Transcriber’s Notes Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected. Variations in hyphenation and accents have been standardised but all other spelling and punctuation remains unchanged. On page xxii, "FOURNIER" has been moved before "FOWLER", to correct the alphabetization of the List of Authorities. Italics are represented thus _italic_, superscripts thus y^n, subscripts as y_{n}. [Illustration: BEGINNING OF DUBLIN _Quem quaeritis_, FROM BODLEIAN RAWLINSON LITURGICAL MS. D. 4 (14TH CENTURY)] THE MEDIAEVAL STAGE BY E. K. CHAMBERS VOLUME I OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS _Oxford University Press, Amen House, London E.C.4_ GLASGOW NEW YORK TORONTO MELBOURNE WELLINGTON BOMBAY CALCUTTA MADRAS KARACHI LAHORE DACCA CAPE TOWN SALISBURY NAIROBI IBADAN ACCRA KUALA LUMPUR HONG KONG FIRST EDITION 1903 REPRINTED LITHOGRAPHICALLY IN GREAT BRITAIN BY LOWE & BRYDONE, PRINTERS, LTD., LONDON FROM SHEETS OF THE FIRST EDITION 1925, 1948, 1954, 1963 To N. C. PREFACE Some years ago I was thinking of a little book, which now may or may not ever get itself finished, about Shakespeare and the conditions, literary and dramatic, under which Shakespeare wrote. My proper task would have begun with the middle of the sixteenth century. But it seemed natural to put first some short account of the origins of play-acting in England and of its development during the Middle Ages. Unfortunately it soon became apparent that the basis for such a narrative was wanting. The history of the mediaeval theatre had never, from an English point of view, been written. The initial chapter of Collier’s _Annals of the Stage_ is even less adequate than is usual with this slovenly and dishonest antiquary. It is with some satisfaction that, in spite of the barrier set up by an incorrect reference, I have resolved one dramatic representation elaborately described by Collier into a _soteltie_ or sweetmeat. More scholarly writers, such as Dr. A. W. Ward, while dealing excellently with the mediaeval drama as literature, have shown themselves but little curious about the social and economic facts upon which the mediaeval drama rested. Yet from a study of such facts, I am sure, any literary history, which does not confine itself solely to the analysis of genius, must make a start.