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considering the Scriptures as the oracles of God, they should seize, with avidity, the only means open to them of obtaining a knowledge of holy writ, and treasure up even the poor and feeble exhibition of it contained in the mysteries, in the holy tabernacle of their memory. They thirsted for the living springs of immortality, and, not being able to obtain access to the sacred fountains themselves, they drank in with delight the vapid waters, which were brought thence by those who had been more fortunate.

In this point of view, the devotion of the people to sacred plays is not surprising. The capacious soul of man is not

in 1536, was abolished by Stat. 34 and 35 Hen. 8. c. 1.; and, although a corrected English bible was allowed to the higher classes of society under certain restrictions, it was forbidden to be read or expounded in churches, and the common people were prohibited from reading it, either publicly or privately, under the penalty of one month's imprisonment. It was not until the reign of Edward the Sixth, that a translation of the bible was admitted into the churches; when this statute with others of the same oppressive character was repealed by stat. 1. Ed. 6. c. 12. the preamble to which is worthy of the statute itself. It is written with great wisdom and solemnity. Our statute book presents few specimens of such composition.

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and

Nothing being more godly, more sure, more to be wished, be desired betwixt a prince, the supreme head and ruler, and the subjects whose governor and head he is, than on the prince's part great clemency and indulgency, and rather too much forgiveness and remission of his royal power and just punishment, than exact severity and justice to be shewed; and on the subjects behalf that they should obey rather for love, and for the necessity and love of a king and prince, than for fear of his strait and severe laws; yet such times at sometime cometh in the commonwealth, that it is necessary and expedient for the repressing of the insolency and unruliness of men and for the foreseeing and providing of remedies against rebellion, insurrection, or such mischiefs as God sometime with us displeased, for our punishment doth inflict and lay upon us, &c.; the which thing, (it goes on to recite,) caused the prince of most famous memory King Henry the Eighth, to enact certain laws and statutes, which might seem and appear to men of exterior realms and many of the king's majesty's subjects very strait, sore, extream, and terrible, although they were then, when they were made not without great consideration and policy moved and established, and for the time, to the avoidance of further inconvenience, very expedient and necessary. But as in tempest or winter, one case or garment is convenient, in calm or warm weather a more liberal case or lighter garment, both may and ought to be followed and used; so we have seen divers strait and sore laws made in one parliament (the time so requiring,) in a more calm and quiet reign of another prince, by the like authority and parliament taken away."

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satisfied with the things of this world-it cannot be divested of a natural "longing after immortality"-it feels an alliance with something beyond and above the earth. The effect even of the insipid mysteries on the general mind must have been great, considering the tremendous impulse which was communicated to it when the word of God itself was laid open to the public in all its simplicity and solemnity, The mysteries indeed were sufficiently accurate as to facts. As an exemplication of this, we shall make a short extract from one among the very old MS. collection of mysteries before mentioned. It is called the Draper's Play, and the subject of it is the Creation.

"Then God doth make the woman of the ribb of Adam, then Adam wakinge speaketh unto God as followeth :

Adam. O Lorde, where have I longe bene,

For, since I slepte, moch have I seene;

Wonnder that withouten weene

Hereafter shal be wiste.

Deus. Rise up, Adam, and awake,

Here have I formed thee a make,

Her to thee thou shalt take,

And name her as thy [liste.]

Adam risinge up, saithe:

Adam. I see well, Lorde, through thy grace,

Bone of my bone thou her mase,
And fleshe of my fleshe she hase,
And my shape through thy lawe,
Wherefore she shalbe called I wysse
Virago, nothinge amisse,

For out of man taken she is,

And to man she shall drawe.

Of earth thou madest first me,

Bouth bone and fleshe now I see;
Thou hast her given thorough thy postye
Of that life I in me had.

Therefore, man, kindely shall forsake
Father and mother, and to wife betake;

Too in one flesh, as thou tane make

Eyther other for to gladd.

Then Adam and Eve shall stande naked, and shall not be ashamed; then the serpent shall come up out of a hole, and the devill walking shall saye." &c. &c.

"Then Adam and Eve shall cover themselves with leaves, hydinge themselves under the trees-then God shall speake to Adam sayinge (mynstrells playinge.)

Deus. Adam, Adam, where art thou?
Adam. O Lord, I harde thy voice nowe,

For I ame naked and make a vowe,

Therefore nowe I hyde me.

Deus. Who told thee, Adam, thou naked was?

Save only thine owne trespass,

That of the tree thou eaten hast

That I forbade thee.

Adam. Lord, this woman that is heare,

That thou gave to my fere,

Gave me parte at her prayer,

And of yt I did eate."-&c. &c.

"Adam. (Mynstrells playinge.)

Highe God and highest Kinge
That of naught made all thynge,
Beaste, foule, and grasse growinge,
And me of earth made.

Thou gave me grace to do thy willinge,
For after greate sorrowe and sighinge,
Thou hast me lent greate lykinge,

Two sonnes my harte to gladd."-&c. &c.

The above stage-directions certainly contain a singular display of primitive simplicity-it appears from this extract, that the representation itself was accompanied with music.

The mystery, of Candlemas Day, or the killing of the children of Israel, was written by Jhan Pafre in 1512; and is printed, in Mr. Hawkins's book, from an old MS. This mystery does not, by any means, literally pursue the account given in the New Testament, like some of the mysteries on the Old Testament. The prologue is spoken by the poet (poeta) as the worthy Jhan Pafre styles himself—the facts represented are the flight of Joseph and Mary into Egypt; during which, Herod's knights are directed to walk about the stage-the slaughter of the Innocents and the death of Herod-the return of the Virgin and Son, and the presentation in the temple.

The Nunc dimittis is twice sung in the temple; and the play concludes with music and a dance. The author has attempted, and not unsuccessfully, to communicate a degree of elevation to the speech of Herod, with which the piece opens.

"Herodes. Above all kynges under the clowdys cristall,
Royally I reigne in welthe without woo,
Of plesaunt prosperytie I lakke non at all;
Fortune I fynde, that she is not my foo,
I am kyng Herowd, I will it be knowen so,

Most strong and myghty in feld for to fyght,
And to venquyshe my enemyes that a geynst me do ;
I am most be dred with my bronde bryght.

My grett goddes I gloryfye with gladnesse,
And to honoure them I knele up on my knee;
For thei have sett me in solas from all sadnesse,
That no conqueroure nor knyght is compared to me:
All the that rebelle a geyns me ther bane I will be,
Or grudge a geyns my godds on hyll or hethe;
All suche rebellers I shall make for to flee,

And with hard punyshements putt them to dethe."

It is worthy of remark, that a sort of fool or buffoon is introduced, under the name of Watkyn, the King's Messenger.

The following is a specimen of the speeches put into the mouth of this personage. He has obtained Herod's permission to accompany the knights appointed to slay the children.

"Watkyn. Nay, nay, my lord, we wyll let for no man,
Though ther come a thousand on a rought;

For your knyghts and I, will kylle them all, if we can:
But for the wyves that is all my dought,
And if I see ony walkyng a bought,
I will take good hede tyll the be goon,
And assone as I aspye that she is oute,
By my feith, into the hous I will go anon.

And this I promyse you, that I shall never slepe,
But evermore wayte to fynde the children alone;

And if the moder come in, under the bench I will crepe,
And lye stille ther tyll she be goon,

Than manly I shall come out and hir children sloon,
And whan I have don I shall renne fast away:

If she founde hir child dede, and toke me ther alone,

Be my feith, I am sure we shuld make a fray."

There is more discrimination of character in these two persons then in most of the mysteries, as will be observed from the contrast between the foregoing extracts.

"The Tragydye or Enterlude manyfesting the chefe promyses of God unto man by all ages in the old lawe, from the fall of Adam to the encarnacyon of the Lord Jesus Chreste," by Bishop Bale, was a later production than the foregoing, being printed in 1538. The interlocutors are, Pater cœlestis, justus Noah, Moses sanctus, Esaias propheta, Adam primus homo, Abraham fidelis, David rex pius, and Joannes baptista; and Baleus is the prolocutor. It is divided into seven acts or distinct

mysteries, each of which is opened by Pater cœlestis, and consists of a dialogue between him and one of the other personages. There are only two speakers in each act, and this famous tragedy might, with more propriety, be termed a series of dialogues. From this brief account it will be seen, that it has far less pretensions to the title of drama, or, as prolocutor Baleus would say, to tragydye, than the very curious old mystery of Candlemas-Day.

We shall, however, trespass on the reader's attention for a few minutes, by quoting one passage from it. Pater cœlestis threatens destruction to Sodom and Gomor. Abraham fidelis

beseeches him not to cast away the good with the ungodly, and suggests, that there might be fifty righteous persons within these cities, whom he could not be so rigorous as to destroy. The dialogue then proceeds as follows:

"Pater cœlestis. At Sodom, if I may fynde just persones fiftye, The place wyll I spare for their sakes verelye.

Abraham fidelis. I take upon me, to speake here in thy presence, More then become me, Lorde pardon my neglygence.

I am but ashes, and were lothe the to offende.

Pater cœlestis. Saye fourth, good Abraham, for yll dost thu non intende.

Abraham fidelis. Happlye there maye be fyve lesse in the same nombre;

For their sakes I trust thu wylt not the rest accombre.

Pater cœlestis. If I amonge them myght fynde but fyve and fortye, Them wolde I not lose for that just cumpanye.

Abraham fidelis. What if the cytie maye fortye ryghteouse make? Pater cœlestis. Then wyll I pardone it for those same fortye's sake. Abraham fidelis. Be not angrye, Lorde, though I speake undyscretelye. Pater cœlestis. Utter thy whole mynde, and spare me not hardelye. Abraham fidelis. Parauventure there maye be thirty founde amonge

them.

Pater cœlestis. Maye I fynde thirty, I wyll nothynge do unto them. Abraham fidelis. I take upon me to moche, Lorde, in thy syght. Pater cœlestis. No, no, good Abraham, for I knowe thy faythe is ryght.

Abraham fidelis. No lesse, I suppose, than twenty can it have. Pater cœlestis. Coulde I fynde twenty, that cytie wolde I save. Abraham fidelis. Ones yet wyll I speake my mynde, and than no

more.

Pater cœlestis. Spare not to utter so moche as thu hast in store. Abraham fidelis. And what if there myght be ten good creatures

founde?

Pater cœlestis. The rest for their sakes myght so be safe and sounde, And not destroyed for their abhomynacyon."

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