James I. commenced his journey to Scotland on the 14th of March, 1616-17; and very shortly A. D. previous to his departure an event occurred 1616-17. in theatrical history, which seems to have excited considerable alarm for the tranquillity of the metropolis during his absence. On Shrove Tuesday, March 4th, some riots occurred in Lincoln's Inn Fields (then an open space, unoccupied by houses) and in Drurylane, where the mob, among whom the apprentices appear, as usual, to have been especially active, made an attack upon the Cockpit theatre. Camden, in his Annals, states that they pulled it down, and destroyed the wardrobe; but, according to the account of this circumstance in the Privy Council Register, which was drawn up on the following day, the mob only 'attempted to pull it down.' However, there is no doubt that they did very considerable damage, and that several lives were lost in the affray. The apprentices of London from time immemorial had claimed, or at least exercised, the right of attacking and demolishing houses of ill-fame on Shrove Tuesday†, and in this instance they carried their zeal for morals a degree farther. The most circumstantial account of this transaction is contained in an old ballad on the occa

* His words are, under the date of March 4, 1616-17 :-' Theatrum ludionum, nuper erectum in Drury-lane, à furente multitudine diruitur, 'et apparatus dilaceratur.'

†The Bawd, in Eastward Hoe, Act IV. Scene 3, complains that 'the prentices had made a riot upon her glass windows upon Shrovetuesday; and, in a note, the Rev. Mr. Dyce, in his excellent edition of VOL. I.

2 D

sion, which I copy from a contemporary MS., and which is written with a good deal of spirit. Hence it would seem, that the principal injury done was to the doors and windows of the playhouse, and to the dresses and playbooks belonging to the company. Two of the leaders of the mob, Thomas Brent and John Cory, are mentioned by name, and they were no doubt among those who were soon afterwards severely punished. The ballad is-entitled :

'A Ballade in praise of London Prentices, and what they did at the Cock-pitt Playhouse in Drury Lane.

The Prentices of London long

Have famous beene in story,

But now they are exceeding all

Their Chronicles of glory:

Looke back, some say, to other day,
• But I say looke before ye,

'And see the deed they have now done,

Tom Brent and Johnny Cory.

Tom Brent said then to his merry men,
"Now whoop, my men, and hollow,
And to the Cockpitt let us goe,

'I'll leade you like brave Rollow*"

Webster's Works, gives the following apposite quotation from Pasquil's Palinodia, 1634 :

'It was the day, of all days in the year,

'That unto Bacchus hath his dedication,

When mad-brain'd 'prentices, that no men feare,

'Oerthrew the dens of bawdy recreation.'

Nothing could be easier than to multiply proofs to the same effect, were it necessary.

* If the hero thus alluded to be Rollo, Duke of Normandy, it would prove, either that Fletcher's play was written considerably before the

<

All fit for workes of wunder,

Rushd down the plaine of Drury Lane,
'Like lightning and like thunder;

'And there each dore, with hundreds more,
'And windows burst asunder;

And to the tire-howse broke they in,

Which some began to plunder.

"Now hold your handes, my merry men,"

66

'Said Tom, for I assure ye,

Who so begin to steale shall win

Mee both for judge and jury;
And eke for executioner

Within this lane of Drury:

But teare and rend, I'll stand your frend,
And well upholde your fury."

King Priam's robes were soon in rags,
‹ And broke his gilded scepter ;
'False Cressid's hood, that was so good
When loving Troylus kept her *.

'Besse Brydges gowne, and Muli's crowne,
'Who would ful faine have lept her†:

date at which it is supposed to have been first produced, or that the story on which it was founded was well known before he employed it for his purpose.

*This might be Shakespeare's play, acted surreptitiously at the Cockpit, as it was the property of the King's servants: possibly it was a different play on the same subject.

Bess Bridges and Muli-sheg are characters in Heywood's Fair Maid of the West, which was not printed until 1631, though written, as

· Had Theseus seene them use his queene
' So ill, he had bewept her *.

'Books olde and young on heap they flung,

And burnt them in the blazes,

Tom Dekker, Haywood, Middleton

And other wandring crazyest:

'Poor Daye that daye not scapte awaye;
And what stil more amazes,
'Immortall Cracke‡ was burnt all blacke,
Which every bodie praises.

'Now sing we laude with one accord
To these most digni laude,
'Who thus intend to bring to end

'All that is vile and bawdie.

All playes and whores, thrust out a'dores,

'Seductive bothe and gawdie,

And praise wee these bold Prentices

Cum voce et cum corde.'

The damage to the theatre was probably not very extensive; and we soon afterwards find the company called the Queen's servants again performing there §.

can be proved from internal evidence, before the death of Elizabeth. It was acted, no doubt, at this date at the Cockpit.

* Probably alluding to Heywood's Silver Age, printed in 1613, in which Theseus is introduced.

† This line may allude to their strolling with companies round the country, or to their 'wandering' with their plays from theatre to theatre, sometimes writing for one company and sometimes for another, as they could procure purchasers.

Regarding this person or play, whichever it might be, I can give no information.

§ The following is an extract from a letter, sent by the Privy Council to the Lord Mayor on the day following the disturbance. It was originally quoted by Chalmers from the Registers. For as much as

During the absence of the King, the Queen was entertained at Greenwich, on the 4th of May, by a mask called Cupid's Banishment, written by a person of the name of Robert White, and presented to the Queen by the young gentlewomen of the Ladies Hall, in Deptford.' It was probably a performance by a girls' school, and the piece (from a MS. in the possession of Mr. Upcott) is printed by Mr. Nichols in the Progresses of James I.

'the example of so foul and insolent a disorder may prove of dangerous consequence, if this should escape without sharp punishment of 'the principal offenders, we do therefore, in his Majesty's name, ex" pressly require your Lordship, and the rest of the Commissioners of Oyer and Terminer for the City of London and County of Middlesex, 'to take it presently into your care fo have a strict enquiry made for 'such as were of the company, as well apprentices or others, and for ' which to hold a special Sessions of Oyer and Terminer for that purpose, and there with severity to proceed against such as shall be 'found offenders, as to law and justice appertaineth.' The letter then proceeds to direct the City authorities to take measures for the removal and punishment of the great multitude of vagrant rogues' who had assisted in this riot. The date of it is March 5th, 1616-17.