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inconvenient on so small a stage.^[1] And, as it certainly originated at the public houses, so it maintained itself there, in spite of the grumbles of the ordinary spectators, with whose view of the action the throng of feathered and restless gallants necessarily interfered.^[2] It may have been profitable to the actors as sharers, but as actors they resented the restriction of the space available for their movements which it entailed.^[3] The prologue to Jonson's The Devil is an Ass

[Footnote: K. B. P. (1607), ind. 41: Wife below Rafe below.

Wife. Husband, shall I come vp husband?

Citizen. I cunny. Rafe helpe your mistresse this way: pray gentlemen make her a little roome, I pray you sir lend me your hand to helpe vp my wife. . . . Boy, let my wife and I haue a cupple stooles. . . . Come vp Rafe.

It must not be assumed from this burlesque that women usually sat on the stage, even at the private houses.]*

↑ What You Will (1602), ind., 'Let's place ourselves within the curtains, for good faith the stage is so very little, we shall wrong the general eye else very much'; Faery Pastoral (1603), author's note, 'If so be that the Properties of any of These, that be outward, will not serue the turne by reason of concourse of the People on the Stage, Then you may omit the sayd Properties'. In Wily Beguiled (possibly a Paul's play), 2021, comes the s. d. 'Stands vpon a stoole', in a wood scene.
↑ E. M. O. (1599), 585 (Q_{1}), 'Sit o' the stage and flout; prouided, you haue a good suit'; 1784, 'rich apparell . . . takes possession of your stage at your new play'; A Mad World, my Masters (c. 1604-6), v. ii. 38, 'The actors have been found i' th' morning in a less compass than their stage, though it were ne'er so full of gentlemen'; Woman Hater (1607), i. 3, 'All the Gallants on the stage rise, vail to me, kiss their hand, offer me their places'. It is true that Roaring Girl (1611), ii. 1, has 'the private stages audience, the twelve-penny stool gentlemen', but this may only point to a higher price for a stool at the private house, and in any case cannot outweigh the allusions of Davies and Jonson before the Blackfriars, or probably Paul's, were reopened, or T. M. Black Book (1604, Bullen, Middleton, viii. 42), 'Barnaby Burning-glass, arch tobacco-taker of England, in ordinaries, upon stages both common and private'; Dekker, G. H. B. (1609), 'Whether therefore the gatherers of the publique or priuate Play-house stand to receiue the afternoones rent, let our Gallant (hauing paid it) presently aduance himselfe vp to the Throne of the Stage' (cf. the whole passage on the procedure and advantages of sitting on the stage, where Dekker clearly mingles traits of both types of house, in App. H). Wallace, ii. 130, argues that the custom was started at Blackfriars and was confined to the private houses, but is hopelessly confuted by C. R. Baskervill in M. P. viii. 581.
↑ Malcontent (1604, Globe), ind.: 'Enter W. Sly, a Tire-man following him with a stool. Tireman. Sir, the gentlemen will be angry if you sit here. Sly. Why, we may sit upon the stage at the private house. Thou dost not take me for a country gentleman, dost? dost think I fear hissing?. . . Lowin. Good sir, will you leave the stage? I'll help you to a private room. Sly. Come, coz, lets take some tobacco'; M. D'Olive (1606, Blackfriars), IV. ii. 173, 'I'll take up some other fool

[1] What You Will (1602), ind., 'Let's place ourselves within the curtains, for good faith the stage is so very little, we shall wrong the general eye else very much'; Faery Pastoral (1603), author's note, 'If so be that the Properties of any of These, that be outward, will not serue the turne by reason of concourse of the People on the Stage, Then you may omit the sayd Properties'. In Wily Beguiled (possibly a Paul's play), 2021, comes the s. d. 'Stands vpon a stoole', in a wood scene.

[2] E. M. O. (1599), 585 (Q_{1}), 'Sit o' the stage and flout; prouided, you haue a good suit'; 1784, 'rich apparell . . . takes possession of your stage at your new play'; A Mad World, my Masters (c. 1604-6), v. ii. 38, 'The actors have been found i' th' morning in a less compass than their stage, though it were ne'er so full of gentlemen'; Woman Hater (1607), i. 3, 'All the Gallants on the stage rise, vail to me, kiss their hand, offer me their places'. It is true that Roaring Girl (1611), ii. 1, has 'the private stages audience, the twelve-penny stool gentlemen', but this may only point to a higher price for a stool at the private house, and in any case cannot outweigh the allusions of Davies and Jonson before the Blackfriars, or probably Paul's, were reopened, or T. M. Black Book (1604, Bullen, Middleton, viii. 42), 'Barnaby Burning-glass, arch tobacco-taker of England, in ordinaries, upon stages both common and private'; Dekker, G. H. B. (1609), 'Whether therefore the gatherers of the publique or priuate Play-house stand to receiue the afternoones rent, let our Gallant (hauing paid it) presently aduance himselfe vp to the Throne of the Stage' (cf. the whole passage on the procedure and advantages of sitting on the stage, where Dekker clearly mingles traits of both types of house, in App. H). Wallace, ii. 130, argues that the custom was started at Blackfriars and was confined to the private houses, but is hopelessly confuted by C. R. Baskervill in M. P. viii. 581.

[3] Malcontent (1604, Globe), ind.: 'Enter W. Sly, a Tire-man following him with a stool. Tireman. Sir, the gentlemen will be angry if you sit here. Sly. Why, we may sit upon the stage at the private house. Thou dost not take me for a country gentleman, dost? dost think I fear hissing?. . . Lowin. Good sir, will you leave the stage? I'll help you to a private room. Sly. Come, coz, lets take some tobacco'; M. D'Olive (1606, Blackfriars), IV. ii. 173, 'I'll take up some other fool

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