be told in such an age: their own unexercised imagination cannot supply any thing.

Of the FARCES the licentiousness is extreme, but their pleasantry and their humour are not contemptible. The "Village Lawyer," which is never exhibited on our stage without producing the broadest mirth, originates among these ancient drolleries. The humorous incident of the shepherd, who having stolen his master's sheep, is advised by his lawyer only to reply to his judge by mimicking the bleating of a sheep, and when the lawyer in return claims his fee, pays him by no other coin, is discovered in these ancient farces. Bruyes got up the ancient farce of the "Patelin” in 1702, and we borrowed it from him.

They had another species of drama still broader than Farce, and more strongly featured by the grossness, the severity, and personality of satire: -these were called Sotties, of which the following one I find in the Duke de la Valliere's "Bibliotheque du Theatre François."

The actors come on the stage with their fools'caps each wanting the right ear, and begin with stringing satirical proverbs, till after drinking freely, they discover that their fool's-caps want the right ear. They call on their old grandmother Sottie (or Folly), who advises them to take up some trade. She introduces this progeny of her fools to the World, who takes them into

his service. The World tries their skill, and is much displeased with their work. The Cobler-fool pinches his feet by making the shoes too small; the Tailor-fool hangs his coat too loose or too tight about him; the Priest-fool says his masses either too short or too tedious. They all agree that the World does not know what he wants, and must be sick, and prevail upon him to get some advice from a physician. The World obligingly sends what is required to an Urine-doctor, who instantly pronounces that "the World is as mad as a March hare!" He comes to visit his patient, and puts a great many questions on his unhappy state. The World replies, "that what most troubles his head is the idea of a new deluge by fire, which must one day consume him to a powder; on which the Physician gives this an

swer:

"Et te troubles-tu pour cela? And you really trouble your

Estre Abbés, Eveques, Prieurs, Made Abbots, Bishops, and

Priors,

Chevaucher tres bien les deux Intriguing with girls.

soeurs,

Tuer les gens pour leurs plai- Killing people for their plea

sirs,

Jouer le leur, l'autrui saisir,

sures,

Minding their own interests,

and seizing on what belongs

to another,

Donner aux flatteurs audience, Lending their ears to flat

terers,

Faire la guerre à toute ou- Making war, exterminating

Pour un rien entre les chres- For a bubble, among christiens ! tians!

The World takes leave of his physician, but retains his advice; and to cure his fits of melancholy gives himself up entirely to the direction of his fools. In a word, the World dresses himself in the coat and cap of Folly, and he becomes as gay and as ridiculous as the rest of the fools.

This Sottie was represented in the year 1524.

Such was the rage for mysteries, that René d'Anjou, King of Naples and Sicily, and Count of Provence, had them represented with all possible magnificence, and made them a very serious occupation. Being in Provence, and having received letters from his son the Prince of Calabria, who asked him for an immediate aid of men, he replied, that he had a very different matter in hand, for he was fully employed in settling the order of a mystery-in honour of God.

Mr. Strutt, in his "Manners and Customs

of the English," has given a description of the stage in England when mysteries were the only theatrical performances. Vol. iii. p. 130.

"In the early dawn of literature, and when the sacred mysteries were the only theatrical performances, what is now called the stage did then consist of three several platforms, or stages raised one above another. On the uppermost sat the Pater Cœlestis, surrounded with his Angels; on the second appeared the Holy Saints, and glorified men; and the last and lowest was occupied by mere men who had not yet passed from this transitory life to the regions of eternity. On one side of this lowest platform was the resemblance of a dark pitchy cavern from whence issued appearance of fire and flames; and when it was necessary, the audience were treated with hideous yellings and noises as imitative of the howlings and cries of the wretched souls tormented by the relentless demons. From this yawning cave the devils themselves constantly ascended to delight and to instruct the spectators:-to delight, because they were usually the greatest jesters and buffoons that then appeared; and to instruct, for that they treated the wretched mortals who were delivered to them with the utmost cruelty, warning thereby all men carefully to avoid the falling into the clutches of such hardened and remorseless spirits." An anecdote relating to an English mystery presents a curious specimen

of the manners of our country, which then could admit of such a representation; the simplicity, if not the libertinism, of the age was great. A play was acted in one of the principal cities of England, under the direction of the trading companies of that city, before a numerous assembly of both sexes, wherein Adam and Eve appeared on the stage entirely naked, performed their whole part in the representation of Eden, to the serpent's temptation, to the eating of the forbidden fruit, the perceiving of, and conversing about their nakedness, and to the supplying of fig-leaves to cover it. Warton observes they had the authority of scripture for such a representation, and they gave matters just as they found them in the third chapter of Genesis. The following article will afford the reader a specimen of an Elegant Morality.

LOVE AND FOLLY, AN ANCIENT
MORALITY.

ONE of the most elegant Moralities was composed by Louise L'Abé; the Aspasia of Lyons in 1550, adored by her cotemporaries. With no extraordinary beauty, she however displayed the fascination of classical learning, and a vein of vernacular poetry refined and fanciful. To accomplishments so various she added the singular one