are also introduced, wearing crowns, and kneeling before the infant to present their gifts. many of the verses are stolen bodily from Eu- | and running streams. The kings and wise men ripides. The play is, however, historically interesting, as being the first serious attempt to turn the theatre to the advantage of the new religion, and to supplant the pagan by a Chris-in tian drama. Some of the early fathers seem to have been warmly opposed to plays of every kind; and Tertullian declares that whoever has in baptism renounced "Satan and all his works and pomps," can not, without apostasy, go to the play. In another place, assailing actors and the stage, he cries, "The devil sets them on their high pantofles to give Christ the lie, who said no one can add a cubit to his stature.' Cyprian, Cyril, Basil, and Clement of Alexandria, also denounce plays; and even Augustine says that they who go to them are as bad as they who write or act them. For six centuries we have no other record of religious plays; and then Roswitha, a nun in the convent of Gandersheim, toward the close of the tenth century, wrote six plays in Latin, which, though pedantic and crude, are not entirely deficient in dramatic interest. | They were, however, written purely for her sister nuns, and seem never to have been acted outside the cloister. A French translation of them was published in 1845 by M. Charles Magnin, the author of the learned essays on the "Origines du Théâtre Moderne," which appeared in the Revue des Deux Mondes. In like manner the primitive representations action of some of the events of the life of the Lord are also preserved in the modern Church, showing how strong a hold they have on the popular feeling. At Easter the Pope still washes the feet of twelve men, who personate the apostles, in one of the side chapels at St. Peter's; and subsequently serves the same set, in a hall over the portico, with a supper, at which the apostles show a good appetite; and after filling their stomachs well, fill their pockets with what remains, to the great edification of an immense crowd, that throng and fight and almost tear each other's clothes off, to obtain a view of the spectacle. If these representations have still so great an effect in the present century, it may well be imagined how deep an impression they must have made in more primitive ages. These plays, founded on Scripture subjects, attained a great popularity every where; and during the latter part of the thirteenth century were performed frequently in the Colosseum at Rome. On these occasions a broad platform was erected on one side of the arena, just over the place where a chapel was afterward built; and here every Good-Friday the Passion of our Saviour was played to an audience equaling in number, according to Pancirolus, that which flocked to the ancient gladiatorial games. The play was in ottava rima, in the rudest dialect of the people, with an intermezzo of various little airs, which were probably sung. Two specimens of these airs still exist, says Marangoni, in the library of the Marchese Alessandro Capponi. Later than this, under the papacy of Gregory the Great, the germs of the true mystery play are to be found. The Church now began to commemorate by processions, with choruses, chants, and dialogues, scenes of the passion and resurrection of our Saviour, and the various events of his life. These representations at first took place solely in the churches, the doors Among the chief plays performed here was of which, during their performance, were closed"The Holy Farce of the Resurrection" (as Tito all but the clergy, the various parts being raboschi calls it), composed by Giuliano Dati. taken by the priests. Besides these, there were This title must not, however, be supposed to also tableaux vivants of incidents both in the Old indicate that any ludicrous character attached Testament and in the New, in which Balaam to the performance, any more than the term and his ass intermingled with the sibyls and "Divina Commedia" signifies any thing comic prophets, and Virgil might be seen in company in Dante's great poem. Some question has with allegorical figures of Mercy and Justice. been raised as to the time when these ColosWhenever God the Father spoke, three voices seum plays were first performed; but there is were heard in unison, to symbolize the Trinity. no doubt that toward the end of the pontificate And even the serpent found a tongue, and of Paul III., in the year 1546, or at latest 1549, tempted Eve with his flatteries. As the pro- they were prohibited, the Pope being prompted cessions, dialogues, and chants were the pre- thereto by two reasons: first, that the spirit of cursors of the passion plays, so these tableaux the Reformation was astir; and second, that are simply the ancestors of the Presepi, which they tended to interfere with his spoliations are still seen on the festival of Christmas in of the Colosseum. There is no doubt that at many of the churches of modern Rome, when the time of the Reformation these mysteries the birth of Christ is represented by lay figures were made the vehicles of attacks upon the made of wax or wood, and richly draped. The Church and its abuses, and the farcical element Madonna is always laden with magnificent jew- still admitted was employed to lampoon it seels, a little out of character, but showing the de-verely. To give greater zest to the satire, the sire to do her honor. Joseph, on the contrary, old festivals of the Fête des Fous were, to a has only a staff. The ox and ass occupy a certain extent, revived, though in a somewhat prominent place in the fore-ground, while the modified character; and pardons and indullandscape behind is arranged with considerable gences of the most ludicrous character were ofscenic skill, with groups of shepherds and flocks | fered in public. At Berne, for instance, in 1522, VOL. XLII.-No. 248.-12 a mystery play was performed against the sale of indulgences to free souls from purgatory, which produced a great effect on the popular mind. St. Peter and St. Paul are here rep-| resented as arriving at Rome and meeting the Pope while he is borne along with great pomp in a splendid procession. They pause, and St. Peter asks who is this man; and on being told that this is the Pope and his own successor, he cries, "By my faith, I don't remember exactly whether I ever came to Rome before; but if I did, and in such an equipage as that, I have quite forgotten it." Toward the middle of the fourteenth century mystery plays were already popular in England; and in Chaucer's time, toward the end of the century, they were performed in Lent, and occupied several days. One of the actors he thus mentions in his "Canterbury Tales:" "Sometimes to show his lightness and maistrie, He playeth Herod on a skaffold hie." son for the pupils taught by the nuns to perform little Scripture pieces, in which the sisters take the greatest interest. In Germany these mystery or passion plays continued without interruption from an early period down to the latter part of the last century. The oldest composition of this character of which we have any record is of the twelfth century, in which allegorical figures representing Mercy, Justice, Paganism, and the Church, dispute together on matters of doctrine and religion, until finally the Church settles the whole question in debate by announcing its own opinion and adding this distinct statement. "Quisquis est qui credit aliter Peside this may be put, by way of contrast, one "The end of a house or barn being taken away, the dark hole appeared hung with old tapestry, the wrong side outward, a curtain running along and dividing the middle. On this stage the Creation was performed. A stupid-looking Capucin personated the Creator. He entered in a large full-bottomed wig, with a false beard, wearing over the rusty dress of his order a brocade morning-gown, the lin After these came the Chester and Coventry mysteries; and it is related that the author of the former made two journeys to Rome before he could obtain permission from the Pope to have them played in the English tongue, they being founded on Scriptural subjects. In the reign of Henry IV. a mystery was played resembling the Corpus Christi of Coventry, and lasted eight days. The prologue was delivered by three alternate speakers, called vexillators;ing of light blue silk being rendered visible ocand the play contained forty acts, or pageants, each one consisting of a detached subject from Holy Writ, beginning with the Creation, and ending with the Last Judgment. Mystery plays still continue to be acted in Germany, Spain, and Italy; but in England they seem to have entirely disappeared. Their place, however, has been taken by the great oratorios, which crowds of people assemble to hear in the annual celebrations in the great cathedrals, and in the Crystal Palace, and for which the English show so strong and earnest an admiration. In Spain they are still represented, and on the frontiers of Aragon and the Val d'Arran there is a yearly representation of the Passion, in which Christ falls under the weight of a heavy cross, and is well beaten by the people, who rush upon him and shower blows on him in real earnest. casionally by the pride that the wearer took to show it, and he eyed his slippers of the same material with equal satisfaction. He first came on, making his way through the tapestry, groping about; and, purposely running his head against posts, exclaimed, with a sort of peevish authority, 'Let there be light,' at the same time pushing the tapestry right and left, and disclosing a glimmer through linen cloths from candles placed behind them. The creation of the sea was represented by pouring water along the stage, and the making of dry land by throwing of mould." Exhibitions such as these naturally gave rise to much scandal; and in Bavaria and the Tyrol, despite the murmuring of the people, they were interdicted at the latter part of the last century. One village, however, rebelled against the proscription-the Bavarian village of Oberammergau. The inhabitants, in the seventeenth cenThroughout Italy these mysteries are con- tury, had made a vow every ten years to represtantly played; sometimes by real persons with sent the Passion, in order to drive away an considerable spirit and with good scenery epidemic which then raged among them, and sometimes by puppets most absurdly and gro- they sent repeated embassies to Munich to pray tesquely under booths. During Easter the that the interdiction should be removed. Fischolars of the Hospital of Santo Spirito in nally Maximilian yielded, and the Passion of Rome generally perform a sort of mystery Oberammergau was again represented in 1811; play founded upon some Biblical story. The and ever since, at each decennary, it has been play takes place in the theatre of the hospital, more and more popular, so that crowds flock to and is usually acted in the afternoon. The see it from every part of Germany, and the vilcardinal having charge of the institution pre- lage and all the places near are thronged to sides, and the place is generally thronged with overflowing. The back-ground is the mountspectators, to whom tickets are given. In the ains; the spectators sit in the open air, except monasteries, too, it is very common at this sea- such as are fortunate enough to get a balcony of one of the houses which form the avant-scene and loges, and are covered by a temporary roof of wood. In the old parish records of Oberammergau one reads: "Anno 1631, on account of the long Swedish war, is there much fever and hot headache among the Bavarians and dwellers in Swabia, and daily do many men die. "Anno 1633 the pest increases so fearfully that in the parish of Kohlgrub (three hours from here) were there only two couples left, and a man named Caspar Schuchler, coming here to visit his wife and child, fell by the road-side, and was buried. "From that day, to Senion and Tuda evening eighty-four people died of the plague; accordingly eighteen Bürgers, assembling from the village of Oberammergau, vowed that once in ten years would they present in living pictures the Passion of Jesus Christ. "From that instant the plague ceased, and those who were ill instantly recovered." Thus we have the origin of the mystery play in Oberammergau, and with two or three exceptions-the French period, and different invasions of the Tyrolese-the vow has been faithfully observed every ten years. The little village of Oberammergau is prettily situated just inside the Bavarian Tyrol, in a sort of meadow land, with bold high hills on the south, and lower rolling country north. The inhabitants, numbering some twelve hundred, are peasants, and, with few exceptions, carvers in wood-an occupation which seems to raise them quite above the ordinary bauer, or farmer. Many of their carvings are really art works, and bear the marks of careful study. Ruben's "Descent" and Da Vinci's "Last Supper" have been most beautifully cut in apple wood. In the centre of the village is the church, an object of veneration, love, and tender care, as the well-preserved frescos, fresh blooming flowers on the altar, and exquisite neatness of the interior amply testify. The church-yard and exterior show the same loving hands, which rear delicately climbing vines, and plant flowering shrubs near each little hillock. There is something particularly touching in this simple but constant remembrance of the dear departed ones. Sleeping around their church in the heart of the busy village, every mass brings some kind friend to sprinkle their graves with holy-water, which, whether the act, considered religiously, have virtue or not, is, at least, a proof that they are not forgotten. The cottages, built of stone covered with plaster, with the low broad Swiss roof weighted with stones to hold down the shingles, have each its little garden of vegetables, fruit and rose trees; and on approaching the village, the entire absence of large cultivated fields shows plainly the indoor occupation of the peasants. An atmosphere of general peace and good-will seems to pervade the place, and pursuing the even tenor of their way, the villagers come and go, making their faith their life, and so are gently gathered to their fathers. This being the character of these peasants, one can understand with what a sense of reverence and pious care they undertake the performance of so sacred a drama as the "Passion of Christ," considering it a bounden duty, which, if not conceived in a devotional spirit, would be to them an everlasting stain. Two years previous to the performance the principal characters are chosen, as the individual personating Christ must allow his hair to grow for that length of time, as also Joseph of Arimathea, St. John, and many of the disciples, and the beards are trained to imitate as nearly as possible the best existing pictures of the various characters. In the preceding January rehearsals are held four times weekly, continuing up to the time of performance; and after every Sunday vespers, in the church, costumes and stage appointments are arranged. The selection of colors is wonderful. St. John has the real Albrecht Dürer green and red; St. Peter, the blue and yellow, expressing doubt; Judas, orange and yellow; the Maria, crimson and blue; the Christ, crimson and purple; and so on. The robes of the Jewish priests and dwellers in Jerusalem are all symbolical colors, and so exactly like the pictures with which we are all familiar that one soon regards every character as an old friend. ble of seating six thousand people, is, with the exception of the first and second rows of boxes, entirely uncovered, exposed to wind, rain, or The theatre, capa "JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA."-THOMAS RENDL. This sun, as the case may be. The stage, also uncovered, and representing the streets of Jerusalem, has in its centre a small roofed theatre, on one side of which is the house of Annas, and on the other side that of Pilate. theatre, of course, is provided with a drop-curtain, flies, traps, and the necessary theatrical accessories. Here all the action takes place, and here are arranged all the Old Testament tableaux, always preceding each scene; for instance, "The Lord's Supper" follows "Miraculous Manna in the Wilderness." This small theatre is capable of being used with the large stage to good effect when a pageant or procession of any sort occurs. A few details, which were not mentioned in the letters of 1860, may not be uninteresting here, however practical they may appear. At the "Crucifixion," when the curtain rises, the three crosses are seen on the ground, the Christ being nailed and the thieves tied. By strong men they are lifted and lowered into tightly fitting sockets, a foot or more deep. The two thieves are simply tied with their arms hanging over the arms of the cross, and the legs, also bound, rest with one foot upon a long nail. Here they hang fifteen minutes, after which, being beaten with large leather clubs filled with straw, they are taken down. The Christ hangs by a firm band passing around the body to a nail in the centre of the cross, over which, of course, the flesh-colored tights are drawn. The extended arms are tied with concealed cords from the wrists, and between the fingers one sees the nail-head and blood-stain ed hand. In the same way the left foot rests upon a false sole, and the nail appears between the crossed feet, making the position somewhat endurable for a reasonable length of time; but thirty-five minutes of such suspension produces intense pain in the ends of the fingers and elbows-in fact, the poor man suffers an agony almost amounting to paralysis. The crown of thorns and the cloth about the loins complete this extraordinary picture-a perfect Albrecht Dürer. Every thing is made in the village and by the villagers; indeed, they take special pride in disdaining any outside assistance. The entire cost of stage appointments, costumes, orchestra, etc., for the season-every Sunday, from last of May to last of September -is about 36,000 florins ($18,000). At each performance about $5000 is received; and at the close of the year, after each actor has been paid his share according to rank of rôle (last. year the man personating Christ had two hundred florins, each child six florins-a mere pittance for an entire season, if money were the thing sought), the remainder is divided among charitable objects, church embellishments, etc. The journey from Munich is uninteresting until Murnau is reached, when a long range of Tyrolese Alps suddenly bursts upon one-snowcapped peaks and glaciers; and so on, through richly cultivated fields and red-tiled villages and way-side shrines, we climb the "Ettaler Berg" to Ettal, the famous monastery of the fourteenth century, built by the Emperor Ludwig, the Bavarian, who, as a proof of the approbation of Heaven, received a marble effigy of the Madon |