show that a character which figured much more frequently
and importantly in Morals-the Vice-was also intro-
duced into religious plays of a later date, In The Life
and Repentance of Mary Magdalen he is called Infidelity; and
as the paramour of the heroine he assumes various disguises
(aided by Pride, Cupidity, and Carnal-concupiscence), in order
to seduce her to every species of guilt. The following
dialogue between Mary, Infidelity, Pride, Cupidity, and Car-
nal-concupiscence, may be taken as an amusing specimen of
the lighter parts of a performance, of no inconsiderable talent.
'Pride.-Let your eies roll in your head, declaring your pride :
After this sort you must cast your eies aside.

Mary.-How thinke you by this manner of countenance?
Pride. Convenient for such as be not of your acquaintance.
Cupidity. I doubt not but she will do right well hir part,
By that time that we be fast within hir hart.

Carnal-conc.-Marke the garments of other in any wise,

And be you sure of one of the newest guise.
Your haire, me thynke, is as yellow as any gold;
Upon your face layd about have it I wold;
Sometime on your forehead the breadth of an hand :
Sometime let your attire upon your crowne stand,
That all your haire for the most part may be in sight.
To many a man a fayre haire is a great delight.
Infidelity.—In sommer time now and then to kepe away flies,
Let some of that faire haire hang in your eies.
With a hotte nedle you shall learne it to crispe,
That it may curle together in maner like a wispe.

Mary.-By my treuth, you are a merrie gentleman :

I will follow your counsell as much as I can.'

They go on to advise her to ornament her hair 'with pretie tricks and toyes' and if it begin to change colour, to get a dye of some goldsmith to restore it: if her cheek should

fade, they tell her to repair to a painter, who will make her still appear 'with a lusty courage'. The Law, Faith, Repentance, Knowledge-of-sin, Justification, and Love, are also personified in the drama, and co-operate with the Saviour and Simon the leper. The last half of the piece (which fills sixty closely-printed pages) is occupied with the reclaiming and conversion of the Magdalen, after she has reached the climax of vice, and after Infidelity has advised her with success 'not to make two hells instead of one', but to live merrily in this world, since she is sure of being condemned in the next. Christ finally expels the seven devils, who 'roar terribly', while Infidelity and his associates abandon all farther efforts. After a dinner in the house of Simon, the Saviour declares :'Woman, I say, thy faith hath saved thee: go in peace.

Now art thou pacified in thy conscience.

Through thy faithe I doe all thy sinnes releace,

Assuring thee to have mercy for thy negligence.'

The performance is concluded by a short dialogue between Mary, Justification, and Love, the two last triumphing in the salvation of such a sinner.

In point of date, when it issued from the press, another religious play, in which also the Vice is introduced, should have been mentioned first; but it is exceedingly inferior in construction and language: it is called the interlude of King Darius,1 and it was printed for T. Colwell in 1565.2 The story

1 In various passages popery is strongly reviled, and the prayer at the close mentions Queen Elizabeth by name.

2 The following is its title: 'A Pretie new Enterlude, both pithie and pleasaunt, of the Story of Kyng Daryus, Beinge taken out of the third and fourth Chapter of the thyrd booke of Esdras. The names of the Players [twenty in number, at the end of which we read] Syxe persons may easely play it. Imprynted at London in Flete-streat, beneath the Conduite, at the sygne of S. John Evangelist, by Thomas Colwell. Anno Domini M.D.LXV. In October.'

to which it relates is found in the third book of Esdras, c. iii and iv, sometimes not included even in the Apocrypha of our Bible. A question is proposed by Darius, 'What is strongest? Stipator Primus answers, Wine'; Stipator Secundus, the King'; and Zorobabell, 'Women'; each making a speech in support of his opinion. This discussion constitutes the whole action (if it can be so called) of the scriptural portion of the play; and of the language, the subsequent quotation from the speech of Zorobabell, bad as it is, is a favourable specimen. 'Swyfte is the course of the Sunne,

The moone, the starres also,

Whych in the day theyr course do runne,

Wyth planets other mo.

He fetcheth his course rounde aboute,

The compas of one day,

The starres, the moone, and eke the night,

Theyr compasse do not staye.

He then is very excelente,

That causeth thys to be done,

Whych sytteth above the Fyrmament

Wythin hys holy throne.'

The comic portion of the piece is merely introductory of, though unconnected with, the rest. 'Iniquity, the Vice', with his usual wooden dagger, is there an important personage, and opens the performance :—

'How now, my maisters! how goeth the world now?

I come gladly to talke with you.'

Afterwards, assisted by Importunity and Partiality, he has various verbal and personal contests with Equity, Charity, and Constancy: at first, Iniquity and his friends are triumphant; but at last his three opponents catch the Vice alone, and the following occurs :

Constancy. Go gyt thee awaye and make no more a do,
For if you wyll not, I will compell you.

Charytie. You do well: God's blessynge on your harte,
We wyll surely put hym to smarte,

Equytie. That is ryght and juste for to do,

In the whych dede I consent to you.

[Here sombody must cast fyre to Iniquytie.

Constancy. For thy wyckednes thou shalte have thys,
As thou hast deserved for thy doinges, ywysse.

Gyt thee away, and tary not here.

Iniquytie.-Nay, I go to the devil, I feare. Constancy.-Praysed be God,

That wyth his rod,

Whych is upryght,

Hath thys man dystroyed,
And clene abhorred,

In his malyce and spyte.'

[And goeth out.

It is to be concluded, that combustibles had been placed about the dress of the Vice, that they might explode for the amusement of the spectators.

The 'new, merry, and witty comedy or interlude' of Jacob and Esau presents some farther features of novelty.1 It was printed in 1568, but perhaps it was written while Queen Mary was on the throne, as a piece under the same title was entered on the books of the Stationers' Company in 1557. It is a regularly-constructed play, divided into five acts and various scenes, and all the characters are scriptural, excepting the

The following is the title: 'A newe mery and wittie Comedie or Enterlude, newely imprinted, treating upon the Historie of Jacob and Esau, taken out of the xxvij chap. of the first book of Moses, entituled Genesis. The partes and names of the Players, who are to be consydered to be Hebrews, and so should be apparailed with attire, [eleven in number]. Imprinted at London by Henrie Bynneman, dwelling in Knightrider streate, at the signe of the Mermayde. Anno Domini 1568,'

following:--Ragau, servant to Esau; Mido, a boy who leads blind Isaac; Hanon and Zethar, two of his neighbours; Abra, a girl who assists Rebecca; and Debora, an old nurse. Here, therefore, we find nothing allegorical; and, as a proof that the author was anxious that unusual decorum should be observed in the representation of this play, it may be mentioned, that he has appended a note to the list of persons, stating that they are to be considered to be Hebrews, and so should be apparelled with attire'.

It is opened by Ragau, servant to the hunter Esau, who, 'with his horn at his back and his hunting-staff in his hand, leadeth three greyhounds, or one, as may be gotten'. His master arrives, and they proceed to the chase, while Rebecca urges Jacob to obtain his brother's birthright. In the second act Esau and his man return ravenously hungry, and Jacob refuses to relieve his brother with a mess of 'red rice pottage', unless he will relinquish his birthright. Esau consents, and is ridiculed by Ragau for his simplicity, while Jacob, Rebecca, and Abra sing a psalm of thanksgiving. The blessing of Jacob takes place in the fourth act, Ragau and Esau having again gone out to hunt in the third. To please Isaac, Rebecca dresses a kid (instead of venison, which Esau had promised) so daintily, that, as she expresses it, 'it shall say, Come, eate me'; and the artifice succeeds. Esau returns, and hears from his father what had passed in his absence, and the conclusion accords with the narrative in Genesis.

Whoever might be the author of this production (for it is anonymous), he has left us a drama in every respect much superior to anything of the kind which preceded it. The plot is regularly constructed, with the observance of the unities of time, place, and action; the characters are well discriminated and contrasted, and the versification, for the time, forcible and flowing. Where it could be done, the author has had the