134 CHILDREN OF THE CHAPEL AT BLACKFRIARS 
favor... The Epilogue shows them sitting less wise than they 
were flatteringly invited to be.? 
In the spring of 1603, Marston’s The Malcontent apparently 
touched the matter, though the present form of the play doubt- 
fully shows the manner of it.2 The Globe having annexed The 
Malcontent played it in 1604 with a special Induction, wherein 
the fixed privilege of sitting on the Blackfriars stage is specific- 
ally declared, and the similar privilege at the Globe explicitly 
denied.* 
These are the known references to the custom of sitting on the 
stage up to 1604. They establish its origin in the Blackfriars. 
This fashion is not to be confused with a certain practice orig- 
inating in the public theatres. We know there was in more than 
one of them the custom of sitting “above” or “over” the stage at 
the rear.© This is shown in the De Witt—Van Buchell sketch of 
1Great are the gifts given to united 
heads, — : e 
To gifts, attire, to fair attire, the 
stage 
Helps much; for if our other au- 
dience see 
You on the stage depart before we 
end; 
Our wits go with you all, and we 
are fools. 
—Shepherd’s edition (1874), p. 7%. 
*We can but bring you meat and 
set you stools 
And to our best cheer say you all 
are ( ) welcome. 
—Idem, p. 77. 
®Compare the Induction, “Black- 
friars has almost spoiled Black- 
friars for feathers” and the follow- 
ing in II, ii:—“no fool but hath 
his feather.” The allusion is to 
the prevalent custom, as shown by 
other examples, of gallants wear- 
ing on the stage ornamental feath- 
ers, costing sometimes several 
pounds. 
“The Induction opens with these 
data, thus :— 
Tire-man.—Sir, the gentlemen 
will be angry if you sit here. 
Sly.—Why, we may sit upon the 
stage at the private house. Thou 
dost not take me for a country- 
gentleman, dost? dost think I fear 
hissing? 
[See further infra, 138.] 
*These were the choice places. 
It is most probable that the actors 
of England of that day acted for 
art’s sake, as their heirs the mod- 
ern German actors do, and conse- 
quently faced the rear or sides as 
often as the front, if the faithful 
representation of the situation re- 
quired it. To Americans and to 
many Englishmen, accustomed to 
spectacular display and studied ar- 
tificiality in acting, with the funda- 
mental rule “face the audience,” it 
is as preposterous to think of these 
rear seats “over” the stage as the 
best as it is astounding and con- 
vincing in its artistry to see the 
modern German actor face any di- 
rection the case requires, in utter 
disregard of the audience but with 
all faithfulness to the life he is por- 
traying, so that you forget you are 
in the theatre, and feel that you 
are living through real experiences. 
But these rear seats “over” the 
stage were choice, not merely for 
hearing (for which we should be 
glad to believe they were mainly 
used), but most especially for be- 
ing seen and making a display of 
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