Where the Red Lion staring o'er the way, That dimly shewed the state in which he lay, &c. - In Wych Street, corrupted from Witch Street,* - a continuation of Drury Lane, running into the Strand, is NEW INN, an inn of Chancery, under the government of the Middle Temple. It was anciently a common inn or hostelry, known by the sign of the "Blessed Virgin," and, in the reign of Richard the Third, was obtained from Sir John Fineux, Lord Chief Justice of England, for the rent of six pounds a year. It is principally interesting from Sir Thomas More having studied here before he became a member of Lincoln's Inn. On the south side of Wych Street is LYON'S INN, which dates as far back as the reign of Henry the Fifth, and which is said to have been also anciently a common inn for travellers, with the sign of the Lion. Drury Lane Theatre,-from its numerous classical associations, from its antiquity as a place of public amusement, from the memory of the eminent actors and actresses who have "fretted their hour" upon its stage, and from its scenic representations having excited, for more than two centuries, the tears or the laughter of the gay, the gallant, the beautiful, and the learned,-will always be regarded as a most * "New View of London," 1708. interesting spot. site of a playhouse, which appears to have been erected here in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, under the name of the Phoenix, and which was destroyed by the mob in 1617, and the stage-property torn to pieces. It had originally been a cock-pit, and from these names Phoenix Alley, on the southeast side of Long Acre, and Cock-pit Alley, in Great Wyld Street, apparently derive their designations. In the reign of James the First, the actors at the Phoenix were called the Queen's servants, till the death of Anne of Denmark, when they were called the Lady Elizabeth's servants, from the Princess Elizabeth, afterwards Queen of Bohemia. On the marriage of Charles the First with Henrietta Maria, in 1625, they resumed their old name of the Queen's servants. The present theatre stands on the Of the character of the performances, and the names of the plays which were acted on the boards of the Phoenix, we have no record till 1629, when Shirley's comedy of the " Wedding," a play of considerable merit, and which has since twice been revived, is recorded to have been represented there. This was followed, in 1633, by Massinger's admirable play, the "New Way to Pay Old Debts." The fashionable fanaticism, which prevailed during * Kennet's "Complete History." + Such is the fact usually stated in the accounts of Drury Lane Theatre, but I find Webster's tragedy of the "White Devil," acted by the "Queen's servants" at the Phoenix, as early as 1612. The curious in such matters would probably, on investigation, discover many other plays, of merit and celebrity, acted here at this early period. the Commonwealth, closed the doors of the Phoenix, and it was not till 1658 that it was reopened by Sir William Davenant, with such pieces, chiefly consisting of declamation and music, as were calculated to suit the yielding, but still fastidious prudery of the age. At the restoration of Charles the Second, the revolution which took place in manners was scarcely less remarkable than that which had been effected in politics, and the Phoenix, or, as it was still indifferently styled, the Cock-pit, was taken possession of by a meritorious bookseller, of the name of Rhodes, who acted there with two of his apprentices, afterwards the celebrated Betterton and Kynaston. Not long afterwards, the well-known Thomas Killegrew had influence enough with his easy sovereign to obtain a patent for opening a royal theatre, the actors at which,—and the name is still familiar to us on the playbills of the present day, were designated "His Majesty's servants." At the same time, Sir William Davenant obtained a patent to open another theatre, under the name of the "Duke of York's Company," while that of Killegrew was distinguished as the "King's." The two rival companies being thus formed, Davenant, with Rhodes, Betterton, and Kynaston, established himself, in the first instance, at the Phoenix, from whence he removed, in 1662, to the new-built theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields, and subsequently, in 1671, to a far more magnificent one in Dorset Garden, probably where the old playhouse NELL GWYNNE AND CHARLES THE SECOND. 75 in Salisbury Court had formerly stood. In the meantime, Killegrew, with the King's company, had established himself at the Red Bull, in St. John's Street, where he continued but a short time, when he removed to Gibbon's Tennis Court, near Clare Market. This theatre, however, being but ill adapted to theatrical representations, he erected a more convenient one on the site of the old Phoenix, which was opened on the 8th of April, 1663, with Beaumont and Fletcher's comedy of the "Humourous Lieutenant." From this period, the Phoenix,— with continued success, though with diminished talent, has continued to be familiarly known as Drury Lane Theatre to the present time. "About ten of the King's company," says Colley Cibber, "were on the royal household establishment, having each ten yards of scarlet cloth, with a proper quantity of lace, allowed them for liveries; and in their warrants from the Lord Chamberlain were styled Gentlemen of the Great Chamber. Whether the like appointments were extended to the Duke's company, I am not certain." We must not omit to mention, that it was at the theatre in Drury Lane that Charles the Second first became enamoured of Nell Gwynne, when she appeared in the character of Valeria, in Dryden's tragedy of "Tyrannic Love." Dryden, it is said, selected her for this character, from the circumstance of its being necessary that she should die on the stage, in order to admit of her speaking his lively epilogue :— O, poet, damned dull poet! who could prove Nay, what's yet worse, to kill me in the prime The great poet had been partial to the beautiful actress from the commencement of her career, and is said to have composed this particular epilogue,— and, indeed, at other times, to have selected her for particularly striking parts,-in order that she might attract the notice of Charles. Pepys, although a married man, had no objection to being admitted into the dressing-rooms of the actresses, at the " King's House" in Drury Lane. 66 Here it was that he was first introduced to Nell Gwynne behind the scenes, after she had been acting Cælia, in Beaumont and Fletcher's play of the Humourous Lieutenant." Speaking of another actress of some celebrity, he says, "Knipp took us all in, and introduced us to Nelly, a most pretty woman, who acted the great part of Cælia to-day, very fine, and did it very well: I kissed her, and so did my wife, and a mighty pretty soul she is." On a subsequent occasion Pepys writes, "After dinner, with my wife, to the King's house, to see the "Maiden Queen," a new play of Dryden's, mightily commended for the regularity of it, and the strain and wit, and the truth; for there is a comical part done by Nell, which is Florimel, that I never can hope ever to see the like done again by man or woman. The King and Duke of York were at the play. So great performance of a comical part was never, I believe, in the world before as Nell do |