Beeston, Thomas Hawood, Richard Pyrkins, Robert Pallant, Iohn Duke, Thomas Swynerton, Iəames Ho[u]lt, Robert Beeston, & Robert Lee, servauntes vnto our dearest [and welbeloved] wyfe the Queene Anna, with the rest of there Associates, freely to vse and exercise the art and faculty of playinge Comedies, Tragedies, Histories, Enterludes, Morralls, Pastoralls, Stage plaies, and such other lyke as they haue already studied, or hereafter shall vse or stud[d]y, as well for the recreacion of our lovinge subiectes as for our solace and pleasure, when wee shall thinke good to see them, during our pleasure; And the said Comedies, Tragedies, Histories, Enterludes, Morralls, Pastoralls, Stage plaies, and such like, to shew and exercise publikly, when the infeccion of the plague shall decrease to the nomber of thirty weekly within our Citie of London and the liberties therof, aswell within there now vsuall Howsen, called the Curtayne, and the Bores head, within our County of Middlesex, [or] as in any other play howse not vsed by others, by the said Thomas Greene elected, or by him hereafter to be builte, and also within any Towne Halls, or Mouthalls, or other convenyent places, within the liberties and freedomes of any Cittie, vniversitie, Towne, or Boroughe whatsoeuer, within our said Realmes and domynyons: Willing and Commaundinge yowe and euerie of yowe, as you tender our pleasure, not only to permytt and suffer them [herein] to vse and exercise the said art of playinge without any your Lettes hinderaunces or molestacions, duringe our said pleasure, but also to be aydinge and assistinge vnto them, yf any wronge be to them offered, and to allow them such [former] curtesies, as hath heretofore bene given vnto any men of theire qualitie: [And also what further favour, any of our subiectes shall shew to theise our deare and loveinge wyfes servauntes, for our sake, wee shall take kyndly at your handes. Yeouen at the daye of In the yere of our Raygne of England: &c:]
Gyuen &c.
[Endorsed] The Quenes Plaiers.
This draft is undated. But it was prepared during a plague,
and located the Queen's men at the Boar's Head; and as they
may reasonably be supposed to have exchanged the Boar's
Head for the Red Bull (q.v.) before the plague of 1606 began,
it may be conjecturally assigned to that of 1603-4. Probably
it never passed the Great Seal, for if it had there would have
been no necessity, so far as one can judge, for a later patent of
15 April 1609, which is on the rolls, and which closely follows
the earlier draft in its terms, except that it omits the reference
to the plague, names the Red Bull instead of the Boar's Head
as one of the company's regular houses, and adds a saving
clause for the rights of the Master of the Revels. Here is the
text:[1]*
- ↑ Printed in M. S. C. i. 270, from P. R. 7 Jac. I, pt. 39; also from
