in Blackfriars, that in Whitefriars, and The Cockpit or Phanix,' in Drury-Lane; and four that were called publick theatres; viz. The Globe on the Bankfide, The Curtain✦ in Shoreditch, The Red Bull, at the upper end of St. John's-street, and The Fortune' 3 This theatre had been originally a Cockpit. It was built or re-built not very long before the year 1617. in which year we learn from Camden's Annals of King James the Firft, it was pulled down by the mob: 1617. Martii 4. Theatrum ludionum nuper erectum in Drury-Lane à furente multitudine diruitur, & apparatus dilaceratur." I suppose it was fometimes called The Phanix from that fabulous bird being its fign. It was fituated oppofite the Cattle-tavern in DruryLane, and was ftanding fome time after the Reftoration. The players who performed at this theatre in the time of King James the First, were called the Queen's Servants, till the death of Queen Anne, in 1619. After her death they were, I think, for fome time denominated the Lady Elizabeth's Servants; and after the Marriage of King Charles the First, they regained their former title of the Queen's players. See Skialetheia, an old collection of Epigrams, and Satires, 16mo. 1598. 66 if my difpofe 66 Perfuade me to a play, I'll to the Rofe, The Curtain is mentioned in Heath's Epigrams, 1610. as being then open; and The Hector of Germany was performed at it by a company of young men in 1615. The original fign hung out at this playhoufe (as Mr. Steevens has ob ferved) was the painting of a curtain ftriped. The performers at this theatre were called The Prince's Servants, till the acceffion of King Charles the Firft to the crown. Soon after that period it feems to have been used only by prizefighters. The Fortune theatre, according to Maitland, was the oldeft theatre in London. It was built or re-built in 1599 by Edward Alleyn, the player, (who was alfo proprietor of the Bear Garden, from 1594 to 1610.) and coft 5201, as appears from the following memorandum in his hand, writing: in Whitecross-ftreet. The laft two were chiefly What The Fortune coft me, Nov. 1599. Then for building the play-hous, 240. 520. For other privat buildings of myn owne, 120. So that it hath coft me for the leaffe, £.880.' It was a round brick building, and its dimenfions may be conjectured from the following advertisement in The Mercurius Politicus, Tuefday Feb. 14. to Tuefday Feb. 21. 1661. for the prefervation of which we are indebted to Mr. Steevens: "The Fortune playhouse fituate between Whitecrofs-ftreet and Golding-lane, in the parish of Saint Giles, Cripplegate, with the ground thereto belonging, is to be lett to be built upon; where twenty-three tenements may be erected, with gardens; and a freet may be cut through for the better accommodation of the buildings." The Fortune is fpoken of as a playhoufe of confiderable fize, in the prologue to The Roaring Girl, a comedy which was acted there, and printed in 1611 : A roaring girl, whofe notes till now ne'er were, See alfo the concluding lines of Shirley's prologue to The Doubtful Heir, quoted below. Howes in his continuation of Stowe's Chronicle, p. 1004. edit. 1631. fays, it was burnt down in or about the year 1617. "About foure yeares after, [i. e. after the burning of the Globe] a fayre ftrong new-built play-house near Golden-lane, called the Fortune, by negligence of a candle was cleane burnt to the ground, but fhortly after re-built far fairer." He is, however, miftaken as to the time, for it was burnt down in December, 1621. as I learn from a letter in Dr. Birch's collection in the Museum, from Mr. John Chamberlain to Sir Dudley Carleton, dated Dec. 15. 1621. in which is the following paragraph: "On funday night here was a great fire at The Fortune, in Golding-lane, the first play-houfe in this town. It was quite burnt downe in two hours, and all their apparell and play-books loft, whereby those poore companions are quite undone. There were two other houses on fire, but with great labour and danger were faved." MSS. Birch, 4173. It does not appear whether this writer, by "the firft play-houfe in this town," 6 8 , frequented by citizens. There were however, but fix companies of comedians; for the playhouse in Blackfriars, and the Globe, belonged to the fame troop. Befide thefe feven theatres, there were for fome time on the Bankfide three other publick theatres; The Swan, The Rofe,' and The Hope: but The Hope being used chiefly as a bear-garden, and The Swan and The Rofe having fallen to decay early means the first in point of fize or dignity, or the oldeft. I doubt much of its being the oldeft, though that is the obvious meaning of the words, and though Maitland has afferted it: because I have not found it mentioned in any of the tracts relative to the ftage, written in the middle of Elizabeth's reign. Prynne fays that the Fortune on its re-building was enlarged. Epifle Dedicat. to Hiftriomaftix, 4to. 1633. Before this theatre there was either a picture or statue of Fortune. See The English Traveller, by Heywood, 1633. I'le rather ftand here, 66 Like a ftatue in the fore-front of your houfe 6 Wright's Hiftoria Hiftrionica, 8vo. 1699. p. 5. 7 The Swan and the Rofe are mentioned by Taylor the water-poet, but in 1613 they were fhut up. See his Works, p. 171. edit. 1633. The latter had been built before 1598. Sec P. 55. n. 4. After the year 1620. as appears from Sir Henry Herbert's office-book, they were ufed occafionally for the exhibition of prize-fighters. 8 Ben Jonfon's Bartholomew-Fair was performed at this theatre in 1614. He does not give a very favourable defcription of it: 64 Though the fair be not kept in the fame region that fome here perhaps would have it, yet think that the author hath therein obferved a fpecial decorum, the place being as dirty as Smithfield, and as ftinking every whit."Induction to Bartholomew Fair. It appears from an old pamphlet entitled Holland's Leaguer, printed in quarto in 1632. that The Hope was occafionally used as a bear-garden, and that The Swan was then fallen into decay. in King James's reign, they ought not to be enumerated with the other regular theatres. All the established theatres that were open in 1598. were either without the city of London or its liberties.' It appears from the office-book2 of Sir Henry Sunt porro Londini, extra urbem, theatra aliquot, in quibus hiftriones Angli comoedias & tragoedias fingulis fere diebus, in magna hominum frequentia agunt; quas variis etiam faltationibus, fuaviflima adhibita mufica, magno cum populi applausu finiri folent." Hentzneri Itinerarium, 4to. 1598. p. 132. For the use of this very curious and valuable manuscript I am indebted to Francis Ingram, of Ribbisford near Bewdley in Worcestershire, Efq. Deputy Remembrancer in the Court of Exchequer. It has lately been found in the fame old cheft, which contained the manuscript Memoirs of Lord Herbert of Cherbury, from which Mr. Walpole about twenty years ago printed the Life of that nobleman, who was elder brother to Sir Henry Herbert. The first Master of the Revels in the reign of Queen Elizabeth was Thomas Benger, whofe patent paffed the great feal Jan. 18. 1560-1. It is printed in Rymer's Fadera. His fucceffor, Edmund Tilney, obtained a grant of this office (the reverfion of which John Lily, the dramatick poet, had long in vain folicited,) on the 24th of July, 1579. (as appears from a book of patents in the Pells-office,) and continued in poffeffion of it during the remainder of her reign, and till October 1610. about which time he died. This office for near fifty years appears to have been confidered as fo defirable a place, that it was conftantly fought for during the life of the poffeffor, and granted in reverfion. King James on the 23d of June, 1603. made a reverfionary grant of it to Sir George Buc, (then George Buc, Efq.) to take place whenever it fhould become vacant by the death, refignation, forfeiture, or furrender, of the then poffeffor Edmund Tilney; who, if I mistake not, was Sir George Buc's maternal uncle. Mr. Tilney, as I have already mentioned, did not die till the end of the year 1610. and fhould seem to have executed the duties of the office to the laft; for his executor, Herbert, Master of the Revels to King James the First, and the two fucceeding kings, that very foon as I learn from one of the Exitus books in the Exchequer, received in the year 1611. 120l. 18s. 3d. due to Mr. Tilney on the last day of the preceding October, for one year's expences of office. In the edition of Camden's Britannia, printed in folio in 1607. Sir George Buc is called Master of the Revels, I fuppofe from his having obtained the reversion of that place for from what I have already ftated he could not have been then in poffeffion of it. April 3. 1612. Sir John Aftley, one of the gentlemen of the privy-chamber, obtained a reverfionary grant of this office, to take place on the death, &c. of Sir George Buc, as Ben Jonson, the poet, obtained a fimilar grant, October 5. 1621. to take place on the death, &c. of Sir John Aftley and Sir George Buc. Sir George Buc came into poffeffion of the office about November 1610. and held it till the end of the year 1621. when, in confequence of ill health, he refigned it to King James, and Sir John Aftley fucceeded him. How Sir Henry Herbert got poffeffion of this office originally I am unable to afcertain; but I imagine Sir John Aftley for a valuable confideration appointed him his deputy, in Auguft 1623. at which time, to ufe Sir Henry's own words, he " was received as Mafter of the Revels by his Majefty at Wilton; and in the warrant-books of Philip Earl of Pembroke, now in the Lord Chamberlain's office, containing warrants, orders, &c. between the years 1625 and 1642. he is conftantly styled Mafter of the Revels. If Sir John Aftley had formally refigned or furrendered his office, Ben Jonfon, in confequence of the grant obtained in the year 1621. must have fucceeded to it; but he never derived any emolument from that grant, for Sir John Aftley, as I find from the probate of his will, in the prerogative office, (in which it is obfervable that he calls himself Mafter of the Revels, though both the duties and emoluments of the office were then exercifed and enjoyed by another,) did not die till January 1639-40. above two years after the poet's death. To make his title ftill more fecure, Sir Henry Herbert, in conjunction with Simon Thelwall, Efq. Auguft 22. 1629. obtained a reverfionary grant of this much fought-for office, to take place on the death, |