which occasioning very great confluence of people thither from far
and near, was of no small benefit thereto; which Pageants being
acted with mighty State and Reverence by the Friars of this House,
had Theatres for the several scenes, very large and high, placed
upon wheels and drawn to all the eminent parts of the City for the
better advantage of spectators; and contained the story of the Old
and New Testament, composed in the old English Rithme, as appeareth
by an ancient MS. intituled, _Ludus Corporis Christi_, or _Ludus
Coventriae_.

Along with a number that were performed by the city companies they are
still to be seen in the British Museum. We know that the Friars
presented them as late as 1492, when Henry VII was present with his
Queen to see the plays "acted by the Grey Friars."

No remains exist of the domestic buildings of the Friary.

The well-known Ford's Hospital hard by is often called Grey Friars'
Hospital, but this arises merely from the situation. It was founded in
1529 by Mr. William Ford of Coventry, Merchant of the Staple, for five
men and one woman, but is now inhabited by women only. It is an
exceptionally beautiful example of Tudor timber construction in
perfect condition.


THE WHITE FRIARS

The Carmelite or White Friars were, says Dugdale, fixed in Coventry in
1343 by Sir John Poultney who had been four times Lord Mayor of
London. Although their buildings were ornate and extensive, their