Christmas-Tide Plays, Abbot Gaufridus, Maister Roo and Cardinal Wolsey.

John Ashton begins a brief overview of the relationship between Christmas and theater in his informative A Righte Merrie Christmasse: The Story of Christ-Tide (1894) with a tale we have covered at greater length in the 2019 Virtual Grub Street piece “The Journey from Gaufridas to Shakespeare.” [link]

During the 11^th century, France and Germany brought their dumb shows inside of churches and cathedrals to enact the Stations of the Cross and related scriptures during Lenten service. One or more of the priests would read an explicatory text in Latin while the dumb show was being performed. The common members of the church — for whom such shows surely were primarily intended — being unable to understand Latin, the churches eventually convinced Rome to allow the texts to be read in the vulgar languages.

Claims have been made that one Geoffrey (Gaufridus) , a Norman schoolmaster (Lector) at the school at Dunstable, England, actually wrote the first Mystery play in the country in 1110. This is due, it would seem, to a hurried reading by Thomas Warton, the author of the famous History of Engtlish Poetry.¹ Geoffrey is recorded, in fact, as having made ('fecit”) and entertainment (“ludus”) commonly called a “Miracle” (quem “Miracula” vulgariter appellamus).²

One more delightful bit of color before we hand things off to Ashton.

The players wore choir copes for costumes.  After the Miracle, Geoffrey’s chambers caught fire and the copes and his books went up in  flames.  He joined the Order of St. Alban’s, which ran the school, because he was unable to reimburse the Abbot for the loss. Eventually, he himself became Abbot.

Just how much is legend who can say.

There was another amusement at Christmas, before Mumming and the comparatively modern play of St. George—the Religious plays, the first of which is mentioned by Matthew Paris, who says that Geoffrey, a learned Norman, and Master of the school of the Abbey of Dunstable, composed the play of St. Catharine, which was acted by his scholars in 1110. Fitzstephen, writing later in the same century, remarks that "London, for its theatrical exhibitions has religious plays, either the representations of miracles wrought by holy confessors or the sufferings of martyrs." Then came the Interlude, which was generally founded on a single event, and was of moderate length, but not always, for in the reign of Henry IV. one was exhibited in Smithfield which lasted eight days; but then this began with the creation of the world, and contained the greater part of the Old and New Testament.

Being originally devised by the clergy to withdraw the minds of the people from the profane and immoral buffooneries to which they were accustomed, ecclesiastics did not hesitate to join in the performance, and even to permit the representation to take place in churches and chapels. Afterwards the ordering and arrangement of them fell into the hands of the gilds, or different trading companies.

In process of time the rigid religious simplicity of these performances was broken in upon, and the devil and a circle of infernal associates were introduced to relieve the performance, and to excite laughter by all sorts of strange noises and antics. By and by, abstract personifications, such as Truth, Justice, Mercy, etc., found their way into these plays, and they then became moral plays, or "Moralities." These were in their highest vogue in the reigns of Henries VII. and VIII., and Holinshed tells a story of one played at Christ-tide 1526-27.

"This Christmasse was a goodlie disguising plaied at Graies In, which was compiled for the most part by maister John Roo, sergeant at the law manie yeares past, and long before the cardinall had any authoritie. The effect of the plaie was that lord gouernance was ruled by dissipation and negligence, by whose misgouernance and evill order ladie publike weale was put from gouernance; which caused rumor populi, inwarde grudge and disdaine of wanton souereignetie to rise, with a great multitude, to expell negligence and dissipation, and to restore publike weale againe to hir estate, which was so doone.

"This plaie was so set foorth with riche and costlie apparell, with strange devises of Maskes and morrishes, that it was highlie praised of all men, sauing of the cardinall, which imagined that the play had been devised of him, and in a great furie sent for the said maister Roo, and took from him his coife, and sent him to the Fleet; and after, he sent for the yoong gentlemen that plaied in the plaie, and them highlie rebuked and threatned, and sent one of them, called Thomas Moile, of Kent, to the Fleet; but by means of friends, maister Roo and he were deliuered at last. This plaie sore displeased the cardinall, and yet it was neuer meant to him, as you haue heard. Wherfore manie wise men grudged to see him take it so hartilie, and euer the cardinall said that the king was highlie displeased with it, and spake nothing of himselfe."

1Purdy, Gilbert Wesley. “The Journey from Gaufridas to Shakespeare.” Virtual Grub Street, July 22, 2019 (revised December 25, 2022). Citing Warton, Thomas. The History of English Poetry Hazlitt, ed. (1871). II.216.

2Ibid. Citing Gesta abbatum monasterii Sancti Albani A.D. 793-1290 (1867), 73.  “Legit igitur apud Dunestapliam, expectans scholam Sancti Albani, sibi repromissam ; ubi quemdam ludum de Sancta Katerina,—quem “ Miracula “ vulgariter appellamus,—fecit. Ad quæ decoranda, petiit a Dunstaple. Sacrista Sancti Albani, ut sibi capæ chorales accommodarentur, et obtinuit. Et fuit ludus ille de Sancta Katerina.”

Also at Virtual Grub Street:

A Brief History of Hever Castle with Virtual Walk-Through Tour Link. December 11, 2022. “Europe has been ransacked. Italy, France, Germany have had to yield up treasures, in the way of furniture,...”

Richard Roose: Talk About the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time. November 12, 2022. “Poor Roose, having walked into the kitchen at a moment that would sweep his life away.”

Livin’ Real at Windsor Castle with Queen Elizabeth. June 4, 2022. “Being fans of the Queen and the times, we watch television miniseries and movies draped with intrigue, lust and tapestries.”

Queen Elizabeth’s Jealousy could be frightening to mere mortals. February 6, 2022. “I adventured to say, as far as discretion did go, in defence of our friende; and did urge muche in behalfe of youthe and enticinge love,…”

What Color Were Shakespeare’s Potatoes? July 27, 2019. “By the year 1599-1600, when Shakespeare’s play would seem to have been written, the potato was available in London.  It was considered a delectable treat and an aphrodisiac.”

Check out the English Renaissance Article Index for many more articles and reviews about this fascinating time and about the Shakespeare Authorship Question.

Check out the Queen Elizabeth I Biography Page for many other articles.