Some Things about Theatres. such unseemly words as Christian ears did abhor to hear rehearsed, and inflicting fine and imprisonment upon any person ad visedly contemning, despising or reviling the said most blessed sacrament (1 Ed. VI. c. 1 ) : afterwards the King, by proclamation in 1549, forbade for a time the representation of interludes and plays. Here is part of this " proclamation for the inhibition of players " : " For as muche as a greate num ber of those that be common Players of In terludes and Plaies, as well within the Citie of London, as elsewhere within the realm, do for the moste parte plaie suche Interludes as containe matter tendyng to sedition and contemning of sundry good or ders and laws, where upon are growen, and daily are like to growe and ensue, much disquiet, division, tumults and uproars in this realme : the Kynges Majestie, by the advice &c. &c. straightly chargeth and commandeth all and every majesties subjectes of whatsoever state order or degree they bee .... thei, ne any of them openly or secretly plaie in the English tongue any kinde of Interlude, Plaie, dialogue or other matter set forth in form of Plaie in any place publique or private within this realme, upon pain" of imprisonment and further punishment at his Majesty's pleasure. A couple of years subsequently Edward issued another proclamation " forbicause divers Printers, Boke-sellers and Plaiers of Inter ludes, without consideratione or regarde for the quiet of the realme " did " print, sel and play whatsoever any light and phantastical lied listeth to invent and devise whereby many inconveniences" had and daily did "arise and follow among the Kingcs Ma jesties loving and faithful subjectes " therefore common players and others, on pain of fine and imprisonment, were forbidden to play "in the English tong" {sic) any interlude or play without the King's license. Mary does not appear to have troubled her parliaments with any legislation on the subject, but she would not allow the repeti
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tion of a mask given in honor of Princess Elizabeth, and in 1553 she issued "A Pro clamation for reformation of busy meddlers in matters of Religion, and for redresse of Prechers, Prynters, and players " to prevent (among other things) the playing of Inter ludes concerning doctrinal subjects then in question "touchynge the hyghe poyntes and misteries of Christen religion." In the fol lowing year one player was reformed to such an extent that besides being placed in the pillory he had his ear nailed to the post. As soon, however, as Elizabeth mounted the throne the Act of Uniformity ( 1 Eliz. c. 2) made it an offence punishable by a fine of 100 marks to speak anything in the dero gation, despising or depraving of the Book of Common Prayer in any interludes or plays. This haughty queen does not ap pear to have had a very high opinion of the histrionic art: in the fourteenth year of her reign it was enacted that " all fencers, bearwards, common players of interludes and minstrels (not belonging to any Baron of this realm, or to any other honorable person of greater degree)" wandering about with out the license of two justices at the least, were subject "to be grievously whiped and burnt through the gristle of the right ear with a hot iron of the compass of an inch about." This act was superseded by 39 Eliz. c. 4, whereby the punishment of the strolling player was lightened. When this law was passed the famous Globe Theatre, in which Wm. Shakespeare was both a partner and an actor, had but recently been built, and neither its appointments nor its patrons were such as were likely to impress the legisla tors of the day. Let me recall the descrip tion given by Mr. Douglass Campbell in his book "The Puritan in Holland, England and America," of the Globe (vol. I., page 325): "Constructed of wood, hexagonal in shape, it was surrounded by a muddy ditch and surmounted by a red flag, which was elevated into place at three o'clock in the
