Historic%20Yorkshire

MYSTERY PLAYS IN YORKSHIRE. 37
represented by the type of whale's open jaws, behind
which a fire waslighted in such a manner as not to injure
thedamned whohad to pass through this gaping mouth,
or the persons sustaining the character of the demons
inside. It is said that these latter actors sometimes gave
offence by walking among the spectators who were
witnessing the performance. So much for the general
stage management. We now propose to deal with the
subject so far as it relates to Yorkshire from the earliest
introduction of the plays into this county, which was
probably during the 13th century. This we learn from
the formation of a guild at York, to organise such performances,
which was done in the year 1250, under the
title of the Corpus Christi Guild. Under its auspices as
many as fifty-six plays were there enacted at different
times, opening with a play entitled the "Creation," and
closing with that called " Doomsday," betweenwhichtwo
events all the chief occurrences narratedinthe Bible were
included. The plays were exhibited in the principal
streets, and were so performed as to follow in proper
succession. After the Creation had been performed in
one street it was reproduced in another, and so on,until
the wholefifty-six had been shown in each of the streets.
We read that the Mayor, WilliamBowes, on the 7th of
June, 1417, ordered that the plays should be shown in the
following order: — First, in Micklegate, at the gates of
the Holy Trinity Prior)*; then at the door of Robert
Harpham; after this at the door of the late John Gyseburn;
next at " Skelder-gate-hend" and " North-stretehend;"
then at the end of " Conyng-strete," towards
" Castel-gate;" afterwards at the end of " Jubir-gate;"
then at the door of " Henry Wyman, deceased, in
Conyng-strete;" next at the Common-hall at the end of
Conyng-strete; next at the door of Abraham del Brig,
deceased,in " Stayne-gate;" next at the end of Staynegate,
at the Minster-gates; next at the end of " Girdlergate,"
in Peter-gate; and,last of all, upon thePavement,
making in all twelve representations. The object of this