on the great splendor and expensiveness of the apparel of the higher orders and on the fantastic and deforming fashions adopted by persons of all ranks. The parliament held at Westminster in 1363 made laws (37 Edw. III. c. 8-14) to restrain this undue expenditure, and to regulate the dress of the various classes of the people. .. They seem, however, to have had little effect, for in the reign of Richard II the same excesses prevailed, apparently to an even greater degree.'-Encyclopædia Britannica, under Sumptuary Laws. 46-54. Good transition; the shepherd laughs off his too serious arraignment of society, very much in Chaucer's manner. 60 ff. Cf. T. III, 1 ff., and note. 64-108. Another expansion of material from T. III; cf. 11. 96-99. The idea of a shrewish wife seems to appeal to our author; he dwells on it at length later on, in the Mak interlude; cf. also Ch. II, 85-90. 123-128. Cf. Ch. II, 1-9; T. III, 1-25, IV, 1–15. 127. noe floode Noah's flood. 154-171. Cf. Ch. II, 165–177, 218-225. 177-182. Cf. T. III, 188-190. 190-637. This, the famous Mak interlude, in substance and in dramatic form is not only the high-water mark of the Towneley dramatist, but of all the English mysteries. It is the first really well developed dramatic plot in the language, and compares very favorably with any subsequent farce. Koch, in an article on Archie Armstrang's Aith, printed in the EETS. ed. of the Towneley Plays, has called attention to the similarity between the story of Mak and a poem published in Scott's Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border (5th ed., Edinburgh, 1812, 3. 481) by the Rev. John Marriott. In a note to the poem Marriott says that the legend 'has been preserved by tradition, and is at this time current in Eskdale.' It seems quite probable that this is true, although Pollard points out that Dr. William Marriott printed the Towneley Secunda Pastorum a few years after the appearance of John Marriott's poem, that he may have been a relation, and that the Reverend John may therefore have had access to the Towneley MS., and stolen his plot from our play. It seems much more plausible, however, that this is an old legend which was used by the author of the Towneley Plays in the 14th century, which survived in folk-lore, and was later fathered upon the notorious court jester of the 17th century, Archie Armstrang, and finally was used by Marriott as matter for his poem in the 19 th century. The fact that the best part of the story, the return of the shepherds after we think the suspense is over, is omitted in Marriott's version should tend to show not only that he was not plagiarizing, but also that that element is not contained in the folk-lore version, but was original with the Towneley dramatist. Parallel passages are given in the notes following. 190. In Rabbinical literature there are seven sacred names of God, El, Elohim, Adonai, YHWH, Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh, Shaddai, and Zebaot. In Christian literature I have been unable to find this number; Jerome gives ten names of God in one place, and Junilius gives eight. There seems, therefore, to have been discussion in the medieval church on this point, and it is rather strange not to find mention of seven, as seven is the mystical sacred number. 229. This proverb is quoted in Ray's Collection (1737) as 'Seldome lies the devil dead in a ditch.' The Scotch form is, It's lang ere the deil dee by the dykeside.' Ray expounds: 'We are not to trust the devil or his children though they seem never so harmless. . . . The ancients said "Mulieri ne credas ne mortuæ quidem." ... Perhaps the proverb may allude to the fox who escaped by feigning himself dead. I know of no phrase more frequent in the mouths of French and Italians than "The devil is dead," to signify that a difficulty is almost conquered.' 236-252. Cf. 11. 404-421. Suggestion of this theme in Ch. II, 85-90. 251-252. To pay her funeral expenses'; cf. similar idea in T. 3, 388-392, by the same author (see Int. p. xlii). 262. Mak is a suspicious character, and the shepherds insist upon his lying between them, so that they may notice if he stirs. Archie is also of a bad reputation; cf. A. A. A., stanza 16: 264-268. Aft ha' ye thinned our master's herds, And elsewhere cast the blame. Cf. T. III, 291–295. 308 ff. Archie Armstrang's Aith (A. A. A.), st. 6 ff.: And oh! when he stepped o'er the door, A! wherefore, Archie, would ye slight I trow ye will be ta'en the night, Now haud your tongue, ye prating wife, I wald be laith to lose my life 317-319. Ayenbite of Inwyt: Take this prouethe for a token, At last it commeth home broken. Also in Hazlitt's Fugitive Tracts, Envoye from T. Smyth: 'Tant va le pot al ewe quil brise.' 330-331. Meaning rather obscure : by = abide, war = worse. Mak seems to be trying to say: 'Then might I expect, from all the crowd, the devil of a hard time.' 332-335. A. A. A., st. 12: The cradle stans by the ingle toom, They clapt the carcase in its room, 376-385. Mak's pretended waking is admirably done, not at all exaggerated, and quite convincing to us as well as to the shepherds. 403. The crooked thorn, probably the Shepherd's Thorn near Horbury in Mapplewell.'-Chambers. See Horbury Shroges in l. 455. 404-421. Cf. 11. 236-252, and note. And down sat Archie daintilie, And saftelie he gan to croon, 455. Horbury, a town in Yorkshire, near Wakefield. 476-477. Koch calls attention to the occurrence of the rime 'tune'-'croon' in A. A. A., st. 14; see note on ll. 440–442. 483-485. A. A. A., st. 17, Archie says: But haud your tonges for mercies sake 514-515. A. A. A., st. 19: But gin ye reck na what I swear, And if ye find ae trotter there 535–538. A. A. A., st. 18: If e'er I did sae fause a feat As thin my neebor's faulds, May I be doomed the flesh to eat 542. A. A. A., st. 20: They thought to find the stolen gear, 551. Koch calls attention to the parallel in A. A. A., st. 22 : Or aiblins Maggie's ta'en the yowe And thus beguiled your e'e. 562-563. Gybon Waller and John Horne, the first and second shepherds in T. III, 82-84. Parkyn is perhaps the surname of Slowpace, the third shepherd, T. III, 125. 569-628. This, the cleverest part of the farce, is probably original with our author; see note on ll. 190-637. In A. A. A. the shepherds do not discover Mak, first or last. The method of discovery used by the T. dramatist is far more effective than a discovery on the first visit would have been. Relief from suspense is immediately followed by greater suspense. 591-592. Cf. T. III, 100, evidently a popular proverb, found also in Everyman, 1. 316. 602-604. An unexpected bit of cleverness, one of the most humorous touches. The staccato character of the shepherd's ejaculations in 1. 604b is very effective; one can almost hear the laugh. 631. That is, a sheep weighing 140 lbs. 638-646. A re-casting of T. III, 296–304; cf. particularly 642 and 300, 646 and 304. 652-654. Cf. T. III, 319-321. 654. Cf. Ch. II, 300, note. 656-664. Cf. Ch. II, 358-435, and note; T. III, 413-430. 674-682. An abbreviation of T. III, 332-403 (see note). Cf. C. V, 26-60, and note; Y. IV, 5-12. 692-696. Cf. T. III, 441-448. 710 ff. Cf. Ch. II, 552 ff.; C. V, 90 ff., and note; T. III, 458 ff., and note. Only in a few places, however, does T. IV follow T. III. 718. Cf. note on Ch. II, 559. 724–725. Cf. T. III, 467 a, 470 a. 736. 'Tennis was a fashionable game in France at the end of the 14th century (cf. the Dauphin's gift of tennis balls to our Henry V), and was well known in England at about the same time. In the Romance of the Turke and Gawin it is alluded to as having been played by Arthur's knights: Thou shalt see a tennisse ball, That never knight in Arthur's hall The Encyclopædia Britannica says that tennis is the oldest of all existing ball-games, that its origin is unknown, but T |