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severely against the success of aplay. Shakespere, in his comedy. 
of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” explains the scanty shifts the 
performers had to make in those days—by the peculiar devices of 
Bottom the Weaver and his Athenian associates in their perform- 
ance before Duke Theseus at Athens. The sum paid for a play 
at this time was from 410 to £20—a slight difference from the 
present time, when Bouccicault, for a cleverly constructed Irish 
drama, devoid of all literary merit, makes his thousands of pounds ! 
and Byron, the author of “ Our Boys,” will not, it is asserted, put 
pen to paper for a new comedy under 4 300, which must be paid 
for whether bad or good, successful or otherwise. 
The courts of James I. and Charles I. were enlivened by a 
peculiar theatrical entertainment, called a Masque, which has 
derived particular interest from the genius of Ben Jonson and John 
Milton. The origin of the Masque is looked for in the revels and 
shows which, during the 14th and 15th centuries, were presented 
at court and at the Universities. Masques were generally prepared 
for some remarkable event, such as a coronation or a marriage, and 
frequently acted by the highest nobles in the land. After the 
death of James I., the Civil War between Charles and his Parlia- 
ment broke up the theatres, so that the pen of the dramatist lay 
idle. It was but natural to suppose that the actors, who were 
sunned by the bounty and graced by the smiles of royalty, should 
lean to the side of the Cavaliers. They mostly became Royalist 
soldiers, and played out their parts upon the battle fields of 
England. During the Commonwealth, all theatres were closed ; 
the grim and sober Puritan erring as much on the one side as the 
gay and spendthrift Cavaliers upon the other. That the drama 
should be an eyesore to the Puritans was a matter of course, as it 
was then reflecting back the vices of the Court. But with the 
rejection of the drama, in the mind of the Puritan every simple 
game, sport, or pastime was a sin, even to the bringing in of a 
