iffued from the prefs without their confent. The cuftomary price of the copy of a play, in the time of Shakfpeare, appears to have been twenty nobles, or fix pounds thirteen hillings and four-pence'. The play when printed And if you fhall have need of any further authority or power either from his majeftye or the counfell-table, the better to enable you in the execution thereof, upon notice given to mee either by yourselves or the players, I will endeavour to apply that further remedy thereto, which shall be requifite. And foe I bidd you very heartily farewell, and reft June 10, 1637. Your very loving friend, P. and M. "To the Master and Wardens of the Company of Printers and Stationers." 6 One only thing affects me; to think, that fcenes invented merely to be spoken, thould be inforcively published to be read; and that the least hurt I can receive, is, to do myself the wrong. But fince others otherwife would do me more, the leaft inconvenience is to be accepted: I have therefore myfelf fet forth this comedie." Marfton's pref. to the Maleconcent, 1604. 7 See The Defence of Coneycatching, 1592: "Mafter R. G. [Robert Greene] would it not make you bluth-if you fold Orlands Furiofo to the queenes players for twenty nobles, and when they were in the country, fold the fame play to Lord Admirals men, for as much more? Was not this plain coneycatching, M. G.?" Oldys, in one of his manufcripts, fays, that Shakspeare received but five pounds for his Hamlet; whether from the players who first acted it, or the printer or bookfeller who first published it, is not diftinguished. I do not believe he had any good authority for this affertion. In the latter end of the last century, it should feem, an author did not ufually receive more from his book feller for a dramatick performance than 20l. or 251. for, Dryden in a letter to his fon, written about the year 1698, mentions, that the whole emoluments which he expected from a new play that he was about to produce, would not exceed one hundred pounds. Otway and Lee got but that fum by Venice Preferved, The Orphan, Theodofius, and Alexander the Great; as Gildon, their contemporary, informs us. The profits of the third night were probably seventy pounds; the dedication produced either five or ten guineas, according to the munificence of the patron; and the reft arofe from the fale of the copy. Southerne, however, in confequence of the extraordinary fuccefs of his Fatal Marriage in 1694, fold the copy of that piece for thirty-fix pounds, as appears from a letter which has been kindly communicated to me by my friend, the Right Hon.ble Mr. Windham, and which, as printed was fold for fixpences; and the ufual prefent from it contains fome new stage anecdotes, I shall print entire. This letter has been lately found by Mr. Windham among his father's papers, at Felbrigge in Norfolk; but, the fignature being wanting, by whom it was written has not been ascertained: "Dear Sir, London, March the 22, 1693-4. " I received but 10 days fince the favour of your obliging letter, dated January the laft, for which I return you a thoufand thanks. I with my fcribbling could be diverting to you, I fhould oftner trouble you with my letters; but there is hardly any thing now to make it acceptable to you, but an account of our winter diverfions, and chiefly of the new plays which have been the entertainment of the town. "The first that was acted was Mr. Congreve's, called The Double Dealer. It has fared with that play, as it generally does with beauties officioufly cried up; the mighty expectation which was raifed of it made it fink, even beneath its own merit. The character of the Double Dealer is artfully writt, but the action being but fingle, and confined within the rules of true comedy, it could not pleafe the generality of our audience, who relish nothing but variety, and think any thing dull and heavy which does not border upon farce.-The criticks were fevere upon this play, which gave the authour occafion to lafh 'em in his Epistle Dedicatory, in fo defying or hectoring a ftyle, that it was counted rude even by his best friends; fo that 'tis generally thought he has done his business, and loft himself: a thing he owes to Mr. Dryden's treacherous friendship, who, being jealous of the applaufe he had gott by his Old Batchelour, deluded him into a foolish imitation of his own way of writing angry prefaces. "The 2d play is Mr. Dryden's, called Leve Triumphant, or Nature will prevail. It is a tragi-comedy, but in my opinion one of the worst he ever writt, if not the very worft; the comical part defcends beneath the ftyle and fhew of a Bartholomew-fair droll. It was damn'd by the universal cry of the town, nemine contradicente, but the conceited poet. He fays in his prologue, that this is the last the town must expect from him: he had done himself a kindness, had he taken his leave before. The "The 3d is Mr. Southern's, calld The Fatal Marriage, or the Innocent Adultery. It is not only the best that authour ever writt, but is generally admired for one of the greatest ornaments of the ftage, and the most entertaining play has appeared upon it thefe 7 years. plot is taken out of Mrs. Behn's novel, calld The Unhappy VowBreaker. I never faw Mrs. Barry act with so much paffion as the does in it; I could not forbear being moved even to tears to fee her act. Never was poet better rewarded or incouraged by the town; for befides an extraordinary full houfe, which brought him about 140l. 50 noblemen, among whom my lord Winchelfea was one, gave him guineas apiece, and the printer 361. for his copy. "This kind ufage will encourage defponding minor poets, and vex buffing Dryden and Congreve to madness. "We from a patron, in return for a dedication, was forty fhil lings. "We had another new play yesterday, called The Ambitious Slove, or a generous Revenge. Elkanah Settle is the authour of it, and the fuccefs is anfwerable to his reputation. I never faw a piece fo wretched, Drworfe contrived. He pretends 'tis a Perfian story, but not one body in the whole audience could make any thing of it; 'tis a meer babel, and will fink for ever. The poor poet, feeing the house would not act it for him, and give him the benefit of the third day, made a prefent of it to the women in the house, who act it, but without profit or incouragement." In 1707 the common price of the copy-right of a play was fifty pounds; though in that year Lintot the bookfeller gave Edmund Smith fixty guineas for his Phedra and Hippolitus. In 1715, Sir Richard Steele fold Mr. Addifon's comedy, called The Drummer, to J. Tonfon for fifty pounds: and in 1721, Dr. Young received the fame price for his tragedy of The Revenge. Two years before, however, (1719) Southerne, who feems to have understood author craft better then any of his contemporaries, fold his Spartan Dame for the extraordinary fum of 120.; and in 1726 Lintot paid the celebrated plagiary, James Moore Smyth, one hundred guineas for a comedy, entitled The Rival Modes. From that time, this appears to have been the customary price for several years; but of late, (though rarely) one hundred and fifty pounds have been given for a new play. The finest tragick poet of the prefent age, MR. JEPHSON, teceived that price for two of his admirable tragedies. See the preface to the quarto edition of Troilus and Creffida, 1609 "Had I time, I would comment upon it, though it needs not, for fo much as will make you think your tefterne well bestowed, but for fo much worth as even poor I know to be stuft in it," &c. See alfo the preface to Randolph's Jealous Lovers, a comedy, 1632: Courteous reader, 1 beg thy pardon, if I put thee to the expence of a fixpence, and the lofs of half an hour." 9" I did determine not to have dedicated my play to any body, becaufe forty fillings I care not for; and above, few or none will betow on these matters." Dedication to A Woman's a Weathercock, a comedy, by N. Field, 1612. See allo the Author's Epifle popular, prefixed to Cynthia's Revenge, 1613: Thus do our pie-bald naturalifts depend upon poor wages, gape after the drunken harvest of forty shillings, and shame the worthy benefactors of Helicon." Soon after the Revolution, five, and sometimes ten, guineas feems to have been the customary prefent on thefe occafions. In the time of George the First, it appears from one of Swift's Letters that twenty guineas were ufually prefented to an author for this piece of flattery. On On the first day of exhibiting a new play, the prices of admiflion appear to have been railed, fometimes to double, fometimes to treble, prices; and this seems to have been occafionally practifed on the benefit-nights of authors, and on the reprefentation of expenfive plays, to the year 1726 in the prefent century 3. Dramatick poets in ancient times, as at prefent, were admitted gratis into the theatre *. It I This may be collected from the following verfes by J. Mayne, to the memory of Ben Jonson : "He that writes well, writes quick, fince the rule's true, "So when thy Fox had ten times acted been, "Each day was firf, but that 'twas cheaper feen." See the last line of the Prologue to Tunbridge Wells, 1672, quoted in p. 80, n. 7. 3 Downes, speaking of the Squire of Alfaria,'acted in 1688, fays, "the poet received for his third day in the houfe in Drury Lane at fingie prices, 130l. which was the greateft receipt they ever had at single prices." Hence it appears that the prices were fometimes raised; and after the Restoration the additional prices were, I believe, demanded during what is called in the language of the theatre the first run of a new piece. At least this was the cafe in the prefent century. Sea the Epilogue to Hecuba, a tragedy, 1726: "What, a new play, without new fcenes and cloaths! See alfo the Epilogue to Love at first fight: The "Wax tapers, gawdy cloaths, rais'd prices too, "Yet even the play thus garnish'd would not do." In 1702 the prices of admiffion were in a fluctuating state. people,” says Gildon, ❝ never were in a better humour for plays, nor were the houfes ever fo crowded, though the rates have run very high, fometimes to a fcandalous excefs; never did printed plays rife to fuch a price, never were fo many poets preferred as in the last ten years." Comparison between the two stages, 1702. The price of a printed play about that time rofe to eighteen-pence. 4 See verses by J. Stephens, “ to his worthy friend," H. Fitz-Jeoffery, on his Notes from Black-fryers, 1617: -1 muft, 66 "Though it be a player's vice to be unjust "To verfe not yielding coyne, let players know, It appears from Sir Henry Herbert's Office-book that the king's company between the years 1622 and 1641 produced either at Blackfriars or the Globe at leaft four new plays every year. Every play, before it was reprefented on the ftage, was licensed by the Master of the Revels, for which he received in the time of Queen Elizabeth but a noble, though at a fubfequent period the ftated fee on this occafion rofe to two pounds. Neither Queen Elizabeth, nor King James the First, nor Charles the First, I believe, ever went to the publick theatre; but they frequently ordered plays to be performed at court, which were reprefented in the royal theatre called the Cockpit, in Whitehall: and the actors of the king's company were fometimes commanded to attend his majefty in his fummer's progrefs, to perform before him in the country. Queen Henrietta Maria, however, So, in The Play-boufe to be let, by Sir W. D'Avenant: "Housekeeper. Yes, we fhall have the poets. "Poet. 'Tis because they pay nothing for their entrance." 5 Whereas William Pen, Thomas Hobbes, William Trigg, William Patrick, Richard Baxter, Alexander Gough, William Hart, and Richard Hawley, together with ten more or thereabouts of their fellows, his majefties comedians, and of the regular company of players in the Blackfryers, London, are commaunded to attend his majeftie, and be nigh about the court this fummer progrefs, in readiness, when they fhall be called upon to act before his majeftie: for the better enabling and encouraging them whereunto, his majesty is graciously pleafed that they hall, as well before his majesties fetting forth on his maine progreffe, as in all that time, and after, till they fhall have occafion to returne homewards, have all freedome and liberty to repayre unto all towns corporate, mercate townes, and other, where they hall thinke fitt, and there in their common halls, mootehalls, fchool-houfes or other convenient roomes, at playes, comedyes, and interludes, without any lett, hinderance, or moleftation whatfoever (behaving themfelves civilly). And herein it is his majesties pleasure, and he does expect, that in all places where they come, they be treated and entertayned with fuch due refpect and courtefie as may become his majesties loyal and loving fubjects towards his fervants. In teftimony whereof I have hereunto fet my hand and feale at arms. Dated at Whitehall, the 17th of May, 1636. To all Mayors, &c. P. and M." Mf. in the Lord Chamberlain's office. |