by the painters and glaziers; “The Three Kings,” by the vintners; “The oblation of the Three Kings,” by the mercers; “The Killing of the Holy Innocents,” by the goldsmiths; “The Purification,” by the blacksmiths; “The Temptations,” by the butchers; “The Blindmen and Lazarus,” by the glovers; “Jesus and the Lepers,” by the cowesarys; “Christ’s Passion,” by the bowyers, fletchers and ironmongers; “Descent into Hell,” by the cooks and inn-keepers; “Resurrection,” by the skinners; “Ascension,” by the taylors; “The Election of St. Matthias,” “Sending of the Holy Ghost,” etc., by the fishmongers; “Anti-christ,” by the clothiers; and “The Day of Judgment,” by the websters (weavers).  The reader will perhaps smile at some of these combinations.  This is the substance and order of the former part of the play.  God enters, creating the world, he breathes life into Adam, leads him into Paradise, and opens his side while sleeping.  Adam and Eve appear naked, and not ashamed; and the old Serpent enters, lamenting his fall.  He converses with Eve.  She eats part of the forbidden fruit, and gives part to Adam.  They propose, according to the stage directions, to make themselves, subligacula a folis quibus tegamus pudenda, cover their nakedness with leaves and converse with God.  God’s curse.  The Serpent exits, hissing.  They are driven from Paradise by four angels, and the Cherubim with a flaming sword.  Adam appears digging the ground, and Eve spinning.  Their children, Cain and Abel, enter, the former kills his brother.  Adam’s lamentation.  Cain is banished, etc., etc.

Adam and Eve, in the “altogether,” so to speak, were acted like this as late as the sixteenth century.  In a play called “The Travails of the Three English Brothers,” acted in 1607, there occurs this:—­

“Many idle toyes, but the old play that Adam and Eve acted in bare action under the figge tree draws most of the gentlemen.”

An Account of the Proclamation of the Mystery plays, acted in “Ye Citye on ye Dee,” may prove of interest, and the copy of which I subjoin is taken from the Harleian M.S.  No. 2013.

“The proclamation for Whitsone playes made by Wm. Newell, Clarke of the Pendice, 24 Hen. 8.  Wm. Snead 2nd yere Maior.”

“For as much as auld tyme, not only for the augmentation and increese of the holy and catholick faith of our Saviour Jesu Christ, and to exort the mindes of comon people to good devotion and holsome doctrine thereof, but also for the comonwelth and prosperity of this citty, a play and declaration of divers storyes of Bible beginning with the Creation and fall of Lucifer, and ending with the generall Judgment of the world, to be declared and played in Whitsonne weeke, was devised and made by one Sir Henry Frances, sometyme moonck of this monastrey disolved, who obtayning and gat of Clemant, then Bushop of Rome, a 1000 dayes of pardon, and of the Bushop of Chester at that tyme