The first of these actes of Comon counsell was made in the maraltie of Hawes xvij^o Regine, and sheweth a maner how plaies were to be tollerated and vsed, althoughe it were rather wished that they were wholly discontinued for the causes appearing in the preamble; which is for that reason somewhat the longer.
Where the players reporte the order to be that they shold not play till after seruice time, the boke ['fo. 8^o' added in margin] is otherwise; for it is that they shal not onely not play in seruice time, but also shal not receue any in seruice time to se the same; for thoughe they did forbeare beginning to play till seruice were done, yet all the time of seruice they did take in people; which was the great mischef in withdrawing the people from seruice.
Afterward when these orders were not obserued, and the lewd maters of playes encreasced, and in the haunt vnto them were found many dangers, bothe for religion, state, honestie of manners, vnthriftinesse of the poore, and danger of infection &c, and the preachers dayly cryeng against the L. maiour and his bretheren, in an Act of Common Counsel for releafe of the poore which I send yowe printed, in the Article 62 the last leafe, is enacted as there appeareth, by which there are no enterludes allowed in London in open spectacle, but in priuate howses onely at marriages or such like, which may suffise, and sute is apointed to be made that they may be likewise banished in places adioyning.
Since that time and namely upon the ruine at Parise garden, sute was made to my LLs. to banishe playes wholly in the places nere London, according to the said lawe. Letters were obtained from my LLs. to banishe them on the sabbat Daies.
(b)
Now touching their petition and articles
Where they pretend that they must haue exercise to enable them in their seruice before her maiestie:
It is to be noted that it is not conuenient that they present before her maiestie such playes as haue ben before commonly played in open stages before all the basest assemblies in London and Middlesex, and therfore sufficent for their exercise and more comely for the place that (as it is permitted by the sayd lawes of common counsell) they make their exercise of playeng only in priuate houses.
Also it lyeth within the dutiefull care for her Maiesties royal persone, that they be not suffred, from playeing in the throng of a multitude and of some infected, to presse so nere to the presence of her maiestie.
Where they pretend the mater of stay of their lyuing:
It hath not ben vsed nor thought meete heretofore that players haue or shold make their lyuing on the art of playeng, but men for their lyuings vsing other honest and lawfull artes, or reteyned in honest seruices, haue by companies learned some enterludes for some encreasce to their profit by other mens pleasures in vacant time of recreation.
