5. Further, I humbly pray yr L'p honorably to consyder yt this office is the only reward of my long chargeable and faithfull service, doone in court and abroad, by land and by sea, in warr and in peace, for the space of well neere 30 yeeres and is the best meanes of my living, wch to take away is a punishment due to notorious and capitall offenders, and not to loyall and serviceable subiects. 6. And for all wch just and honorable and conscionable considerations and for the long desire wch I haue had to doo y' L'p hon' and service, I must humbly pray y1 L'p to bee fauorable to this my pore sute, and I shall ever rest, most humbly at yr [Lordships] comandement, G. Buc. The house at St. John's, "lately taken from me," was given by James I. to the Lord Aubigny. The new office was at St. Peter's Hill, in the City. The letter was, I believe, written in 1610; and the Earl of Salisbury, to whom it is addressed, died in 1612. Kensington, January 12, 1849. PETER CUNNINGHAM. 1 See "Extracts from the Accounts of the Revels at Court," (printed for the Shakespeare Society) pp. xxi and xxii. ART. XVII.—Dispute between the Earl of Worcester's players and the Corporation of Leicester in 1586, from the records of that city. It appears from Mr. Thompson's work on the history of Leicester that, early in the reign of Elizabeth, the corporation discountenanced popular amusements. In 1566, they stopped the fees that had usually been paid to the bearwards, who kept bears for the amusement of the people, and to the players who had frequently performed in the Guildhall. In the year 1582, they forbade any dramatic performances except they were authorized by the Queen or the Lords of the Privy Council, and then the acting was to be witnessed by the mayor and his brethren only. This spirit was carried to so great an excess, that the mayor in 1586 appears to have provided Lord Worcester's players with a dinner as an inducement for them to proceed without playing, but the bribe was ineffectual, and a quarrel ensued, the particulars of which are here given. They are exceedingly curious, and I have to return my best thanks to Mr. Thompson for kindly sending a copy of them at my request. J. O. H. Willm Earle of Worcest hathe by his wrytynge, dated the 14 of January, A° 28° Eliz. Re., lycensed his s'vaunts, vz., Robt. Browne, James Tunstall, Edward Allen, Wm. Harryson, Tho. Cooke, Richd. Johnes, Edward Browne, Ryc. Andrewes, to playe and goe abrode, using themselves orderly, &c., in these words, &c. These are therefore to require all suche her highness offycers to whom these p'sents shall cm, quietly and frendly, within yor severall p'sincts and corporacons, to p'myt and suffer them to passe w'th your furtherance, vsinge and demeanynge yrselves honestly, and to give them (the rather for my sake) suche entertaynment as VOL. IV. L other noble men's players have. In wytnes, &c., Mr. Mayor, Mr. George Tatam, Mr. Newcom, Mr. Jno. Heyrycke, Mr. Morton, Mr. Noryce, Mr. Robt. Heyrycke, Mr. Ja. Clarke, Mr. Ellys. Md. that Mr. Mayor did geve the aforesaid players an angell towards there dynner, and wild them not to playe at this p'sent, beinge frydaye, the vj.th of marche, for that the tyme was not conveynyant. The forsaid playors mett Mr. Mayor in the strete, neer Mr. Newcomb's housse, after the angell was geven a bowte a ij. howres, who then craved lycence to playe ageyne at there Inn, and he told them they shold not; then they went away and sed they wold playe, wheyther he wold or not, and in dispyte of hym, with dyvers other evyll and contemptyous words: witnes hereof, Mr. Newcome, Mr. Wycam, and Willm. Dethicke. More, these men, cont'ye to Mr. Mayor's commandment, went with there drum and trumpytts thorowe the Towne, in contempt of Mr. Mayor; neyther wold com at his commandment by his offycers. Wm Paterson, my lord Harbard's man these ij. come. Thos. Powlton, my lord of Worcester's man they w'ch dyd so muche abuse Mr. Mayor in the aforeseyd words. Nota. These seyd playors have submytted themselves, and are sorye for there words past, and craved p'don, desyeringe his worshyp not to wryte to there Mr. agayne them: and so upon there submyssyon they are licensed to playe this night at there inn, and also they have p'mysed that vppon the stage in the begynnyng of there playe, to shoe unto the hearers that they are lycensed to playe by Mr. Mayor, and with his good will, and that they are sorye for the words past. ART. XVIII.-Dryden, Killigrew, and the first company which acted at Drury Lane Theatre. A friend of many years standing, who knows my propensity to collect and possess anything illustrative of our early stage and drama, has presented me with a document of much value and interest, although, it must be owned, it relates to a period of our theatrical history when, as was said, "on the revival of one of Shirley's productions, "Of our old plays, the humour, love, and passion, In fact, the document belongs to the middle of the reign of Charles II., but still it deserves to be made known and put in print; and, as instruments of a corresponding date have heretofore found their way into "The Shakespeare Society's Papers," I send a copy of it, in hopes that it may not be rejected by the Council. Surely it will find a passport to attention and respect, when I add that it relates to such poets as Dryden and Killigrew, and to such actors as Hart, Mohun, Lacy, Cartwright, and Kynaston, not to mention others of inferior note in the association of the King's Players. The theatre in Drury Lane, which had been opened in 1663, at a cost of £1500, was burnt down in January, 1672, and compelled Killigrew, Dryden, and their acting associates to occupy the theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields, which had been abandoned by the Duke of York's Company when they removed to Dorset Garden, in 1671. The new theatre in Drury Lane, having been constructed at an expense of £4000, (although stated by Dryden, in his Prologue on the occasion, to be "a plain-built house") was opened on 26 March, 1674, and the deed, a copy of which I am about to introduce, shows the mode of raising the money among the performers. Nicho las Burt, (or Burght, as his name is sometimes spelt) an actor of considerable celebrity among the King's Players, had advanced £160 for building what is called a scene-house, "for the making and providing of scenes, machines, cloaths, apparel," &c., and the indenture in my hands was entered into by his co-partners in the undertaking, for the purpose of securing his money to him, and for paying the debt off by degrees. We may presume, perhaps, that the other sharers (if such they were) had likewise made advances for this and other parts of the edifice; and most likely similar engagements were entered into as regards them, though no other documents of the same kind have come down to us. I was not aware of the existence of this, until it was put into my hands by the friend to whom I am indebted for it, and to whom I beg hereby to express my obligation. I need not enter into any farther explanation regarding it, because it speaks very clearly for itself, and shows that the site of Drury Lane Theatre in 1674 was precisely the same as that it now occupies, viz., "between Drury Lane and Bridges Street, in the parish of St. Martin in the Fields and St. Paul Covent Garden." It bears date only six days before the house was opened by the company; for the 20th March, 1673, was, at that period, the 20th March, 1674, and, as I have said, performances by the company commenced in it on 26th March, 1674. The document is as follows: THIS INDENTURE, made the twentieth day of March, in the six and twentieth yeare of the raigne of our Soveraigne Lord, Charles the Second, by the grace of God of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, King, defender of the faithAnnoque Dni 1673. Between Thomas Killigrew, Esq., and of the groomes of his Majesties bedchamber, Robert Lewright, Esq., John Dryden, Esq., Charles Hart, Michael Mohun, John Lacy, William Wintershall, William Cartwright, Robert Shatterall, |