41. For the prophecy of Abraham, see Y. I, 33 ff., and note.

47. The prophecy of Moses is from Deut. 18. 15, 19 (misquoted in T. 7, 1-4): 'Prophetam de gente tua et de fratribus tuis sicut me, suscitabit tibi Dominus Deus tuus: ipsum audies... Qui autem verba eius audire noluerit ego ultor existam.' The 'nemo propheta' of T. 7, 4 is from

Mark 6. 4.

For the prophecies of Isaiah, see Y. I, 61 ff.

48. David's prophecies as given in the Towneley Prophet Play are: 'Omnes reges adorabunt eum, omnes gentes seruient eum', and 'Ostende nobis misericordiam tuam et salutare tuum da nobis.'

The prophecy of Jeremiah, according to the Augustinian sermon, is from the Book of Baruch 3. 36, 38: 'Hic est Deus noster, et non æstimabitur alius absque illo, qui invenit omnem viam scientiæ, et dedit eam Jacob puero suo et Israel dilecto suo. Post hæc in terris visus est, et cum hominibus conversatus est.' According to Ch. 5, 329, however, the prophecy is from Jer. 14. 17: 'Deducunt oculi mei lacrimas, etc.,' thus perhaps showing a relation in the origin of the Coventry prologue to the Annunciation; cf. C. I, 25, and the Prophet Plays.

49. The prophecy of Habakkuk, as given in the Augustinian sermon, is from Hab. 3. 2: 'Domine, audivi auditum tuum et timui; consideravi opera tua, Domine, et expavi. For the misreading

In medio duorum animalium cognosceris.'

in the last sentence, see note on Y. III, 136–140.

The prophecy of Daniel, according to the sermon, and also as given in T. 7, 217, is from Dan. 9. 24: 'Cum venerit Sanctus sanctorum cessabit unctio vestra.' The passage really reads: 'Finem accipiat peccatum, et deleatur iniquitas et adducatur iustitia sempiterna et impleatur visio et prophetia, et ungatur Sanctus sanctorum.'

50. This cycle is the only English one in which the Sibyl's famous prophecy is introduced. (This, the Erythræan Sibyl, to be distinguished from the Tiburtine Sibyl in Ch. I.) Her prophecy is the last one in the Augustinian sermon, and is

an acrostic, the initial letters of each line spelling: 'Inoous Χρίστος, Θεοῦ Υἱὸς, Σωτηρ.

The first three lines, translated into Latin, are quoted in the Prophet Play of this cycle :

Judicii signum, tellus sudore madescet,

E celo rex adveniet per sæcla futurus,

Scilicet in carne præsens ut judicat orbem.

This prophecy originated in Book 8, 11. 217-250 of the so-called Oracula Sibyllina, supposedly by Sibylla Erythræa, but actually composed in, probably, the 2nd century. Augustine quotes it in De Civ. Dei 18. 23. See note on Ch. I, 304-375, where Martinus attributes this prophecy to the Tiburtine Sibyl.

53-60. The beginning of the play proper, very close to C. I, 187-194; also cf. Y. I, 135-149. All from Luke 1. 26-27.

61-64. A favorite comparison among the Church Fathers, growing naturally out of the idea of Mary as a second Eve; cf. note on 11. 32-34, and see chaps. 1 and 2 of Livius, The Blessed Virgin in the Fathers.

70. This idea of Mary's conceiving Christ through the word of the angel is often compared with Eve's conceiving sin through the word of the serpent; cf. 11. 61-64, note.

77-154. The most elaborate paraphrase that we have of Luke 1. 28-38, although the Coventry Annunciation is longer, as it introduces much extraneous theological material. Compared with the simple and natural account in Ch. and Y., this seems rather forced and weak.

119-124. Cf. C. I, 247–248, and note.

125-142. Cf. Ch. 8, 27-40, notes; C. I, 249–257; Y. I, 177-184.

155-173. This version of the Joseph Play is the best one we have. It is worked out in detail, as it is not in Ch., it lacks the formlessness and much repetition of the C. play, and has far better dramatic structure than the Y. play. The material is much the same as that of the Y. play, and was probably taken from it; but the dramatist has succeeded in getting good effect by plunging in medias res, and then

most naturally making Joseph recall aloud to himself how he met Mary, how he was chosen to be her husband, and how happily they have lived together. Joseph shows a deep love and gentle consideration for Mary, which are very charming after the anger and coarseness of the C. and Y. Joseph Plays. Cf. Ch. I, 123 ff.; C. II, 25 ff.; Y. II, 92 ff.

159. Hohlfeld (Anglia 11. 254) gives a series of parallel passages between Y. and T. in the Joseph Plays. I shall hereafter merely give the reference to the parallel in Y., without always quoting Hohlfeld's name. The parallel here is Y. II, 106.

169. Cf. Y. II, 197.

180, 181. Cf. Y. II, 92, 292.

185–195. Cf. Ch. I, 124–136, and note on 123-176; C. II, 36-48, and note on 25 ff.; Y. II, 103-108.

186-187. Hohlfeld gives as a parallel Y. II, 158–159. This is hardly significant, however, for cf. C. II, 36-38, 42, 47-48. 195. Cf. Y. II, 103, but see also note on 186-187. 204-205. Cf. Y. II, 189, but see also C. II, 39, 40.

226-227. Notice the clever transition to the story of their betrothal.

227-268. Cf. Y. II, 21–34, and note on Y. II, 25-34. 250. Cf. Y. II, 30.

269-274. Pseudo-Matt. 8: 'Tunc accepit Joseph Mariam cum aliis quinque virginibus quæ essent cum ea in domo Joseph, ... quibus datum est a pontificibus sericum et jacinthum et byssus et coccus et purpura et linum. Miserunt autem sortes inter se quid unaquæque virgo faceret; contigit autem ut Maria purpurum acciperit ad velum templi Domini.'

271. In C. 10, three maidens are sent with Mary by the high priest, who says:

Joseph, thiselph art old of age
And thi wiff of age is Zonge,
And, as we rede in old sage,
Many man is sclepyr of tonge.
Therfore evyl langage to asswage

That your good fame may leste longe,
iij damysellys shul dwell with gow in stage
With thi wyff to be evyrmore amonge.

The three maidens are Susanna, Rebecca, and Sephor. Notice that Sephor and Susanna are the only ones mentioned in C. II, 3 and 67.

281. So in Pseudo-Matt. 10, but cf. Ch. I, 129, note.

292. Proclus (Patr. Gr. 65. 736): 'Dost thou think that by this prodigality of words thou canst deceive the understanding of my white head?' See note on C. II, 25 ff. 293-298. Cf. Y. II, 134-142; C. II, 71–77, note.

299-304. Joseph's proverbial mildness is very effective here. He feels deeply, but is restrained by his love for Mary from betraying her to the "bishop," not by his fear of being punished himself as in so many of the plays.

305-310. St. Augustine (Migne, Patr. Lat. 39. 2108): 'Joseph: "I have not known her, I have not touched her. Alas, what hath happened? Through whom hath she so fallen?"

314-320. A very unusual and rather beautiful idea; cf. the baldness and ineffectiveness of a similar idea in Y. II, 61-64.

321-325. Notice the absence on Joseph's part of even a momentary impulse to betray Mary, even when he is most wrought up, and his simple resolve just to slip away.

338-340. Cf. C. II, 178-179.

368. Chaucer, Clerk's Tale 1155: 'Be ay of chere as light as leef on linde.' Langland, Piers Pl. B. 1. 154: 'Was never lef lyghter on lynde.'

TOWNELEY VISITATION (II).

1-30. This family gossip, though adding a touch of realism, is exceedingly inartistic, and entirely ruins what should be the great dramatic effect of Elizabeth's greeting, namely its spontaneity and inevitableness when Mary first approaches her. As a result of the introductory lines the Benedicta tu and the Magnificat seem to be brought in merely as a convention, and to have nothing to do with the play itself.

22-23. The names of Mary's parents are recorded in the Protev. 1, 2 and in Pseudo-Matt. 1 and De Nat. Mar. 1. These were accepted as their true names by St. Chrysostom.

23. Nese merely signifies kinswoman, at this time; its present limited meaning did not arise until after 1600. The relationship of Mary and Elizabeth is not recorded in Scripture; they are simply called kinswomen; the author of this play, however, shows in 1. 79 that he considers Elizabeth to be Mary's aunt. I have been unable to discover any authority for this relationship.

According to the Menologium Basilianum, quoted in Assemani, Kalendaria Eccles. Univ. 6, on July 25, Anna's sister Sobe was the mother of Elizabeth. Mary and Elizabeth would, according to this account, therefore be cousins.

There are two English references to this relationship, almost contemporaneous with our play; both make the relationship the same, though each has a different name for Elizabeth's mother. Higden, Polychronicon 4. 246, quotes Jerome : 'Anna et Emeria fuerunt sorores. De Emeria nata est Elizabeth, Anna suscepit Mariam.' I have been unable to find any such statement in Jerome. The Cursor Mundi, ll. 10149 ff., however, gives the same account, with a slight change in Emeria's name, but does not quote its source:

Ismaria and Anna war tua
Sisters, I wene, withuten ma,
the foremast bar Elizabeth,

An hali leuedi mild and methe.

31-48. Cf. C. III, 57 ff., note; Ch. I, 50-64; Y. I, 205–216. 49-78. The Magnificat. Cf. Ch. I, 69-108; C. III, 82-117; Y. I, 237-240, note.

79. Cf. note on 1. 23.

TOWNELEY SHEPHERDS (III).

1 ff. This type of lyric, emphasizing by antithesis the variableness of life, is very common in Middle English poetry (cf. Taylor in Mod. Phil. July 1907, p. 10). The Sayings of