1593. He is also mentioned, with Dobe, Whittcombe, and Anderson, who may have been actors, in some inventories of properties belonging to Alleyn or to the company in March 1598.[1] Thomas Downton also had in June 1600 a 'boye' who played in Cupid and Psyche.[2] Another acknowledgement of account, dated on 10 July 1600, only differs from the former one by the omission of Spencer's name and the inclusion of those of Juby and Anthony Jeffes.[3] The alleged manuscript notes to a copy of Dekker's Shoemaker's Holiday (q.v.), produced in January 1600, which are discredited by Dr. Greg, give the cast as composed of 'Jones, H. Jeffes, Rowley, Shawe, Massy, Dowton, Singer, Jewby, Towne, A. Jeffes, Birde, Wilson, Flower, Price, Day, Dowton's boy Ned and Alleine'; the last for a female part. Certainly nothing is known of Day or Wilson as actors for the Admiral's, or of Price at any such early date, or of Flower at all. But if the document is a forgery, it is a very pointless, and at the same time a very cautious one. And how did the forger, unless he were Collier or Cunningham, know that Day was an actor at all?
The records kept by Henslowe for the period 1597-1600 differ considerably in character from those for 1594-7. The diurnal list of plays performed and of rent-takings disappears altogether. On the other hand, the records of advances made, for the books and licensing of plays, for costumes and properties, and for certain miscellaneous items of expenditure, become full and systematic. A per contra account is also kept of weekly sums received by Henslowe in repayment of such advances, and from time to time a balance is struck, and the hands of the company taken to a settlement or acknowledgement of debt. Henslowe's book-keeping, however, if not exactly faulty, is not always sufficiently lucid to make the whole of the financial transactions perfectly clear. In the absence of the daily entries of performances, the weekly records of repayments make it possible to determine roughly the periods covered by the theatrical seasons.[4] The company played for twenty continuous weeks from 11 October 1597 to about 4 March 1598, apparently with some irregularity at the beginning and again about Christmas time. Their Court plays were on 27 December and 28 February. In Lent they had a three weeks' interval, during the course of which they met to read a book in New Fish Street, and 'played in Fleatstreet pryuat'.[5] Playing was resumed about 25 March and lasted for some fifteen weeks, until about 8 July, making
