Page:The Journal of English and Germanic Philology Volume 18.djvu/452

 448 Rudwin The fool in the Carnival plays is, as we have seen, the demonic clown in origin. The head garnished with ears, which he wears in the Nuremberg Carnival, is a heritage of the cap adorned with bells, which jingled at every step, on the heads of the performers of the morris-dance, in whose company he appeared at the fertility festivals. The Einschreier in the Carnival plays of the earliest extant type is identical with the Vorsanger or Leader in the sword- dances. 341 The fool's twin-brother, the devil, also has an important part in the Carnival plays. He has, however, been introduced into these pieces from the Church drama after he had imparted many of his qualities as the clownish demon of pagan days to the stern Satan from Judea (Nos. 21, 53, 56, 57, 111, 125, 126). The fool in the Carnival plays was, moreover, influenced in his role by the Fool-Ass rites, which in time became merged with the Carnival customs. For the Carnival has also fallen heir to the repertoire of the Feast of Fools or Asses 342 and the Feast of Boys. These revels were first held by the inferior clergy or boy-choristers respectively in the medieval cathedrals and collegiate churches, but when the stricter clerics succeeded in suppressing them within the walls of the church, they passed from the churches into the streets and then from the vicars and choir-boys to the burghers. In their hands the amusements were transferred in the course of time from the New Year's festival to feasts which happened to fall at more congenial seasons of the year. In this way, the Roman Feast of Kalends, out of which the Feasts of Fools and Boys arose, was merged in the Ger- manic Carnival. We find choir-boys mentioned as Carnival players about the year 1500. The Feast of Fools occurs in Germany sporadically, although the term "Fools" was not used. 343 The Feast of Boys appears to have been more popular among the Germans. 344 It is also known as the Boy Bishop, since the dominus festi was almost universally a "bishop." 341 Cf. Schroeder, op. tit., p. 451. 842 The ass, an early and widespread, though not an invariable, feature, gave to the Feast of Fools one of its popular names. 843 Cf. Chambers, op. tit., i. 318-21. M Ibid.,i. 350-2.