Chapter-house) directed to the Exchequer, referring to orders that had been given to him for the receipt

any person or persons, then the said Sr John Ashley, by virtue and ' authority hereof, to enlarge him or them as by our special protection during the time of said works. And also if any person or persons, 6 being retained in our said works of our said office of Revells, have 'taken any manner of taskeworke, being bound to finish the same by Ia certaine day, shall not runne into any manner of forfeiture or 'penaltie for breaking of his day, soe that he or they, immediately after 'the finishing of our said works, endeavor him or themselves to finish 'the said taskeworke. And further also wee have and doe by these 'presents authorize and commaund our said servant Sir John Ashley, 'Master of our Revells, by himself or his sufficient deputie or deputies, 'to warne commaund and appoint in all places within this our Realme ' of England, as well within franchises and liberties as without, all and every player and players, with the playmakers, either belonging to 6 any noblemen, or otherwise, bearing the name or names of using the facultie of playmakers or players of Comedies, Tragedies, Interludes,

" or what other showes soever, from time to time and at all times to appeare before him with all such plaies, tragedies, comedies or showes 6 as they shall have in readines or meane to sett foorth, and them to pre'sent and recite before our said servant or his sufficient deputie, whome 6 we ordaine appoint and authorize by these presents of all such showes, plaies, players and playmakers, together with their playing 'places, to order and reforme, authorise and put downe, as shalbe thought meete or unmeete unto himself or his said deputie in that behalf. 'And we have likewise by these presents authorised and commaunded 'the said Sir John Ashley, that if any of them, whatsoever they be, will obstinately refuse, upon warning unto them given, by the said Sir John Ashley or his sufficient deputie, to accomplish and obey our 'commaundement in this behalf, then it shalbe lawfull to and for the 'said Sir John Ashley, or his sufficient deputie, to attache the partie or 'parties so offending, and him or them to commit to ward, there to remaine without baile or mainprise, untill such time as the said Sir 'John Ashley or his sufficient deputie shall thinke the time of his or

of 6011., due to the officers of the Revels, upon accounts for two years, and of 1007. in advance for the provision of necessaries for the Court amusements, making together 7011. Of this amount Sir George Buc had obtained 400l., and the Privy Seal directed that the remaining 3011. should be paid to Sir John Astley, as Sir George Buc, by reason of sickness and indisposition of body, wherewith it had pleased God to visit him, was become disabled, and insufficient 'to undergo and perform the duties of Master of the Revels, which office had been conferred upon Sir John Astley, Knight.' Thus from the 2d May, 1622. Sir John Astley was in full possession of the office of Master of the Revels, with some extraordinary powers which never appear to have been given to, nor exercised by his predecessors.

Some time before Sir George Buc was thus ex

'their imprisonment to be punishment sufficient for his or their said 'offences in that behalf; and that done to enlarge him or them so being ' imprisoned at their plaine libertie, without any losse penaltie for'feiture or other danger in this behalf to be sustained or borne by the 'said Sir John Ashley or his deputy, any act, statute, ordinance or ' provision heretofore had or made, to the contrary hereof in any wise ' notwithstanding. Wherefore wee will and commaund you and every of 'you, that unto the said Sir John Ashley, or his sufficient deputie, 'bearer hereof, in the due execution of this our authority and com'maund, yee be ayding, supporting and assisting from time to time as 'the case shall require, as you and every of you tender our pleasure, ' and will answer the contrary at your uttermost perills. In witness, &c. 'Given under our signet at our Pallace of Westminster the 2d day of May in the 20th yeare of our rayne, &c.

'Ex.

R. Kirkham.'

cluded from his office, viz., in the autumn of 1620, a project was on foot for constructing an Amphitheatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields; and by the documents extant upon this subject it appears, that the Prince's players * had at one time (the date is not given) presented a petition to King James, in order to be allowed to erect a playhouse there: a negative was then put upon this undertaking, in con

* In 1621, William Rowley, the author of several plays, was one of the Prince's actors, and in that year published some lines on the death of a fellow actor, who seems to have obtained celebrity, of the name of Hugh Atwell. They have never been mentioned nor reprinted, and are here given from a copy, among a number of broadsides on temporary subjects, in the Library of the Society of Antiquaries.

For a Funerall Elegie on the Death of Hugh Atwell, Servant to 'Prince Charles, this fellow-feeling Farewell: who died the 25th of 'Sept., 1621.

So, now Hee's downe, the other side may shout:
'But did he not play faire? held he not out
'With courage beyond his bone? Full sixe yeares
'To wrastle and tugge with Death! the strong'st feares
'To meet at such a match. They that have seene
'How doubtfull Victorie hath stood betweene
'Might wonder at it. Sometimes cunningly
'Death gets advantage: by his cheeke and eye
'We thought that ours had beene the weaker part,

'And straight agen the little mans great heart
'Would rouse fresh strength and shake him off awhile:

'Death would retire, but never reconcile.

They too't agen, agen; they pull, they tugge,
'At last Death gets within, and with a hugge

'The faint Soule crushes. This thou maist boast, Death,
'Th'hast throwne him faire, but he was out of breath.
'Refresh thee then (sweet Hugh); on the ground rest:
'The worst is past, and now thou hast the best.
'Rise with fresh breath, and be assur❜d before,
'That Death shall never wrastle with thee more.

sequence of the certificate of eleven justices that it would be inconvenient. Nevertheless, it appears that in 1620 the King incautiously granted a permission to his servants John Cotton, John Williams and Thomas Dixon,' (names that do not elsewhere occur) to build an Amphitheatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields: whether attention was called to the subject by remonstrances from other parties is not stated, but on the 29th September, 1620, James wrote to his Privy Council, requiring them to cancel the licence given, and to cause the Solicitor General to draw up another according to certain inclosed instructions.

'Oh, hadst thou, Death (as warres and battels may
'Present thee so) a field of noble clay

'To entertaine into thy rhewmie cell,

And thou wouldst have it be presented well,

Mongst living Princes it hath sweetly sung,

(While they have sung his praise) but if thy Court

'Be silence-tyde and there dwells no report,

'Lend it to Life to store another flesh:

'We misse it here; wee'l entertain 't afresh.

'EPITAPH.

'Here lyes the man (and let no lyars tell)
His heart a Saints, his toung a silver bell:
Friend to his friend he stood: by Death he fell:
'He chang'd his Hugh, yet he remains At-well.

'Will. Rowley?

Hugh Atwell, or Attawel, it will be recollected, was one of the Children of her Majesty's Revels,' in 1609, and played in Ben Jonson's Epicone in that year. George Attewel was a player in Henslowe's company, and perhaps the father of Hugh Attawell, Attewell, or Atwell. A receipt by Francis Henslowe of 97., to enable him to purchase a share of the company with which he was playing, is witnessed by William Smyght, Gorge Attewell, and Robart Nycowlles, Players.

The original, from which the following was copied, is in the State Paper Office.

To our right trusty and right welbeloved Cousins ' and Councellors, William Earle of Pembroke, Cham'berlaine of our Household, and Thomas Earle of ‹ Arundell; to our trusty and right welbeloved Coun'cellor John Lo. Digby, Vice-chamberlen of our 'Howsehould, and to our right trusty and welbeloved 'Councellors, Sir Robert Naunton, Knight, one of our Principal Secretaries of State, Sir George Calvert, 'Knight, one other of our Principall Secretaries of State, ' and Sir Fulke Grivill, Knight, Chancellor and Under' treasurer of our Exchequer, or to any fowre of them. 'James R.

6

6

Right trusty and right welbeloved Cousins and 'Councellors, and right trusty and welbeloved Coun'cellors, wee greete you well. Whereas at the humble suite of our servants John Cotton, John Williams

and Thomas Dixon, and in recompence of their services, wee have been pleased to licence them to buyld an Amphitheater, which hath passed our Signett and 'is stayed at our Privy Seale; and finding therein 'conteyned some such wordes and clauses, as may in ⚫ some constructions seem to give them greater liberty, both in the point of buylding and using of exercises, then is any way to be permitted, or was ever by us 'intended, Wee have thought fitt to commaund and give authority unto you, or any fower of you, to cause 'that already passed to be cancelled, and to give order ' unto our Sollicitor generall for the drawing up of a