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"faint Catharine", faint Clement, the holie Innocents, and "and fuch like ', Children [boys] be strangelie decked and ap

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parayled, to counterfeit Priestes, Bisfhopes, and Women, and "fo be ledde with Songes and Dances from house to house, "bleffing the people, and gathering of money; and Boyes do finge maffe, and preache in the pulpitt, with such other vnfittinge and inconuenient vfages, rather to the deryfyon than "anie true glorie of God, or honor of his fayntes: The Kynges "maieftie therefore, myndinge nothinge fo moche as to aduance "the true glory of God without vain fuperftition, wylleth and "commandeth, that from henceforth all fvch fvperftitious ob"feruations be left and clerely extinguished throwout all this "his 'realme and dominions, for-as moche as the fame doth re"femble rather the vnlawfull fuperftition of gentilitie, than the

pvre and fincere religion of Chrifte." With respect to the disguisings of these young fraternities, and their proceffions from house to house with finging and dancing, specified in this edict,

"The reader will recollect the old play of Saint Catharine, LUDUS CATHARINE, exhibited at faint Albans abbey in 1160. Strype fays, in 1556, "On Saint Katha"rines day, at fix of the clock at night, "S. Katharine went about the battlements "of S. Paul's church accompanied with "fine finging and great lights. This was "faint Katharine's Proceffion." EcCCL. MEM. ii. 309. ch. xxxix. Again, her proceffion, in 1553, is celebrated with five hundred great lights, round faint Paul's fteeple, &c. lbid. p. 51. ch. v. And p. 57. ch. v.

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Among the church-proceffions revived by Queen Mary, that of S. Clement's church, in honour of this faint, was by far the moft fplendid of any in London. Their proceffion to S. Pauls in 1557,

was made very pompous with four core "banners and ftreamers, and the waits of "the city playing, and threefcore priests "and clarkes in copes. And divers of "the Inns of Court were there, who went

"next the priests, &c. Strype, ubi fupr. iii. 377. ch. xlix.

P In the SYNODUS CARNOTENSIS, under the year 1526, It is ordered, "In "fefto fancti Nicholai, Catharinæ, Inno"centium, aut alio quovis die, prætextu "recreationis, ne Scholaftici, Clerici, Sa"cerdotefve, ftultum aliquod aut ridicu"lum faciant in ecclefia. Denique ab ec"clefia ejiciantur VESTES FATUORUM per"fonas SCENICAS agentium." See Bochellus, Decret. ECCLES. GALL. lib. iv. TIT. vii. C. 43. 44. 46. p. 586. Yet thefe fports feem to nave remained in France fo late as 1585. For in the Synod of Aix, 1585, it is enjoined, 1585, it is enjoined, "Ceffent in die Sanc"torum Innocentium ludibria omnia et "pueriles ac theatrales lufus." Bochell. ibid. C. 45. P. 586. A Synod of Tholoufe, an. 1590, removes plays, spectacles, and hiftrionum circulationes, from churches and their cemeteries. Bochell. ibid. lib. iv. TIT. 1. C. 98. p. 560.

in a very mutilated fragment of a COMPUTUS, or annual Accompt-roll, of faint Swithin's cathedral Priory at Winchester, under the year 1441, a disbursement is made to the finging-boys of the monaftery, who, together with the chorifters of faint Elifabeth's collegiate chapel near that city, were dreffed up like girls, and exhibited their sports before the abbefs and nuns of faint Mary's abbey at Winchester, in the public refectory of that convent, on Innocent's day . "Pro Pueris Eleemofynariæ una "cum Pueris Capellæ fanctæ Elizabethæ, ornatis more puellarum, et faltantibus, cantantibus, et ludentibus, coram domina "Abbatiffa et monialibus Abbathia beatæ Mariæ virginis, in “aula ibidem in die fanctorum Innocentium." And again, in a fragment of an Accompt of the Celerar of Hyde Abbey at Winchester, under the year 1490. "In larvis et aliis indu"mentis Puerorum vifentium Dominum apud Wulfey, et Con"ftabularium Caftri Winton, in apparatu fuo, necnon fubin"trantium omnia monafteria civitatis Winton, in ffefto fancti "Nicholai." That is, "In furnishing masks and dreffes for "the boys of the convent, when they vifited the bishop at

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"We have been informed, that certain "Actors of Comedies, not contented with "the ftage and theaters, have even enter"ed the nunneries, in order to recreate "the nuns, ubi virginibus commoveant vo

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luptatem, with their profane, amorous, "and fecular gefticulations. Which fpec"tacles, or plays, although they confifted "of facred and pious fubjects, can yet "notwithstanding leave little good, but "on the contrary much harm, in the “ minds of the nuns, who behold and ad"mire the outward geftures of the per"formers, and understand not the words. "Therefore we decree, that henceforward "no Plays, Comedias, fhall be admitted "into the convents of nuns, &c." Suri CONCIL. tom. iv. p. 852. Binius, tom. iv. p. 765.

MS. Ibid. See fupr. p. 303.

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Wulvefey-palace, the conftable of Winchefter-castle, and all "the monasteries of the city of Winchester, on the festival of "faint Nicholas. As to the divine fervice being performed by children on these feasts, it was not only celebrated by boys, but there is an injunction given to the Benedictine nunnery of Godstowe in Oxfordshire, by archbishop Peckham, in the year 1278, that on Innocent's day, the public prayers thould not any more be faid in the church of that monaftery PER PARVULAS, that is, by little girls '.

The ground-work of this religious mockery of the boy-bishop, which is evidently founded on modes of barbarous life, may perhaps be traced backward at least as far as the year 867 ". At the Conftantinopolitan fynod under that year, at which were prefent three hundred and feventy-three bishops, it was found to be a folemn custom in the courts of princes, on certain stated days, to dress fome layman in the epifcopal apparel, who should exactly perfonate a bishop both in his tonfure and ornaments: as also to create a burlesque patriarch, who might make sport for the company ". This fcandal to the clergy was anathematised. But ecclefiaftical fynods and cenfures have often proved too weak to fupprefs popular spectacles, which take deep root in the public manners, and are only concealed for a while, to spring up afresh with new vigour.

After the form of a legitimate ftage had appeared in England, MYSTERIES and MIRACLES where also revived by queen Mary, as an appendage of the papiftic worship.

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In the year 1556, a goodly flage-play of the PASSION OF CHRIST was presented at the Grey friers in London, on CorpusChristi day, before the lord mayor, the privy-council, and many great eftates of the realm'. Strype alfo mentions, under the year 1557, a stage-play at the Grey-friers, of the Paffion of Christ, on the day that war was proclaimed in London against France, and in honour of that occafion". On faint Olave's day in the fame year, the holiday of the church in Silver-ftreet which is dedicated to that faint, was kept with much folemnity. At eight of the clock at night, began a stage-play of goodly matter, being the miraculous hiftory of the life of that faint*, which continued four hours, and was concluded with many religious fongs".

Many curious circumftances of the nature of these miracleplays, appear in a roll of the church-wardens of Baffingborne in Cambridgeshire, which is an accompt of the expences and receptions for acting the play of SAINT GEORGE at Baffingborne, on the feast of faint Margaret in the year 1511. They collected upwards of four pounds in twenty-feven neighbouring parishes for furnishing the play. They disbursed about two pounds in the reprefentation. These disbursements are to four minstrels, or waits, of Cambridge for three days, v, s. vj, d. To the players, in bread and ale, iij, s. ij, d. To the garnementman for garnements, and propyrts, that is, for dreffes, decora

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"dance, and an elephant and caftle, and "the Lord and Lady of the May appear"ed to make up this fhow." Strype, ibid. 376, ch. xlix.

Ludovicus Vives relates, that it was customary in Brabant to present annual plays in honour of the respective faints to which the churches were dedicated: and he betrays his great credulity in adding a wonderful story in confequence of this cuftom. NOT. in Auguftin. De CIVIT. DEI. lib. xii. cap. 25. C.

The property-room is yet known at our theatres.

tions, and implements, and for play-books, xx, s. To John Hobard brotherhoode preefte, that is, a priest of the guild in the church, for the play-book, ij, s. viij d. For the crofte, or field in which the play was exhibited, j, s. For propyrte-making, or furniture, j, s. iv, d. "For fish and bread, and to setting up the stages, iv, d." For painting three fanchoms and four tormentors, words which I do not understand, but perhaps phantoms and devils... The reft was expended for a feast on the occafion, in which are recited, "Four chicken for the gentilmen, iv, d." It appears from the manufcript of the Coventry plays, that a temporary scaffold only, was erected for these performances. And Chaucer fays, of Abfolon a parish-clerk, and an actor of king Herod's character in these dramas, in the MILLER'S TALE,

And for to fhew his lightneffe and maistry

He playith Herawdes on a SCAFFALD HIE‘.

Scenical decorations and machinery which employed the genius and invention of Inigo Jones, in the reigns of the first James and Charles, seem to have migrated from the mafques at court to the public theatre. In the inftrument here cited, the priest who wrote the play, and received only two fhillings and eight pence for his labour, seems to have been worfe paid in proportion than any of the other perfons concerned. The learned Oporinus,

Mill. T. v. 275. Urr. Mr. Steevens and Mr. Malone have fhewn, that the accommodations in our early regular theatres were but little better. That the old scenery was very fimple, may partly be collected from an entry in a Computus of Winchefter-college, under the year 1579. viz. COMP. BURS. Coll. Winton. A. D. 1573, Eliz. xv.-" CUSTUS AULÆ. Item, pro "diverfis expenfis circa Scaffoldam erigen"dam et deponendam, et pro Domunculis "de novo compofitis cum carriagio et re

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carriagio ly joyftes, et aliorum mutuato"rum ad eandem Scaffoldam, cum vj linckes "et jo [uno] duodeno candelarum, pro lu"mine expenfis, tribus noctibus in Ludis

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" Pro

"comediarum et tragediarum, xxv, s. viij,
"d." Again in the next quarter,
"vij ly linckes deliberatis pueris per M.
"Informatorem [the fchool-mafter] pro
"Ludis, iij, s." Again, in the last quar-
ter, "Pro removendis Organis e templo in
"Aulam et præparandis eifdem erga Lu-
"dos, v, s." By DOMUNCULIS I under-
ftand little cells of board, raised on each
fide of the ftage, for dreffing rooms, or
retiring places. Strype, under the year
1559, fays, that after a grand feaft at
Guildhall, "the fame day was a Scaffold
"fet up in the hall for a play." ANN.
REF. i. 197. edit. 1725.

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