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I will leave the "apis skinns" to others who may have more information, but with regard to the leather used to simulate nakedness: it was not tanned leather, but tawed (whiteleather, soft, as used in gloves, and not made by the same guild). The difference is explained in my _Technology, Guilds, and Early English Drama_, but one important thing (in addition to the suppleness that would make it suitable for body stockings) is that "whitleder," as it is called in the Coventry records, could be dyed to simulate wounds for the crucifixion, Last Judgment, etc. Clifford Davidson The Medieval Institute Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI 49008 On Fri, 11 Feb 2000, Alan Baragona wrote: > In his Medieval Drama on p. 258, David Bevington quotes the Norwich > Grocers' Guild inventory of props and costumes for their mystery > pageant, and one item is "an angell's cote and over hoses of apis > skinns." I couldn't find anything in the OED about “apes' skins,” and I > don't know offhand where else to look. Does anyone know what specific > kind of costuming this would refer to? Could it be slang to refer to > the tanned leather costumes sometimes used to convey the nakedness of > Adam and Eve (which might resemble the skin of an ape)? Or would they > be costumes intended to look like an ape’s hairy pelt, and if so, would > they be intended for Adam and Eve (indicating nakedness or beastliness > or even the first clothes they would wear after the Expulsion) or for > devils? Any of these three options would make perfect sense > dramatically and symbolically, it seems to me, but I wonder if there are > any clearer records of such costumes and their use and meaning. > > Alan Baragona >