WIOMORB CASTLE^ HEREFORDSHIRE S^ 



Thomas Lee was at the playe, and came in sumwhat after it was 

 begun ; and the playe was of Kyng Harry IV. and of the kyllyng 

 of Kyng Richard II., played by the Lord Chamberlayne's players. 

 Ex. p. Gelly Meyrick. 



Jo. Popham* 



Edmd. Fenner.t 

 At his trial, the attorney-general thus exaggerated the charge 

 against him: he urged, first, " that he was the man w^ho fortified 

 Essex House against the queen's forces ; and if God had not other- 

 wise guided it, that day he had been the death of a noble person, 

 the Lord Burleigh — for he set one with a musket shot to shoot at 

 him, but missing the Lord JBurleigh, Captain Lovel's horse was kill- 

 ed under him, at Essex gate, with that shot. And the same day 

 that the Earl of Essex went, Sir Gelly Meyrick comes to Mr. 

 Brown's house, being adjoining to the Tennis court, and shuts all 

 his servants out of his house, and all that Sunday walked up and 

 down the house with musketeers following him. And the story of 

 Henry IV., being set forth in a play, and in that play there being 

 set forth the killing of the king upon a stage, the Friday before. Sir 

 Gelly and some others of the earl's train having an humour to see a 

 play, they must needs have the play of Henry IV. The players 

 told them that was stale, they should get nothing by playing of 

 that ; but no play else would serve, and Sir Gelly gives forty shill- 

 ings to Phiiipps, the player, to play this, besides whatsoever he could 

 get.J It was urged, also, that the earl's purpose was to have 

 against this time men of his faction placed in all the houses near 

 about him, to which end the confession of Arthur Smith, dwelling 

 hard by the Tennis-court, was read, who said that, the week before,, 

 Sir Gelly Meyrick came to his house, and enquired who lay there ? 

 It was told him of a lodging there that was kept for Sir Walter 

 Harcourt, which deing denied unto Sir Gelly, he railed and reviled 

 the good man of the house with foul words, and willed him to dis- 

 charge Sir Walter Harcourt of that lodging, for my lord would 

 have his friends to lie about him. Now the men that Sir Gelly 

 would have lodged in that house, were Owen Salusbury, Captain 

 Gwynne, and John Salusbury.'' 



Then was read a letter from Sir Gelly Meyrick, writ to his bro- 



• Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas. 

 f Puisne Judge of the Court of Queen's Bench. 



X This circumstance has been very serviceable to the commentators on 

 Shakspeare. 



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