his account, and the resemblance of the list of plays to that of the previous spring renders it reasonable to suppose that the actors were the same.[1] The season lasted to the end of January 1593, and a play was given on each of the twenty-six week-days of this period. Muly Mollocco, The Spanish Tragedy, A Knack to Know a Knave, The Jew of Malta, Sir John Mandeville, Titus and Vespasian, Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, 1 Henry VI, and 2 Tamar Cham all made their appearance again. In addition, there were a comedy called Cosmo, and two new plays, The Jealous Comedy, which may, I think, be The Comedy of Errors, and The Tragedy of the Guise, which is usually accepted as Marlowe's Massacre of Paris. The first representation of the former yielded Henslowe £2 4s. 0d., that of the latter £3 14s. 0d.; as in the spring, his daily takings averaged £1 14s. 0d. Besides their public performances, Strange's men were called upon for three plays at Court, on the evenings of 27 and 31 December 1592 and 1 January 1593.
The plague made a new inhibition of plays necessary on 28 January, but it does not seem to have been for some months that Strange's men made up their minds to travel. A special licence issued in their favour by the Privy Council on 6 May is registered in the following terms:
'Whereas it was thought meet that during the time of the infection
and continewaunce of the sicknes in the citie of London there shold
no plaies or enterludes be usd, for th' avoiding of th' assemblies and
concourse of people in anie usual place apointed nere the said cittie,
and though the bearers hereof, Edward Allen, servaunt to the right
honorable the Lord Highe Admiral, William Kemp, Thomas Pope, John
Heminges, Augustine Phillipes and Georg Brian, being al one companie,
servauntes to our verie good the Lord the Lord Strainge, ar
restrained their exercize of playing within the said citie and liberties
thereof, yet it is not therby ment but that they shal and maie in
regard of the service by them don and to be don at the Court exercize
their quallitie of playing comodies, tragedies and such like in anie other
cities, townes and corporacions where the infection is not, so it be not
within seaven miles of London or of the Coort, that they maie be in the
better readines hereafter for her Majesty's service whensoever they
shalbe therunto called. Theis therfore shalbe to wil and require you
that they maie without their lett or contradiccion use their said
exercize at their most convenient times and places (the accustomed
times of Devine praiers excepted).'[2]
The importance of this document is in the information
which it gives as to the composition of the company. Presumably
only the leaders are named, and of these Alleyn alone
