, 1874-08-01
FAMILIAR TALK.


FAMILIAR TALK. " !
PATHETIC 1Nca,Enr, !
: "hflntwool," tho Paris Correspondent of tho
Now York Graphic, rolatos pat1Ato iticdot,t of
tle actress Blanche d'Autigny wl.l, has boon
rcvivcd since l,or rocDnt death. Lila tho ma
1ority Of Tronch aotreascs, Dfnncl,o lol an inl-,
moral llfo, and yot slo waB not destitute ofkina-
ness and do1lcacY, aa tho present anocAoto
ccrt'aea. When Lsco, m actor, and lcr COZ
league at tho Folio Dranatique, bcca,no III and
t'1ol, Blnnohe ordered lor carriago md, Waiting
upon tho Oashior OF tho thcatro, nakad Tor an
advance Of 160 francs on hor sa]ary, Tho
Cashier at titat trcatod her re0ucet NJ 3okc,
knowing Aer abundant rosourcpa, sDut I wns
1!eycr moro aincere IN my hfe," Biao t,rgpd,
Int tl,is IS q arrange request" replied tIao
Cashier you 1--we only to aell ono az toso"
alize l0,ooD franoa.' :. Oh! / know TINT" sllo
cried, lowering her voil to hide hor toa1H bit
want tho monoy to buy ilowora for poor Iiuce's
grave, aud for thcao can only pay nonoy hon-
ostJY earned."
KNIGHTS rEMp1an.
Tho military aud religious Order Of Knights
Iemplar was founded it Jor1safom carly In tho
twollth century, by tho venerable Hugh do
~Nst''"eo MIA NAoV4iAut As o!Hhla 11&t
King Of Jeruaalom, gave them q habitation On
the south side Of tho church anil conyont Of
solomon's Templo. and tho C.A,ons or tho
Tonp1o addod sufficient land on which to erect
offices. THO Arst in.eut OF tho Order vns to
procure The remission Of Bins by protecting tho
Holy sopulchre, mud koeplng Bocl,re from rob-
bors tho roads through which pilgrims paaaeu to
Jcatsalom. Nfno ycars after tho establishment
Of tho Order, It received colo Of Laws iron, tho
Council Of Iroyes, md WAS invested with
q. white habit BY pope 1IonoFlus. Aftor-
| wardH, in tho time Of Pope EugeninR,
rod er9ss n was sSwfa Ssa, on tho .isd Hant1ss
Tho Kuights, wl.o at first were but nine, rapidly
iuoraaaa1 IN 1utuara aud In Wealth. Itnrrlongo do
! natlors were made them il al! tho proyinceH Of
Ghsstcndoaa, and men Of the highest rank wore
inal rule Of tho Ordor, its menbors were bound
to live III pepotaal chastity aud shBtinonco from
luxury. After tue capture Of Jerusalem by Tho
saracons tho Knights spread over all Europe,
Governor, callod tic 1rastor Of II lilo Tomplc.
Aa tdoy Increased In poWer and prosperity, they
dccroased in viruo until ut last ttair arrogance,
| oxtrayaganco, and vice, rendered them .nniyor-
! aally obnoxious. THO 0gdar was finally sup-
pressed throughout Europe IN 1879, BY dcoroo
Of tho Council Of Vionna, aud it's property be-
slowed on tho Kuighta OF st. Johu.
ntysrRls1:s AND M1nAo1,E-rLAys.
Ono Of tho earliest alanEonB to acenfca1 rep
reBontation i'll England is found in tho
Chronicle Of Matthew Iarip. This author was
o member Of tho old Dancdiotino monastery Of
st. Adams, which was founded in 70G, by Ofn,
King Of Morcin, In honor Of tho nnrtyTcd st.
Allan. Paris bccamo monk in 1217, aud In
1896 succeeded Roger Of Weudoyor as annaliat
Of tho monastery. His duty in this Office was to
record tho notable events OF tho day, and, being
nun Of learning, observation, and voracity, his
history Of tho period In which lo wrote is
| regarded as tho best that has como down to
us* Tho original -r,anugc1ips was IN Latin,
! and copies aud ahyidgmenss, which Paris mado
with hiH own hnn1, arc preserved In tho 1lbrntlca
| Of tho British Muaoum and Corpus Christi Coll
| logo at Cambridge. Seroral translasions Of his
history lavo boon ruhllahed in ono Of Which,
the edition Of 1854, occurs the casual atatolno1t
that, whsio Geolfroy do Goshen was teaching
| school III Dunstablo,-a little town, since noted
! as tho principal scat Of ntraw-plaiting In En-
! g!and,-ho produced Tho lniracle3-pny Of st.
| CNtherno. borrowing capaH from the monaRtory
Of 6t. Alhans III Which TO dress tho characters.
| Tho building In which tbs play waa performed
took hra during tho representation, aud thus. at
tie very dawn OF tho English stage, a coni1aEra.
ton anu tho theatra aro luausniclously associated
together.
In lilo. tho ollronio|cr informs us that
! Gcodfoy, being thon Prior Of. st. AlLans,
was Made Abbot Of tue moiastery. This
ton, as Abbotn ~ TINT day had seats IN
tho Houso OF English Peers, and the Abbot Of
| st. AlbanB tooI precedence 0f nll others in tho
Kingdom az Geofffoy was still secular at tho
| time ha acquired immortality by introducing
theatrical exhibitions into England, re must Gx
| tho dato Of the representation Of bt Gathering
.noar the beginning Of the tTol[tA century. TliB
| precise year. lt0wasar, cRtlnot uoW be determined,
| rs no writor Of tho period secma to have loft it
tllo play Of "st. catheriuo'' was performed il,
French; hence It has bocn coujoct,lred TINT ho
either imported tlIe piaco from llls ow1l country,
| or borrowed tle idea frnm somb carlior models
existing there. Dnt this ~ pure hypothesis.
| No facts are extnnt 10 establish itA truth. a
play entitled "Tlo 1Yiso and Foolish Virgins"
| written III mixture Of Latin and Prorcncal, and
referred to tle oloyeuth conturg. il the Oldest
specimen We hnyo, Of tho French drama, but
| thoto iB no positive eritence that it, or any
othor pIay, ,ras represented in France prior to
| lilo production Of ''St. Catherine" III Dun-
stable. Although these religious dramas had
become common in England before tho close Of
tho twelfth century, 1t is anpp9sed tint 1,oas
! we're composed or performed III English pr:0r to
| the fourteenth century,
! Much obscusiky restb upon tho history OF tho
| English atago in It's infancy, mid there il gosa
deal Of confusion, if not positive conaict, IN tho
| statements Of different writer's WHO have at-
tempted to throw light upon it. Heavy drafts
I OIL the patience and resolution Of tho studynt
aro needed to retlnco tho pngzliug and dofectiYo
chronicles to anything like u olear aud conalssont
narrative. In the din day1reak Of tho drama,
. simp1o sort Of dialogue in Latln appears
among tho scholastic exercisos in convonts.
Thesa ,yoro enacted by the younger monks IN
tho courso OF churcl~uervicos on particular fos-
] livalH, and wore Witnessed by mixed audiences,
] Innda up Of scculnrs and ccolesla8t1es. The
earliest examples Of these primitive compo-
sitions NOW known nrs threo plays wrlt~
ten in Iranca. III the beginning Of tho
twolfth century BY lllariuB, an E1-
glishman, and a pupil ot the famous Abolard.
| Tho subjects Of tho plays are the raising Of
| Lazarus, d nirncls Of ut. Nicholas, and tho AB~
! tory Of Daniel,
| From such ruilo dramatic pictures wero de-
yolopod tho religious spcctaofoa cl,araotesfzol
| III miracle. plays aud mysteries. Tho subjects
| Of tho for1nor vera tho legends OF tho Balnts !;
those Of the latter, which were intended to ex-
| emphfy the mysteries Of tho Olrlnt1au re1iglon,
woro tho prominent episodes Of Dlblo-history.
Tho miracle-p1ays enjoyed The creator favor
with tho people, -possfb1y eecetlso tho. per-
Aonasea represented approached moro ooao1y
! iI1 their llyos to human experience. Iit@-Ste-
| phou, in his life OF Thomas a-Boclot, 11a3, de-
acribua tile Representation In London of ttso sf
| teringB nnl martyraoin Of Tho Confegsors Hfa
Saints; and Plers Plonglaman. Chaucer, and lnto
writer's, allule to tho frequent occurrence Of
| 1ncrctf U1hYs iu ll0 fourteenth collturY.