This practice of interpolations in the offices of the church, which is attested by texts from the 9th century onwards (the so-called "Winchester tropes" belong to the 10th and 11th), progressed, till on the great festivals of the church the epical part of the liturgy was systematically connected with spectacular and in some measure mimical adjuncts, the lyrical accompaniment being of course retained. Thus the _liturgical mystery_--the earliest form of the Christian drama--was gradually called into existence. This had certainly been accomplished as early as the 10th century, when on great ecclesiastical festivals it was customary for the priests to perform in the churches these offices (as they were called). The whole Easter story, from the burial to Emmaus, was thus presented, the Maries and the angel adding their lyrical _planctus_; while the surroundings of the Nativity--the Shepherds, the Innocents, &c.--were linked with the Shepherds of Epiphany by a recitation of "Prophets," including Vergil and the Sibyl. Before long, from the 11th century onwards, _mysteries_, as they were called, were produced in France on scriptural subjects unconnected with the great Church festivals--such as the Wise and Foolish Virgins, Adam (with the fall of Lucifer), Daniel, Lazarus, &c. Compositions on the last-named two themes remain from the hand of one of the very earliest of medieval play-writers, Hilarius, who may have been an Englishman, and who certainly studied under Abelard. He also wrote a "miracle" of St Nicholas, one of the most widely popular of medieval saints. Into the pieces founded on the Scripture narrative outside characters and incidents were occasionally introduced, by way of diverting the audience. The collective mystery. These mysteries and miracles being as yet represented by the clergy only, the language in which they were usually written is Latin--in many varieties of verse with occasional prose; but already in the 11th century the further step was taken of composing these texts in the vernacular--the earliest example being the mystery of the Resurrection. In time a whole series of mysteries was joined together; a process which was at first roughly and then more elaborately pursued in France and elsewhere, and finally resulted in the _collective mystery_--merely a scholars' term of course, but one to which the principal examples of the English mystery-drama correspond. Mysteries, miracles, and morals distinguished.