Mistere du Vicil Testament et du Nouvel (The Mystery of the Old Testament and the New), was represented by the young people of Paris, without speaking or singing, as if they were images raised against a wall. Le Mistere depuis la Conception de Notre Dame jusque Joseph la mena en Egipte (The Mystery from the Conception of our Lady till Joseph conducted her into Egypt), represented on a scaffolding before the Trinity, which erection reached from beyond Saint Saviour's to the end of the street named Ernetal; upon the entrance of Henry VI. of England, king of France and Eu, into Paris, the first Sunday in Advent, being the second of December 1431. Le Mistere de la Sainte Hostie (The Mystery of the Sacred Host) was played by twenty-six persons, and commenced with these lines: Lisez ce fait, grand et petit, De l'Autel le tres Saint Sacrement. In Le Mistere du Juif (The Mystery of the Jew), being a continuation of the foregoing, the Jew appeared in a chariot, having before him the holy gospels, as if he was being conducted to be burnt; after whom marched Justice, his wife and his children. Along the streets were two scaffoldings whereon were enacted most piteous mysteries. This procession being made, the fifteenth day of May, 1444, on a Friday, the bishops of Paris and of Beauvais, with two abbés, carried the body of our Lord from Saint John in Greve upon their shoulders, and from thence proceeded to the street of Les Billettes to fetch the knife wherewith the false Jew had dissected the flesh of our Lord, and from thence it was carried with the holy cross and other relics, to Saint Catherine du Val of the students; and this procession was performed, because great hope was entertained that a peace would be concluded between the kings of France and of England. In 1491, appeared a mystery entitled, Vengeance de la Mort de Notre Seigneur Jesus Christ, et Destruction de la Ville de Jerusalem par l'Empereur Vespasian et Titus ; (Mystery of Vengeance for the Death of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Destruction of the City of Jerusalem by the Emperors Vespasian and Titus ;) written in verse, and performed before Charles VIII. In this piece figured all the sacred personages of Scripture. Le Mistere de la Passion de Saint George (The Mystery of the Passion of Saint George), was performed in the hotel of Belle, by the Parisians, during the festival of the Pentecost, which occurred upon the last day of May, in order that they might show their love to the king of England, his queen, and the nobles of the said country. In 1478, La Patience de Job (The Patience of Job), was represented by forty-nine persons; and, The Assumption of the glorious Virgin Mary, by thirty-eight performers. Le Mistere du Vieil Testament (Mystery of the Old Testament), was printed about 1500, occupying one thick volume in folio, and contains no less than twentythree mysteries. In the first, God creates heaven; the angels precipitate Lucifer and his rebellious cohorts into hell; then are created the day, the night, sun, moon, &c.; this mystery terminating with the formation of Adam and Eve. In the second is the marriage of Cain and Abel, &c. During the sixth mystery, the Almighty, indignant on beholding the sins of Sodom, will not listen to the prayers of Mercy therein personified, and to whom the Divinity is thus made to express himself; Sans tenir plet* Leur peché si fort me deplest, Veu qu'il n'y a raison ne rime, Qu'ils descendront tous en abime. In the eighteenth mystery, when the angel Raguel seeks to console Sarah on account of her barrenness; in reply to this question; Comment va, fille? Sarah answers, Toute esplorée ; En moi n'y a ne jeux ne ris. Sont morts la premiere nuite : Je ne suis en rien viollée : Et si fort je m'en desconforte, Que bref, je voudrois être morte. In mystery the twentieth, Susannah, going to the bath, speaks as follows to the damsel who accompanies her. Et pourtant une fille sage Se doit montrer douce et honnête, * Sans disputer davantage. P And in mystery the twenty-first, when the valet of Holofernes has undressed him, and is retiring for the purpose of conducting Judith to his presence, he is made to say, Un beau petit Holopherne Ferez cette nuit. HOLOPHERNE. point n'en doubte. Le Mistere du Chevalier qui donne sa Femme au Diable (Mystery of the Knight who gives his Wife to the Devil) was performed in 1505, by ten persons; the singular subject of which runs as follows: A dissipated knight being reduced to wretchedness from his profligacy, the Devil appears to him with offers of making him far richer than ever, if he will convey his wife over to him: a proposition acceded to by the knight after some dispute; when a promise is regularly drawn out and signed with the blood of the knight, wherein it is stipulated that, after the lapse of seven years, his wife is to become the property of the fiend. Not satisfied however with this, the Devil further exacts, that he must deny his God also, which proposition, after some difficulty, is equally acceded to; Satan, however, anxious to make the best bargain possible, requires also of the knight that he shall deny the blessed Virgin Mary, but this is most resolutely refused; wherefore, the Devil is obliged to rest satisfied with the bargain already concluded. The allotted term of seven years is then supposed to transpire, when Lucifer makes his appearance, and claims of the knight the performance of the engagement. Upon this the latter, resolved to keep his word, commands his wife to follow him to a certain spot; when, chancing in their way to see a church, she begs permission of her husband to enter the sanctuary for the purpose of prayer: this being agreed to, while she is offering up her devotions, the Virgin Mary assuming the form of the wife, presents herself before the knight, who fully believes her to be such; whereas the Devil, who recognizes the Virgin, upbraids the knight for deceiving him, when the latter, in reply, asserts his total ignorance of the whole affair. Upon this Mary tells Lucifer, that she has assumed that form, in order to rescue two souls from his gripe, and then commands him to give up the promise signed with the knight's blood, which the Devil is compelled to do, and so runs away. The Virgin, in conclusion, exhorts the knight to live a better life in future, restores to him his partner, and thus concludes the mystery. We shall now terminate with an extract from a chronicle entitled De Metz Veritable, in manuscript, the author of which subscribes himself curate of Saint Euchaire, of the said city. "On the third of July 1437, was performed The Play of the Passion of our Lord, in the plain of Veximiel, where was built a park of a very noble kind, for it was ninetiers in height; all around and behind, were great and long seats for the lords and the ladies; and he who re * On the seventeenth of September of the same year, they played on the same spot the Mystery of the Vengeance of our Lord Jesus Christ. |