"Pro LAURENTIO FLETCHER & WILLIEL MO SHAKESPEARE & aliis. A. D. 1603. Pat. 1. Jac. P. 2, m. 4. James by the grace of God, &c. to all justices, maiors, fheriffs, conftables, headboroughs, and other our officers and loving fubjects, greeting. Know you that wee, of our special grace, certaine knowledge, and meer motion, have licensed and authorised, and by these prefentes doe licence and authorize theife our fervaunts, Laurence Fletcher, WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Richard Burbage, Auguftine Philippes, John Hemings, Henrie Condel, William Sly, Robert Armin, Richard Cowly, and the rest of their affociates, freely to use and exercife the arte and faculty of playing comedies, tragedies, hiftories, interludes, morals, paftorals, ftageplaies, and fuch like other as theie have alreadie ftudied or hereafter fhall ufe or ftudie, as well for the recreation of our loving fubjects, as for our folace and pleasure when we fhall thincke good to fee them, during our pleafure: and the faid comedies, tragedies, hiftories, enterludes, morals, paftorals, ftage-plaies, and fuch like, to fhew and exercife publiquely to their best commoditie, when the infection of the plague fhall decrease, as well within theire nowe ufuall house called the Globe, within our county of Surrey, as alfo within anie toune-halls or moute-halls, or other convenient places within the liberties and freedom of any other citie, universitie, toun, or boroughe whatsoever, within our faid realmes and dominions. Willing and commanding you and everie of you, as you tender our pleafure, not onlie to permit and fuffer them herein, without any your letts, hindrances, or moleftations, during our pleasure, but alfo to be aiding or affiftinge to them if any wrong be to them offered, and to allow them fuch former curtefies as hathe bene given to men of their place and quallitie; and alfo what further favour you fhall fhew to theife our fervaunts for our fake, we fhall take kindlie at your handes. In witnefs whereof, &c. Witnefs our felfe at Weftminster, the nynteenth daye of Maye. Per Breve de privato figillo." AVING now, as concifely as I could, traced the HAVING & Stage, from its firft rude ftate to the period of its maturity and greatest fplendour, I fhall endeavour to exhibit as accurate a delineation of the internal form and economy of our ancient theatres, as the distance at which we ftand, and the obfcurity of the fubject, 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 am un able There was a theatre in Whitefriars, before the year 1580. See p. 36. A Woman's a Weathercock was performed at the private playboufe 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 Euc, his predeceffor in the office of Mafter 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 licenfe to erect a new play-house in the White-friers, &c. £20." I doubt however whether this fcheme was then carried into execution, becaufe a new playhouse was erected in Salisbury-court in 1629. That theatre probably was not on the fite of the old theatre in Whitefriars, for Prynne fpeaks of it as then newly built, not re-built; and in the fame place he mentions the re-building of the Fortune and Red Bull theatres.-Had the old theatre in Whitefriars been pulled down and re-built, he would have used the fame 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 fite of that laft mentioned I cannot afcertain,) known by the name of the Theatre in Dorfet 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 play-houfe in Salisburycourt could hardly have fallen into decay in fo fhort a period as forty years; but I fuppofe was found too fmall for the new scenery introduced after the Reftoration. The Prologue to Wycherley's Gentleman Dancing-Mafter, printed in 1673, is addreffed “To the city, newly after the removal of the Duke's Company from Lincoln'sIan fields to their new theatre near Salisbury-court." Maitland in his Hiftory of London, p. 963, after mentioning Dorfet Stairs, adds, near to which place flood the theatre or play able to ascertain the fituation, and The Curtain in Shoreditch3. The Theatre, from its name, was probably the first building erected in or near the metropolis purpofely for scenick exhibitions. In the time of Shakspeare there were feven principal theatres; three private houses, namely, that in Blackfriars, that in Whitefriars, and The Cockpit or Phoenix, in Drury-Lane; and four that were called publick theatres; viz. The Globe on the Bank fide, The play-houfe, a neat building, having a curious front next the Thames, with an open place for the reception of coaches." 2 It was probably fituated in fome remote and privileged place, being, I fuppofe, hinted at in the following paffage of a fermon by John Stockwood, quoted below, and preached in 1578: "Have we not houfes of purpose built with great charges for the maintenance of them, [the players,] and that without the liberties, as who shall say, there, let them fay what they will, we will play. I know not how I might, with the godly-learned efpecially, more difcommend the gorgeous playing-place erected in the fields, than to term it, as they please to have it called, a Theatre." 3 The Theatre and The Curtain are mentioned in "A Sermon preached at Paules Crofs on St. Bartholomew day, being the 24th of August, 1578, by John Stockwood," and in an ancient Treatife against Idleness, aine Plates and Interludes, by John Northbrook, bl. 1. no date, but written apparently about the year 1580. Stubbes, in his Anatomy of Abuses, p. 90, edit. 1583, inveighs against Theatres and Curtaines, which he calls Venus' Palaces. Edmund Howes, the continuator of Stowe's Chronicle, fays, (p. 1004,) that before the year 1570, he "neither knew, heard, nor read of any fuch theatres, fet stages, or play-houfes, as have been purpofcly built within man's memory." 4 This theatre had been originally a Cockpit. It was built or re-built not very long before the year 1617, in which year we learn from Camden's Annals of King James the First, it was pulled down by the mob: "1617. Martii 4. Theatrum ludionum nuper erectum in Drury-Lane à furente multitudine diruitur, et apparatus dilaceratur." I fuppofe it was fometimes called The Phoenix from that fabulous bird being its fign. It was fituated oppofite the Caftle-tavern in Drury-Lane, and was ftanding fome time after the Restoration. The players who performed at this theatre in the time of King James the First, were called the Queen's Servants, till the death of Queen Anne in 1619. After her death they were, I think, for fome time denominated the Lady Elizabeth's Servants; and after the marriage of King Charles the firft, they regained their former title of the Queen's players. Curtain Curtains in Shoreditch, The Red Bull at the upper end of St. John's-ftreet, and The Fortune in White-crossstreet. 5 See Skialetheia, an old collection of Epigrams, and Satires, 16mo. 1598: 66 - if my difpofe "Perfuade me to a play, I'll to the Rofe, "Or Curtain,-." The Curtain is mentioned in Heath's Epigrams, 1610, as being then open; and The Hector of Germany was performed at it by a company of young men in 1615. The original fign hung out at this playhoufe (as Mr Steevens has obferved) was the painting of a curtain ftriped. The performers at this theatre were called The Prince's Servants, till the acceffion of King Charles the First to the crown. Soon after that period it feems to have been used only by prize-fighters. 6 The Fortune theatre, according to Maitland, was the oldeft theatre in London. It was built or re-built in 1599 by Edward Alleyn, the player, (who was alfo proprietor of the Bear Garden from 154 to 1610,) and coft 520l. as appears from the following memorandum in his hand-writing: What The Fortune coft me, Firft for the leas to Creft, Then for building the play-hous, Nov. 1599. For other privat buildings of myn owne, So that it hath coft me for the leaffe, 240. 520. 120. £.880.' It was a round brick building, and its dimenfions may be conjectured from the following advertisement in The Mercurius Politicus, Tuesday Feb. 14, to Tuesday Feb. 21, 1661, for the prefervation of which we are indebted to Mr. Steevens: "The Fortune play houfe fituate between Whitecrofs-ftreet and Golding-lane, in the parish of Saint Giles, Cripplegate, with the ground thereto belonging, is to be lett to be built upon; where twenty-three tenements may be erected, with gardens; and a street may be cut through for the better accomodation of the buildings." The Fortune is fpoken of as a playhoufe of confiderable fize, in the prologue to the Roaring Girl, a comedy which was acted there, and printed in 1611: "A roaring girl, whofe notes till now ne'er were, "Shall fill with laughter our waft theatre." See alfo the concluding lines of Shirley's prologue to The Doubtful Heir, quoted below. Howes in his continuation of Stowe's Chronicle, p. 1004, edit. 1631, fays, it was burnt down in or about the year, 1617: "About foure yeares after, [i. e. after the burning of the Globe,] a fayre ftrong new-built play houfe near Golden-lane, called the Fortune, by negligence of a candle was cleane burnt to the ground, but shortly after re..built ftreet. The last two were chiefly frequented by citizens?. There were however, but fix companies of comedians; for the playhouse in Blackfriars, and the Globe, belonged to the fame troop. Befide thefe feven theatres, there were for fome time on the Bankside three other publick theatres; The Swan, The Rofes, and The Hope: but The Hope being used chiefly as a bear It re-built far fairer." He is however, miftaken as to the time, for it was burnt down in December, 1621, as I learn from a letter in Dr. Birch's collection in the Mufeum, from Mr. John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton, dated Dec. 15, 1621, in which is the following paragraph: "On funday night here was a great fire at The Fortune in Golding-lane, the first play-house in this town. was quite burnt downe in two hours, and all their apparell and playbooks loft, whereby thofe poore companions are quite undone. There were two other houses on fire, but with great labour and danger were faved." Mis. Birch, 4173. It does not appear whether this writer, by the first play-houfe in this town," means the firft in point of fize or dignity, or the oldeft. I doubt much its being the oldest, though that is the obvious meaning of the words, and though Maitland has afferted it: because I have not found it mentioned in any of the tracts relative to the ftage, written in the middle of Elizabeth's reign. Prynne fays that the Fortune on its re-building was enlarged. Epiftle Dedicat. to Hiftriomaflix, 4to. 1633. Before this theatre there was either a picture or ftatue of Fortune. See The English Traveller, by Heywood, 1633: 66 I'le rather ftand here, houfe "Like a ftatue in the fore-front of your 7 Wright's Hiftoria Hiftrionica, 8vo. 1699, p. 5. The Swan and the Rofe are mentioned by Taylor the water-poet, but in 1613 they were fhut up. See his Works, p. 171, edit. 1633. The latter had been built before 1598. See p. 43, n. 5. After the year 1620, as appears from Sir Henry Herbert's office-book, they were used occafionally for the exhibition of prize-fighters. 9 Ben Jonfon's Bartholomew-Fair was performed at this theatre in 1614. He does not give a very favourable defcription of it :"Though the fair be not kept in the fame region that fome here perhaps would have it, yet think that the author hath therein obferved a fpecial decorum, the place being as dirty as Smithfield, and as finking every whit."-Indu&licn to Bartholomew Fair. It appears from an old pamphlet entitled Holland's Leaguer, printed in quarto in 1632, that The Hope was occafionally ufed as a beargarden, and that Toe Swan was then fallen into decay. garden, |