I II I. 



300 



r u i: 



i ml theatres, all more or lest worthy of notice, havt 



icd within tin- present century. Imt arc omitted 



in the tahle, a-- we cannot specify the respective dinien- 



:. joined list of mem, with their nnhitects' 



name-*, may however be useful : 



lica. 



ara ; Ant. I'oschini. 



Florence, Teatro Goldoni ; Gins, del Hos-o. IS17. 

 Theatre after uitient plan ; Anton ' 



;ia: Canoniea. 

 Trento ; Ducati. IHiJ. 

 . n : \Veinl)reniier. 



Vans, opened November, lull. 

 .t : T.udw. Zanth. begun I 

 -ruhe : \Vcinbrcnncr. !>''. 

 Coblcntz: Von Kralie. 



istadt: Moller and Heir, r. 1-1K-19. 

 i; Semper. IR'17-!). Opened May, IfUO. 



if Tli. : TViicoyen. IK j I. 

 St. i 'rinsky Theatre ; Rossi. Opened 



Am 



THKATKK. Before the reign of Elizabeth theatrical 



- :ippcar to have been subject to no legal 



1 the liability of tin -e v. ho conducted them 



t" the \:<giant laws. Until the middle of tin 1 seventeenth 



always attached to the establishment 



either of the com) or of some \\ealthy subject, whose 

 I ad:.'. 1 and livery they wore, and whose superintendence 

 : -resumed to control any excesses which might be in- 

 jurious to the public : but when their seivices were not 

 required by those to whom they especially belonged, it was 

 n-ual for such j '.andcr about the country, exhi- 



biting their performances for train, and thus bee. 



ul even mendicants. In the reign of Henry VII. 



11:1 in~taiice i- recorded of n gratuity given by that king In 



1 by th" 1 way.' The chief n- 



- were liable previously to 



the statute nf Elizabeth in which they were cxp 

 mentioned, were 1 measures of police lor preventing tumults 

 :md breaclles of tin 'Mage ul 



numbers of people, at their representation*. Occasionally 

 however these popular exhibitions attracted the animad- 



i of the government by holding up mat! 



to public censure or ridicule. Thus in l.ViO. when the 



unpopular mac, M.-uy with Philip of Spain 



it excitement 1 1n diiLrhoul Ihe country, the 



council di.-ccl tin 1 attention of the lord president of the 



North to ' certain lev namiiur IhemseKcs to be 



ike. iind wearing bis livery or 



on theii u'orth 



and repre-eiilins: certain ]ila\s and interlud. 



fleeting on the (|ueen and her eon-oit and the foiinalilie- 



of 1h' Hiri'iilx, vol. iii.. 



Appendix, p. IH.'i. K\ci-.-es of a similar character, oc- 



currini: at the beirinnini; of Ihe I'ollowini; rciirn. and di- 



a^aiu--l I' -it religion, were checked by the 



tat. 1 KHz., c. 2, s. 0. which inflicted a penalty of I(HI 



marks upon ' persons who in plays or interludes declared 



or (poke anything in deic^atnm, depr.-nin^ or <lespisin^ r of 



Book Of CommOO 1'rayer.' 



ilthoutrh players, as such, were in those days 

 jcct to no general letral restiictiniis. it i~ probable ti 

 practice of granting licences from the crown to such pcr- 

 onprevni M - reign of Henry VIII. It ap- 



pear* to, from a curious paper published by Malonr. in 

 tu Hutoncal A : the English Stage,' thai in the 



reign of Elizabeth strolling players, though bcloniv 

 some great person, usually applied for a licence to the 

 local authorities of any town in which thc\ meant !. 

 form. 'When p'ayers of interlude- the city of 



filoucester.' >ay.- Ih'is document. the mannei is, as in uther 

 like corporations, that they tirst attend the mayor to inform 

 him what imbli -. anti. they aie. ami 



licence for their public playing.' 'I 



n the crown inr.v e\ta:it is that B 

 Queen Kli/.ahcih, in l.">74, to. lames liurbn^. 



, i:iut- to the ei which coii 



a proviso that the perform:! 



they are publicly represented, shall be seen and al 

 by the ijuceu's master of the ie\eU: a stipulatior. 

 to the licence of the lord chamberlain under tl.e 

 A<-t at t!:e present day. These licences fiom 

 were originally nothing uion 1 than authorities to itin 

 which exempt'ed strolling players from being molested by 

 proceedings taken under the laws or proclamatio 

 v agrants, and also supei-scded thi 11 om 



local magistrates. The' statute H;) I'.hx... c. 4, went a steji 

 farther, and by implication authorised noblemen to h 

 ]>layei-s. by enacting that 'all common players of interludes 

 wandering abroad, other than players of interludes be' 

 ing to any Laion of this icalni. or any other honoi; 



:iLTe' of greater degree, to be n;ithoii--ed to play 

 under the hand and ins of such baron or 



. should be adjudged rogues and vagabonds.' This 

 slalute has been frecjueiitly ii'.i-ieprc-eiited as denoiinciiig 

 all players as rogues and' vagabond- 



- '.- Howcll- I. iii.. p. 5()7;; wher. 



is obvious that the enactment applies oriy to 

 players. 



Although theatrical representations became much i 

 i in the reigns of .lames I. and Charles I., mi 

 \presslyeiiacled for their regulation, with the single 

 ion of the slat. ICar. 1.. c. I. which suppre-,cd the 

 performance of interludes and ce.mmou plays' upon the 

 l.oid'-. Day. An oixlinance of the Long Parliament, ID i 



.ccied to the suppression of all slage-jilays and in- 

 terludes, but thoiiiih occasionally enforced with much 

 rigour, it failed to abolish these entertainments. The slat. 

 !'_' Ann., slat, 'i c. it, in geneial terms, classed ])la\ i 

 interludes as rogues and \agaboiuls ; but the stat. 1(1 >' 

 II. .c. '_s. -. I. expounded the former statute by enacting 

 that ' every person, who should for hire, gain, or rev 

 .it, or perform any piny or other cnteitaini 

 )! Ihe stage, or any part therein, if he shall not ha\e any 



tlienient \\iien 1 Ihe offence should be connni: 

 without authority by patent from the King, or licence from 

 the Lord Chamberlain, should be deemed a rogue and 

 >ud within the stat. 1'J Ann." Hut this provision is 

 pealed by the stat. 5 Gep. IV., c. Ki. and ])laye 

 such, whether stationary or itinerant, are at the pi . 

 day not amenable to the law as rogues and vagabonds. 

 liythe 'Jnd section of the above statute. Id Geo. II.. < 

 which, with the exceptions just in, id in 



full operation, and forms the law of the metropoli- 

 tan theatres, it is eiia'-ted generally, thai ' e\ , 

 who shall, without a patent or licence, acl or perform any 

 Miinenl of the staL'e for hire. gain. -liafl 



forfeit the sum of 5(1'.' Hythe. arcd, 



that ' no person shall for lure. gain, or rewaid act. per- 

 form, or repiesent any new interlude, tragedy, comedy, 

 opera, play, farce, or other entertainment of the itagft, or 

 is therein; or any new act, scene, or other pail 



