, XI, 9. 



tell, Israeli, dwell, emell, Xf , 16. 



tell, Isr^ll, hell, dwelle, XI, 18. 



name, same, XI, 30. 



name, blame, same, shame, XI, 15. 



same, hame, name, blame, X, 4. 



same, hame, blame, name, X, 31. 



saide, grathide, X, 13. 



grathid, brayde, saide, payed, X, 16. 



saide, paied, XI, 30. 

 These rime series number 34. 

 XI contains 63 diiferent varieties of rime. 



X contains 47 different varieties of rime. 

 The rime series of XI number 134. 



The rime series of X number 139. 



The agreeing rime series constitute 13/134 of all in XI, and 13/139 of all in X. 

 The riming words agreeing number 14 in 406 lines of XI, and in 380 lines of X, or 1 in 

 27 lines of X. 



XI agrees with IX and with no other in rime series upon 'before,' 'men,' 'borne,' 

 'flitte,' 'mene,' 'greve,' 'encresse,' and 'raarre.' 



Identical rimes among these are- 

 wore, before, sore, (no) more, IX, 30. 



before, wore, sore, more, XI, 33. 



sesse, encresse, IX, 17. 



sese, encrese, XI, 4. 

 Included rimes are— 



wene, mene, IX, 5. 



mene, scene, grene, wone, XI, 9. 



greve, myscheue, IX, 8, 



meve, greve, leve, myscheue, XI, 34. 

 • sesse, encresse, IX, 17 and XI, 4. 



pees, press, sees, encrese, XI, 2. 



pees, sesse, messe, encresse, XI, 14. 



