the country. Queen Henrietta Maria, however, went sometimes to the publick theatre at Black "Whereas William Pen, Thomas Hobbes, William Trigg, William Patrick, Richard Baxter, Alexander Gough, William Hart, and Richard Hawley, together with ten more or thereabouts of their fellows, his majesties comedians, and of the regular company of players in the Blackfryers, London, are commaunded to attend his majestie, and be nigh about the court this summer progress, in readiness, when they shall be called upon to act before his majestie: for the better enabling and encouraging them whereunto, his majesty is graciously pleased that they shall, as well before his majesties setting forth on his maine progresse, as in all that time, and after, till they shall have occasion to returne homewards, have all freedome and liberty to repayre unto all towns corporate, mercate townes, and other, where they shall thinke fitt, and there in their common halls, mootehalls, schoolhouses, or other convenient roomes, act playes, comedyes, and interludes, without any lett, hinderance, or molestation whatsoever, (behaving themselves civilly). And herein it is his majes ties pleasure, and he does expect, that in all places where they come, they be treated and entertayned with such due respect and courtesie as may become his majesties loyal and loving subjects towards his servants. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seale at arms. Dated at Whitehall, the 17th of May, 1636. To all Mayors, &c. P. and M." MS. in the Lord Chamberlain's Office. This is entitled in the margin-A Player's Pass. William Hart, whose name occurs in the foregoing list, and who undoubtedly was the eldest son of Joan Hart, our poet's sister, is mentioned in another warrant, with ten others, as a dependant on the players,-" employed by his Majesties servants of the Blackfryers, and of special use unto them, both on the stage and otherwise." This paper having escaped my memory, when a former part of this work was printing, I suggested that Michael Hart, our poet's youngest nephew, was probably the father of Charles Hart, the celebrated tragedian; but without doubt his father was William, (the elder brother of Michael,) who, we find, settled in London, and was an actor. It is highly probable that he left Stratford before his uncle Shakspeare's death, at which See Vol. I. P. I. p. 162, n. 8; and p. 179, n. 1, of Mr. Malone's edition. N friars. I find from the Council-books that in the time of Elizabeth ten pounds was the payment for a play performed before her; that is, twenty nobles, or six pounds, thirteen shillings, and four-pence, as the regular and stated fee; and three pounds, six shillings, and eight-pence, by way of bounty or reward. The same sum, as I learn from the manuscript notes of Lord Stanhope, Treasurer of the Chamber to King James the First, continued to be paid during his reign: and this was the stated payment during the reign of his successor also. Plays at court were usually performed at night, by which means they did not interfere with the regular exhibition at the publick theatres, which was early in the afternoon; and thus the royal bounty was for so much a clear profit to the company: but when a play was commanded to be performed at any of the royal palaces in the neighbourhood of London, by which the actors were prevented from deriving any profit from a publick exhibition on the same time he was sixteen years old; and in consequence of that connection found an easy introduction to the stage. He probably married in the year 1625, and his son Charles was, I suppose, born in 1626. Before the accession of Charles the First, the christian name of Charles was so uncommon, that it scarcely ever occurs in our early parish-registers. Charles Hart was a Lieutenant under Sir Thomas Dallison in Prince Rupert's regiment, and fought at the battle of Edgehill, at which time, according to my supposition, he was but seventeen years old; but such early exertions were not at that time uncommon. William Hart, who has given occasion to the present note, died in 1639, and was buried at his native town of Stratford on the 28th of March in that year. "The 13 May, 1634, the Queene was at Blackfryers, to see Messengers playe."-The playe which her majesty honoured with her presence was The Tragedy of Cleander, which had been produced on the 7th of the same month, and is now lost, with many other pieces of the same writer. day, the fee, as appears from a manuscript in the Lord Chamberlain's office, was, in the year 1630, and probably in Shakspeare's time also, twenty pounds; and this circumstance I formerly stated, as strongly indicating that the sum last mentioned was a very considerable produce on any one representation at the Blackfriars or Globe playhouse. The office-book which I have so often quoted, has fully confirmed my conjecture. The custom of passing a final censure on plays at their first exhibition," is as ancient as the time of "Whereas by virtue of his majesties letters patent, bearing date the 16th of June, 1625, made and graunted in confirmation of diverse warrants and privy seales unto you formerly directed in the time of our late soveraigne King James, you are authorized (amongst other things) to make payment for playes acted before his majesty and the queene. Theis are to pray and require you, out of his majesties treasure in your charge, to pay or cause to be payed unto John Lowing, in the behalfe of himselfe and the rest of the company his majesties players, the sum of two hundred and sixty pounds; that is to say, twenty pounds apiece for four playes acted at Hampton Court, in respect and consideration of the travaile and expence of the whole company in dyet and lodging during the time of their attendance there; and the like somme of twenty pounds for one other play which was acted in the day-time at Whitehall, by meanes whereof the players lost the benefit of their house for that day; and ten pounds apiece for sixteen other playes acted before his majestie and the queene at severall times, between the 30th of Sept. and 21st of Feb. last past. As it may appeare by the annexed schedule. “And theis, &c. March 17, 1630-1.” MS. in the Lord Chamberlain's Office The custom of expressing disapprobation of a play, and interrupting the drama, by the noise of catcals, or at least by imitating the tones of a cat, is probably as ancient as Shakspeare's time; for Decker in his Gul's Hornebook, counsels the gallant, if he wishes to disgrace the poet, "to whew at the children's action, to whistle at the songs, and mew at the passionate speeches." See also the Induction to The Isle of Gulls, a comedy, 1606: "Either see it all or none; for 'tis grown into a our author; for no less than three plays 1 of his rival, Ben Jonson, appear to have been deservedly 'damned;2 and Fletcher's Faithful Shepherdess,3 and The Knight of the burning Pestle, written by him and Beaumont, underwent the same fate." It is not easy to ascertain what were the emolu custom at plays, if any one rise, (especially of any fashionable sort,) about what serious business soever, the rest, thinking it in dislike of the play, (though he never thinks it,) cry—' mew,— by Jesus, vile, and leave the poor heartless children to speak their epilogue to the empty seats." 1 Sejanus, Catiline, and The New Inn. Of the two former, Jonson's Ghost is thus made to speak in an epilogue to Every Man in his Humour, written by Lord Buckhurst, about the middle of the last century: "Hold, and give way, for I myself will speak: "Against the mighty powers of art and wit, "When they condemn'd those noble works of mine, Sejanus, and my best-lov'd Catiline?" The title-page of The New Inn, is a sufficient proof of its condemnation. Another piece of this writer does not seem to have met with a very favourable reception; for Mr. Drummond of Hawthornden (Jonson's friend) informs us, that "when the play of The Silent Woman was first acted, there were found verses, after, on the stage, against him, [the author,] concluding, that that play was well named The Silent Woman, because there was never one man to say plaudite to it." Drummond's Works, fol. p. 226. * The term, as well as the practice, is ancient. See the epilogue to The Unfortunate Lovers, by Sir W. D'Avenant, 1643: - our poet will never wish to see us thrive, 'If by an humble epilogue we strive "To court from you that privilege to-day, "Which you so long have had, to damn a play." See in p. 122, (n. 8,) Verses addressed to Fletcher on his Faithful Shepherdess. * See the epistle prefixed to the first edition of The Knight of the Burning Pestle, in 1613. ments of a successful actor in the time of Shakspeare. They had not then annual benefits, as at present. The clear emoluments of the theatre, after deducting the nightly expences for lights, men occasionally hired for the evening, &c. which in Shakspeare's house was but forty-five shillings, were divided into shares, of which part belonged to the proprietors, who were called housekeepers, and the remainder was divided among the actors, according to their rank and merit. I suspect that the whole clear receipt was divided into forty shares, of which perhaps the housekeepers or proprietors had fifteen, the actors twenty-two, and three were devoted to the purchase of new plays, dresses, &c. From Ben Jonson's Poetaster, it should seem that one of the performers had seven shares and a half; but Cibber says in his Apology, p. 96: " Mrs. Barry was the first person whose merit was distinguished by the indulgence of having an annual benefit-play, which was granted to her alone, if I mistake not, first in King James's time; and which became not common to others, till the division of this company, after the death of King William's Queen Mary." But in this as in many other facts he is inaccurate; for it appears from an agreement entered into by Dr. D'Avenant, Charles Hart, Thomas Betterton, and others, dated October 14, 1681, that the actors had then benefits. By this agreement, five shillings, apiece, were to be paid to Hart and Kynaston the players, "for every day there shall be any tragedies or comedies or other representations acted at the Duke's theatre in Salisbury-court, or wherever the company shall act, during the respective lives of the said Charles Hart and Edward Kynaston, excepting the days the young men or young women play for their own profit only." Gildon's Life of Betterton, p. 8. "Tucca. Fare thee well, my honest penny-biter: commend me to seven shares and a half, and remember to-morrow. If you lack a service, you shall play in my name, rascals; [alluding to the custom of actors calling themselves the servants of certain noblemen,] but you shall buy your own cloth, and I'll have two shares for my countenance." Poetaster, 1602. |