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how long they continued to act there, is uncertain; but on the 21st December 1635, the Master of the Revels records, that the Pastoral of Florimene was played in Whitehall by the French Ladies who attended the Queen.1

2

The French company, then under Floridor, again performed before the Court in December 1635, but the day is not mentioned. The success of the renewed attempt by the French seems to have encouraged certain Spanish actors to visit this country: they were allowed to play before the King on the

Here again Sir H. Herbert is careful to note that 'These Frenchmen were commended unto me by the Queen, and have passed through my hands gratis.' As Malone has remarked, he nevertheless permitted them to 'give his deputy 37. for his pains'.

In a MS. book, preserved in the Lord Chamberlain's office, is the following entry referring to this point: it is quoted by Chalmers in his Apology, p. 506.-'18 April 1635-His Majesty has commanded me to signify his royal pleasure that the French comedians (having agreed with Mons. le Febure) may erect a stage, scaffolds, and seats, and all other accommodations, which shall be convenient, and act and present interludes and stage-plays, at his house during his Majesty's pleasure, without any disturbance, hindrance, or interruption. And this shall be to them, and Mons. le Febure, and to all others a sufficient discharge,' etc.

1 'The Pastoral of Florimene, with the description of the scenes and interludes, as it was sent me by Mr. Inigo Jones, I allowed for the press this 14th December 1635. The Pastoral is in French, and 'tis the, argument only, put into English, that I have allowed to be printed.'

'Le [La] Pastorale de Florimene fust representé devant le Roy et la Royne, le Prince Charles, et le Prince Palatin, le 21 Decem. jour de St. Thomas, par les filles Françoise de la Royne, et firent tres bien, dans la grande sale de Whitehall, aux depens de la Royne.'-MS. Herbert. Shakespeare by Boswell, iii, 122.

2 For this fact, Malone quotes the MS. Office-book of the then Lord Chamberlain, the Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery: a warrant was issued for 10l. ' to Josias Floridor, for himself and the rest of the French players, for a tragedy by them acted before his Majesty in Dec', last'.

'

23rd December 1635: the piece is not named, and we do not afterwards hear of their performances.1

At this date the King was again considerably in debt to various companies of English players for representations before the Court. On the 24th May 1635, a warrant was issued to John Lowen 'and the rest of the King's players', for 250l. for twenty plays acted as long ago as between 13th May 1624, and 30th May 1626. On the 24th and 30th January 1634-5, similar warrants had been signed in favour of William Blagrave and the Children of the Revels, for two sums of 30%. each, which had been due since 1631. Five plays by 'the Prince's Comedians' in 1634, were paid for by warrant for 100l. to Joseph Moore, Andrew Kane, and Ellis Worth, on the 10th December 1635.

Sir Humphrey Mildmay, in his MS. Diary, notices by name three plays he had seen in the course of 1635, viz. Fletcher's Elder Brother, Shakespeare's Moor of Venice, and Shirley's Lady of Pleasure, which last he emphatically speaks of as a 'rare play'. He frequently enters having been to theatres, without inserting the titles of the pieces performed.2

At this date, in the Register of Sir H. Herbert, and in the

1 The only evidence respecting the experiment of the Spanish company is derived from the same source: 10l. paid to John Navarro, for himself and the rest of the company of Spanish players, for a play presented before his Majesty Decr. 23d 1635.'-Sir H. Herbert does not notice the Spanish players in his Register, and, probably, he obtained no money from them.

2 The following are some of his entries:

1635.

21 April.-After dinner to the Elder Brother at the bla. fryers.
28 April. This afternoone I spent att a playe with good company.

'6 May. Att the bla. fryers, and a play this day called the More of
Venice.

25 Nov. After dinner to a foolishe playe at the fryers.

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MSS. preserved in the office of the Lord Chamberlain, we find mention only of the following companies in London, independent of the French and Spanish players, if, indeed, the latter obtained any settled place of performance, which is more than doubtful :

1. The King's company, under Lowen and Taylor, playing, as formerly, at the Globe and at Blackfriars theatres.

2. The Queen's players, under Christopher Beeston, occupying the Cockpit in Drury Lane.1

'27 Nov. -The afternoone I spent with the Dr. at a playe.

8 Dec. -Dined with Rob. Dowgell, and went to the La. of Pleasure, and saw that rare playe.'

Shirley's Lady of Pleasure had been licensed by Sir Henry Herbert on the 15th Oct. 1635. Its popularity was deservedly great.

1 In 1635, when Hannibal and Scipio, by Nabbes, was played by the Queen's servants, they consisted, among others, of the following performers, as appears by the list of characters and actors prefixed to that tragedy: some of the names are new. William Sherlock, John Sumner, George Stutfield, William Allen, Hugh Clerke, Robert Axen, Anthony Turner, Michael Bowyer, John Page, Ezekiel Fenn, Theophilus Bird, Richard Perkins. Among Glapthorne's Poems, 4to, 1639, is one which shows that Ezechiel Fenn had been an actor of female characters, and had then just begun to take those of men: it is entitled, 'For Ezechiel Fenn, at his first acting a man's part. Prologue'. A little earlier (about 1630), when Heywood's Fair Maid of the West was revived, Christopher Goad, William Robinson, and Wilbraham belonged to the company. Theophilus Bird, in the list of persons before that play, is named Theophilus Bourne, showing that he was called either Bird or Bourne, as his father had been before him, who, in Henslowe's Diary, is constantly called 'William Bird, otherwise Borne'. Sir H. Herbert states (without date, but about 1637), that he'disposed Perkins, Sumner, Sherlock, and Turner to Salisbury Court, and joined them with the best of that company'; probably to strengthen its then weakness. The Turner here mentioned was Anthony Turner, and not Henry Turner, who, in March 1639-40, had become the leader of the Queen's players, though he had not been included in the list in 1635.

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3. The Prince's players, under Joseph Moore and Andrew Kane, playing at the Fortune in Golden Lane.

4. The Children of the Revels, under, William Blagrave, are spoken of as a company distinct from that of the Queen, but the place of their performance is not stated: it was possibly the Red Bull in Smithfield.

5. The Salisbury Court company, so called in all the accounts, was then under the management of a person of the name of Richard Heton.1

In the beginning of 1636, an increase was made in the salaries and allowances of the officers of the Revels, A. D. as a compensation for additional duties. Those ad- 1636. ditional duties began, as appears by documents remaining in the office of the Lord Chamberlain, in 1630, when the Master, the Clerk Comptroller, the Clerk, the Yeoman, and the Groom of the Revels were required to attend the Court from the 30th Oct. to the end of Shrovetide; whereas, until then, they had only been called upon to be in readiness from the 30th Nov. to the end of Shrovetide: for this month, the Master was allowed 127. (at the rate of 8s. per day), the Clerk Comptroller, Clerk, and Yeomen, 37. 6s. 8d. each, and the Groom Il. 135. 4d., making in the whole an increase of 237. 13s. 4d. Orders for this purpose were given on the 25th of May 1636, and on the 13th Feb. 1636-7, with a retrospective operation to the year 1631; so that the different officers of the Revels were allowed their arrears.

The Royal Revels, at Shrovetide in this year, included plays at Court, and a Mask in the Middle Temple. Sir

'On the 8th Feb. 1636-7, Richard Heton had a warrant, for himself and the rest of the company of players at Salisbury Court, for three plays acted by them before his Majesty, in October and February 1635. Two at 20%. a-piece, being at Hampton Court; the other at 10l., being at St. James's.'-Chalmers's Apology, p. 509.

Henry Herbert mentions the following, among the plays in the spring-The second part of Arviragus and Philicia, on 16th February;-The Silent Woman, on the 18th February; -The Duke's Mistress, on the 22nd February;-Love's Aftergame (by the Salisbury Court players), on the 24th February; -and The Knight of the Burning Pestle, on the 28th February. The first and second parts of Arviragus and Philicia were also acted before the King, Queen, Prince, and the Elector Palatine, on Easter Monday and Tuesday, the 18th and 19th April. The Masque in the Middle Temple was Davenant's1 Triumphs of the Prince d'Amour, on the 23rd February, which the Queen and many ladies of her Court attended in the dresses of citizens: she sat on a scaffold with the rest.2

The plague, having broken out in London, was raging with

1 It is known that Davenant succeeded Ben Jonson as Poet Laureate, on the death of the latter in August 1637; but for some cause, not stated, he'did not obtain the pension until a year and a half had elapsed, and then with the omission of the clause granting the 'terse of Canary Wine'. The Privy Seal for Davenant's pension is in the Chapter-house, Westminster it is dated 10th December 1638, and it gives to 'William Davenant, Gent.', ‘one annuity or yearly pension of one hundred pounds, in consideration of service heretofore done, or hereafter to be done'. It says nothing about ‘encouraging him to proceed in those services of wit and pen', which are mentioned in Ben Jonson's warrant on 6th March, 5 Car. I. Yet there is no reason to believe that Davenant was out of favour with the King and Court at this period: the contrary may be inferred from various circumstances.

2 Sir H. Herbert gives the following particulars of this exhibition :'On Wednesday, the 23rd Feb. 1635 [1635-6], the Prince d'Amours gave a Mask, for the Prince Elector and his brother, in the Middle Temple, when the Queen was pleased to grace the entertainment by putting off majesty to put on a citizen's habit, and to sit upon a scaffold on the right hand amongst her subjects. The Queen was attended, in the like habits, by the Marques of Hamilton, the Countess of Denbigh, the Countess of

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