The First London Theatre 19 
“Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,” 
but he said things that meant as much and swore as Alleyn under- 
stood, by “God’s blood,” and other great oaths, “that he cared 
not for any Contempt, & yf there were xx contemptes & as many 
Iniunccions he wold w'{tand & breake them all before he wold 
lofe his poffeffion.” 
Other disturbances were caused by Miles and Margaret Brayne 
at the Theatre or at the home of the Burbages. James Burbage’s 
own account of this one differs materially from the accounts by 
his opponents, and lacks the picturesqueness and piquancy they 
give it. 
The above quarrel and John Alleyn’s interference in it led to 
the withdrawal of the Admiral’s company from the Theatre, of 
which John and Edward Alleyn were principal members. Eight 
days after the trouble, namely, on November 24, 1590, John 
Alleyn went to the Theatre to have a settlement with Burbage 
for money due to him and his fellows. . His testimony furnishes 
us the first known evidence that the Admiral’s men acted at the 
Theatre. Burbage refused to pay the amount claimed, and John 
then “told him that belike he ment to deale wt them, as he did 
w' the po’ wydowe,” and threatened that “yf he did, they wold 
compleyne to ther lorde & M* the lord Admyrall and then,” 
Alleyn continues, “he in a Rage litle Reverencing his hono™ & 
eftate, fayd, by a great othe, that he cared not for iij of the beft 
lordes of them all.” This talk, says Alleyn at the close of his 
second deposition, was in the tiring room of the Theatre, in the 
presence of James Tunstall and others of the Admiral’s men,— 
who then or soon after quitted the Theatre and went across the 
Thames to Henslowe’s theatres under the management of John 
and Edward Alleyn. 
Within a fortnight after the mélée at the playhouse door, and 
four days after the tiring-house quarrel with John Alleyn, namely, 
on November 28, the widow Brayne, backed by Miles, had James 
Burbage and his sons Cuthbert and Richard arrested for contempt 
of the Court of Chancery’s order, and on January 30 Cuthbert 
appeared in court to save his bond given thereon to the sheriff of 
19 
