6 Charles William Wallace 
his wife worked as laborers in finishing the building to save the 
hire of two workmen, while Burbage, if he worked at all, was 
paid laborer’s wages. 
On the other hand, Henry Beth, a lawyer of Lincoln’s Inn, who 
had drawn many papers for both Brayne and Burbage, who was 
familiar with their business, and who had at various times exam- 
ined their account-books and taken notes from them, deposed at 
the same time that Brayne’s share in the first cost of the Theatre, 
as he himself had confessed in 1582, was 239/. 6s. 6d. That 
would make the total first cost to both parties about 480/. Unable 
to raise sufficient money otherwise, they began acting plays in 
the building before it was finished, and used the proceeds to com- 
plete it. Later they spent more money on it, enough to make a 
total of approximately 7oo0/. It was the common impression 
among their friends and neighbors that the Theatre cost about 
1000 marks (666/.), and that Brayne paid the most of it. And 
even Henry Lamman, whose own evidence as well as that of 
John Allen reveals him'as proprietor of the Curtain theatre, after 
some years of intimate business relations with Burbage and 
Brayne in managing both the Theatre and the Curtain, gives this 
as his understanding of the facts. Whoever may have been 
responsible for raising the funds, it turns out at any rate that 
each bore the burden equally. That they shared profits equally 
is also testified by many persons, among the number being Henry 
Johnson, “ gatherer”’ at the Theatre, who handled all the money, 
and John Alleyn, one of the actors, an elder brother of Edward 
Alleyn. 
No written agreement appears to have existed between Bur- 
bage and Brayne at first. Burbage owned the lease, and Brayne 
had spent much money on the property. In accordance with 
their general understanding, Burbage was willing to assign one 
half of the lease to Brayne. Accordingly, on August 9, 1577, an 
assignment was drawn up by William Nicoll, the scrivener, whose 
evidence we have on it. But Burbage did not seal and complete 
it, because the original lease was still in pawn for a loan to build 
the theatre. Therefore, on May 22, 1578, Nicoll drew up a bond 
between them, binding Burbage in 400/. to make over one half 
6 
