16 Charles William Wallace 
Lord High Treasurer of England, and in that important post had 
great influence. He was intimate with every high official of the 
realm, and later himself became one of the powerful men of Eng- 
land under James I. Cuthbert Burbage, a young man of only 
twenty-two years, according to his own deposition, was then and 
for some years later employed by Cope as his “servant,” prob- 
ably as clerk in some department of the Treasury. Upon the 
request of Cuthbert and his father, Walter Cope wrote.a letter to 
John Hyde suggesting that Cope might be of service to Hyde 
with the Lord Treasurer sometime, if he would be so good as to 
convey to Cuthbert Burbage the lease of the Theatre. So Hyde 
did it. He said afterwards, as Bett testified, that if it had not 
been for Cope’s letter he would not have sold to Cuthbert, but 
to Clough and Middlemore, who very much wanted it. It was a 
close shave for the Burbages—and possibly for the future drama. 
Cuthbert Burbage entered into this arrangement to save his 
father from the ruin of debts incurred by him and Brayne. He 
was sorry afterwards that he did it, for otherwise, he said, he 
might have used his suit to better purpose for his advancement 
by Cope, as was done by some of his fellows who had not been 
in service with Cope so long as he had been. 
Hyde had owned the lease absolutely, by virtue of the forfeited — 
mortgage, and held it as his, he declares, during the years after 
the forfeiture. He had a right therefore, later disputed unsuc- 
‘cessfully in the courts, to sell it or otherwise dispose of it at his 
own pleasure. It was necessary for Cuthbert to borrow most of 
the money to shoulder the burden. It was proved that the money 
was either his own or was borrowed by him. How much he paid 
is not sure. His opposing litigants in 1591-92 claimed it was but 
30/., but Hyde himself indicates that it was practically the whole 
of the 125/., with interest. The lease was accordingly assigned 
to Cuthbert Burbage and the purchase completed in his name on 
June 7, 1580, in the presence of Henry Bett, attorney, and others. 
Still his father continued to manage the Theatre, and the business 
went on pretty much as before. But the Theatre itself was Cuth- 
bert’s. And just here, with this infusion of blood, begins the 
history that brought about the Globe, of which Cuthbert Burbage 
16 
