Fortune was given a roof at the rebuilding of 1623, or the Red Bull at somewhat the same time, is uncertain; but at any rate the Salisbury Court theatre, built near the Whitefriars in 1629, perhaps to replace the old Whitefriars theatre, was a roofed house.[1] This was the last new theatre built before the civil wars. The Blackfriars, the Cockpit, and Salisbury Court were the most important of the Caroline stages, and in the post-Restoration houses, although these were on a larger scale than the 'private' houses of the past, the roofed model was invariably adopted.
Soon after the completion of Salisbury Court, Edmund Howes, who had already edited the fourth edition of John Stowe's Annales in 1615, was again revising the text for the fifth edition of 1631, and took occasion to append to his account of the burnings of the Globe and the Fortune the following summary of theatrical enterprise since 1569:[2] 'In the yeere one thousand sixe hundred twenty nine, there was builded a new faire Play-house, neere the white Fryers. And this is the seauenteenth Stage, or common Play-house, which hath beene new made within the space of threescore yeeres within London and the Suburbs, viz.
'Fiue Innes, or common Osteryes turned to Play-houses, one Cockpit, S. Paules singing Schoole, one in the Black-fryers, and one in the White-fryers, which was built last of all, in the yeare one thousand sixe hundred twenty nine, all the rest not not named, were erected only for common Play-houses, besides the new built Beare garden, which was built as well for playes, and Fencers prizes, as Bull bayting; besides, one in former time at Newington Buts; Before the space of threescore yeares aboue-sayd, I neither knew, heard, nor read, of any such Theaters, set Stages, or Play-houses, as haue beene purposely built within mans memory.'
This passage serves as a fair summary of the detailed investigations
set out in this chapter. Howes only allows one house to
the Blackfriars and one to the Whitefriars, and must therefore
be leaving out of account the abortive Porter's Hall house,
- ↑ There is, I suppose, no reason why Randolph's Muses Looking Glass,
1. i. 55, should not have been written before Salisbury Court was built.
Herein a 'brother' is said to pray—
That the Globe,
Wherein (quoth he) reigns a whole world of vice,
Had been consum'd: the Phoenix burnt to ashes:
The Fortune whipp'd for a blind whore: Blackfriars,
He wonders how it 'scaped demolishing
I' th' time of reformation: lastly, he wish'd
The Bull might cross the Thames to the Bear Garden,
And there be soundly baited. - ↑ Stowe, Annales (1631), 1004. In the extract in Harrison, ii. 49^*, the period covered is given in error as 1553-1613.
