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Innocents, one of the children of the choir completely apparelled in the episcopal vestments, with a mitre and crosier, bore the title and state of a bishop, and exacted canonical obedience from his fellows, who were dressed like priests. They took possession of the church, and performed all the ceremonies and offices, the mass excepted, which might have been celebrated by the bishop and his prebendaries. In the statutes of the archiepiscopal cathedral of Tulles, given in the year 1497, it is said, that during the celebration of the festival of the boy-bishop, "MORALITIES were presented, and shews of MIRACLES, with farces and other sports, but compatible with decorum.-After dinner they exhibited, without their masks, but in proper dresses, such farces as they were masters of, in different parts of the city!." It is probable that the same entertainments attended the solemnisation of this ridiculous festival in England": and from this supposition some

In the statutes of Eton-college, given 1441, the EPISCOPUS PUERORUM is ordered to perform divine service on saint Nicholas's day. Rubr. xxxi. In the statutes of Winchester-college, given 1380, PUERI, that is the boy-bishop and his fellows, are permitted on Innocent'sday, to execute all the sacred offices in the chapel, according to the use of the church of Sarum. Rubr. xxix. This strange piece of religious mockery flourished greatly in Salisbury cathedral. In the old statutes of that church there is a chapter DE EPISCOPO CHORISTARUM: and their Processionale gives a long and minute account of the whole ceremony. edit. Rothom. 1555.

This ceremony was abolished by a proclamation, no later than 33 Hen. VIJI. Brit. Mus. MSS. Cott. TIT. B 1. f. 208. In the inventory of the treasury of York cathedral, taken in 1530, we have "Item una mitra parva cum petris pro episcopo puerorum, &c." Dugd. Monast. iii. 169. 170. See also 313. 314. 177. 279. See also Dugd. Hist. S. Paul's, p. 205. 206. Where he is called EPISCOPUS PARVULORUM. See also Anstis Ord. Gart. ii. 309. Where, instead of Nihilensis, read Nicolensis, or NICOLA

TENSIS.

1 Statut. Eccles. Tullens. apud Carpent. Suppl. Lat. Gl. Du Cang, V. KALENDE.

This

It appears that in England, the boybishop with his companions went about to different parts of the town; at least visited the other religious houses. As in Rot. Comp. Coll. Winton. A. D. 1461. "In Dat. episcopo Nicolatensi." I suppose was one of the children of the choir of the neighbouring cathedral. In the statutes of the collegiate church of S. Mary Ottery, founded by bishop Grandison in 1337, there is this passage: "Item statuimus, quod nullus canonicus, vicarius, vel secundarius, pueros choristas in festo sanctorum Innocentium extra Parochiam de Otery trahant, aut eis licentiam vagandi concedant." cap. 50. MS. Registr. Priorat. S. Swithin. Winton. quat. 9. In the wardroberolls of Edward III. an. 12. we have this entry, which shews that our mock-bishop and his chapter sometimes exceeded their adopted clerical commission, and exercised the arts of secular entertainment. "EPISCOPO PUERORUM ecclesiæ de Andeworp cantanti coram domino rege in camera sua in festo sanctorum Innocentium, de dono ipsius dom. regis. xiiis. vid."

critics may be inclined to deduce the practice of our plays being acted by the choir-boys of St. Paul's church, and the chapel royal, which continued, as I before observed, till Cromwell's usurpation. The English and French stages mutually throw light on each other's history. But perhaps it will be thought, that in some of these instances I have exemplified in nothing more than farcical and gesticulatory representations. Yet even these traces should be attended to. In the mean time we may observe upon the whole, that the modern drama had its foundation in our religion, and that it was raised and supported by the clergy. The truth is, the members of the ecclesiastical societies were almost the only persons who could read, and their numbers easily furnished performers: they abounded in leisure, and their very relaxations were religious.

I did not mean to touch upon the Italian stage. But as so able a judge as Riccoboni seems to allow that Italy derived her theatre from those of France and England, by way of an additional illustration of the antiquity of the two last, I will here produce one or two MIRACLE-PLAYS, acted much earlier in Italy than any piece mentioned by that ingenious writer, or by Crescimbeni. In the year 1298, on "the feast of Pentecost, and the two following holidays, the representation of the PLAY OF CHRIST, that is of his passion, resurrection, ascension, judgment, and the mission of the holy ghost, was performed by the clergy of Civita Vecchia, in curia domini patriarchæ Austriæ civitatis honorifice et laudabiliter"" And again, "In 1304, the chapter of Civita Vecchia exhibited a Play of the creation of our first parents, the annunciation of the virgin Mary, the birth of Christ, and other passages of sacred scripture." In the mean time, those critics who con

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tend for the high antiquity of the Italian stage, may adopt these instances as new proofs in defence of that hypothesis.

In this transient view of the origin and progress of our drama, which was incidentally suggested by the mention of Baston's supposed Comedies, I have trespassed upon future periods. But I have chiefly done this for the sake of connection, and to prepare the mind of the reader for other anecdotes of the history of our stage, which will occur in the course of our researches, and are reserved for their respective places. I could have enlarged what is here loosely thrown together, with many other remarks and illustrations: but I was unwilling to transcribe from the collections of those who have already treated this subject with great comprehension and penetration, and especially from the author of the Supplement to the Translator's Preface of Jarvis's Don Quixote P. I claim no other merit from this digression, than that of having collected some new anecdotes relating to the early state of the English and French stages, the original of both which is intimately connected, from books and manuscripts not easily found, nor often examined. These hints may perhaps prove of some service to those who have leisure and inclination to examine the subject with more precision.

ordinary, that the Miracle-plays, even in the churches, should not cease in Italy till the year 1660.

See also Doctor Percy's very ingenious ESSAY ON THE ORIGIN OF THE ENGLISH STAGE, &c.

SECTION VII.

EDWARD the Third was an illustrious example and patron of chivalry. His court was the theatre of romantic elegance. I have examined the annual rolls of his wardrobe, which record various articles of costly stuffs delivered occasionally for the celebration of his tournaments; such as standards, pennons, tunics, caparisons, with other splendid furniture of the same sort and it appears that he commanded these solemnities to be kept, with a magnificence superior to that of former ages, at Litchfield, Bury, Guildford, Eltham, Canterbury, and twice at Windsor, in little more than the space of one year. At his triumphant return from Scotland, he was met by two hundred and thirty knights at Dunstable, who received their victorious monarch with a grand exhibition of these martial exercises. He established in the castle of Windsor a fraternity of twenty-four knights, for whom he erected a round table, with a round chamber still remaining, according to a similar institution of king Arthur. Anstis treats the notion, that Edward in this establishment had any retrospect to king Ar

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Comp. J. Cooke, Provisoris Magn. Garderob. ab ann. 21 Edw. III. ad ann. 23. supr. citat. I will give, as a specimen, this officer's accompt for the tournament at Canterbury. "Et ad faciendum diversos apparatus pro corpore regis et suorum pro hastiludio Cantuariensi, an. reg. xxii. ubi Rex dedit octo hernesia de syndone ynde facta, et vapulata de armis dom. Stephani de Cosyngton militis, dominis principibus comiti Lancastriæ, comiti Suffolciæ, Johanni de Gray, Joh. de Beauchamp, Roberto Maule, Joh. Chandos, et dom. Rogero de Beauchamp. Et ad faciendum unum harnesium de bokeram albo pro rege, extencellato cum argento, viz. tuni

cam et scutum operata cum dictamine Regis,

66

Hay Hay the wythe swan

By Godes soule I am thy man." "Et croparium, pectorale, testarium, et arcenarium extencellata cum argento. Et ad parandum i. tunicam Regis, et i. clocam et capuciam cum c. garteriis paratis cum boucles, barris, et pendentibus de argento. Et ad faciendum unum dublettum pro Rege de tela linea habente, circa manicas et fimbriam, unam borduram de panno longo viridi operatam cum nebulis et vineis de auro, et cum dictamine Regis. It is as it is." Membr. xi. [A. D. 1349.]

b

Walsing, p. 117.

thur, as an idle and legendary tradition.

But the fame of

Arthur was still kept alive, and continued to be an object of veneration long afterwards: and however idle and ridiculous the fables of the round table may appear at present, they were then not only universally known, but firmly believed. Nothing could be more natural to such a romantic monarch, in such an age, than the renovation of this most antient and revered institution of chivalry. It was a prelude to the renowned order of the garter, which he soon afterwards founded at Windsor, during the ceremonies of a magnificent feast, which had been proclaimed by his heralds in Germany, France, Scotland, Burgundy, Heynault, and Brabant, and lasted fifteen days". We must not try the modes and notions of other ages, even if they have arrived to some degree of refinement, by those of our own. Nothing is more probable, than that this latter foundation of Edward the Third, took its rise from the exploded story of the garter of the countess of Salisbury. Such an origin is interwoven with the manners and ideas of the times. Their attention to the fair sex entered into every thing. It is by no means unreasonable to suppose, that the fantastic collar of Esses, worn by the knights of this Order, was an allusion to her name. Froissart, an eye-witness and well acquainted with the intrigues of the court, relates at large the king's affection for the countess; and particularly describes a grand carousal which he gave in consequence of that attachment. The first festival of this order was not only adorned by the bravest champions of Christendom, but by the presence of queen Philippa, Ed

Ord. Gart. ii. 92.

d Barnes, i. ch. 22. p. 292. Froissart, c. 100. Anstis ut supr.

* Ashmole proves, that the orders of the Annunciada, and of the Toison d'Or, had the like origin. Ørd. Gart. p. 180. 181. Even in the ensigns of the order of the Holy Ghost, founded so late as 1578, some love-mysteries and emblems were concealed under cyphers introduced into the blasonrie. See Le Laboureur, Contin. des Mem. de Castelnau, p. 895. "Il y eut plus de mysteres d'amourettes que de religion," &c. But I cannot in

this place help observing, that the fan-
tastic humour of unriddling emblema-
tical mysteries, supposed to be concealed
under all ensigns and arms, was at length
carried to such an extravagance, at least
in England, as to be checked by the le-
gislature. By a statute of queen Elisa-
beth, a severe penalty is laid, "on all
fond phantastical prophecies upon or by
the occasion of any arms, fields, beastes,
badges, or the like things accustomed
in arms, cognisances, or signetts," &c.
Statut. v. Eliz. ch. 15. A. D. 1561.
f Ubi supr.

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