ceremonies exhibited at Christmas in the fifth year of this king's reign, 1490: This Cristmass I saw no disgysyngs, and but right few playes; but ther was an abbot of mis-rule, that made muche sport, and did right well his office.-On Candell Mass day, the king, the qwen, my ladye the king's moder, with the substance ofal the lordes temporell present at the parlement, &c. wenten a procession from the chapell into the hall, and soo into Westmynster Hall:-The kynge was that daye in a riche gowne of purple, pirled withe gold, furred wythe sabuls. -At nyght the king, the qwene, and my ladye the kyngs moder, came into the Whit hall, and ther had a pley."-" On New-yeeres "" On New-yeeres day, at nyght, (says the same writer, speaking of the year 1488,) ther was a goodly disgysyng, and also this Cristmass ther wer many and dyvers playes."

994

A proclamation which was issued out in the year 1547 by King Edward the Sixth, to prohibit for about two months the exhibition of " any kind of interlude, play, dialogue, or other matter set forth in the form of a play, in the English tongue," describes plays as a familiar entertainment, both in London and in the country, and the profession of

• Leland. Collect. Vol. IV. Append. pp. 235, 256, edit. 1774.

• Itinerant companies of actors are probably coeval with the first rise of the English stage. King Henry the Seventh's bounty to some strolling players has been mentioned in the preceding page. In 1556, the fourth year of Queen Mary, a remonstrance was issued from the Privy Council to the Lord President of the North, stating, "that certain lewd [wicked or dissolute] persons, naming themselves to be the servants of Sir Francis Lake, and wearing his livery or badge on their sleeves, have wandered about these north parts, and representing certain plays and interludes, reflecting on the queen and her consort, and the formalities

an actor as common and established. "Forasmuch as a great number of those that be common players of interludes and playes, as well within the city of London as elsewhere within the realme, doe for the most part play such interludes as contain matter tending to sedition," &c. By common players of interludes here mentioned, I apprehend, were meant the players of the city, as contradistinguished from the king's own servants. In a ma

nuscript which I saw some years ago, and which is now in the library of the Marquis of Lansdown, are sundry charges for the players belonging to King Edward the Sixth; but I have not preserved the articles. And in the house-hold book of Queen Mary, in the Library of the Antiquarian Society, is an entry which shows that she also had a theatrical establishment: "Eight players of interludes, each 66s. 8d.-26l. 13s. 4d.'

It has already been mentioned that originally plays were performed in churches. Though Bonner Bishop of London issued a proclamation to the clergy of his diocese in 1542, prohibiting " all manner of common plays, games, or interludes, to be played, set forth, or declared within their churches, chappels," &c. the practice seems to have been continued occasionally during the reign of Queen Elizabeth; for the author of The Third Blast of Retrait from Plays and Players complains, in 1580, that "the players are permitted to publish their mammetrie in every temple of God, and that throughout England;" &c. and this abuse is taken notice of in one of the Canons of King James the

of the mass." Strype's Memorials, Vol. III. Append. III. p. 185.

• Fuller's Church History, B. VII. p. 390.

8

First, given soon after his accession in the year 1603. Early, however, in Queen Elizabeth's reign, the established players of London began to act in temporary theatres constructed in the yards of inns; and about the year 1570, I imagine, one or two regular playhouses were erected. Both the theatre in Blackfriars and that in Whitefriars were certainly built before 1580; for we learn from a puritanical pamphlet published in the last century, that soon after that year, 66 many goodly citizens and well disposed gentlemen of London, considering that play-houses and dicing-houses were traps for young gentlemen, and others, and perceiving that many inconveniencies and great damage would ensue upon the long suffering of the same,-acquainted some pious magistrates therewith,-who thereupon made humble suite to Queene Elizabeth and her privy-councell, and obtained leave from her majesty to thrust the players out of the citty, and to pull down all playhouses and dicing-houses within their liberties; which accordingly was ef

"In process of time it [playing] became an occupation, and many there were that followed it for a livelihood, and, what was worse, it became the occasion of much sin and evil; great multitudes of people, especially youth, in Queen Elizabeth's reign, resorting to these plays: and being commonly acted on Sundays and festivals, the churches were forsaken, and the playhouses thronged. Great inns were used for this purpose, which had secret chambers and places, as well as open stages and galleries." Strype's Additions to Stowe's Survey, folio, 1720, Vol. I. p. 247.

"In playes either those thinges are fained that never were, as Cupid and Psyche, played at Paules, [the school-room of St. Paul's,] and a great many comedies more at the Blackfriers, and in every playhouse in London, which for brevity's sake I overskippe; or," &c. Plays confuted in five Actions, by Stephen Gosson, no date, but printed about the year 1580.

fected, and the playhouses in Gracious-street, Bishopsgate-street, that nigh Paul's, that on Ludgatehill, and the White-friers, were quite pulled down and suppressed by the care of these religious senators. The theatre in Blackfriars, not being within the liberties of the city of London, escaped the fury of these fanaticks. Elizabeth, however, though she yielded in this instance to the frenzy of the time, was during the whole course of her reign a favourer of the stage, and a frequent attendant upon plays. So early as in the year 1569, as we learn from another puritanical writer, the children of her chapel, (who are described as "her majesty's unfledged minions,") " flaunted it in their silkes and sattens," and acted plays on profane subjects in the chapel-royal. In 1574 she granted a licence to James Burbage, probably the father of the celebrated tragedian, and four others, servants to the Earl of Leicester, to exhibit all kinds of stage-plays, during pleasure, in any part of England," as well for the recreation of her loving subjects, as for her own solace and pleasure when she should think

Richard Reulidge's Monster lately found out and discovered, or the scourging of Tipplers, 1628, pp. 2, 3, 4. What he calls the theatres in Gracious Street, Bishopsgate Street, and Ludgate Hill, were the temporary scaffolds erected at the Cross Keys Inn in Gracechurch Street, the Bull in Bishopsgate Street, and the Bell Savage on Ludgate Hill. "That nigh Paul's," was St. Paul's school-room, behind the Convocation-house.

"Even in her majesties chapel do these pretty upstart youthes prophane the Lordes-day by the lascivious writhing of their tender limbes, and gorgeous decking of their apparell, in feigning bawdie fables, gathered from the idolatrous heathen poets," &c. The Children of the Chapel stript and whipt, 1569, fol. xiii, b. These children acted frequently in Queen Elizabeth's reign at the theatre in Whitefriars.

good to see them;"" and in the year 1583, soon after a furious attack had been made on the stage

For the notice of this ancient theatrical licence we are indebted to Mr. Steevens. It is found among the unpublished collections of Rymer, which were purchased by parliament, and are deposited in the British Museum. Ascough's Catalogue of Sloanian and other manuscripts, No. 4625.

"Pro Jacobo Burbage et aliis, de licentia speciali.

"Elizabeth by the grace of God, Quene of England, &c. To all justices, mayors, sheriffes, bayliffes, head constables, under constables, and all other oure officers and mynisters, greting.

"Know ye, that we of our especiall grace, certen knowledge, and mere motion, have licensed and auctorised, and by these presents do lycense and auctorise our loving subjectes James Burbage, John Perkyn, John Lanham, William Johnson, and Robert Wilson, servaunts to our trustie and well beloved cosen and counseyllour the Earle of Leycester, to use, exercyse and occupie the arte and facultye of playenge commedies, tragedies, enterludes, stage-playes, and such other like as they have alredie used 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 alredię practised or hereafter shall practise, for and duringe our pleasure; and the said commedies, tragedies, enterludes, and stage-plaics, 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 aforesaid, 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.