been exhaustively treated by John Addington
Symonds in the fourth volume in his great work "The Renaissance in
Italy." He examines briefly, but suggestively, D'Ancona's theory, that
the "Sacre Rappresentazioni" resulted from a blending of the Umbrian
divozioni with the civic pageants of St. John's Day in Florence. Civic
pageants were common and in them sacred and profane elements were
curiously mingled. For example, "Perugia gratified Eugenius IV in 1444
with the story of the Minotaur, the tragedy of Iphigenia, the Nativity
and the Ascension."

In the great midsummer pageant of St. John's Day there were twenty-two
floats with scenery and actors to represent such events as the Delivery
of the Law to Moses, the Creation, the Temptation, etc. The machinery of
those shows was so elaborate that the cathedral plaza was covered with a
blue awning to represent the heavens, while wooden frames, covered with
wool and lighted up, represented clouds amid which various saints
appeared. Iron supports bore up children dressed as angels and the whole
was made to "move slowly on the backs of bearers concealed beneath the
frame."

We are justified in inferring that ability to supply an elaborate scenic
investiture for the sacred drama was not wanting. When the sacred plays
began to be written, their authors were for the most part persons of no
distinction, but Lorenzo de Medici wrote one and Pulci also contributed
to this form of art. The best writers, according to Symonds, were Feo
Belcari and Castellano Castellani.

The sacred plays were not divided into acts, but the stage directions
make it plain that scenes were changed. The dramas were not very
artistic in structure. The story was set forth baldly and simply, and
the language became stereotyped. The "success of the play," says
Symonds, "depended on the movement of the story, and the attractions of
the scenery, costumes and music."

Symonds describes at some length "Saint Uliva" and the interludes of
Cecchi's "Esaltazione della Croce." The latter belongs to 1589, but it
is almost certain that the manner of presentation was traditional. That
similar splendors might have been exhibited in the fifteenth century we
shall see later. Symonds thus describes the introduction to the
"Esaltazione." A skilful architect turned the field of San Giovanni into
a theater, covered with a red tent. The rising of the curtain showed
Jacob asleep with his head resting on rocks, while he wore a shir