280 Charles Davidson — English Mystery Plays. 



ration. Such passages, as we have already shown/ are to be attrib- 

 uted to the hand of the compiler himself. 



D. The passage, beginning — "Kow wote ye what I have done," 

 and closing with the introduction of Pilate, is of a different char- 

 acter. With the exception of the part assigned to ' Trinitas,' 

 it is almost an exact translation of the Biblical narrative, though 

 usually taken in sequence. If we begin for example, at the worde — 



In my fader house, for sothe. 

 Is many a wonnyng- stede, 



the author paraphrases very literally the following passages, — John 

 XIV, 2, 3, 6, 18, 19, 20, 28, 29, 30, 31, Mark XIY, 33, 38, 34, Luke 

 XXII, 42, Mark XIV, 37, etc. The selection seems to be made with 

 reference to dramatic quality, when possible ; thus, he chooses from 

 Mark, " Simon, dormis ?" in preference to Luke's, *'Et ait illis : Quid 

 dormitis ? " 



The stanza is the quatrain. One may venture to say that the 

 verses were originally alternate 4's and 3's, i. e. septenar couplets 

 with riming caesuras, but the alterations have been such that we 

 cannot pronounce upon the verse with certainty. 



E. The passage, beginning with 'Pilatus' and closing with the 



introduction of ' Malcus Miles,' shows signs of connection with the 



York plays upon the same subject, or was modeled upon work of 



that school. 



W begins— Peas I comaunde you, carles unkynde. 

 To stand as stylle as any stone. 

 In donyon depe he shalbe pynde. 

 That will not sesse his tpng anone. 

 In Y XIX Herod exclaims— 



Stente of youre steuenes stoute. 

 And stille as stone ge stande. 

 In Y XXXII Pilatus commands— 



And loke,l?at ye stirre with no striffe but stand stone still. 



These may be stock expressions, but the use of them would argue 

 some community of interest between the authors. 



F. Beginning with ' Malcus Miles,' four stanzas are inserted into 

 the play, whose structure we recognize as that of the so-called Cov- 

 entry plays :abababcdddc. It would seem that this passage 

 and that marked E must be late interpolations, for the words of 

 Jesus — 



" Ryse up, Peter, and go with me," should follow the last speech of 

 Jesus, i. e. the close of passage D, without break. 



1 See p. 253. 



