LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL PERFORMERS IN 1871 AND 1880.

THE PILGRIMAGE.

HE attention of the Christian world is again drawn to the remarkable drama of the Passion, performed by the villagers of Ober-Ammergau, in the highlands of Bavaria. Tradition says that the celebrated religious play, which is now given every tenth year, dates as far back as 1634, being now performed in fulfilment of a solemn vow made then to God by the villagers. The tradition is as follows:-In the year 1633 a fearful pestilence broke out in the neighbouring villages; so fearful, indeed, it was thought everybody would die. In Kohlgrub, distant three hours' journey from Ammergau, so great were the ravages made by the disease, that only two married couples were left in the village. Notwithstanding the strict measures taken by the people of Ammergau to prevent the plague being introduced into their village, a day labourer, named Caspar Schuchler, who had been working at Eschenlohe, where the plague prevailed, succeeded in entering the village, where he wished to visit his wife and children. In a day or two he was a corpse: he had brought with him the germs of the disease, which spread with such fearful rapidity that, within the following thirty-three days, eighty-four persons belonging to the village died. Then the villagers, in their sad trial, assembled, and solemnly vowed that, if God would take away the pestilence, they would perform the Passion Tragedy in thanksgiving every tenth year. From that time on, although a number of persons were suffering, not one more died of the plague. In 1634 the play was first performed. The decadal period was chosen for 1680, and the Passion Play has been enacted every tenth year, with various interruptions, since that time.

Such is the current tradition. The Passion Play is, however, of much older date than this. It is not probable that simple villagers would make a vow to perform a play totally unknown to them, and, even in its rudest form, demanding such capacity and preparatory study. The vow speaks of the Passion Tragedy as something well known; only the period of performing