as in all other places in and abowt the Citie, Wheareby wee doubt not but, th'opportunitie & the very cause of many disorders beinge taken away, wee shalbee more able to keepe the worse sort of such evell & disordered people in better order then heartofore wee haue been. And so most humbly wee take our leaves. From London the xxviijth of Iulie. 1597.
Your HH most humble.
The inconueniences that grow by Stage playes abowt the Citie of London.
1. They are a speaciall cause of corrupting their Youth, conteninge nothinge but vnchast matters, lascivious devices, shiftes of Coozenage, & other lewd & vngodly practizes, being so as that they impresse the very qualitie & corruption of manners which they represent, Contrary to the rules & art prescribed for the makinge of Comedies eaven amonge the Heathen, who vsed them seldom & at certen sett tymes, and not all the year longe as our manner is. Whearby such as frequent them, beinge of the base & refuze sort of people or such young gentlemen as haue small regard of credit or conscience, drawe the same into imitacion and not to the avoidinge the like vices which they represent.
2. They are the ordinary places for vagrant persons, Maisterles men, thieves, horse stealers, whoremongers, Coozeners, Conycatchers, contrivers of treason, and other idele and daungerous persons to meet together & to make theire matches to the great displeasure of Almightie God & the hurt & annoyance of her Maiesties people, which cannot be prevented nor discovered by the Gouernours of the Citie for that they are owt of the Citiees iurisdiction.
3. They maintaine idlenes in such persons as haue no vocation & draw apprentices and other seruantes from theire ordinary workes and all sortes of people from the resort vnto sermons and other Christian exercises, to the great hinderance of traides & prophanation of religion established by her highnes within this Realm.
4. In the time of sicknes it is fownd by experience, that many hauing sores and yet not hart sicke take occasion hearby to walk abroad & to recreat themselves by heareinge a play. Whearby others are infected, and them selves also many things miscarry.
cx.
[1597, July 28. Privy Council Minute, printed Dasent, xxvii. 313.]
A letter to Robert Wrothe, William Fleetwood, John Barne, Thomas
Fowler and Richard Skevington, esquires, and the rest of the Justices
of Middlesex nerest to London. Her Majestie being informed that
there are verie greate disorders committed in the common playhouses
both by lewd matters that are handled on the stages and by resorte
and confluence of bad people, hathe given direction that not onlie
no plaies shalbe used within London or about the citty or in any
publique place during this tyme of sommer, but that also those play
houses that are erected and built only for suche purposes shalbe
plucked downe, namelie the Curtayne and the Theatre nere to Shor-
