76 Charles William Wallace 



[10] 



Decrees and Orders, Miscellaneous Books, vol. 30, jo. 761. 



[Final decree, dismissing the case forever.] 



xxix die Novembris A° &c 18 et 54 



Heming^ Whereas John Witter long sithence exhibited his bill of complaint 

 vnto the King*?.? ma tie & his highenes Counsaill in his ho : Court 

 of Whitehall at Westminster against John Hemminge? gent & 

 Henry Cundall deft<?^ Vnto w ch Bill the said deftly forthw th made 

 theire full and perfect answeres, Wherevnto the compl 1 replyed 

 & examined certen witnesses above two Termes now past, & hath 

 ever sithence fayled to proceed in his said cause as by the due & 

 ordinary course of this court he ought to haue done It is there- 

 fore by his ma tes said Counsaill of this court ordered that the same 

 matter be from henceforth out of this court cleerely & absolutely 

 dismyssed forever, & the said deftw are licensed to depw' at 

 theire liberties sine die. And it is further ordered that the com- 

 plainant shall vpon sight or knowledge hereof content & pay vnto 

 the said def tes the full som;«e of xx s for theire costw herein most 

 wrongfully susteyned./ 



III. 



THE KEYSAR-BURBAGE CASE. 



When Shakespeare and six of his theatrical associates in 1608 

 leased the Blackfriars theatre of Richard Burbage, they did it only 

 after carefully protecting their rights against any claims of the 

 former lessee and sharers who had been managing there the 

 famous company of boys known in Elizabeth's reign as " The 

 Children of the Chapel " and under James I as " The Children of 

 the Queen's Revels." For certain satirical skits on their stage 

 against the English King, and finally against the French King, 

 this Children's company was suppressed by the drastic order of 

 James I in the early spring of 1608, as shown by still other new 



336 



