The date is material, since it shows that Prince Henry's Players, acting at the Fortune Theatre, in Golding Lane, Cripplegate, were not authorized by Privy Seal until- 30th April, 1607, whereas the list supplied by Mr. Collier is applicable to the year 1603; and he informs us that Lord Nottingham's players "were taken into the service of Prince Henry immediately after his father came to the crown." Such is very likely to have been the fact; but they did not obtain a Privy Seal until four years afterwards. I now come to another document of precisely the same character, but of a little later date, containing the names of the members of a company, the existence of which was known, but the individual performers of which were not known. In vol. i., p. 349, Mr. Collier quotes the authority of Thomas Heywood, to show that he, as one of the players of the Earl of Worcester, was transferred to the service of Queen Anne, when James I. ascended the throne. I am able to supply the names of the whole of the association acting under the sanction of the name of the Queen, and they were these— Thomas Greene, the townsman of Shakespeare, and the very distinguished actor, being at the head of the list, as follows: Thomas Greene, Christopher Beeston, Richard Perkyns, Richard Pallant, Thomas Swinnerton, John Duke, Robert Lee, James Haulte, Robert Beeston. We are to presume that these were the sharers; and any "hired men" are not given in the document, which, like the former, is a Privy Seal granted by James I., not at the very commencement of his reign, as Mr. Collier supposes, but in 1609. This is material, even if we conclude, as the fact may undoubtedly be, that Thomas Greene and his associates had then been acting for five or six years as the Players of the Queen, although they had no public authority for so doing. Mr. Collier states that they "performed in the first instance at the Red Bull, in St. John Street;" and such was the case when the Privy Seal was issued, for it so states; but they were also in possession of the Curtain Theatre, in Shoreditch, as appears on the same unquestionable authority, which ought to have been pulled down in 1602, on the opening of the Fortune, but which continued in use at least twenty years afterwards. (Hist. E. D. P., iii., 272). With regard to the names of the Players contained in the Privy Seal, it is to be remarked that there is a mistake in calling Pallant by the Christian name of Richard, for by all other authorities it appears to have been Robert. The same clause is inserted at the end, reserving the rights of Tylney and Buck. PATENT FOR QUEEN ANNE'S PLAYERS, 7 JAC. I. "James, by the Grace of God, &c., To all justices, mayors, sheriffes, baylieffes, constables, headborrowes, and other our officers and lovinge subjects, greetinge. Knowe yee, that Wee, of our especiall grace, certayne knowledge, and meere motion, have lycenced and authorized, and by these presentes doe lycence and authorize, Thomas Greene, Christofer Beeston, Thomas Haywood, Richard Pirkyns, Richard Pallant, Thomas Swinnerton, John Duke, Robt Lee, James Haulte, and Robte Beeston, Servants to our most deerely beloved wiefe, Queene Anne, and the reste of theire associates, to use and exercise the arte and faculty of playinge comedies, tragedies, historyes, enterludes, moralles, pastoralles, stageplayes, and suche other like, as they have already studied, or heareafter shall use or studye, as well for the recreation of our lovinge subjectes, as for our solace and pleasure. And the saide comedies, tragedies, histories, enterludes, moralles, pastoralles, stageplayes, and such like, to shewe and exercise publiquely and openly to theire beste commoditye, as well within theire nowe usual houses called the Redd Bull, in Clarkenwell, and the Curtayne, in Hallowell, as alsoe within anye Towne Halles, Mouthalles, and other conveniente places within the libertye and freedome of any other citty, universitye, towne, or boroughe whatsoever, within our realmes and domynions. Willinge and commaundinge you and every of you, as you tender our pleasure, not only to permitt and suffer them herein, without anye your lett, hinderance, or molestations, duringe our said pleasure, but also to be aydinge [and] assistinge unto them, yf anye wronge be to them offered, and to allowe them suche former curtesies as hath byn given to men of theire place and qualitye: and alsoe what favoure you shall shewe to them for our sake, Wee shall take kyndly at your handes. Provided alwaies, and our will and pleasure is, that all aucthoritye, power, priveledge, and profitt whatsoever belonginge and properly apertayninge to [our] Master of Revelles, in respecte of his office, and everye cause, article, or graunte contayned within the Letters Patent or Commission which have byn heretofore graunted or directed by the late Queene Elizabeth, our deere sister, or by our selves to our welbeloved servant, Edmond Tylney, Master of the Office of our said Revelles, or to Sir George Bucke, Knighte, or to eyther of them, in possession or reversion, shal be, remayne, and abyde entyer and full in effecte, force, estate, and vertue, [in] as ample sorte as if this our commission had never byn made. In Witnes whereof, &c., Witnes our selfe at Westm, the fifteenth daye of Aprill. "Per breve de Privato Sigillo," &c. Thus we see that Mr. Collier was probably misinformed when he said (i., 350) that the Players of Prince Henry occupied the Curtain Theatre, in the opening of the reign of James I. If they did then occupy it, it is very clear that they had ceased to do so in 1609, when the Privy Seal was granted to Greene and his associates, enabling them, as "Queen Anne's Players," to perform there and at the Red Bull, in Clerkenwell, i.e., at the upper end of St. John Street. I have now a third, and a hitherto unseen document, to bring forward, in the shape of a similar grant to a company calling itself "servants to the Duke of York and Rothsay," afterwards Prince of Wales and Charles I. No notice is taken of this association, which consisted of the following performers: John Garland, Robert Dawes, Joseph Taylor, John Newton, Gilbert Reason. The number is unusually small, and of Gilbert Reason we hear no where else. If the above were all the sharers, they must have been aided by an unusual number of hired men, whose emoluments did not depend upon the uncertain sum taken at the doors. The general terms of this Privy Seal are very much the same as others with the same object, and it is entitled, De Licencia agendi Tragedias, &c., pro Johanne Garland et aliis. PATENT FOR THE DUKE OF YORK'S PLAYERS, 8 JAC. I. 66 James, by the Grace of God, &c., To all justices, mayors, sheriffes, baylies, constables, hedboroughes, and other our lovinge subjectes and officers greetinge. Know ye, that Wee, of our especyall grace certen knowledge and meere motion, have lycensed and aucthorized, and by theis presentes doe lycense and authorize, John Garland, Willyam Rowley, Thomas Hobbes, Robert Dawes, Joseph Taylor, John New ton, and Gilbert Reason, alreadye sworne servantes to our deere sonne, the Duke of York and Rothesay, with the rest of their company, to use and exercise the arte and quality of playing comedies, tragedies, histories, enterludes, moralles, pastoralles, stageplayes, and such other like, as they have alreadye studdied or hereafter shall study or use, as well for the recreacion of our lovinge subjectes, as for our solace and pleasure, when wee shall thincke good to see them. And the said enterludes or other to shewe and exercise publiquely, to their best advantage and comoditie, as well in and about our Cittye of London, in such usual houses as themselves shall provide, as also within any Towne Halles, Moutehalles, Guildhalles Schoole houses, or other convenient places, within the lybertye and freedome of any other cittye, university, towne, or boroughe whatsoever, within our realmes and domynions. Proviso in favor of Edmond Tillney, or Sir Geo. Bucke, Knt, or to either of them, in possession or reversion. Witnes oureselfe at Westm, the thirtieth daye of March. "Per breve de Pricato Sigillo." Tylney died in October, 1610, about seven months after the date of the preceding Privy Seal, and he was succeeded by Sir George Buck, who had previously only held the office of Master of the Revels in reversion (Collier, i., 374). Perhaps the most remarkable circumstance about the preceding document is the appearance of the name of Joseph Taylor in it. In his "Memoirs of the Principal Actors," in Shakespeare's plays, as those actors are enumerated in the folio of 1623, Mr. Collier has shown that Taylor was of an unsettled turn of mind, and that though he was the owner of a share and a half in the receipts of the Blackfriars Theatre in 1608, he was one of the Players of Prince Henry in 1611, and had then probably disposed of his interest in the proceeds of one of the playhouses in the occupation of the King's company. From the Privy Seal to the servants of the Duke |