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1865); H. Maxwell-Lyte, History of Eton (1875, 4th ed. 1911); W. Sterry, Annals of Eton College (1898).]

The King's College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor was founded by Henry VI in 1441. The Statutes of 1444 provide for a Boy Bishop (Mediaeval Stage, i. 365), but the custom was discontinued before 1559-61, when William Malim prepared a Consuetudinarium for a Royal Commission appointed to visit the college. By this time, however, Christmas plays by the boys had become the practice, and Malim writes:^[1]

'Circiter festum D. Andreae [Nov. 30] ludimagister eligere solet pro suo arbitrio scaenicas fabulas optimas et quam accommodatissimas, quas pueri feriis natalitiis subsequentibus non sine ludorum elegantia, populo spectante, publice aliquando peragant. Histrionum levis ars est, ad actionem tamen oratorum, et gestum motumque corporis decentem tantopere facit, ut nihil magis. Interdum etiam exhibet Anglico sermone contextas fabulas, quae habeant acumen et leporem.'

There are 'numerous' entries of expenditure on these plays in the Audit Books from 1525-6 to 1572-3, of which a few only have been printed.^[2] There is also an inventory, apparently undated, of articles in 'M^r. Scholemasters chamber', which includes 'a great cheste bound about with yron to keepe the players coats in', and a list of the apparel, beards, and properties. The Eton boys played under Udall before Cromwell in 1538 (Mediaeval Stage, ii. 196, 451), and it is possible that Ralph Roister Doister may belong to his Eton mastership.^[3] The only Court performance by Eton boys on record was one on 6 January 1573, for which the payee was Elderton, presumably the William Elderton who was payee for the Westminster boys in the following year.

↑ Heywood-Wright, 632; Hazlitt-Warton, iii. 308.
↑ Collins, 215 (1566), 'M^r Scholemaster towards his charges about the playes laste Christmas, 20/-'; Maxwell-Lyte,^4 154 (1566-7) 'To M^r Scholemaster for his charge setting furthe ij playes 19^o Martii, iii^l, xiij^s, viij^d', (1568-9) 'For ij dossen of links at iij^d the linke for the childrens showes at Christmass, vj^s', (1572-3) 'For vj poundes of candles at the playes in the Halle, ix^d'.
↑ J. W. Hales in Englische Studien, xviii. 408 (cf. Mediaeval Stage, ii. 452), made the date of 1553-4 seem plausible, but his conjecture that the play was written for the Westminster boys is disposed of by A. F. Leach, who gives Udall's appointment to Westminster from the Chapter Act Book as 16 Dec. 1555 (Encycl. Brit. s.v. Udall). It might be a Court play of 1553-4, but the parody of the Requiem would have been an indiscretion on Udall's part at that date.

[1] Heywood-Wright, 632; Hazlitt-Warton, iii. 308.

[2] Collins, 215 (1566), 'M^r Scholemaster towards his charges about the playes laste Christmas, 20/-'; Maxwell-Lyte,^4 154 (1566-7) 'To M^r Scholemaster for his charge setting furthe ij playes 19^o Martii, iii^l, xiij^s, viij^d', (1568-9) 'For ij dossen of links at iij^d the linke for the childrens showes at Christmass, vj^s', (1572-3) 'For vj poundes of candles at the playes in the Halle, ix^d'.

[3] J. W. Hales in Englische Studien, xviii. 408 (cf. Mediaeval Stage, ii. 452), made the date of 1553-4 seem plausible, but his conjecture that the play was written for the Westminster boys is disposed of by A. F. Leach, who gives Udall's appointment to Westminster from the Chapter Act Book as 16 Dec. 1555 (Encycl. Brit. s.v. Udall). It might be a Court play of 1553-4, but the parody of the Requiem would have been an indiscretion on Udall's part at that date.

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