Nine Muses sat upon an artificial mount drawn in a chariot fourteen feet long, and eight feet wide. Discord, in a collar and shackles, seems to have been prominent in that part of the entertainments which was intended to be complimentary to the French Ambassadors.

It is a fact, not noticed by Malone nor Chalmers, that the preceding was the last occasion on which Sir Thomas Benger acted as Master of the Revels. At his death, in March, 1577, he was greatly in debt, and possibly his embarrassments might interfere with the discharge of his official duties*. His secession is established by several documents. He received from the Master of the Great Wardrobe the cloth of gold, silks, velvets, &c., spoken of in the preceding paragraph, in his capacity of Master of the Revels; but when the account was sent in to the Lord Treasurer (among whose papers it is preserved †) it was indorsed in the following manner: Touching Sir Thom. Benger, K. late M. of the Masks, Revells, & Tryumphs, of certen stuffe receaved owte of the " greate Wardrobe.' In the booke of all the charges growen within thoffice of her Majesties Revells from

* Mr. Chalmers found his will proved in the Prerogative Office on the 27th March, 1577, by Thomas Fugal, his Chaplain and Executor. The testator states, that he left many debts with very few goods to pay them.' (Apology, p. 482.) of fines on alienations, but he complained that it did not add much either to his consequence or his wealth.

† Lansdown MS. No. 9.

Sir T. Benger had also a grant

the last of October, 1573, until the 1st March, ⚫ 1573 [4],' it is stated, that during that period A. D. of four months Thomas Blagrave, Esquier, 1573.

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servid therein as Master, according to her Majestys pleasure to him signifyed by the Right honourable 'Lord Chamberlaine' the Earl of Sussex. He had no regular appointment as Master of the Revels until after the death of Sir Thomas Benger, and we may therefore conclude, that although Sir Thomas Benger ceased to act, he retained his situation, Blagrave, by the Queen's order, discharging the duties as deputy.

The cost of the Revels at Christmas, New-yeartide, Twelfth-tide and Shrovetide, all falling withinthe four months from the end of October, 1573, to the beginning of March, 1573-4, was 6721. 14s. A. D. 2d.: it included the expenses of preparations, 1573-4. &c., for plays and masks (each mask having its torchbearers), a list of 'which, as performed at Christmas, New-year-tide and Twelfth-tide, is given as follows, in the account in the Office of the Auditors of the Imprest *.

‹ Pedor & Lucia, played by therle of Leicesters Servaunts upon St. Steevens daye at nighte at • Whitehall.

Alkmeon, played by the Children of Powles on St. Johns daye at nighte there.

"Mamillia, playde by therle of Leicesters Servaunts " on Innocents daye at nighte there.

* Malone's Shakespeare by Boswell, iii. 375.

Truth, Faythfulnesse & Mercye, playde by the Children of Westminster for Elderton, upon New' yeares daye at night there.

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Herpetulus, the blew Knighte, and Perobia, playde by my lord Klintons servants the 3d of January, beinge the Sundaye after New-yeares daye there. "Quintus Fabius, playde by the Children of Wyndsor for Mr. Farrant on Twelfe daye at nighte, like' wise at Whitehall.'

The three Masks at Whitehall were the following:

Lance Knights vi, in blew sattyn gaskon cotes ' and sloppes.-Torche bearers vi, in black and yelo 'taffata, &c. Showen on St Johns daye at nighte.

Forresters, or Hunters vi, in green sattyn gaskon 'cotes and sloppes.-Torche bearers attyred in mosse & ivye &c. Shewen on New-yeares daye at nighte. 'Sages vi, in long gownes of counterfet cloth of golde, &c. Torche bearers in long gownes of red damask. Showen on Twelfe daye at nighte."

Among the properties, &c. for these several performances, were 'canvass to paynte for howses for the players,' monsters, great hollow trees; bays for the Prologgs;'a jebbett to hang up Diligence;' counterfeit fishes for the play of Pedor; a dragon's head; a truncheon for the Dictator; deal boards for the Senate-house; and 'pynnes styf & greate for paynted clothes."

On Candlemas night, it appears, by the same authority, only one play was performed by Mulcaster's children at Hampton Court: it was called Timoclia at

the siege of Thebes; and in consequence of the 'tedi'ousness of the play,' a mask of ladies representing the six Virtues could not be performed. Among the charges, is 7s. 10d. to the scrivener for writing in fayre text the 8 speeches dd (delivered) to her 'Majestie.'

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Two plays and two masks were represented at Shrovetide: the plays were,

Philimon and Philecia,' playde by the Erle of Leicesters men on Shrovemundaye at nighte.

'Perseus and Anthomeris*,' playde by Munkester's [Mulcaster's] children on Shrovetewsdaye at nighte. The maskes were 'Warriors VII with one shipp6 master that uttered speeche,' and Ladyes vII with ⚫ one that uttered a speeche,' each having their torchbearers as usual.

The charges on this occasion, among other articles, were for 'fethers for the new maskers;' 'carriage of 'frames and painted clothes for the players how ses;' 'diets for children while learning their parts and 'gestures,' and for an Italian woman and her daughter who lent and dressed the hairs of the children.

It has been seen that the Earl of Leicester's players are frequently mentioned in the accounts of the Office of the Revels, and that they performed before the Queen

* Malone conjectured that this was an ignorant blunder of the person making out the accounts for Andromeda, and no doubt he was right. In the Book of Charges of the preceding year, the following item is contained, John Arnolde, Yeoman of the office, for mony by him payd to Arnolde the paynter, for the picture of Andromeda.'

VOL. I.

P

three times within the four months preceding, March 1st, 1573-4. We now arrive at an important event in the history of our stage-the grant of the first royal patent conceded in this country to performers of plays. The Earl of Leicester, through his influence with the Queen, procured it, as a special privilege for his own servants, James Burbadge (no doubt the father of Richard Burbadge, who afterwards obtained such distinction in his profession), John Perkyn, John Lanham, William Johnson, and Robert Wylson. The ' licence,' as it has been erroneously termed, for these five actors, has hitherto been printed from a MS. in the unpublished collections of Rymer, in the British Museum*: I have been fortunate enough to discover the original Privy Seal in the Chapter-house, Westminster, which fixes the date of the grant at Greenwich, on the 7th, and not at Westminster on the 10th

A. D. of May, 1574†, as it stands in Rymer's copy. 1574. On comparing the two, it will be found that there are other material variations, independent of the fact, that it was not a mere licence' which was conceded, but a patent under the Great Seal, the Privy Seal directing that such an instrument should be pre

Ayscough's Cat. of MSS. Sloan, No. 4625. It was first published by Steevens in his Shakespeare, ii. 156.

+ The variation in the date may arise from the circumstance, that the Privy Seal was issued on the 7th of May, and the Patent not made out until the 10th of May. It will be observed, likewise, that some of the names are spelt differently in the Privy Seal, and in the MS. in the Museum: the spelling of Burbadge supports Chalmers's conjecture, as to the etymology, and true orthography of that name.