be past three-quarters of an hour of length. London: John Rastell_.

1519. 8vo, black letter.




MR HALLIWELL'S PREFACE TO THE FORMER EDITION.[7]


The curious interlude reprinted in the following pages is one of the
earliest moral plays in the English language known to exist, and it
possesses an interest beyond its connection with the history of the
stage, as being the only dramatic piece extant in which science is
attempted to be made popular through the medium of theatrical
representation. Only one copy of it is known to exist, but that is
unfortunately imperfect, a sheet in the middle and concluding leaves
being lost, so that we are left without the means of giving the reader
much information respecting it. On the other hand, while this
circumstance must excuse the brevity of these preliminary observations,
its singularity and extreme rarity offered additional inducements for
selecting it for republication.

An allusion to the discovery of the West Indies and America, "within this
twenty year," would appear to ascertain the date of the composition of
the play; but I suspect from internal evidence, the form and manner of
its dialogue, that it was not written so early as some authors have
supposed, Dr Dibdin assigning 1510 to the period of its appearance.[8]
The same writer considers it to be a production of Rastell's press; and
it has been stated, on somewhat doubtful authority, that the printer was