1890.] on the London Stage in Elizabeths Beign. 29 



their being in readiness with convenient matters for Her Highness's 

 solace this next Christmas." 



The Middlesex Justices were often troubled with complaints of 

 disturbances at theatres, and the valuable volumes edited by Mr. 

 Cordy Jeaffreson and published by the Middlesex County Kecord 

 Society, contain some important notices of the early stage, more 

 particularly a remarkable document respecting the Theatre. 



We have representations of the outsides of several of the early 

 theatres, and the reason why we have these is because they formed 

 picturesque objects on the banks of the river, and it suited the artists 

 who took views of London from the most attractive point, viz. the 

 south side of the river, to show them in their positions. The 

 Theatre and the Curtain, the Fortune and the Red Bull, the Blackfriars 

 and the Newington theatres were not such prominent objects, and were 

 not represented. None of the theatres were thought to be worthy of 

 being drawn for their own particular interest. 



Until 1888 we had no representation of a Shakespearian play- 

 house, but in that year the world was enriched by the publication of 

 a contemporary view of the inside of the Swan theatre, which had 

 been found in a MS. at Utrecht. The late Dr. P. A. Tiele, University 

 Librarian at Utrecht, found this curious drawing in liis Library, with 

 a short description in the hand-writing of Arend van Buchell, and 

 purporting to be taken down or copied from the observations of John 

 De Witt. This was published to the world in 1888, by Dr. Gaedertz, 

 who added a careful commentary in which he showed that De Witt 

 must have been in England in the year 1596, when the Swan was a 

 new building.* In this same year, 1888, 1 had the honour of reading 

 a paper on the subject before the New Shakspere Society, and certain 

 difficulties which arose were found to be insoluble without esort to 

 the MS. Dr. Furnivall, therefore, appealed for the loan of this, and 

 in due course it was deposited for a time at the British Museum under 

 the care of Dr. Garnett. The difficulties were then solved, and we 

 are all greatly indebted to the authorities for this liberal instance of 

 international courtesy .f 



This drawing of the interior of the Swan theatre shows about a 

 third of the round of the entire amphitheatre, and the movable stage 

 which was used for the acting of plays and cleared away when the 

 centre .was required for bull-baiting, bear-baiting, and other sports. 

 This stage stands upon legs and does not appear to be raised many 

 feet above the" arena. At the back is an erection with doors from 

 which issued the actors, and above are the private boxes. This 

 erection is inscribed " Mimorum ^des." Over the uppermost gallery 

 is a roof inscribed " Tectum." The stage and the arena are open to 



* 'Zur Kenntais der altenglischen Buhne, nebst andern Beitragen zur 

 Shakespeare-Literatur, von Karl Theodor Gaedertz,' Bremen, 1888. 



t A reproduction of the original drawing will accompany the paper in the 

 next part of the New Shakspere Society's Transactions. 



