vs your good favour & help for the refourming & banishing of so great evill out of this Citie, which our selves of loong time though to small pourpose have so earnestly desired and endeavoured by all means that possibly wee could. And bycause wee vnderstand that the Q. Maiestie is & must bee served at certen times by this sort of people, for which pourpose shee hath graunted hir lettres Patents to Mr. Tilney Master of hir Revells, by virtue whearof hee beeing authorized to refourm exercise or suppresse all manner of players, playes, & playeng houses whatsoeuer, did first licence the sayed playeng houses within this Citie for hir Maiesties sayed service, which beefore that time lay open to all the statutes for the punishing of these & such lyke disorders. Wee ar most humbly & earnestly to beeseach your Grace to call vnto you the sayed Master of hir Maiesties Revells, with whome allso wee have conferred of late to that pourpose, and to treat with him, if by any means it may bee devised that hir Maiestie may bee served with these recreations as hath ben accoustomed (which in our opinions may easily bee don by the privat exercise of hir Maiesties own players in convenient place) & the Citie freed from these continuall disorders, which thearby do growe, & increase dayly among vs. Whearby your Grace shall not only benefit & bynd vnto you the politique state & government of this Citie, which by no one thing is so greatly annoyed & disquieted as by players & playes, & the disorders which follow thearvpon, but allso take away a great offence from the Church of god & hinderance to his ghospell, to the great contentment of all good Christians, specially the preachers, & ministers of the word of god about this Citie, who have long time & yet do make their earnest continuall complaint vnto vs for the redresse hearof. And thus recommending our most humble dueties and service to your Grace wee commit the same to the grace of the Almightie. From London the 25th of February, 1591.
Your Graces most humble.
To the right reuerend Father in God my L. the Archbisshop of Canturbury his Grace.
lxxxvi.
[1592, March 6. The Lord Mayor to Archbishop Whitgift, printed
M. S. C. i. 70, from Remembrancia, i. 646. Whitgift's letter, here referred
to, does not appear to be in the Remembrancia.]
My humble duety to your Grace remembred. I received your graces
letter, whearin I vnderstood the contents of the same, & imparted
the same presently to my Brethren the Aldermen in our common
Assembly, who togither with my self yeld vnto your Grace our most
humble thancks for your good favour & godly care over vs, in vouch-*safing
vs your healp for the removing of this great inconvenience
which groweth to this Citie by playes & players. As toutching the
consideracion to bee made to Mr. Tilney, and other capitulations that
ar to passe beetwixt vs, for the better effecting & continuance of this
restraint of the sayed playes in & about this Citie, wee have appointed
certein of our Brethren the Aldermen to conferre with him forthwith,
