655 
PLAYHOUSE. 
which is known, the reader will find collefted together, 
with great accuracy, by Mr. Malone, in his Supplement 
to Shakefpeare, to which work we refer our readers for 
further information. See likewife Malone’g Inquiry into 
the Authenticity of certain mifcellaneous Papers and 
legal Inllruments, publifiled Dec. 24, 1795* and attribu¬ 
ted to Shakefpeare, queen Elizabeth, and Henry earl of 
Southampton, See. 8vo. 3796. Alfo Chalmers’s Apology 
for the Believers in the Shakefpeare Papers, &c. 8vo. 1797. 
and the Supplemental Apology, by the fame, 8vo. 1799. 
Playhoufes now began to increafe in number; and we 
find that, during the lifetime of Shakefpeare, no fewer 
than feventeen were known ; among thefe were,—the 
Globe on the Bankfide, Southwark; the Swan and the 
Hope, both alfo in Southwark; the Fortune, between 
Whitecrofs-ftreet and Golden-lane ; the Red Bull, in St. 
John’s-ftreet; the Crofs Keys, in Gracecliurch-ftreet; the 
Tuns; The Theatre ; the Curtain in Shoreditch; the 
Nurfery in Barbican ; the Playhoufe in Blackfriars; the 
Playhoufe in Whitefriars; the Playhoufe in Salifbury-court; 
the Cockpit; and the Phcenix, in Drury-lane. But, 
though all thefe were built during the life time of Shake¬ 
fpeare they were not, therefore, built on his account; for 
the Fortune, the Theatre, the Curtain, and the play- 
iioufe in Whitefriars, were eretted between 1570 and 
1580, whereas Shakefpeare did not begin to write for the 
ftage till 1592. The Fortune, according to feveral wri¬ 
ters, was the firft regular Englifh theatre, though it is 
much more probable to fuppofe it was The Theatre, from 
its name, which feems to fuppofe that it was the only 
theatre. Some of thefe theatres were called private houfes, 
ns thofe in Blackfriars and Whitefriars, See. the relt pub¬ 
lic theatres , as the Globe, Swan, Rofe, See. 
Mod if not all of Shakelpeare’s plays were per¬ 
formed either at the Globe or at the Theatre in Black¬ 
friars. It appears that they both belonged to the 
fame company of comedians, viz. His Majelty’s Servants, 
which title they affum.ed after the licence granted to them 
by king James in 1603, having before that time been 
called the Servants of the Lord Chamberlain. 
The Theatre in Whitefriars was one of the mod 
ancient; for it is named by a writer (in 1628) for one of 
thofe pulled down by the cautious citizens foon after the 
year 1580 ; to which Mr. Malone adds, “ the theatre in 
Blackfriars, not being within the liberties of the city of 
London, efcaped the fury of thefe fanatics.” Whitefriars 
theatre flood upon the precinds of the once noted “king¬ 
dom of Alfatia,” whole lawlefs origin is not afeertained, 
but where neither the civic magiftrate, nor other legal 
officer, ventured to appear until near the clofe of the f'e- 
venteenth century. In allufion to the pulling down of this 
ancient theatre, and the occafion of it, we may obferve, 
that between the plague and the puritans, the exertions 
of the affor found frequent inhibitions. Belides the well- 
known allufion in Hamlet to fuch a fufpenfion, Middle- 
toji, in A Mad World my Makers, printed 1608, which 
bad “bin lately in a iff ion by the children of Paules,” has 
thus humouroufly deferibed the inconveniences expe¬ 
rienced by the aiffors. 
“ St mas. There are certain players come to towne, fir, 
and defire to enterlude before your worfhip. 
“ Sir Bountiful. Players? by the make they are wel¬ 
come, they’le grace my entertainment well ; but for cer¬ 
tain players, there thou lyelt, boy ; they were never more 
vneertaine in their liues; now vp and now downe, they 
know not when to play, where to play, nor what to play. 
Not when to play, for fearful fools; wiiere to play, for 
puritane fools; nor what to play, for criticall fooles.” 
Tne children of Paul’s were lucceffively diftinguifhed 
by royal patronage, and often performed at Whitehall and 
Greenwich for the amufement of queen Elizabeth. Of 
the regular theatres, they principally exhibited at the 
Whitefriars, which might be occafioned by the contigu¬ 
ity of fituation. At the fchool the performance was not 
grads) .he price of ad million for a new play about 1601, 
being two-pence. This is fhown by the following fhort 
paflage in the “ Cuck-queanes and Cuckolds Errant, or 
the bearing down the Inne,” a comedy of that date, MS. 
“ Nim. What now, the newes in London, Shift ? 
“ Shift. Thefe s Thames is broade as it was euer; 
Ponies fteeple Hands in the place it did before ; and two¬ 
pence is the price for the going into a newe play there.” 
The time of their exhibition was limited to two hours, 
commencing at four of the clock, upon the conclufion of 
afternoon-prayers, and lafting until fix, when the gates 
were finally clofed for the evening. So much did the 
writer know the neceffity-of adapting the length of his 
pieces to the time allowed, that his fongs are molt of them 
appended to his plays, for the purpofe of being ufed or 
omitted according as the performance fliould require. 
The whole advertifement is too curious to omit. “A 
Note. To the Maker of Children of Powles. Memo¬ 
randum, that, if any of the flue and foremoll: of thefe 
Pafloralls and Comedyes conteyned in this volume (lull 
but ouereach in length (the children not to begin before 
foure, after prayers, and the gates of Powles knitting at 
fix the tyme of fupper), that then, in tyme and place con- 
uenient, you do let pafle fome of the fongs, and make the 
concert the fhorter, for I fuppofe thefe plaies be fomewhat 
too long for that place. Howfoeuer on your own experi¬ 
ence and at your beftdiferetion be it. Farewell to you all. 
W. P. Efq.” 
So few and indiftind are the traces of this theatre, that 
the period of its being rebuilt, after the furor of the citi¬ 
zens above noticed had fubfided, is uncertain. The co¬ 
medy of Woman is a Weathercock, printed 1612, was 
ailed “ diuers times priuately at the White Friers, by the 
Children of the Reuels.” Upon July the 13th, 1613, a 
licence was granted to ered a new playhoufe. It may 
therefore be concluded, that if this theatre was pulled, 
down in 1580, it did not remain long in ruins. 
The theatre in Blackfriars was a private houfe; but 
the peculiar and diitinguifhing marks of a private play- 
houfe it is not eafy to alcertain. It was very final), and 
plays were there ufually reprefented by candle-light. 
The Rose theatre flood on the Bank-lide, Southwark. 
It was built before 1590; and was favourably fupported 
by the public, being lucceffively occupied, from 1591 to 
1601, by the refpedive companies of the lord Strange, the 
earl of Sufl'ex, the lord admiral, and the earl of Pem¬ 
broke. In 1613 it was entirely forfaken, and only re¬ 
opened about feven years afterwards, for a fhort duration, 
with an exhibition of prize-fighters. 
The Globe theatre, fo much talked of in old theatri¬ 
cal hiftory, was alfo built on Bank-fide, Southwark. It 
was a public theatre, and of confiderable fize; and here 
they always aded by day-light, and in the fummer-time; 
for it was partly open to the weather, and partly covered 
with rufhes. It has been Hated to exift early in the 
reign of queen Elizabeth : and in a map given by Pen¬ 
nant as apian of London and Weftminfter, anno Dorn. 
1563,” there is introduced the ftrange anachronifm of 
“ Shakefpeare’s Playhoufe,” although, in the one by Ag- 
gas, in the place of the Globe appears the circus for 
“ Beare Baytyng.” Undoubtedly this theatre was built 
upon the fire of an amphitheatre, as feveral contempo¬ 
rary authorities reprefent two circi for “ Bowll-baytyng 
and Beere-bayting;” and in Norden’s map, dated 1593, 
before the Speculum Britapnia?, thofe buildings are de¬ 
feribed as “the bear-houfe” and “ play-houfe.” Bear- 
baiting and bull-baiting, as eftablifhed amufements, were 
probably difeontinued about the time of laying the foun¬ 
dation of the new playhoufe, or Globe theatre; and 
by that occafioned the contradidion in the maps as to 
the refpedive amufement to which each circus was ap¬ 
propriated. 
The date of building the Globe theatre may be confi¬ 
dently fixed within the years 1596-8; as, by the contract 
for ereding the Fortune theatre, dated Jan. 1599, it is re¬ 
ferred to as “ the late-ere 6 led playhoufe on the Bancke.” 
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