of Ferrex and Porrex, which was exhibited on the 18th of January in that year by the Students of the Inner Temple, before queen Elizabeth at Whitehall. Neither of these pieces appears to have been acted on a publick theatre, nor was there at that time any building in London conftructed folely for the purpose of reprefenting plays. Of the latter piece, which, as Mr. Warton has obferved, is perhaps the firft fpecimen in our language of an heroick tale written in verse, and divided into acts and scenes, and cloathed in all the formalities of a regular tragedy," a correct analysis may be found in the HISTORY OF ENGLISH POETRY 3, and the play itself within thefe few years has been accurately reprinted. It has been justly remarked by the fame judicous writer, that the early practice of performing plays in fchools and univerfities greatly contributed to the improvement of our drama. "While the people were amused with Skelton's Trial of Simony, Bale's God's Promises, and Chrift's Defcent into Hell, the fcholars of the times were compofing and acting plays on historical subjects, and in imitation of Plautus and Terence. Hence ideas of legitimate fable must have been imperceptibly derived to the popular and vernacular drama.” In confirmation of what he has fuggefted, it may be obferved, that the principal dramatick writers, before Shakspeare appeared, were scholars. Greene, Lodge, Peele, Marlowe, Nafhe, Lily, and Kyd, had all a regular university education. From whatever caufe it may have arifen, the dramatick poetry about this period certainly affumed a better, though till an exceptionable, form. The example which had been furnished by Sackville was quickly followed, and a great number of tragedies and hiftorical plays was produced between the years 1570 and 1590; fome of which are ftill extant, though by far the greater part is loft. This, I appre 3 Vol. III. pp. 355, et feq. 4 HIST. or E. P. II. p. 388. hend, hend, was the great era of those bloody and bombaftick pieces, which afforded fubfequent writers perpetual topicks of ridicule and during the fame period were exhibited many Hiftories, or hiftorical dramas, formed on our English Chronicles, and representing a series of events fimply in the order of time in which they happened. Some have supposed that Shakspeare was the firft dramatick poet that introduced this species of drama; but this is an undoubted error. I have elsewhere obferved that every one of the subjects on which he conftructed his historical plays, appears to have been dramatized, and brought upon the fcene, before his time. 5 See Vol. VI. p. 426. Goffon in his Plays Confuted in five actions, printed about the year 1580, fays, "In playes either thofe things are fained that never were, as Cupid and Pfycbe, plaid at Paules; [he means, in Paul's school,]or if a true biftorie be taken in hand, it is made like our fhavelings, longeft at the rifing and falling of the funne." From the fame writer we learn, that many preceding dramatick poets had travelled over the ground in which the fubjects of feveral of Shakspeare's other plays may be found. I may boldly say it, (says Goffon) because I have feene it, that the Palace of Pleasure, the Golden Affe, the Æthiopian Hiftorie, Amadis of Fraunce, the Round table, bawdie comedies in Latin, French, Italian, and Spanish, have beene thoroughly ransackt to furnifh the playe-houfes in London." Signat. D 5. b. Lodge, his antagonisft in this controverfy, in his Play of plays and paftimes, a work which I have never feen, urges, as Prynne informs us, in defence of plays, that they dilucidate and well explain many darke obfcure biftories, imprinting them in men's minds in fuch indelible characters that they can hardly be obliterated." Hiftriomaflix, P. 940. See alfo Heywood's Apology for Actors, 1612: "Plays have made the ignorant more apprehenfive, taught the unlearned the knowledge of many famous biftories; inftructed fuch as cannot reade, in the difcovery of our English Chronicles: and what man have you now of that weake capacity that cannot difcourfe of any notable thing recorded, even from William the Conqueror, nay from the landing of Brute, antill this day, being poffeft of their true ufe?"-In Florio's dialogues in Italian and English, printed in 1591, we have the following dialogue: "G. After dinner we will goe fee a play. H. The plaies that they play in England are not right comedies. T. Yet they do nothing elfe but plaie every daye. H. Yea, but they are neither right comedies, nor right tragedies. G. How would you name them then? H. Reprefentations of biftories, without any decorum." The The hiftorical drama is by an elegant modern writer fupposed to have owed its rife to the publication of The Mirrour for Magiftrates, in which many of the most diftinguished characters in English history are introduced, giving a poetical narrative of their own misfortuues. Of this book three editions, with various alterations and improvements, were printed between 1563 and 1587. At length (about the year 1591) the great luminary of the dramatick world blazed out, and our poet produced thofe plays which have now for two hundred years been the boaft and admiration of his country men. Our earliest dramas, as we have feen, were reprefented in churches or near them by ecclefiafticks: but at a very early period, I believe, we had regular and established players, who obtained a livelihood by their art. So early as in the year 1378, as has been already noticed, the finging-boys of St. Paul's represented to the king, that they had been at confiderable expence in preparing a ftage reprefentation at Chriftmas. Thefe, however, cannot properly be called comedians, nor am I able to point out the time when the profeffion of a player became common and established. It has been fuppofed that the licenfe granted by queen Elizabeth to James Burbage and others, in 1574, was the first regular licenfe ever granted to comedians in England; but this is a mistake, for Heywood informs us that fimilar licenfes had been granted by her father king Henry the Eighth, king Edward the Sixth, and queen Mary. Stowe records, that "when king Edward the Fourth would fhew himself in fate to the view of the people, he repaired to his palace at St. John's, where he was accuftomed to fee the City Actors." In two books in the Remembrancer's-office in Walpole's Royal and Noble Authors, Vol. I. p. 166. the 7 Apology for Ators, 4to. 1612, Signat. E 1. b. "Since then," adds Heywood, "that houfe by the princes free gift hath be longed to the office of the Revels, where our court playes have been in late dayes yearely rehearsed, perfected, and corrected, before they come to the publike view of the prince and the nobility." This houfe the Exchequer, containing an account of the daily expences of king Henry the Seventh, are the following articles; from which it appears that at that time players, both French and English, made a part of the appendages of the court, and were fupported by regal eftablishment. "Item, to Hampton of Worcester for making of balades, 20s. Item, to my ladie the kings moders poete, 66s. 8d. Item, to a Welth Rymer, in reward, 13s. 4d. Item, to my Lord Privie-Seals fole, in rew. 10s. Item, to Pachye the fole, for a rew. 6s. 8d. Item, to the foolish duke of Lancaster, 3s. Item, to Dix the foles mafter, for a months wages, IOS. Item, to the King of Frances fole, in rew. 41. Item, to the Frenke players, in rew.20s. Item, to the tumbler upon the ropes, zos. Item, for heling of a feke maid, 6s. 8d. [Probably the piece of gold given by the king in touching for the evil.] Item, to my lord princes organ-player, for a quarters wages at Michell. 10s. Item, to the players of London, in reward, 10s. Item, to Mafter Barnard, the blind poete, 100s. Item, to a man and woman for strawberries, 8s. 4d. Item, to a woman for a red rofe, 2s." The foregoing extracts are from a book of which almost every page is figned by the king's own hand, in the 13th year of his reign. The following are taken from a book which contains an account of expences in the 9th year of his reign. "Item, to Cart for writing of a boke, 6s. 8d. Item, payd for two playes in the hall, 26s. 8d. Item, to the kings players for a reward, 100s. Item, to the king to play at cardes, 100s. Item, loft to my lord Morging at buttes, 6s. 8d. Item, to Harry Pyning, the king's godfon, in reward, zos. Item, to the players that begged by the way, 6s. 8d." Some of thefe articles I have preferved as curious, though they do not relate to the subject immediately before us. This account afcertains, that there was then not only a regular troop of players in London, but also muft have been chofen on account of its neighbourhood to Whitehall, where the royal theatre then was. The regular office of the Revels at that time was on St. Peter's hill, near the Blackfriars' playhoufe. For these extracts I am indebted to Francis Grofe, efq. to whom every admirer of the venerable remains of English antiquity has the highest obligations. a royal a royal company. The intimate knowledge of the French language and manners which Henry muft have acquired during his long fojourn in foreign courts, (from 1471 to 1485,) accounts for the article relative to the company of French players. In a Manufcript in the Cottonian library in the Museum, a narrative is given of the fhews and ceremonies exhibited at Christmas in the fifth year of this king's reign, 1490. "This Criftmafs I faw no difgyfyngs, and but right few pleys; but ther was an abbot of mif- rule, that made muche fport, and did right well his office.On Candell Mafs day, the king, the qwen, my ladye the kings moder, with the fubftance of al the lordes temporell prefent at the parlement, &c. wenten a proceffion from the chapell into the hall, and foo into Weftmynfter Hall:The kyng was that day in a riche gowne of purple, pirled withe gold, furred wythe fabuls.-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 day at nyght, (fays the fame writer, fpeaking of the year 1488,) ther was a goodly difgyfing, and alfo this Criftmafs ther wer many and dyvers playes." A proclamation which was iffued 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 fet forth in the form of a play, in the English tongue," defcribes plays as a familiar entertainment, both in London, and in the country 9, and the profeffion of an actor as common and established. "Forafmuch as a great number of thofe that be common 8 Leland. Collect. Vol. IV. Append. pp. 235, 256. edit. 1774Itinerant companies of actors are probably coeval with the first rife of the English ftage. King Henry the Seventh's bounty to fome ftrolling players has been mentioned in the preceding page. In 1556, the fourth year of queen Mary, a remonftrance was iffued from the privycouncil to the lord Prefident of the North, ftating, "that certain lewd [wicked or diffolute] perfons, naming themfelves to be the fervants of Sir Francis Lake, and wearing his livery or badge on their fleeves, have wandered about thefe north parts, and reprefenting certain plays and interludes, reflecting on the queen and her confort, and the formalities of the mafs." Strype's Memorials, Vol. III.Append. III. p. 185. players 2 |