Hence it is clear that this was not the first offence of the kind. Kempe and Armin were the low comedians of the company, and perhaps made what was then technically called "a Merriment," or Jig," of which the actors were usually the authors, at the expense of some members of the corporation : sometimes these comic sallies were dialogues, but usually monologues and songs.

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Perhaps the impunity of the actors in this respect, which encouraged fresh insults, induced the city authorities, in 1608, again to endeavor to establish their right to the superintendence of the precinct of the Blackfriars. Certain it is, as appears by other documents I discovered at Bridgewater House, that the question was then revived; and, besides adducing the certificate of the two chief justices in 1579, the corporation procured the opinion of Sir Henry Montagu in its favor, and laid it before Lord Ellesmere, with a view to the final determination of the dispute. He endorsed it with his own hand, and the endorsement is material, as it furnishes the date—“23 July 1608. Sr. Henry Mountagu, for the Black frears." Sir Henry Montagu seems to have relied chiefly on the decision of the chief justices, Wray and Dyer; but Lord Ellesmere called for proofs of the exercise by the city of a jurisdiction within the privileged precinct. Whether he obtained them, does not appear -probably not, or they would have been found with the other documents, particularly as one of those remaining is thus headed: "Prooffs by record that the Citie of London hath not any jurisdiction within the Blacke Fryars, but that it is a place exempted from it." This evidence had, of course, been supplied by the opposite party, the players, but it applies only to the reigns of Edward the First and his son: judging, however, from the result, the "proofs " were satisfactory, and the company was not disturbed.

The inquiry instituted at this date throws a strong and certain light upon the interesting question of the amount of Shakspeare's property about five years before he retired to his native town, to enjoy in tranquillity the fruits of his genius and industry during the busy period of his life, extending from 1586 or 1587, when he probably first came to London, to 1612 or 1613, when he quitted it.

Defeated in the attempt to expel "the King's Servants" (for this was the title the actors at the Blackfriars and Globe theatres acquired by the privy seal of 1603), by force of law, the corporation

seems to have endeavored to come to terms with them, with a view of buying them out; and among the papers of Lord Ellesmere is a minute and curious account, showing the precise interest of all the principal persons connected with the company in 1608, and among the rest of Shakspeare himself. It is evident that it was drawn up in order to ascertain what sum it would be necessary for the corporation to pay to the players for removal; and it must have been laid before the lord chancellor, with other documents connected with the inquiry. Hence we learn that Shakspeare's property in the Blackfriars theatre, including the wardrobe and properties, which were exclusively his, was estimated at more than 14007., which would be equal to between 60007. and 70007. of our present money. Burbage was even richer, as the owner of what is called "the fee" of the playhouse; and perhaps he, or his father, had bought the ground on which it stood, as well as the building. However, it will be better first to insert a literal copy of the account, and afterwards to offer some remarks upon it. The paper is entitled

"FOR AVOIDING OF THE PLAYHOUSE IN THE PRECINCT OF THE BLACKE FRIERS.

Imp. Richard Burbidge oweth the Fee, and is alsoe a sharer therein. His interest he rateth at the grosse summe of 1000 for the Fee, and for his foure shares the summe of 933li 6s. 8d....

Item Laz Fletcher owith three shares which he rateth at 700li, that is at 7 yeares purchase for each share or 33li. 6s. 8d. one yeare with an other...

Item W. Shakespeare asketh for the Wardrobe and properties

1933li. 69. 8d.

700li.

of the same play house 500li and for his 4 shares, the same
as his fellowes Burbidge and Fletcher viz 9331i. 6s 8d.... 1433li. 6s. 8d.

Item Heminges and Condell eche 2 shares..

Item Joseph Taylor 1 share and an halfe...
Item Lowing also one share and an halfe
Item Foure more playeres with one halfe share to eche of

933. 65. 8d.

350li. 350li.

466. 13s. 4d.

“Moreover, the hired men of the Companie demaund some recompense for their great losse, and the Widowes and Orphanes of Playeres, who are paide

by the Sharers at diuers rates and proportions, so as in the whole it will coste the Lo. Mayor and the Citizens at the least 7000l.”

This, you will own at once, is a very singular, as well as a very valuable document, considering how scanty has hitherto been all our information regarding the pecuniary circumstances of our great Poet. Till now, all has depended upon conjecture, both as to the value of theatrical property generally in the time of Shakspeare, and as to the particular sum he may be supposed to have realized as an author of plays and as an actor of them. Malone "suspected that the whole clear receipt of a theatre was divided into forty shares" (Shakspeare by Boswell, iii., 170), and proceeds to guess at the mode in which the money was distributed. Here we have positive proof, that, at the Blackfriars at least the profits were divided into twenty shares: of these

Burbage and Shakspeare, therefore, in the number of their shares, were upon equal terms: the former, as the owner of "the fee," was probably paid the rent of the theatre, which, I shall hereafter show, from a document of a subsequent date, was then 507. per annum; and the latter, as the owner of the wardrobe and properties, no doubt obtained as large a sum for the use of them. Though they are only estimated at half the value of "the fee," yet wear and tear is to be taken into the account. We are to presume that the materials for this statement were derived from the actors, and that they made out their loss as large as it could well be shown to be, with a view to gaining full compensation; but if each share produced on an average, or (to use the terms of the document) "one year with another," 337. 6s. 8d., the twenty shares would net an annual sum of 666l. 13s. 4d., or somewhat less than 3,4007. of our present money. Shakspeare's annual income from the receipts at the Blackfriars theatre, without the amount paid him for the use of the wardrobe and properties, would therefore be 1337. 6s. 8d. It is possible, however, that there might be a deduction for his proportion of the rent to Burbage, and of the salaries to the "hired men,'

who were always paid by the sharers. To this income would be to be added the sums he received for either new or altered plays. At about this date, it appears that from 127. to 251. were usually given for new dramatic productions. Much would of course depend upon the popularity of the author.

We have a right to conclude that the Globe was at least as profitable as the Blackfriars: it was a public theatre of larger dimensions, and the performances took place at a season when, probably, playhouses were more frequented: if not, why should they have been built so as to contain a more numerous audience? At the lowest computation, therefore, I should be inclined to put Shakspeare's yearly income at 3007., or not far short of 1,5001. of our present money. We are to recollect that, in 1608, he had produced most. of his greatest works; the plausible conjecture being, that he wrote only five or six plays between that year and his final retirement from London. In what way, and for what amount, he previously disposed of his interest in the Blackfriars and Globe theatres, it is useless to attempt to speculate.

By "Laz Fletcher," in the preceding account, we are doubtless to understand Laurence, or Larence, Fletcher, the first-named patentee in King James's grant of 1603. The document last quoted seems to have been prepared in the summer of 1608, and Fletcher was buried on the 12th of September of that year. That he was an actor, we know by the will of Augustine Phillips, but upon no other authority; and perhaps he owed his shares in the theatre to his influence in procuring the patent. Hemmings, or Hemminge, and Condell became leaders of the company after the death of Burbage in March, 1619. It is a feature in the character of Burbage, that he was a painter as well as an actor. This fact is confirmed by an epitaph upon him by his contemporary, Thomas Middleton, the dramatist, which I found in a MS. miscellany of poetry belonging to the late Mr. Heber: the collection appears to have been made about the year 1630, and the epitaph runs thus :---

"On the death of that great Mr. in his art and quality (painting and play ing) R. Burbage.

"Astronomers and star-gazers this year
Write but of foure Eclipses-five appeare
Death interposing Burbage, and their staying

Hath made a visible Eclipse of playing.

THO. MIDDLETON."

وو

This, it must be owned, is rather obscure; but "their staying perhaps means that, in consequence of the death of so great an ornament of the stage, the theatre was for a time closed. Hemminge and Condell, as every body knows, were the editors of the first folio edition of Shakspeare in 1623. Taylor and Lowen were actors of eminence, and seem to have come into the management of the King's Servants, first in conjunction with Hemminge, and subsequently without his partnership.

I have stated that, at a date subsequent to 1608, the rent of the Blackfriars theatre was 507. a year: this was the case in 1633, when the company of the King's Servants held it upon a lease from Cuthbert and William Burbage, doubtless the sons of Richard Burbage, who inherited the property from their father. In that year, the privy council "entertained the plan of removing the playhouse, and of making compensation to the parties" ("History of Dramatic Poetry," ii., 50); but, when I wrote this passage, I was not aware of the existence of the original report on the value of the property, made by the aldermen of the ward and two other magistrates, which is now in my possession, and of which I subjoin a copy in a note, because it may serve as some guide to the worth of the concern at the time of the death of Shakspeare, or when he quitted the metropolis for Stratford upon Avon.*

* Certificate from the Justices of the Peace of the County of Middlesex about the Blackfryers.

May it please your Lordshipps. According to the order of this honorable Board of the 9th of October last wee haue had diuers meeteings at the Blacke-Fryers, and haueing first viewed the Playhouse there, we haue called vnto us the chiefe of the Players, and such as haue interest in the said Playhouse and the buildings thereunto belonging (which wee alsoe viewed) who pretendinge an exceeding greate losse, and allmost vndoing to many of them, and especially to diuers widowes and orphanes hauing interest therein, if they should be remoued from playing there, we required them to make a reasonable demaund of recompense for such interest as they or any of them had therein: Whereupon their first demaund being in a grosse sume 16000li wee required them to sett downe particularly in writing how, and from whense such a demaund could arise, and gave them time for it. At our next meeteing they accordingly presented vnto us a particular note thereof which amounted to 21,990l. But wee descending to an examination of their interest in their houses and builtings they there possess, and the indifferent valuation thereof, haue with their owne consent valued the same as followeth.

First for the Playhouse itselfe, whereof the Company hath taken a Lease for diuers yeares yet to come of Cuthbert Burbidge and William Burbidge (who haue the inheritance thereof) at the Rent of 50li per Ann, wee value the same after the same rate at 14 yeares purchase, as an indifferent recompence to the Burbidges, which cometh to 700l.

For 4 Tenements neare adioyning to the Playhouse, for the which they receiue 75li per VOL. I.

H