Charles Davidson — English Mystery Plays. 293 



W and Y agree for the remainder of Y 21, W omits two speeches 

 in Y 22, agreeing with Y in the last of the stanza. W contains Y 

 23 and 24, omits Y 25, gives 26, 2*7, 28, 29, and closes. 



It is evident that the York play is the older, and has been cut 

 down for insertion into the Woodkirk. 



The Woodkirk play suffers resolution into — 



First. An introduction of Pilate, in four stanzas. 



Secondly. The scene of the tormentors, which was written by 

 the author of ' Processus ISToe,' 'Prima Pastorum,' 'SecundaPastorum,' 

 * Magnus Herodes,' Introduction to 'Conspiracio et Captio,' and 'Pro- 

 cessus Talentorum.' 



Thirdly. The remainder of the play, which is the York play, 

 scene second, with omissions and slight alteration. 



We will next consider the play, ' The Resurrection.' 

 Y contains five stanzas before the centurion is mentioned, W six. 

 These stanzas are in the same metre in the two versions, and, so far 

 as I can determine, of equal age. The seventh stanza in W is irreg- 

 ular through an attempt to fuse two stanzas, the second of which is 

 Y 6 with the omission of two verses. This would argue an attempt 

 to piece the W introduction to the Y play. The plays agree in 

 stanzas 6 and 7. York then omits twenty-five lines of the original 

 play, which W gives. These contain an account of the marvels for 

 which the line in Y^ 



What may ]?es meruayles signifle? 



prepares. Y substitutes stanza 8 for this passage. 



Throughout the remainder of the play there is occasionally the 

 displacing of single stanzas ; thus, stanzas 22, 32, 44, 47, 63, 66, 6*7, 

 and 69 of the York play do not appear in the Woodkirk, and full 

 stanzas of W, after Y lines 114, 126, 186, 388, are different from the 

 York, though following the thought closely. 



The most noteworthy insertion is that of the monologue of Jesus, 

 which W has in common with Chester. 



The variations between these plays are less marked than we have 

 found them hitherto. Both writers use the same metre, and the 

 variant portions are so welded to the common text that neither Y 

 nor W is the type to the exclusion of the other. I have fancied 

 that the variants of W were more lyrical than those of Y, but cannot 

 state it with certainty. 



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



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