30 Mr. Henry B. Wheatley [Feb. 7, 



the sky. At the top of the building is the little turret which is shown 

 in the exterior of most of the Bankside theatres, and from it flies the 

 flag with the sign of the house — the " Swan." The trumpeter who 

 announced to the outside world that the performance was about to 

 commence is shown on a slight platform. Round the building are 

 the galleries alternately, three with seats and two for standing room, 

 styled respectively " sedilia " and " portions," the latter are repre- 

 sented as a species of colonnade, and probably access to the " sedilia " 

 was obtained from the " portions." The standing room in front of the 

 stage is inscribed " arena," and to the left is a portion of space inscribed 

 " orchestra " ; near by are a few steps marked " ingressus," which gave 

 access to the first tier of" sedilia." No other stairs are shown, but we 

 obtain some insight into the mode of entering the galleries from a paper 

 of agreement for the new building of the Bear G-arden in 1613, which 

 is printed in the third volume of the Variorum edition of Shakespeare 

 (1821). From this it appears that the Swan was taken as a model 

 for the new theatre, and from the agreement we learn that there were 

 two staircases to lead to the galleries. 



Gilbert Katherens, described as a carpenter, was to build the Bear 

 Garden, " of suche large compasse, forme, wideness and height, as the 

 plaie house called the Swan in the libertie of Paris Garden, in the 

 saide parishe of St. Saviour's now is. And shall also builde two 

 steare cases without and adjoining to the saide playe house, in suche 

 convenient places as shal be most fitt and convenient for them to 

 stande uppon, and of suche largnes and height as the steare cases of 

 the saide playe house called the Swan now are or be." 



It will be seen that this view throws great light upon the evolu- 

 tion of the English stage. We know that the form of the Bankside 

 theatres was circular, but we do not know for certain whether the 

 theatres on the north side of the river were also round. The words 

 of De Witt which accompany the sketch would imply that they were 

 alike, for he writes (in Latin) : — 



" There are in London four amphitheatres of beauty worth seeing. 

 ... Of these the two most excellent are those on the other side of 

 the Thames towards the south, named after the signs that hang out, 

 the Rose and the Swan. The two others are outside the town towards 

 the north." 



We are here in a realm of conjecture ; but we have some few 

 lines of guidance. Was the word theatre used in its strictly classical 

 sense, as Milton writes (' Samson Agonistes ') — 



" The building was a spacious theatre, 

 Half round, on two main pillars vaulted high." 



or was the building really an amphitheatre ? * 



* Hentzner, in the account of his visit to this country in 1598, describes the 

 amphitheatre on the Bantside, used exclusively for the baiting of bulls and 

 bears, as a Theatre. (^Itinerarium, 1629, p. 196.) 



