been put in charge of the Revels. The Mastership of the Revels was given, by a patent dated 18 January 1560, to Sir Thomas Benger.[1] The Clerk Comptroller and Clerk continued as in former years to be joint officers for the Tents and the Revels. Benger is a somewhat shadowy personage. It is upon record that he gave Elizabeth a ring as a New Year's gift in 1562; that the Westminster boys rehearsed the Heautontimoroumenos and Miles Gloriosus before him in 1564 and spent 6d. on 'pinnes and sugar candee'; that he got a licence to export 300 tons of beer in 1566; that he had players of his own at Canterbury in 1569-70; and that the corporation of Saffron Walden spent 3s. 6d. upon a 'podd' of oysters for him at Elizabeth's visit to Audley End in 1571.[2] Apparently he began his administration with good intentions. The following note is affixed to his first Revels' estimate, that for the Christmas of 1559-60:
'Memorandum, that the chargies for making of maskes cam never
to so little a somme [£227 11s. 2d.] as they do this yere, for the same
did ever amount, as well in the Quenes Highnes tyme that nowe is,
as at all other tymes hertofore, to the somme of £400 alwaies when it
was leaste.
'M^m. also, that it may please the Quenes Ma^{tie} to appoint some of her highnes prevy Counsaile, immediatly after Shroftyde yerely, to survey the state of the saide office, to thintent it may be knowne in what case I fownd it, and how it hathe byn since used.
'M^m. also, that the saide Counsailors may have aucthoritie to appoint suche fees of cast garments as they shall think resonable, and not the M^r. to appoint any, as hertofore he hathe done; for I think it most for the M^{rs}. savegarde so to be used.'[3]
The cast garments were a perquisite of the officers, and
were sold by them, doubtless to actors. The change in the
Mastership led also to a change in the local habitation of
the Revels. It is to be supposed that the buildings with
which Cawarden had supplemented the official storehouse
were no longer available after they had passed to his executors.
In any case, it is clear from the survey of 1586-7 described
- ↑ Patent in Rymer, xv. 565; Collier, i. 170, from privy seal; Feuillerat, Eliz. 54.
- ↑ Nichols, Eliz. i. 115, 280; Athenaeum (1903), i. 220; 3 Library, ix. 252; Collier, i. 185. A reference to the Master of 'Revels' in Hatfield MSS. i. 551 is a mistake for 'Rolls'. Benger was son of Robert Benger or Berenger of Marlborough (Harl. Soc. Visitations, lviii. 10), was knighted 2 Oct. 1553 (Machyn, 335), and was auditor to Elizabeth as princess (Hearne, John of Glastonbury, 519). Further personal notes are in Stopes, Hunnis, 104, 311.
- ↑ Collier, i. 171 (assigned in error to Cawarden); Feuillerat, Eliz. 110, from S. P. D. Eliz. vii. 50.
