Another member of Browne's last expedition can perhaps be identified. With him in 1592 had been Richard Jones, who afterwards became one of the Admiral's men in 1594 and left that company in 1602. He was again associated with Browne in Rosseter's Queen's Revels syndicate of 1610. The following undated letter to Edward Alleyn is preserved at Dulwich:[1]
M^r Allen, I commend my love and humble duty to you, geving you
thankes for your great bounty bestoed vpon me in my sicknes, when
I was in great want, God blese you for it, Sir, this it is, I am to go over
beyond the seeas with M^r Browne and the company, but not by his
meanes, for he is put to half a shaer, and to stay hear, for they ar all
against his goinge. Now good Sir, as you have ever byne my worthie
frend, so healp me nowe. I have a sut of clothes and a cloke at pane
for three pound, and if it shall pleas you to lend me so much to release
them I shalbe bound to pray for you so longe as I leve, for if I go over
and have no clothes, I shall not be esteemed of, and by godes help the
first mony that I gett I will send it over vnto you, for hear I get
nothinge, some tymes I have a shillinge a day, and some tymes nothinge,
so that I leve in great poverty hear, and so I humbly take my leave,
prainge to god I and my wiffe for your health and mistris Allenes,
which god continew,
Your poor frend to command
Richard Jones.
[Endorsed] Receved of master Allen the of February the somme of [and by Alleyn] M^r Jones his letter wher on I lent hym 3^l.
This has generally been dated 1592. But Alleyn's first
recorded marriage was in October of that year, and the
reference to Browne as not going with the company has
always been a puzzle. I suspect that it was written in or
near 1615, and that Jones was one of the actors who started
in advance of Browne under John Green. That he did travel
about this time is shown by two other letters to Alleyn about
a lease of the Leopard's Head in Shoreditch held by his
wife.[2] The first, from Jones himself, is not dated, but a
mention of Henslowe shows that it was written before the
latter's death on 6 January 1616, or at least before Jones had
heard of that event. The writer and his wife were then out
of England. The second, from Harris Jones, was written
from Danzig on 1 April 1620. Mrs. Jones was then expecting
to join her husband, who was with 'the prince', whoever
this may have been. If Jones had travelled with Browne's
men, he cut himself adrift from them on their return, for in
1622 he entered as a musician the service of Philip Julius,
