of which, it is presumed, will compensate for the space it necessarily occupies. The Mysteries derived their origin from the pilgrimages so universally performed in ancient times to the Holy Land, or such sanctified places as Saint James of Compostella, the saintly Baume of Provence; La Sainte Reine of Mount Saint Michael; Notre Dame du Puy, &c. &c. Upon these occasions the pilgrims frequently composed rude pieces of poetry descriptive of their journeys, whereto they subjoined the records of the martyrdom of the Saint, at whose shrine they had offered up their vows. In the second book of the history of the city of Paris, page 523, it is stated, that, in 1313, Philip le Bel gave the most sumptuous entertainment in that city ever remembered, to which Edward II. of England, whom he had invited, together with his queen Isabel of France, and a great retinue of nobility, repaired, crossing the channel for that express purpose. Every thing shone (says the historian) with the magnificence of the costumes, the variety of the amusements, and the splendour of the banquetings. During the space of eight days, the princes and the lords changed their garments three times a day; and the populace on their side represented divers spectacles: sometimes La Gloire des Bienheureux (The Glory of the Blessed); at others, La Peine des Damnés (The Torments of the Damned); together with various sorts of animals; which last spectacle was called La Procession du Renard (The Procession of the fox). Le Mistere de la Passion de Notre Seigneur (The Mystery of the Passion of our Lord), was done to the life as it is figured round the choir of Notre Dame at Paris; being performed at the entrance of the kings of France and of England into Paris, the first day of December 1420, in the street called Kalende, before the palace, on a raised scaffolding about one hundred paces in length, reaching from the said street unto the wall of the palace. Le Mistere de la Conception, Passion, et Resurrection (The Mystery of the Conception, Passion, and Resurrection), appeared in the reign of Charles VI., being performed at the Bourg de Saint Maur, about five miles from Paris; the edict to perform the same having been accorded by that monarch on the fourth of December, 1402. The writer of this piece was Jean Michel, who died in 1447. In this mystery of the passion, &c. we find in the dramatis persona, God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, the Virgin Mary, together with archangels, cherubims, seraphims, &c. as also Lucifer, Beelzebub, Astaroth, Belial, &c. But in order to convey an idea of the manner in which sacred matters were handled in this composition, under the thirty-first head is, Le doubte de Joseph touchant l'Incarnacion du Filz de Dieu (Joseph's doubt respecting the Incarnation of the Son of God); in which, after expressing himself pretty freely to Mary, he is made to retire and go to sleep, when God the Father seeing the trouble and agitation of Mary and Joseph, and being very desirous that they should not remain in a state of uncertainty, commands the angel Gabriel to go and inform Joseph in a dream, that Mary is pregnant of Christ, that he must not entertain any further doubts in regard to her virginity, as the whole operation has been performed by the Holy Ghost: which commission Gabriel punctually executes; so that, when Joseph awakes, he is ashamed of the suspicions he had previously harboured, and asks pardon of the Divinity for the same. Under the head denominated, De la Nativité de Jésus, (Of the Birth of Jesus), the Almighty, foreseeing the moment when his Son shall come into the world, depatches his angels to attend upon Mary during that night, who is made to express herself in the following terms: O! doulx Dieu, de moi te souvienne, Comme y a parfaite crédence. A ta haulte magnificence Et clere illumination, O riche tresor de clemence! O divine incarnation! Bien doy en exaltacion, Le fruit de mon ventre reçoy. The conception, or the first day's performance, being ended, under head the fifth, which represents the mystery of the passion, Saint John thus addresses Christ, who demands of him the performance of the baptismal ceremony. Pas requerir ne me devés, Car mon cher Seigneur, vous sçavés Je suis creature, Et pour facture, De simple stature, Humble viateur: Ce servit laydure, Tu es le ducteur, Moy consecuteur, Sans qui rien ne puis, &c. And under the same head, God the Father is made to commence a speech in the following manner: Hic est Filius meus dilectus, In quo mihi bene complacui. Cestuy cy, c'est mon Fils amé Jesus, Qui bien me plaist, ma plaisance est en luy, &c. During the representation of the fourth day, after Jesus is crucified on the stage, under the head, La quarte Parolle de Jesus en Croix, Christ is thus made to express himself; Hely, hely, lama zabatani: Deus meus ut quid me dereliquisti? Mon Dieu, mon pere de lassus, Comme quoy ma tu lessé cy? J'en souffre tant que je n'en puis plus ; Et d'apre douleur suis transi: Je ne reconfort de milli, Non plus qu'ung poure homme oublyé, Recoy la douleur de celuy, Que tu voys tant humilié. Another mystery of equal consequence with the foregoing, was Le Mistere des Actes des Apostres (Mystery of the Acts of the Apostles); partly composed by Arnoul Greban, a canon of Mans, and born at Compiegne in 1450. Simon Greban, native of the same place, a monk of Saint Richier in Ponthieu, and brother to the former, being also secretary of Charles duke of Anjou, earl of Maine, and a doctor of theology, living under Charles VII., completed the manuscript which Arnoul had left unfinished. This mystery was first performed at Bourges in 1536, and continued for the space of forty days; which plays, says Jean Chaumau, in his history of Berri, were less labourious, never having before been divided into acts and scenes, or so well and excellently plaid by grave men who knew well by signs and gesticulations to feign the personages they represented, insomuch so, that the spectators judged the matter to be true and not feigned; the theatre consisting of two stories, surpassing every thing in solemnity, covered above with a spread curtain to protect the audience from the intemperance and ardor of the sun, being excellently painted in gold and azure, and other rich colours, impossible to be by words expressed." This mystery was afterwards represented at various periods at Mans, Angers, Tours, and Paris. In this piece, God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, the twelve apostles, &c. are introduced; it was published in black letter in 1541, occupying two folio volumes, the first containing five, and the second four books. On the entrance of the duke of Bedford, regent of France, into Paris, on the eighth of September, 1424, Le |