The statement of the cost of the various materials is in the hand-writing of Gibson, and it appears that, besides the Interludes, and the Moresco or Morrisdance, there was a disguising, and that a fool was introduced into the entertainment, for whose coat a charge is made. The following are a few of the numerous items. 'Itm bowght by me Rychard Gybson of satten of bregs, whyte & gree, xlviij yards, the yard 2s. 6d. wherof spent in 6 jakytts for gentylmen, to every 'jakytt 6 yards. These jakytts had wyd slevys pen'dent. 'Itm bought by me Rychard Gybson, of yowlow 'sarsenet xxxviij yards, the yard 4s. wherof spent & 'imployd for a foolys kote 4 yards. 6 • Itm spent for iij mynstrells cotts, half yellow; to every cote 3 yards. Itm whyte sarsenett for the iij mynstrells cottes, half whyte; to every cote, 3 yards. • Itm bowght by me Rychard Gybson, one pece of sypers, [cypress] 4s. spent & imployd for the tyer of the lady callyd Bewte, and the oother half for the • lady callyd Venus: so spent of sypers 1 pece. 'Itm bowght by me Rychard Gybson, xxiiij dozyn ' of bells, the dosyn 12d. spent for the sayd morysks, ' as well as 5 dosyn of the Kyngs store that were allso spent. Itm payd to Rychard Rownanger, paynter, for werkyng & betyng of a surkytt & a mantyll of yellow 'sarssenet, with hartts and wyngs of sylver for the lady that playd Venus, 10s. "Itm bowght by me Rychard Gybson, xxiiij thow'sand spangs [spangles] of Flanders makyng, callyd 'setters of dyvers sorttys, pr. the thowsand, 4d.-8s. 'Itm bowght by me Rychard Gybson, 18 thow'sand spangs called hyngers, of latten or coper, the 'thowsand, 6d.—10s. • Itm for a long gyrdyl for the lady, 1 yard. "Itm bowght by me Rychard Gybson, 38 yards of blake sarssenet, the yard 3s. wherof spent in vj gownys for the sayd gentylmen to kever ther gar'mentts; to every gowne v yards, 30 yards. 6 Itm spent for the kevyring of bonytts; to every bonyt, yarde. Itm spent for vj payer of slop hosyn for kevyring • of ther bells, 4 yards.' From these particulars we may gather, that the gentlemen first entered disguised in black, and stripping off their external habits, afterwards appeared as Morris-dancers. The two ladies playing Venus and Beauty, doubtless acted in Cornyshe's Interlude *. These two parts were probably sustained by Ladies of the Court; and somewhat later in France, it was not unusual for the Princess and the female nobility to appear in what were termed ' farces. This word is used in a letter from Sir W. Paget, resident Ambassador at the French Court, to Henry VIII., dated 26 Feb. 1541-2, giving an account of such a performance. The original is in the State Paper Office, and it was obligingly pointed out to me by Mr. Lemon. Sir W. Paget uses these expressions. 'The Cardinall of Turnon is restored again to the Kinges favour by 'the meanes of Madame d'Estampes and the Quene of Navarre, who F 2 ' lately The velvets and silks, exclusive of other articles, for A. D. the disguising' in 1516, cost 247. 12s. 7d., 1516. and the apparel, &c., furnished from other quarters, are charged at 1371. 14s. Od. The revels at New Hall, otherwise called Beaulieu, in Essex, at Christmas 1519-20, occasioned a disburse of 2071. 5s. 1 d., and no doubt this was not the whole of the charge in the preceding year, according to Stow, there was a 'pestilence almost over all England,' and the King, therefore, kept himself with small company about him*. In the summer of 1520, Henry VIII. and Francis I. met in Flanders, and enormous expenses were incurred by the former; of which, the sum of 30077. 16s. 6d. for apparel for the King, challengers and maskers, appears in the account of the royal payments. During the four first years of his reign, Henry 'lately went to visite him two myle from hence at his lodging, and played a farce before him: the players wherin were the Kinges 'doughter, Madame d'Estampes, Madame de Nevers, Madame Mont'pensier & Madame Belley.' *This circumstance is referred to in a letter from the Duke of Norfolk to the Lord Privy Seal, (preserved in his correspondence in the Chapter-house, Westminster,) dated Overton, 6th October, at 11 o'clock at night [1519.] 'I have thought convenient to send my servant this berer unto you, 'to knowe the certaintie with your good advise, whether I were better 'to come uppe with such nombre as I was wont to have abowts me 'when I wayted in the Court, wich was abouts xl. horses, or els to come with a smaller nombre: And also whether I shall bring with " me my Sone of Surrey or not, whom I have caused to put hymself in 'redynes to mete me at Ware.' VIII. kept up the theatrical establishment of his father, but in 1514 having added a new company of players to his domestic retinue, from thenceforward payments were made to the King's players,' and to the King's old players *.' The gentlemen of the Chapel also continued their performances, and he raised their emoluments on such occasions, at once from 61. 13s. 4d., which was the highest reward given * In Lansd. MS. No. 171, it is said, that Henry VIII. increased his theatrical servants from to 8, giving each of them an annual fee of 37. 6s. 8d.: the fact is, as it is stated above, that four of them were called the King's players,' and the four others the King's old players.' In the same document, the following is given as the establishment of the King's Chapel, with the charge for it. £424 13 4 This charge is independent of the cost of apparel, which must have been very considerable. In the Wardrobe Accounts, in the 3d and 4th Henry VIII., formerly in the possession of Mr. Craven Ord, is a warrant for furnishing Thomas Sexton, one of the Gentlemen of the Chapel, with a gown which was to cost 117. 18s. Another warrant directs that William Crane shall be furnished with a gown, costing 97. 12s. The gowns of three others were to cost 267. 13s. 3d. By a warrant in the same volume, dated 26th April, 4 Henry VIII., green dresses are ordered for no less than 80 Trumpeters. Blynd Dike the King's Harper,' who is often mentioned in accounts at the commencement of this reign, was provided with a gown costing 37. 8s. The gowns of the gentlemen Capella Regis, were composed of tawny camlet, and black satin furred with black bogy,' [forsan black budge], by his father, to 10l. The children of the Chapel were also converted, at particular seasons, into a company of comedians, and when they played received a gratuity of 67. 13s. 4d., which passed through the hands of Cornyshe, their old master and instructor. He seems to have been in high favour with Henry VIII., and on one occasion received as a reward the sum of 2007. John English, as has been before remarked, was also retained in the service of this King, with a stipend of 31. 6s. 8d. John Heywood, who is called the singer,' had a quarterly allowance of 5l., at that date a very considerable salary, and six times as much as the fixed stipend of any of the interlude players *. The first notice of Heywood, in connection with the household of Henry VIII., is in the year 1514, when his name only is inserted: in 1519 he is called a singer,' and not included among the persons forming the establishment of the Chapel. He was probably then a boy, separately retained for the excellence of his voice: later in the reign of Henry VIII., it will be found that he is spoken of as a player on the virginals,' but as he probably held another appointment, master of a company of children who played before the Court, his salary was reduced to 27. 10s. per quarter. He subsequently became a dramatic author, besides being the writer of many poems. One of these, directly connected with the amusement of the court, and well meriting preservation, has hitherto escaped all notice: it is contained in Cotton MS., Vespasian, A. xxv.; and as it relates to the situation Heywood occupied at the particular period to which we are now referring, I cannot refrain from quoting it in a note. 'Longe have I bene a singinge man, 'And sondrie partes ofte I have songe, 'I cold nor can sing, olde or yonge; 'The meane, I meane, which parte showthe well -The |