How do we know when Morality Plays were written?
This question will be answered, again, by using 'Mankind' to illustrate the main
points.
The manuscript of 'Mankind' survives from the second half of the 15th Century. This
manuscript offers clues as the precise date the play was written. Some of these clues will
now be highlighted.
'Mankind' includes many references to money current at the time of writing. This
included the 'royal' which was a gold coin that was first issued in 1464/1465. The earlier
date is brought into question as the coin may have been used as currency before this date
but known by a different name. Another a type of coinage is also mentioned during the play
- 'the angel' - which made it's appearance between 1468
and 1470. Other references raise further questions as to the play's precise writing date.
Within the play there is there is a reference to an imaginary 'Pope Pocket' which is
seen as many as a jibe against the Pope's greed. It is also possible that this was a
reference to John Poket who was the Prior of Barnwell Abbey, near Cambridge, the area in
which 'Mankind' is believed to have originated. John was Prior between 1444 and 1464. Line
514 suggests that Prior had dealings with 'Master Allington of Bottisham', this is seen as
a reference to the local papal representative of the time. This explains the ironic 'Pope'
reference.
'Everyman' was first printed by Richard Pynson between 1510 and 1525. It has been
suggested that the play was written some time before this print appeared. It has been
argued that this version of the play is based on Vosterman's Antwerp print of 'Elckerlijc'
(circa 1518-1525). This is brought into question as a different interpretation was sold by
John Dorne, an Oxford bookseller in 1520. This version of the play differs in style, sense
and language and this whole edition suggests that the play, even then, wasn't new. The
above points suggest that the play was in circulation many years before first appeared in
print.
