SOURCE: An introduction to York Plays, 1885. Reprint by Russell & Russell, 1963, pp. xlv-lx.

An authority on medieval English literature, Smith was the first modern editor of the York plays (1885). In the following excerpt from her introduction to that edition, she remarks on the skillfulness of the unknown author of the york plays and alludes to the influence of these and other religious cycles on later English dramatic literature. Smith calls attention to the deft use of alliterative verse, keen understanding of human nature, and thorough knowledge of the Bible and the legends associated with it.

Although the date of composition of the York Plays is not known, it may, I believe, safely be set as far back as 1340 or 1350…. The references to them…in 1378 and 1394…lead to this conclusion, no less than the style of language and the metre in which they are written. The unknown author, whoever he...