38 CHILDREN OF THE CHAPEL AT BLACKFRIARS 
immediately under the “‘seaven greate upper romes,” was divided 
into lodgings and apartments. The rooms occupied by Thomas 
Bruskett, called ‘‘Midle Romes or Midle Stories,’? comprised an 
area 52 feet by 37 feet and extended southward to the mansion of 
Sir George Carey.* Two other rooms in the north end of this sec- 
tion were occupied by Peter Johnson, and were connected with 
the two rooms he had on the same floor in the north section.* 
The Deed to Burbage locates Bruskett’s apartments as being 
under the west part of the ‘“‘seaven greate upper romes,”°® but 
omits to mention what was under the east part. But from the size 
of the auditorium made by Burbage,’ it is likely there was at date 
of purchase a passageway 9 feet wide in the undescribed location. 
The entrance to the lower floor of this section was on the south 
and adjoined the gate to Sir George Carey’s mansion, both open- 
ing out of the same passageway or lane.’ 
As this south section alone was converted into the theatre-audi- 
torium, its size is of interest. .The supposition is general that 
both auditorium and stage were small. The comparative view 
already given and the definite data now at hand show this is not 
quite a correct view. 
The dimensions of 52 x 37 feet, specifically stated in the deed 
as the measure of only those apartments of the lower floor occu- 
pied by Thomas Bruskett,? have been assumed to be the size of 
the entire theatre. But in fact the auditorium alone was more 
than one and one-half and the entire building possibly more than 
two and one-half times that size. 
*Part of these were occupied by 
Thomas Bruskett (idem, 299, 35— 
300, 11), and the others by Peter 
Johnson (idem, 300, 36-38). 
*The designation “middle rooms” 
or “middle story” was regularly 
used to mean the second one of 
three stories. [For convenient ex- 
ample, see contract for Hope the- 
atre, u. s., 30°, where the second 
of the three galleries is called “the 
midall storie.”] In the present case 
these rooms are called “middle” be- 
cause the basement rooms, on ac- 
count of the rapid southward slope 
of the grounds, constitute the first 
story. Hence they are described in 
the deed as “adjoining” the gardens. 
The two rooms at the north end 
occupied by Johnson on the same 
floor with Bruskett are called 
“lower rooms,’ doubtless because 
there the basement rooms are not 
mainly above ground. 
*Deed, u. S., 299, 38—300, 11. 
‘Idem, 300, 36-41. 
°“Iveing and beinge directlye un- 
der parte of those of the sayd seaven 
upper romes which lye westwardes.” 
—Idem, 300, 1-3. 
°Cf. infra, 39°. 
"Deed, u. s., 300, 6-11. 
SCf. supra, 38°. 
*See for example, C. I. Elton, 
Shakespeare’s Family and Friends 
(1904), 458. 
152 
