ts THE QUEEN’S PURPOSES 159 
One of the important events showing Elizabeth’s attitude is 
_ the Clifton case of Dec. 15, 1601. As already pointed out,’ this 
looks like a shrewd political move tinged with Puritanism. Clif- 
_ ton’s personal grievance,—a most minor affair at best, which was 
4 within the space of a day fully redressed,2—is a mere excuse for 
q action. Personal grievances do not wait a year and two days for 
justice, and in this case waited no more than a day. These were 
4 troublous times politically. Besides, both City and public theatre 
_ were opposed to Blackfriars; and whether Clifton was or was 
4 not a willing instrument in furthering plans of others, the sus- 
picion of it is not wanting. 
r Clifton’s whole complaint is a covert attack upon the Queen’s 
~ Commission to Gyles in its present permitted use for establishing 
-and maintaining the Blackfriars. His waiting a year gives em- 
phasis to this clear fact. Clifton knew, as everybody else in Lon- 
don knew, that this theatre was conducted under the Queen’s 
_ patronage. It was upon that knowledge that action was taken. 
His complaint has no point or purpose but the suppression of the 
_ theatre, or the embarrassment of the Queen in her plans. 
¢ Elizabeth’s course in the case was as judicial as just and con- 
_ sistent. She took ample notice of the minor matter of personal 
_ injury by causing Evans in the Court of Star Chamber to be de- 
prived of the official position she had given him. It could never 
have been within her thought to do violence to gentlemen of the 
realm by forcible impressment of their children, nor to have the 
children abused or misused who were to serve her. She had not 
wished it, nor could she or her Court countenance it. Thus she 
redressed the grievance upon the exact basis of its pretenses, and 
at the same time consistently with a just sovereignty. The chief 
- burden of complaint however, made as if subsidiary to the per- 
sonal injury, was treated on the lines of that pretense, and con- 
sequently disregarded.® 
As a result, the Blackfriars went on, as we have seen, without 
interruption, and on the same basis as hitherto.* 
During the Christmas season of 1601-[2] the customary Court- 
entertainments were for the first time in many years omitted. No 
ae Se 
* Supra, 79. ; 5 Supra, 81-83. 
* Supra, 78-79. “Supra, 87-88, et passim. 
273 
