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At the end of the piece, the actors, in noblemens' houfes Vol. I. and in taverns, where plays were frequently performed *, PROLEGO. prayed for the health and profperity of their patrons; and MENA. in the publick theatres, for the king and queen'. This prayer fometimes made part of the epilogue. Hence, probably, as Mr. Steevens has obferved, the addition of Vivant rex et regina, to the modern play-bills.

Plays in the time of our author, began at one o'clock in the afternoon; and the exhibition was ufually finished in

NOTES.

* See A mad World my Mafters, a comedy, by Middleton, 1608: Some fherry for my lord's players there, firrah; why this will be a true feaft-a right Mitre fupper-a play and all." The night before the infurrection of the gallant and unfortunate earl of Effex, the play of K. Richard II. was acted at his house. See the notes on the epilogue to The Second Part of K. Henry IV. vol. V p. 615.

= See Cambyfes, a tragedy, by Thomas Prefton; Locrine, 1595; and K. Henry IV. P. II.

Fufcus doth rife at ten, and at eleven

"He goes to Gyls, where he doth eat till one,
"Then fees a play."-

Epigrams by Sir John Davies, no date, but printed about 1598. Others, however, were actuated by a stronger curiofity, and, in order to fecure good places, went to the theatre without their dinner. See the prologue to The Unfortunate Lovers, by Sir Wil liam D'Avenant, 1643:

You are grown exceffive proud,

"Since ten times more of wit than was allow'a
"Your filly ancestors in twenty year,

"You think in two short hours to swallow here.
"For they to theatres were pleas'd to come
"Ere they had din'd, to take up the best room;
"There fat on benches not adorn'd with mats,
"And gracioufly did vail their high-crown'd hats
"To every half-drefs'd player, as he still
"Through hangings peep'd, to fee the galleries fill.
"Good eafy-judging fouls with what delight
"They would expect a jigg or target-fight!

"A furious tale of Troy,-which they ne'er thought
"Was weakly writ, if it were ftrongly fought;
"Laugh'd at a clinch, the shadow of a jeft,
"And cry'd-a paffing good one, I proteft."

From the foregoing lines it appears that, anciently, places were not taken in the beft rooms or boxes, before the reprefentation. VOL. I.

D

Soon

34

VOL. I. in two hours. Even in 1667, they commenced at three PROLEGO- O'clock P.

ΜΕΝΑ.

When Goffon wrote his School of Abufe in 1579, it feems that dramatick entertainments were ufually exhibited on Sundays 9. Afterwards they were performed on that and other days indifcriminately. From the filence of Prynne on this fubject, it has been fuppofed that the practice of exhibiting plays on the Lord's day was discontinued when he published his Hiftriomafix, in 1633; but I doubt whether this conjecture be well founded, for it appears from a contemporary writer, that it had not been abolished in the third year of king Charles I'.

NOTES.

Soon after the Restoration, this practice was established. See a pro-
logue to a revived play, in Covent Garden Drollery, 1672:
"Hence 'tis that at new plays you come fo foon,

"Like bridegrooms hot to go to bed ere noon;
"Or if you are detain'd fome little space,

"The flinking footman's fent to keep your place.
"But if a play's reviv'd, you stay and dine,

"And drink till three, and then come dropping in."

See note ("). See alfo the prologue to K. Henry VIII. and

that to Romeo and Juliet.

P. See The Demoifelles a la Mode, by Flecknoe, 1667:

hark

you,

whither

away

fo faft?

1. Actor. "Hark you, 2 Actor. "Why, to the theatre, 'tis past three o'clock, and the play is ready to begin." See alfo note above.

After the Restoration, (we are told by old Mr. Cibber) it was a frequent practice of the ladies of quality, to carry Mr. Kynaston the actor, in his female drefs, after the play, in their coaches to Hyde Park.

Thefe [the players] because they are allowed to play every Sunday, make four or five Sundays, at least, every week." School of Abufe, 1579

In former times, (fays Stowe in his Survey of London), ingenious tradesmen and gentlemens' fervants would fometimes gather a company of themfelves, and learn interludes, to expofe vice, or to reprefent the noble actions of our ancestors. These they played at feftivals, in private houses, at weddings, or other entertainments. But in procefs of time it became an occupation, and thefe plays being commonly acted on Sundays and other feftivals, the churches were forfaken, and the play houfes thronged.' "And feldom have they leifure for a play "Or mafque, except upon God's holyday." Withers's Britaine's Remembrancer, Canto vi. p. 197. b. 1628

MENA.

It has been a question whether it was formerly a com- VOL. I. mon practice to ride on borseback to the play-house; a cir- PROLEGOcumitance that would fcarcely deferve confideration, if it were not in fome fort connected with our author's history', a plausible story having been built on this foundation, relative to his first introduction to the stage.

The modes of conveyance to the theatre, anciently, as at present, seem to have been various; fome going in coaches', others on horseback ", and many by water. To the Globe

NOTES.

* See vol. I. p. 201 of the prefatory matters; last edit.
"A pipe there, firrah; no fophifticate-
"Villaine, the best-whate'er you prize it at—
"Tell yonder lady with the yellow fan,

"I fhall be proud to usher her anon ;

66

My coach itands ready."

play

Notes from Black-fryars, 1617. The author is defcribing the behaviour of a gallant at the Blackfriars theatre.

See the induction to Cynthia's Revels, 1601: "Befides, they could with, your poets would leave to be promoters of other mens' jets, and to way-lay all the ftale apothegms or old books they can hear of, in print or otherwife, to farce their scenes withal:

again, that feeding their friends with nothing of their own but what they have twice or thrice cooked, they should not wantonly give out, how foon they had dressed it, nor how many coaches came to carry away the broken meat, beside hobby-horses, and foot-cloth nags."

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In the year 1613, the Company of Watermen petitioned his majesty, that the players might not be permitted to have a playhoufe in London or in Middlefex, within four miles of the city on that fide of the Thames." From Taylor's True Caufe of the Watermens' Suit concerning Players, and the Reasons that their playing in London is their [i. e. the Watermen's] extreme Hindrance, we learn, that the theatres on the Bankfide in Southwark were once fo numerous, and the custom of going thither by water so general, that many thousand watermen were fupported by it.As the book is not common, and the paffage contains fome anecdotes relative to the stage at that time, I fhall transcribe it : แ Afterwards," [i. e. as I conjecture, about the year 1596] fays Taylor, who was employed as an advocate in behalf of the watermen," the players began to play on the Bankfide, and to leave playing in London and Middlesex for the most part. Then there went fuch great concourse of people by water, that the small bumber of watermen remaining at home [the majority being

D 2

employed

VOL. I. playhouse the company probably were conveyed by water*; to that in Black-fryars, the gentry went either in coaches y, or on

PROLEGO
MENA.

NOTES.

horse

employed in the Spanish war] were not able to carry them, by reason of the court, the tearms, the players, and other employments. So that we were inforced and encouraged, hoping that this golden ftirring world would have lafted ever, to take and entertaine men and boyes, which boyes are grown men and keepers of houses. So that the number of watermen, and thofe that live and are maintained by them, and by the only labour of the oare and the fkull, betwixt the bridge of Windfor and Gravesend, cannot be fewer than forty thousand; the cause of the greater halfe of which multitude hath bene the players playing on the Bankfide; for I have known three companies, befides the bearbaiting, at once there; to wit, the Globe, the Rofe, and the Swan.

And now it hath pleased God in this peaceable time [from 1604 to 1613] that there is no employment at the fea, as it hath bene accuftomed; fo that as all thofe great numbers of men remain at home; and the players have all (except the king's men) left their ufual refidency on the Bankfide, and do play in Middlefex, far remote from the Thames; fo that every day in the weeke they do draw unto them three or four thousand people, that were used to spend their moneys by water.

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His majestie's players did exhibit a petition against us, in which they faid, that our fuit was unreasonable, and that we might as justly remove the Exchange, the walkes in Paul's, or Moorfields, to the Bankside, for our profits, as to confine them."

The affair appears never to have been decided. "Some (fays Taylor) have reported that I took bribes of the players, to let the fuit fall, and to that purpose I had a fupper of them, at the Cardinal's bat, on the Bankfide." Works of Taylor the water-poet, P. 171, edit. 1633.

See an epilogue to a vacation-play at the Globe, by Sir William D'Avenant. Works, p. 245:

"For your own fakes, poor fouls, you had not best
"Believe my fury was fo much fuppreft

"I' the heat of the laft fcene, as now you may
"Boldly and fafely too cry down our play;
"For if you dare but murmur one falfe note,
"Here in the houfe, or going to take boat;

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By heav'n I'll mow you off with my long word, "Yeoman and fquire, knight, lady and her lord."

› See a letter from Mr. Garrard to Lord Strafford, dated Jan. 9, 1633-4; Strafford's Letters, vol. I. p. 175: "Here hath been an order of the lords of the council hung up in a table near Paul's and the Black-fryars, to command all that refort to the

play

horfeback; and the common people on foot. In an epi- VOL. I. gram by Sir John Davis, the practice of riding to the PROLEGOtheatre is ridiculed as a piece of affectation or vanity; and MENA. therefore we may prefume it was not very general".

Though from the want of news-papers and other periodical publications, intelligence was not fo fpeedily circulated NOTES.

play-house there, to fend away their coaches, and to difperfe abroad in Paul's Church-yard, Carter Lane, the Conduit in Fleet Street, and other places, and not to return to fetch their company, but they must trot a-foot to find their coaches: -'twas kept very ftrictly for two or three weeks, but now I think it is difordered again."-It should however be remembered that this was written above forty years after Shakspeare's first acquaintance with the theatre. Coaches, in the time of queen Elizabeth were poffeffed but by very few. They were not in ordinary ufe till after the year 1605. See Stowe's Annals, p. 867. Even when the above mentioned order was made, there were no hackney coaches. These, as appears from another letter in the fame collection, were established a few months afterwards." I cannot (fays Mr. Garrard) omit to mention any new thing that comes up amongst us, though never fo trivial. Here is one captain Baily, he hath been a fea-captain, but now lives on the land, about this city, where he tries experiments. He hath erected according to his ability, fome. four backney coaches, put his men in livery, and appointed thei to ftand at the May-pole in the Strand, giving them inftructions at what rates to carry men into several parts of the town, where all day they may be had. Other hackney-men feeing this way, they flocked to the fame place, and perform their journeys at the fame rate. So that fometimes there is twenty of them together, which disperse up and down, that they and others are to be had every where, as water-men are to be had by the water-fide. Every body is much pleased with it. For whereas, before, coaches could not be had but at great rates, now a man may have one much cheaper." This letter is dated April 1, 1634.-Strafford's Letters, Vol. I. p. 227.

A few months afterwards, hackney chairs were introduced: "Here is also another project for carrying people up and down in clofe chairs, for the fole doing whereof, Sir Sander Duncombe, a traveller, now a penfioner, hath obtained a patent from the àng, and hath forty or fifty making ready for ufe." Ibid. p. 336. 2" Fauftus, nor lord, nor knight, nor wife, nor old,

"To ev'ry place about the town doth ride;

"He rides into the fields, plays to bebold;
"He rides to take boat at the water-fide."

Epigrams, printed at Middleburg, about 1598.

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