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English Miracle Plays: Moralities and Interludes
1890. Specimens of the pre-Elizabethan drama edited, with an introduction and notes, and glossary, by Alfred W. Pollard. Contents: Introduction; York Play - The Barkers; Chester Plays - I. Noah's Flood II. Sacrifice of Isaac; Towneley Play - Secunda Pastorum; 'Coventry' Play - Salutation and Conception; Mary Magdalene; Castell of Perseverance; Everyman; John Rastell's Four Elements; Skelton's Magnyfycence; Heywood's Pardoner and the Frere; Thersytes; Bale's King John; Appendix.
322 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1890
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About the author
Alfred W. Pollard
226 books3 followersAlfred William Pollard (14 August 1859 – 8 March 1944) was an English bibliographer, widely credited for bringing a higher level of scholarly rigour to the study of Shakespearean texts.
Pollard was educated at King's College School in London and St John's College at the University of Oxford. He joined the staff of the British Museum in 1883, as assistant in the Department of Printed Books; he was promoted to Assistant Keeper in 1909, and Keeper in 1919. In the latter year, Pollard was appointed Professor of English Bibliography at the University of London. He was Honorary Secretary of the Bibliographical Society from 1893 to 1934 and edited the Society's journal The Library for thirty years (1903–34). He received the Society's Gold Medal in 1929.
Pollard wrote widely on a range of subjects in English literature throughout his career, and collaborated with various scholars in specialized studies; he edited Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, and a collection of Fifteenth Century Poetry and Prose. With Gilbert Richard Redgrave, he edited the STC, or A short-title catalogue of books printed in England, Scotland, & Ireland and of English books printed abroad, 1475–1640 (1926).[2] He was a longtime friend of the poet A. E. Housman, and a close colleague of the prominent Shakespeare scholars Edmund Kerchever Chambers and R. B. McKerrow.
Pollard was educated at King's College School in London and St John's College at the University of Oxford. He joined the staff of the British Museum in 1883, as assistant in the Department of Printed Books; he was promoted to Assistant Keeper in 1909, and Keeper in 1919. In the latter year, Pollard was appointed Professor of English Bibliography at the University of London. He was Honorary Secretary of the Bibliographical Society from 1893 to 1934 and edited the Society's journal The Library for thirty years (1903–34). He received the Society's Gold Medal in 1929.
Pollard wrote widely on a range of subjects in English literature throughout his career, and collaborated with various scholars in specialized studies; he edited Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, and a collection of Fifteenth Century Poetry and Prose. With Gilbert Richard Redgrave, he edited the STC, or A short-title catalogue of books printed in England, Scotland, & Ireland and of English books printed abroad, 1475–1640 (1926).[2] He was a longtime friend of the poet A. E. Housman, and a close colleague of the prominent Shakespeare scholars Edmund Kerchever Chambers and R. B. McKerrow.
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February 10, 2010
As the title suggests, English Miracle Plays, Moralities and Interludes, Specimens and Extracts contains parts of thirteen mediæval plays, plus some glosses, poetry and commentary. I get a voyeuristic thrill reading the plays people watched 400-700 hundred years ago without the intervention of translators or historians.
On the other hand, I assume the editors cherry-picked these passages and I have no way of telling what criteria they used. Perhaps they just selected the funniest pieces, since most of the plays are comedies without guile or guff. There is a lot of fun at the expense of those who pretend to be holy or courageous. I imagine that went down well with poor country audiences sick and tired of the clerical and knightly classes who sponged off them.
This snippet is from A merry Play between the Pardoner and the frère, the curate and neybour Pratt by John Heywood from the early 16th century. It involves a dispute between a pardoner (seller of holy relics) and a frère over which of them is more important.
On the other hand, I assume the editors cherry-picked these passages and I have no way of telling what criteria they used. Perhaps they just selected the funniest pieces, since most of the plays are comedies without guile or guff. There is a lot of fun at the expense of those who pretend to be holy or courageous. I imagine that went down well with poor country audiences sick and tired of the clerical and knightly classes who sponged off them.
This snippet is from A merry Play between the Pardoner and the frère, the curate and neybour Pratt by John Heywood from the early 16th century. It involves a dispute between a pardoner (seller of holy relics) and a frère over which of them is more important.
Than the fyght.Update the spelling, make the characters a television evangelist and a church official, and it would work on a modern stage without any other alterations.
FRERE. Lose thy handes away from myn earys!
PARD. Than take thou thy handes away from my heres!
Nay, abyde, thou rascal, I am not downe yet!
I trust fyrst to lye at my fete!
FRERE. Ye, rascal, wylt thou scrat and byte?
PARD. Ye, marry, wyll I, as longe as thou dost smyte!
Displaying 1 of 1 review