John!Bale's lost mystery cycle (Biblical plays, 16th-century)

Bale wrote a cycle of biblical plays some time after 1536, probably as a result of encouragement by Thomas Cromwell. It appears that there were 14 episodes, of which three survive, having been printed at Wesel in 1547. Bale also revived them for a performance at Kilkenny in 1553. The state of the mystery cycles was healthy at this time and it is likely that Bale might have known about English and continental models. The three extant plays are closely linked. They have similarities in structure and were written for a small number of actors, making them suitable for touring. Bale is named as the Prolocutor in each of them. He has expanded some of the traditional incidents in the mystery cycles to fit new conditions and to support Protestant doctrine. In the paper I have explored ways in which this data relates to what is known about the cycles in England and France. I also suggest that dramatic features of the plays enable us to assume that Bale did have a cycle in mind.