In a paper delivered by Sir Henry Herbert to Lord Clarendon and the Lord Chamberlain, July 11. now in the poffeffion of Mr. Reed of Staple-Inn, by whom it was obligingly communicated to me fome years ago. The fuperfcription is loft, but it was probably addreffed to the Lord Chamberlain, or the King, about the year 1678. "Whereas upon Mr. Dryden's binding himself to write three playes a yeere, hee the faid Mr. Dryden was admitted and continued as a fharer in the king's playhoufe for diverfe years, and received for his share and a quarter three or four Lundred-pounds, communibus annis; but though he received the moneys, we received not the playes, not one in a yeare. After which, the house being burnt, the company in building another, contracted great debts, fo that fhares fell much fhort of what they were formerly. Thereupon Mr. Dryden complaining to the company of his want of proffit, the company was fo kind to him that they not only did not preffe him for the playes which he fo engaged to write for them, and for which he was paid beforehand, but they did alfo at his earneft requeft give him a third day for his laft new play called All for Love; and at the receipt of the money of the faid third day, he acknowledged it as a guift, and a particular kindneffe of the company. Yet notwithstanding this kind proceeding, Mr. Dryden has now, jointly with Mr. Lee, (who was in penfion with us to the laft day of our playing, and fhall continue,) written a` play called Oedipus, and given it to the Duke's company, contrary to his faid agreement, his promife, and all gratitude, to the great prejudice and almoft undoing of the company, they being the only poets remaining to us. Mr. Crowne, being under the like agreement with the duke's houfe, writt a play called The Deftruction of Jerufalem, and being forced by their refufall of it, to bring it to us, the faid company compelled us, after the ftudying of it, and a vaft expence in fcenes and cloathes, to buy off their clayme, by paying all the penfion he had received from them, amounting to one hundred and twelve pounds paid by the king's company, befides near forty pounds he the faid Mr. Crowne paid out of his owne pocket. 66 Thefe things confidered, if notwithstanding Mr. Dryden's faid agreement, promife, and moneys freely given him for 1662. which will be found in a subsequent page, he flates the emolument which Mr. Thomas Killigrew then derived (from his two fhares and three quarters,) at 291. 6s. od. per week; according to which statement each fhare in the king's company produced but two hundred and ten pounds ten fhillings a year. In Sir William D'Avenant's company, from the time their new theatre was opened in Portugal-row, near Lincoln's-Inn-Fields, (April 1662.) the total receipt (after deducting the nightly charges of "men hirelings and other cuftomary expences, ") was divided into fifteen fhares, of which it was agreed by articles previoufly entered into, that ten fhould belong to D'Avenant; viz. two "towards the house-rent, buildings, fcaffolding, and making of frames for fcenes; one for a provifion of habits, properties, and fcenes, for a fupplement of the faid theatre; and feven to main his faid last new play, and the many titles we have to his writings, this play be judged away from us, we must fubmit. Charles Killigrew. It has been thought very extraordinary that Dryden fhould enter into a contract to produce three new plays every year; and undoubtedly that any poet fhould formally Ripulate that his genius fhould be thus productive, is extraordinary. But the exertion itfelf was in the laft age not uncommon. In ten years, from the death of Beaumont in 1615 to the year 1625. I have good reafon to believe that Fletcher produced near thirty plays. Malfinger between 1623 and 1638 brought out nearly the fame number; and Shirley in fifteen years furnished various theatres with forty plays. Thomas Heywood was ftill more prolifick. Thefe articles will be found in a fubfequent page. tain all the women that are to perform or reprefent women's parts, in tragedies, comedies, &c. and in confideration of erecting and establishing his actors to be a company, and his pains and expences for that purpose for many years." The other five fhares were divided in various proportions among the rest of the troop. In the paper above referred to it is flated by Sir Henry Herbert, that D'Avenant" drew from these ten fhares two hundred pounds a week;" and if that flatentent was correct, each fhare in his playhoufe then produced annually fix hundred pounds, fuppofing the acting feafon to have then lafted for thirty weeks. Such were the emoluments of the theatre foon after the Reftoration; which I have ftated here, from authentick documents, because they may affift us in our conjectures concerning the profits derived from ftageexhibitions at a more remote and darker period. From the prices of admiffion into our ancient theatres in the time of Shakspeare, which have been already noticed, I formerly conjectured that about twenty pounds was a confiderable receipt at the Blackfriars and Globe theatre, on any one day; and my conjecture is now confirmed by indifputable evidence. In Sir Henry Herbert's Office-book I find the following curious notices on this fubject, under the year 1628: The kinges company with a generall confent and alacritye have given mee the benefitt of too dayes in the yeare, the one in fummer, thother in winter, to bee taken out of the fecond daye of a revived playe, att my owne choyfe. The house• * keepers have likewyfe given their fhares, their dayly charge only deducted, which comes to fome 21. 5s. this 25 May, 1628. "The benefitt of the firft day, being a very unfeasonable one in refpect of the weather, comes but unto 4. 15. o." . This agreement fubfifted for five years and a half, during which time Sir Henry Herbert had ten benefits, the moft profitable of which produced feventeen pounds, and ten fhillings, net, on the 22d of Nov. 1628. when Fletcher's Cuftom of the Country was performed at Blackfriars; and the leaft emolument which he received was on the reprefentation of a play which is not named, at the Globe, in the fummer of the year 1632. which produced only the fum of one pound and five fhillings, after deducting from the total receipt in each inftance. the nightly charge above mentioned. I fhall give below the receipt taken by him on each of the ten performances; from which it appears that his clear profit at an average on each of his nights, was £ 8. 19. 4. and the total nightly receipt was at an average -£. 11. 4. 4. 3 £. From 3 1628. May 25. [the play not named,] 4. 15. o. "The benefitt of the winters day, being the fecond day of an old play called The custome of the Cuntrye, came to 17. 10. o. this 22 of Nov. 1628. the Kinges company att the Black fryers. 1629.The benefitt of the fummers day from the kinges company being brought mee by Blagrave, upon the play of The Prophetefs, comes to, this 21 of July,-1629. £.6.7.0. "The benefitt of the winters day from the kinges company being brought mee by Blagrave, upon the play of The Moore of Venife, comes, this 22 of Nov. 1629. unto -£.9. 16. o. 1630. [No play this fummer on account of the plague.] "Received of Mr. Taylor and Lowins, in the name On the 30th of October, 1633. the managers of the king's company agreed to pay him the fixed 1631. 1632. of their company, for the benefit of my winter day, upon the fecond day of Ben Jonfon's play of Every man in his humour, this 18 day of February, 1630. [1630-31]— £12. 4. 0. "Received of Mr. Shanke, in the name of the kings company, for the benefitt of their fummer day, upon ye fecond daye of Richard ye Seconde, at the Globe, this 12 of June, 1631. £.5. 6. 6. Received of Mr. Blagrave, in the name of the kings company, for the benefitt of my winter day, taken upon The Alchemifte, this 1 of Decemb. 1631.-13. o. o. "Received for the fummer day of the kings company ye 6 Novemb. 1632. £.1. 5. o. Received for the winter day upon The Wild goofe chafe, ye fame day, - £.15. o. o. 1633. R. of ye kings company, for my fummers day, by Blagrave, the 6 of June 1633. ye fomme of £.4. 10. 0. I likewife find the following entry in this book: "Received of Mr. Benfielde, in the name of the kings company, for a gratuity for ther liberty gaind unto them of playinge, upon the ceffation of the plague, this 10 of June, 1631. £3. 10. 0. "This (Sir Henry Herbert adds) was taken upon Pericles at the Globe. In a copy of a play called A Game at Chefs, 1624. which was formerly in poffeffion of Thomas Pearfon, Efq. is the following memorandum in an old hand: "After nine days, wherein I have heard fome of the actors fay they took fifteen hundred pounds, the Spanish faction, being prevalent, got it fuppreffed, and the author, Mr. Thomas Middleton, committed to prison." According to this ftatement, they received above 1661. 12s. on each performance. The foregoing extracts fhew, that there is not even a femblance of truth in this story. In the year 1685. when the London theatres were much enlarged, and the prices of admiffion greatly increased, Shadwell received by his third day on the reprefentation of The Squire of Alfatia, only 130l. which Downes the prompter says was the greateft receipt had been ever taken at Drury-lane playhoufe at fingle prices. Rofcius Anglicanus, p. 41. The ufe of Arabick figures has often occafioned very grofs |