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and 
qf Czzricature 
Grotqhue 
their ignorance, formed alfo a favourite fubjeei among thefe farces. One 
or two examples are preferved, and, from a comparifon of them, we might 
be led to fufpt-:61 that Shakefpeare took the idea of the opening fcene in 
the fourth aet of the " Merry Wives of Windfor " from one of thefe old 
farces. 
The fotties and moralities were more imaginative and extravagant 
than the farces, and were filled with allegorical perfonages. The 
characters introduced in the former have generally fome relation to the 
kingdom of folly. Thus, in one of the fotties, the king of fools (ls my ales 
jbtz) is reprefented as holding his court, and confulting with his courtiers, 
whofe names are Triboulet, Mitouflet, Sottinet, Coquibus, and Guippelin. 
Their converfation, as may be fuppofed, is of a fatirical character. 
Another is entitled "The Sottie of the Deceivers," or cheats. Sottie- 
another name for mother Folly-opens the piece with a proclamation 
or addrels to fools of all defcriptions, fummoning them to her pretence. 
Two, named Tefte-Verte and Fine-Mine, obey the call, and they are 
queftioned as to their own condition, and their proceedings, but their con- 
verfation is interrupted by the fudden intrulion of another perfonage 
named Everyone (Chqfcun), who, on examination, is found to be as 
perfeet a fool as any of them. They accordingly fraternife, and join in a 
fong. Finally, another character, The Time (le Temps), joins them, and 
they agree to fubmit to his diretftions. Accordingly he inltruots them in 
the arts of Battery and deceiving, and the other fimilar means by which 
men of that time fought to thrive. Another is the Sottie of Foolifh 
Ollentation (dejblle bobance). This lady fimilarly opens the fcene with 
an addrefs to all the fools who hold allegiance to her, and three of thefe 
make their appearance. The firtt fool is the gentleman, the fecond the 
merchant, the fourth the peafant, and their converfation is a fatire on 
contemporary fociety. The perfonification of abltraot principles is far 
bolder. The three characters who compote one of thefe moralities are 
Everything (tout), Nothing (rien), and Everyone (chqfcun). How the 
perfonification of Nothing was to be reprefented, we are not told. The 
title of another of thefe moralities will be enough to give the reader a 
notion of their general title; it is, " A New Morality of the Children of 
Now-a-days "