1583, soon after a furious attack had been made on the stage by the puritans, twelve of the principal comedians of that time, at the earnest request of Sir Francis Walsingham, were selected from the companies then subsisting, under the licence and protection of various noblemen, and were sworn her maused and studied, or hereafter shall use and studie, as well for the recreation of our lovinge subjectes as for our solace and pleasure when we shall thinke good to see them, as also to use and occupie all such instrumentes as they have alredie practised or hereafter shall practise, for and duringe our pleasure; and the said commedies, tragedies, enterludes, and stage-plaies, together with their musicke, to shew, publishe, exercise and occupie to their best commoditie, during all the terme aforesaid, as well within the liberties and freedomes of anye our cities, townes, bouroughs, &c. whatsoever, as without the same, thoroughoute our realme of England. Willinge and commaundinge yowe and every of you, as ye tender our pleasure, to permit and suffer them herein withoute anye lettes, hynderaunce, or molestation, duringe the terme aforesaide, any acte, statute, or proclamation or commaundement heretofore made or hereafter to be made notwythstandynge; provyded that the saide commedies, tragedies, enterludes and stage-playes be by the Master of our Revells for the tyme beynge before sene and allowed; and that the same be not published or shewen in the tyme of common prayer, or in the tyme of greate and common plague in our saide citye of London. In wytnes wherof, &c.

"Wytnes our selfe at Westminster the 10th daye of Maye. [1574.]

"Per breve de privato sigillo."

Mr. Steevens supposed that Mr. Dodsley was inaccurate in saying in the preface to his Collection of Old Plays, p. 22, that "the first company of players we have any account of in history are the children of Paul's in 1578," four years subsequent to the above licence. But the figures 1578 in that page are merely an error of the press for 1378, as may be seen by turning to a former page of Mr. Dodsley's preface, to which, in p. 22, he himself refers.

3 The servants of the Earls of Derby, Pembroke, and Essex; those of the Lord Chamberlain; the servants of the Lord Admiral (Nottingham); those of Lord Strange, Lord Sussex, Lord Worcester, &c.-By the statute 39 Eliz. c. 4, noblemen were authorized to license players to act both in town and country; the statute declaring "that all common players of interludes wandering abroad, other than players of interludes belonging to anie baron of this realme, or anie other honourable personage of

jesty's servants. Eight of them had an annual stipend of 31. 6s. 8d. each 5. At that time there were

greater degree, to be authorised to play under the hand and seale of arms of such baron or personage, shall be adjudged and deemed rogues and vagabonds."

This statute has been frequently mis-stated by Prynne and others, as if it declared all players (except noblemen's servants) to be rogues and vagabonds: whereas it was only made against strolling players.

Long after the playhouses called the Theatre and the Curtain had been built, and during the whole reign of Elizabeth, the companies belonging to different noblemen acted occasionally at the Cross Keys in Gracechurch Street, and other inns, and also in the houses of noblemen at weddings and other festivals.

"Comedians and stage-players of former time were very poor and ignorant in respect of these of this time; but being now [in 1583] growne very skilfull and exquisite actors for all matters, they were entertained into the service of divers great lords: out of which companies there were twelve of the best chosen, and, at the request of Sir Francis Walsingham, they were sworn the queenes servants, and were allowed wages and liveries as groomes of the chamber: and untill this yeare 1583, the queene had no players. Among these twelve players were two rare men, viz. Thomas Wilson, for a quicke, delicate, refined, extemporall witt, and Richard Tarleton, for a wondrous plentifull pleasant extemporall wit, he was the wonder of his tyme.-He lieth buried in Shoreditch church."-" He was so beloved," adds the writer in a note, "that men use his picture for their signes." Stow's Chron. published by Howes, sub. ann. 1583, edit. 1615.

The above paragraph was not written by Stowe, not being found in the last edition of his Chronicle published in his lifetime, 4to. 1605; and is an interpolation by his continuator, Edmund Howes.

Richard Tarleton, as appears by the register of St. Leonard's, Shoreditch, was buried there September the third, 1588.

The following extract from Strype shows in how low a state the stage was at this time:

66

"Upon the ruin of Paris Garden, [the fall of a scaffold there in January, 1583-4,] suit was made to the Lords [of the Council] to banish plays wholly in the places near London: and letters were obtained of the Lords to banish them on the Sabbath days. Upon these orders against the players, the Queen's players petitioned the Lords of the Councel, That whereas the time of their service drew very near, so that of necessity they must needs have exercise to enable them the better for the same, and also for their better keep and relief in their poor livings, the season of the year being past to play at any of the houses without the VOL. III.

E

eight companies of comedians, each of which performed twice or thrice a week"."

King James the First appears to have patronized the stage with as much warmth as his predecessor. In 1599, while he was yet in Scotland, he bestowed his favour upon an English company of comedians that had arrived in Edinburgh, whom (as a modern historian asserts) he had solicited Elizabeth to send down to him, but Mr. Chalmers has shown this to be an error; and very soon after his accession to the throne, granted the following licence to the company at the Globe, which is found in Rymer's Fœdera.

"Pro LAURENTIO FLETCHER & WILLIELMO SHAKESPEARE & aliis.

"A. D. 1603. Pat.

"1. Jac. P. 2. m. 4. James by the grace of God, &c. to all justices, maiors, sheriffs, constables, headboroughs, and other our officers and loving subjects, greeting. Know you that wee, of our special grace, certaine knowledge, and meer motion, have licenced and authorised, and by these presentes doe licence and authorize theise our servaunts, Laurence Fletcher, WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Richard Burbage, Aucity: Their humble petition was, that the Lords would vouchsafe to read a few articles annexed to their supplication, and in consideration [that] the matter contained the very stay and state of their living, to grant unto them confirmation of the same, or of as many as should be to their honours good liking; and withal, their favourable letters to the Lord Maior, to permit them to exercise within the city; and that their letters might contain some orders to the Justices of Middlesex in their behalf." Strype's Additions to Stowe's Survey, vol. i. p. 248.

s Household-book of Queen Elizabeth in 1584, in the Museum, MSS. Sloan. 3194. The continuator of Stowe says, she had no players before, (see n. 4,) but I suspect that he is mistaken, for Queen Mary, and King Edward the Sixth, both had players on their establishments. See p. 45.

6"For reckoning with the leaste the gaine that is reaped of eight ordinarie places in the citie, (which I know,) by playing but once a weeke, (whereas many times they play twice, and sometimes thrice,) it amounteth to two thousand pounds by the year." A Sermon preached at Paules Crosse, by John Stockwood, 1578.

gustine Phillippes, John Hemings, Henrie Condel, William Sly, Robert Armin, Richard Cowly, and the rest of their associates, freely to use and exercise the art and faculty of playing comedies, tragedies, histories, interludes, morals, pastorals, stage-plaies, and such like other as thei have alreadie studied or hereafter shall use or studie, as well for the recreation of our loving subjects, as for our solace and pleasure when we shall thincke good to see them, during our pleasure: and the said comedies, tragedies, histories, enterludes, morals, pastorals, stage-plaies, and such like, to shew and exercise publiquely to their best commoditie, when the infection of the plague shall decrease, as well within theire nowe usuall house called the Globe, within our county of Surrey, as also within anie towne-halls or moute-halls, or other convenient places within the liberties and freedom of any other citie, universitie, toun, or boroughe whatsoever, within our said realmes and dominions. Willing and commanding you and everie of you, as you tender our pleasure, not onlie to permit and suffer them herein, without any your letts, hindrances, or molestations, during our pleasure, but also to be aiding or assistinge to them if any wrong be to them offered, and to allow them such former curtesies as hathe been given to men of their place and quallitie; and also what further favour you shall shew to theise our servaunts for our sake, we shall take kindlie at your handes. In witness whereof, &c.

"Witness our selfe at Westminster, the nynteenth daye of Maye.

"Per Breve de privato sigillo."

Having now, as concisely as I could, traced the History of the English Stage, from its first rude

state to the period of its maturity and greatest splendor, I shall endeavour to exhibit as accurate a delineation of the internal form and economy of our ancient theatres, as the distance at which we stand, and the obscurity of the subject, will permit.

The most ancient English playhouses of which I have found any account, are, the playhouse in Blackfriars, that in Whitefriars', the Theatre, of which I

7 There was a theatre in Whitefriars, before the year 1580. See p. 46. A Woman's a Weathercock was performed at the private playhouse in Whitefriars in 1612. This theatre was, I imagine, either in Salisbury Court or the narrow street leading into it. From an extract taken by Sir Henry Herbert from the Office-book of Sir George Buc, his predecessor in the office of Master of the Revels, it appears that the theatre in Whitefriars was either rebuilt in 1613, or intended to be rebuilt. The entry is: "July 13, 1613, for a license to erect a new play-house in the White-friers, &c. £20." I doubt, however, whether this scheme was then carried into execution, because a new playhouse was erected in Salisbury Court in 1629. That theatre probably was not on the site of the old theatre in Whitefriars, for Prynne speaks of it as then newly built, not rebuilt; and in the same place he mentions the re-building of the Fortune and the Red Bull theatres.-Had the old theatre in Whitefriars been pulled down and re-built, he would have used the same language with respect to them all. The Rump, a comedy by Tatham, was acted in 1669, in the theatre in Salisbury Court (that built in 1629). About the year 1670, a new theatre was erected there, (but whether on the site of that last mentioned I cannot ascertain,) known by the name of the theatre in Dorset Gardens, to which the Duke of York's Company, under the conduct of Sir William D'Avenant's widow, removed from Lincoln's Inn Fields in 1671. The former playhouse in Salisbury Court could hardly have fallen into decay in so short a period as forty years; but I suppose was found too small for the new scenery introduced after the Restoration. The Prologue to Wycherley's Gentleman Dancing Master, printed in 1673, is addressed" To the city, newly after the removal of the Duke's Company from Lincoln'sInn fields to their new theatre near Salisbury-court."

Maitland, in his History of London, p. 963, after mentioning Dorset Stairs, adds, near to which place stood the theatre or play-house, a neat building, having a curious front next the Thames, with an open place for the reception of coaches."