Noye-- Wiffe, come in: why standes thou their? Thou arte ever frowarde, I dare well sweare; Come in, one Godes halfe! tyme yt were, For feare leste that we drowne. {243} Noye's Wiffe-- Yes, sir, sette up youer saile, And rowe fourth with evill haile, For withouten (anye) fayle I will not oute of this towne; But I have my gossippes everyechone, One foote further I will not gone: The shall not drowne, by Sainte John! And I may save ther life. The loven me full well, by Christe! But thou lett them into thy cheiste, (ark) Elles rowe nowe wher thee leiste, And gette thee a newe wiffe. It is evident that he will not succeed so Noah, wise doubtless with the wisdom of experience, forbears to urge but appeals to her sons to bring her. NOYE-- Seme, sonne, loe! thy mother is wrawe: Forsooth, such another I doe not knowe. Sem-- Father, I shall fetch her in, I trowe, Withoutten anye fayle.-- Mother, my father after thee sends. And byddes thee into yeinder shippe wende. Loke up and see the wynde. For we bene readye to sayle. Noye's Wiffe-- Seme, goe againe to hym, I saie; I will not come theirin to daye. Noye-- Come in, wiffe, in twentye devilles waye! Or elles stand there without. Ham-- Shall we all feche her in? Noye-- Yea, sonnes, in Christe blessinge and myne! I woulde you hied you be-tyme. For of this flude I am in doubte. Jeffatte-- Mother, we praye you all together. For we are heare, youer owne childer. Come into the shippe for feare of the weither, For his love that you boughte! {244} Noye's Wiffe-- That will not I, for all youer call, But I have my gossippes all. Sem-- In faith, mother, yett you shalle, Wheither thou wylte or (nought). _(Her sons bring her in; as she steps aboard she is greeted by Noah.)_ Noye-- Welckome, wiffe, into this botte. Noye's Wiffe-- Have thou that for thy note! (_Giving her husband a cuff on the head_). Noye-- Ha, ha! Marye, this is hotte! It is good for to be still. Ha! children, me thinkes my botte remeves, Our tarryinge heare highlye me greves, Over the lande the watter spreades; God doe as he will. This quotation will give a good idea of the human interest of these Mystery Plays and serve to show that they did not fail in dramatic power for any lack of humor or acute observation. It would be easy to illustrate this much more amply. The opportunities to enjoy these plays were abundant. We have said that the Chester Cycle is the one of which there is earliest mention. The method of its presentation has been described by Mr. Henry Morley in the fourth volume of his English Writers. He says: