268 
of Caricature 
H17? or 3' 
Gratqfgue 
and 
twelfth century), has a wife, or, as the ftriot religionifts would then fay, a 
concubine, named Pecula. She has a daughter named Viola, with whom 
Babio is in love, and he purfues his defign upon her, of courfe unknown 
to his wife. Babio has alfo a man-fervant named Fodius, who is engaged 
in a fecret intrigue with his miltrefs, Pecula, and alfo fee-ks to feduce her 
daughter, Viola. To crown the whole, the lord of the manor, a knight 
named Croceus, is alfo in love with Viola, though with more honourable 
clefigns. Here is furely intrigue enough and a fufficient abfence of morality 
to fatisfy a modern French novelift of the firit water. At the opening of 
the piece, amid fome by-play between the four individuals who form 
the houfehold of Babio, it is fuddenly announced that Croceus is on his 
way to vifit him, and a feaft is haftily prepared for his reception. It ends 
in the knight carrying away Viola by force. Babio, after a little vain 
blufter, confoles himfelf for the lofs of the damfel with reflections on the 
virtue of his wife, Pecula, and the faithfulnefs of his man, Fodius, when, 
at this moment, Fame carries to his ear reports which excite his iufpicioiis 
againii: them. He adopts a ftratagem very frequently introduced in the 
mediaeval Itories, furprifes the two lovers under circumflances which leave 
no room for doubting their guilt, and then forgives them, enters a monail 
tery, and leaves them to themfelves. In form, thefe "comedies" are 
little more than fcholaitic exercifes; but, at a later period, we {hall fee 
the fame frories adopted as the fubjects of farces." 
Already, however, by the lide of thefe dramatic poems, a real drama 
--the drama of the middle ages-was gradually developing itfelf. As 
{tated before, it arofe, like the drama of the Greeks, out of the religious 
ceremonies. We know nothing of the exittence of anything approaching 
to dramatic forms which may have exifted among the religious rites of 
 To judge by the number of copies found in manuscripts, especially of the 
"Geta," these dramatic poems must have enjoyed considerable popularity. The 
" Geta " and the " Querulus " were published in a volume entitled, " Vitalis Ble_ 
sensis Amphitryon et Aulularia Eclogee. Edidit Fridericus Osannus, Professor 
Gisensis," 3v0., Darmstadt, I836. The " Geta " and the " Babio " are included 
in my "Early Mysteries, and other Latin Poems of the Twelfth and Thirteenth 
Centuries."