- ledg, and proffitt whatsoever belonging and properly apperteyninge
to the Master of our Revelles in respect of his Office and everie article and graunt contayned within the lettres patentes or Commission, which haue byne heretofore graunted or directed by the late Queene Elizabeth our deere sister or by our selfe to our welbeloved servantes Edmond Tillney Master of the said Office of the said Revelles, or to Sir George Bucke knight, or to eyther of them, in possession or Revercion, shall remayne and abyde entire and in full force, estate and vertue and in as ample sort as if this our commission had never bene made. Witnes our selfe att Westminster the thirtith daye March.
per breve de priuato sigillo &c.
The only member of the Duke of York's men, of whose previous
history anything is known, is John Garland. He was of
the Duke of Lennox's men in 1605. Perhaps the whole
company was taken over from the Duke of Lennox. Mr. Fleay
says that the Duke of York's men arose 'immediately after
the disappearance of the King's Revels Children',[1] and appears
to suggest a continuity between the two companies; but he
must have overlooked the fact that the Duke of York's were
already performing in the provinces, while the King's Revels
were in all probability still at Whitefriars.[2]
Some reconstruction doubtless took place about the date of the issue of the patent, for the pleadings in the equity suit of Taylor v. Hemynges in 1612 recites an agreement of 15 March 1610, which provided for the continuance of fellowship during three years and the forfeiture of the interest in a common stock of 'apparrell goodes money and other thinges' of any member, who left without the consent of the rest. It was made between Garland on the one side and Taylor, Rowley, Dawes, and Hobbes on the other, and these four gave Garland a bond of £200 as security. On 8 May the five bought some 'olde clothes or apparrell which formerly weare players clothes or apparrell' from John Heminges of the King's men for £11, and gave a bond of £20 for payment. Apparently payment had not been made by Easter 1611, when Taylor 'by the licence and leave of his said Master the Duke vpon some speciall reason . . . did give over and leave to play in the company'. Under the agreement the apparel passed to his fellows, and according to Taylor they paid Heminges the £11 or otherwise satisfied him, and then 'havinge conceaued some vndeserued displeasure' against Taylor for leaving them, conspired with Heminges to defraud him of £20 on the bond. According to Heminges no payment
