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I would like to ask the list about the theater-historical context of remarks made by Thomas More in his history of Richard III, whe commenting on the invented drama of Richard scheming his way to the crown in 1483. (Textual notes are at the bottom.) "And in a stage plaie, the people knowe right well that he that plaieth the sowdain [soldan, sultan], is percase a souter [shoemaker], yet if one of acquaintaunce perchaunce of litle nurture should call hym by his name while he standeth in his maiestie one of his tourmentours might fortune breke his hed for marryng the plaie. And so thei saied, these matters be kynges games, as it were staige playes, and for the moste part plaied vpon scaffoldes [execution platforms], in which poore menne be but lookers on, and thei that wise bee will medle no ferther, for thei that steppe vp with them when thei cannot plaie their partes thei disorder the plaie and do theim selues no good." Now, More was writing about 1513, and apparently as a boy in the service of Cardinal Morton 1492-94 had not only been in London audiences for miracle plays, interludes, and the like but also would "step up and play" with the players. (See the early life by More's son-in-law William Roper and Richard Marius' modern biography, p.22). My specific question is about the skit (or whatever) about a shoemaker pretending to be a sultan. Can anyone identify that and point me to any theater-history about it? Note on the text: The textual history of More's history is amazingly complicated, and those who are very interested should refer to Richard S. Sylvester, ed., /The Complete Works of St. Thomas More/, Vol. 2 (Yale, 1963). In brief, the text quoted above is the earliest English version (1543) of what More wrote (ca. 1513 in English and Latin), from a corrupted MS used in the continuation by chronicler/publisher Richard Grafton (d.ca. 1572) of /Hardyng's Chronicle/. This is transcribed from fol. 76r in STC 12766, available at EEBO; the most convenient transcription is in Sir Henry Ellis' edition (London, 1812), p. 515, online at https://archive.org/details/chronicleofiohnh00harduoft/page/515/mode/1up These sentences appear at the very end of the Edward V chapter in Hall's Chronicle (1548, 1550), where More's history appeared second in English. Cheers, Al Magary Hall's Chronicle Project SF