frequented by citizens.4 There were however, but fix companies of comedians; for the playhouse in Blackfriars, and the Globe, belonged to the fame troop. Befide these seven theatres, there were for fome time on the Bankfide three other publick theatres; The Swan, The Rofe,5 and The Hope :6 but The Hope being ufed chiefly as a bear-garden, and The Swan and The Rofe having fallen to decay early in King James's reign, they ought not to be enumerated with the other regular theatres. All the establifhed theatres that were open in 1598, were either without the city of London or its liberties.? "Like a ftatue in the fore-front of your houfe • Wright's Hiftoria Hiftrionica, 8vo. 1699, p. 5. 5 The Swan and the Rofe are mentioned by Taylor the WaterPoet, but in 1613 they were shut up. See his Works, p. 171, edit. 1633. The latter had been built before 1598. See p. 55, n. 2. After the year 1620, as appears from Sir Henry Herbert's office-book, they were ufed occafionally for the exhibition of prize-fighters. Ben Jonson's Bartholomew Fair was performed at this theatre in 1614. He does not give a very favourable description 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 special decorum, the place being as dirty as Smithfield, and as itinking every whit."-Induction to Bartholomew Fair. It appears from an old pamphlet entitled Holland's Leaguer, printed in quarto in 1632, that The Hope was occafionally used as a bear-garden, and that The Swan was then fallen into decay. ? Sunt porro Londini, extra urbem, theatra aliquot, in quibus hiftriones Angli comoedias et tragoedias fingulis fere diebus, in magna hominum frequentia agunt; quas variis etiam faltationibus, fuaviflima adhibita mufica, magno cum populi applausu finiri folent." Hentzneri Itinerarium, 4to. 1598, p. 132. It appears from the office-book of Sir Henry Herbert, Master of the Revels to King James the For the use of this very curious and valuable manufcript I am indebted to Francis Ingram, of Ribbisford near Bewdley in Worcestershire, Efq. Deputy Remembrancer in the Court of Exchequer. It has lately been found in the fame old cheft which contained the manufcript Memoirs of Lord Herbert of Cherbury, from which Mr. Walpole about twenty years ago printed the Life of that nobleman, who was elder brother to Sir Henry Herbert. The first Master of the Revels in the reign of Queen Elizabeth was Thomas Benger, whofe patent paffed the great feal Jan. 18, 1560-1. It is printed in Rymer's Federa. His fucceffor, Edmund Tilney, obtained a grant of this office (the reverfion of which John Lily, the dramatick poet, had long in vain folicited,) on the 24th of July, 1579, (as appears from a book of patents in the Pell's-office,) and continued in poffeffion of it during the remainder of her reign, and till October, 1610, about which time he died. This office for near fifty years appears to have been confidered as fo defirable a place, that it was conftantly fought for during the life of the poffeffor, and granted in reverfion. King James on the 23d of June, 1603, made a reverfionary grant of it to Sir George Buc, (then George Buc, Efq.) to take place whenever it should become vacant by the death, refignation, forfeiture, or furrender, of the then poffeffor, Edmund Tilney; who, if I mistake not, was Sir George Buc's maternal uncle. Mr. Tilney, as I have already mentioned, did not die till the end of the year 1610, and fhould feem to have executed the duties of the office to the laft; for his executor, as I learn from one of the Exitus books in the Exchequer, received in the year 1611, 120]. 18s. 3d. due to Mr. Tilney on the laft day of the preceding October, for one year's expences of office. In the edition of Camden's Britannia, printed in folio in 1607, Sir George Buc is called Mafter of the Revels, I fuppofe from his having obtained the reverfion of that place for from what I have already ftated he could not have been then in poffeffion of it. April 3, 1612, Sir John Aftley, one of the gentlemen of the privy-chamber, obtained a reverfionary grant of this office, to take place on the death, &c. of Sir George Buc, as Ben Jonson, the poet, obtained a fimilar grant, October, 5, 1621, to take place on the death, &c. of Sir John Astley and Sir George Buc. : Sir George Buc came into poffeffion of the office about No First, and the two fucceeding kings, that very foon after our poet's death, in the year 1622, there were vember, 1610, and held it till the end of the year 1621, when, in confequence of ill health, he refigned it to King James, and Sir John Aftley fucceeded him. How Sir Henry Herbert got poffeffion of this office originally, I am unable to afcertain; but Î imagine Sir John Aftley for a valuable confideration appointed him his deputy, in August, 1623; at which time, to ufe Sir Henry's own words, he "was received as Mafter of the Revels by his Majefty at Wilton:" and in the warrant-books of Philip Earl of Pembroke, now in the Lord Chamberlain's office, containing warrants, orders, &c. between the years 1625 and 1642, he is conftantly ftyled Master of the Revels. If Sir John Aftley had formally refigned or furrendered his office, Ben Jonfon, in confequence of the grant obtained in the year 1621, must have fucceeded to it; but he never derived any emolument from that grant, for Sir John Aftley, as I find from the probate of his will, in the prerogative office, (in which it is obfervable that he calls himself Master of the Revels, though both the duties and emoluments of the office were then exercised and enjoyed by another,) did not die till January 1639-40, above two years after the poet's death. To make his title ftill more fecure, Sir Henry Herbert, in conjunction with Simon Thelwall, Efq. Auguft 22, 1629, obtained a reverfionary grant of this much fought-for office, to take place on the death, furrender, &c. of Sir John Aftley and Benjamin Jonfon. Sir Henry held the office for fifty years, though during the ufurpation he could not exercise the functions nor enjoy the emoluments of it. Sir George Buc wrote an exprefs treatise as he has himself told us, on the stage and on revels, which is unfortunately loft. Previous to the exhibition of every play, it was licensed by the Mafter of the Revels, who had an established fee on the occafion. If ever, therefore, the office-books of Mr. Tilney and Sir George Buc fhall be found, they will afcertain precifely the chronological order of all the plays written by Shakspeare; and either confirm or overturn a system in forming which I have taken some pains. Having, however, found many of my conjectures confirmed by Sir Henry Herbert's manufcript, I have no reafon to augur ill concerning the event, fhould the regifters of his predeceffors ever be discovered. The regular falary of this office was but ten pounds a year; but, by fees and other perquifites, the emoluments of Sir George Buc in the first year he came into poffeffion of it, amounted to near 1001. The office afterwards became much more valuable. but five principal companies of comedians in London; the King's Servants, who performed at the Globe and in Blackfriars; the Prince's Servants, who performed then at the Curtain; the Palfgrave's Servants, who had poffeffion of the Fortune; the players of the Revels, who acted at the Red Bull;' and the Lady Elizabeth's Servants, or, as they are fometimes denominated, the Queen of Bohemia's players, who performed at the Cockpit in Drury Lane.2 Having mentioned this gentleman, I take this opportunity of correcting an error into which Anthony Wood has fallen, and which has been implicitly adopted in the new edition of Biographia Britannica, and many other books. The error I allude to, is, that this Sir George Buc, who was knighted at Whitehall by King James the day before his coronation, July 23, 1603, was the author of the celebrated Hiftory of King Richard the Third ; which was written above twenty years after his death, by George Buck, Efq. who was, I fuppofe, his fon. The precife time of the father's death, I have not been able to ascertain, there being no will of his in the prerogative office; but I have reafon to believe that it happened foon after the year 1622. He certainly died before August 1629. The office-book of Sir Henry Herbert contains an account of almost every piece exhibited at any of the theatres from August, 1623, to the commencement of the rebellion in 1641, and many curious anecdotes relative to them, fome of which I fhall prefently have occafion to quote. This valuable manufcript having lain for a confiderable time in a damp place, is unfortunately damaged, and in a very mouldering condition: however, no material part of it appears to have perithed. I cannot conclude this long note without acknowledging the obliging attention of W. E. Roberts, Efq. Deputy Clerk of the Pells, which facilitated every fearch I wished to make in his office, and enabled me to afcertain fome of the facts above ftated. 91622. The Palgrave's fervants. Frank Grace, Charles Mafly, Richard Price, Richard Fowler, Kane, Curtys Grevill." MS. Herbert. Three other names have perifhed. Of thefe one must have been that of Richard Gunnel, who was then the manager of the Fortune theatre; and another, that of William Cartwright, who was of the fame company. When Prynne publifhed his Hiftriomaftix, (1633,) there were fix playhoufes open; the theatre in Blackfriars; the Globe; the Fortune; the Red Bull; the Cockpit or Phoenix, and a theatre in Salisbury Court, Whitefriars.3 All the plays of Shakspeare appear to have been performed either at The Globe, or the theatre in Blackfriars. I fhall therefore confine my inquiries principally to thofe two. They belonged, as I have already obferved, to the fame company of comedians, namely, his majefty's fervants, which title they obtained after a licence had been granted to them by King James in 1603; having before that time, I apprehend, been called the fervants of the "The names of the chiefe players at the Red Bull, called the players of the Revells. Robert Lee, Richard Perkings, Ellis Woorth, Thomas Baffe, John Blany, John Cumber, William Robbins." Ibidem. 2 "The chiefe of them at the Phoenix. Chriftopher Beefton, Jofeph More, Eliard Swanson, Andrew Cane, Curtis Grevill, William Shurlock, Anthony Turner." Ibidem. Eliard Swanfton in 1624 joined the company at Blackfriars. That part of the leaf which contained the lift of the king's fervants, and the performers at the Curtain, is mouldered away. 3 It has been repeated again and again that Prynne enumerates Seventeen playhouses in London in his time; but this is a mistake; he exprefsly fays that there were only fix, (fee his Epistle Dedicatory) and the office-book of Sir Henry Herbert confirms his affertion. Mr. Dodsley and others have fallen into this mistake of suppo fing there were feventeen play-houses open at one time in London; into which they were led by the continuator of Stowe, who mentions that between 1570 and 1630 seventeen playhouses were built, in which number, however, he includes five inns turned into playhoufes, and St. Paul's finging-fchool. He does not fay that they were all open at the fame time.-A late writer carries the matter ftill further, and afferts that it appears from Rymer's MSS. in the Museum that there were twenty-three playhouses open at one time in London! |