תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

which their highnesses were right well content. In the evening," the great chamber was adorned with a fumptuous fuit of tapestry, called The Hanginge of Antioch: and after supper, a play was presented by the children of Paul's'. After the play, and the next morning, one of the children, named Maximilian Poines, fung to the princefs, while the plaid at the virginalls. Strype, perhaps from the fame manufcript chronicle, thus describes a magnificent entertainment given to queen Elizabeth, in the year 1559, at Nonfuch in Surry, by lord Arundel, her majesty's housekeeper, or fuperintendant, at that palace, now destroyed. I chuse to give the description in the words of this fimple but picturesque compiler. "There the queen had great entertainment, with banquets,

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

especially on Sunday night, made by the faid earl: together " with a Mask, and the warlike founds of drums and flutes, "and all kinds of mufick, till midnight. On Monday, was a great fupper made for her: but before night, fhe stood at her standing in the further park, and there she saw a "Course. At night was a Play by the Children of Paul's, " and their [mufic] mafter Sebastian. After that, a costly banquet, accompanied with drums and flutes. This en"tertainment lafted till three in the morning. And the earl prefented her majesty a cupboard of plate." In the year 1562, when the fociety of parish clerks in London celebrated

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

y Who perhaps performed the play of HOLOPHERNES, the fame year, after a greate and rich maskinge and banquet, given by fir Thomas Pope to the princess, in the grete ball at Hatfelde. LIFE of fir THO. POPE. SECT. iii. p. 85.

z MS. ANNALES OF Q. MARIE'S REIGNE. MSS. Cotton. VITELL. F. 5. There is a curious anecdote in Melville's MEMOIRS, concerning Elizabeth, when queen, being furprized from behind the tapestry by lord Hunfdon, while fhe was playing on her virginals. Her majesty, I know not whether in a fit of royal prudery, or of

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

one of their annual feafts, after morning fervice in Guildhall chapel, they retired to their hall; where, after dinner, a goodly play was performed by the chorifters of Westminster abbey, with waits, and regals, and finging. The children of the chapel-royal were alfo famous actors; and were formed. into a company of players by queen Elizabeth, under the conduct of Richard Edwards, a musician, and a writer of Interludes, already mentioned, and of whom more will be faid hereafter. All Lilly's plays, and many of Shakespeare's and Jonfon's, were originally performed by thefe boys and it seems probable, that the title given by Jonfon to one of his comedies, called CYNTHIA'S REVELS, first acted in 1605 "by the children of her majesties chapel, with the allowance

of the Mafter of the Revels," was an allusion to this establishment of queen Elizabeth, one of whose romantic names was CYNTHIA. The general reputation which they gained, and the particular encouragement and countenance which they received from the queen, excited the jealousy of the grown actors at the theatres: and Shakespeare, in HAMLET, endeavours to extenuate the applause which was idly indulged to their performance, perhaps not always very juft, in the

Strype's edit. of Stowe's SURV. LOND. B. v. p. 231.

• Six of Lilly's nine comedies are entitled COURT-COMEDIES: which, I believe, were written profeffedly for this purpofe. These were reprinted together, Lond. 1632. 12mo. His laft play is dated 1597

They very frequently were joined by the chorifters of faint Paul's. It is a miftake that these were rival companies; and that because Jonfon's POETASTER was acted, in the year 1601, by the boys of the chapel, his antagonist Decker got his SATIROMASTIX, an answer to Jonfon's play, to be performed, out of oppofition, by those of faint Paul's. Lilly's court-comedies, and many others, were acted by the children of both choirs in conjunction. It is certain

Vol. II.

that Decker fneers at Johnfon's intereft with the Master of the Revels, in procuring his plays to be acted fo often at court. "Sir

66

Vaughan. I have fome coffen-germans "at court fhall beget you the reverfion of "the master of the king's revels, or else to "be his lord of mifrule nowe at Christmas." SIGNAT. G. 3. Dekker's SATIROMASTIX, or the Untruffing of the Humorons Poet. Lond. for E. White, 1602. 4to. Again, SIGNAT. M. "When your playes are miffe

likt at court, you fhall not crie mew like "a puffe-cat, and fay you are glad you "write out of the courtier's element." On the fame idea the fatire is founded of fending Horace, or Jonfon, to court, to be dubbed a poet: and of bringing " the quivering "bride to court in a make, &c." Ibid. SIGNAT. I. 3,

[blocks in formation]

following speeches of Rofencrantz and Hamlet.-" There is an aiery of little children, little eyafes', that cry out on "the top of the queftion, and are moft tyrannically clapped "for't: these are now the fashion, and fo berattle the common

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

ftages, fo they call them, that many wearing rapiers are "afraid of goofe quills, and dare fcarce come thither."Ham. What, are they children? Who maintains them? "How are they efcoted'? Will they pursue the Quality no longer than they can fing, &c." This was about the year 1599. The latter claufe means," Will they follow the profeffion of players, no longer than they keep the voices " of boys, and fing in the choir ?" So Hamlet afterwards fays to the player, "Come, give us a taste of your quality : come, a paffionate fpeech." Some of thefe, however, were distinguished for their propriety of action, and became admirable comedians at the theatre of Black-friers'. Among the children of queen Elizabeth's chapel, was one Salvadore Pavy, who acted in Jonfon's POETASTER, and CYNTHIA's

[ocr errors]
[blocks in formation]

There is a paffage in STRAFFORDE'S LETTERS, which feems to fhew, that the 'difpofitions and accommodations at the theatre of Black-friars, were much better than we now fuppofe. "A little pique "happened betwixt the duke of Lenox and "the lord chamberlain, about a box at a "new play in the Black-friers, of which "the duke had got the key." The dispute was fettled by the king. G. GARRARD to the LORD DEPUTY. Jan. 25: 1635. vol. i.

P. 511. edit. 1739. fol. See a curious ac→ count of an order of the privy council, 1633,"hung up in a table near Paules and,

[ocr errors]

Black-fryars, to command all that refort "to the play-house there, to fend-away "their coaches, and to disperse abroad in "Paules church-yard, carter-lane, the con"duit in fleet-ftreet, &c. &c." Ibid. p. 175 Another of Garrard's letters mentions a play at this theatre, which" coft three or "four hundred pounds fetting out; eight "or ten fuits of new cloaths he [the author] gave the players,, an unheard of prodi"gality!" Dat.. 1637. Ibid. vol. ii. 150,

[ocr errors]

It appears by the Prologue of Chapman's ALL FOOLS, a comedy prefented at Blackfriers, and printed 1605, that only the fpectators of rank and quality fate on the stage..

[blocks in formation]

REVELS, and was inimitable in his representation of the character of an old man. He died about thirteen years of age, and is thus elegantly celelebrated in one of Jonson's epigrams.

An Epitaph on S. P. a child of queene Elizabeth's chapell.

[ocr errors]

Weep with me, all you

This little story!

that read

And know, for whom a teare you fhed

DEATH'S felfe is forry.

Twas a child, that so did thrive

In grace and feature,

AS HEAVEN and NATURE feem'd to strive
Which own'd the creature.

Yeares he numbred scarce thirteene,
When Fates turn'd cruell;

Yet three fill'd zodiackes had he beene
The Stage's Jewell:

And did acte, what now we moane,

Old men fo duely;

As, footh, the PARCA thought him one,'

He plaid fo truely.

So, by errour, to his fate

They all confented;

But viewing him fince, alas! too late,

They have repented:

And have fought, to give new birthe,

In bathes to steep him:

But, being fo much too good for earthe,

HEAVEN VOwes to keep him *.

To this ecclefiaftical origin of the drama, we must refer the plays acted by the fociety of the parish-clerks of London,

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]

for eight days fucceffively, at Clerkenwell, which thence took its name, in the prefence of most of the nobility and gentry of the kingdom, in the years 1390, and 1409. In the ignorant ages, the parish-clerks of London might juftly be confidered as a literary fociety. It was an effential part of their profeffion, not only to fing but to read, an accomplishment almoft folely confined to the clergy: and, on the whole, they seem to come under the character of a religious fraternity. They were incorporated into a guild, or fellowfhip, by king Henry the third about the year 1240, under the patronage of faint Nicholas. It was antiently customary for men and women of the first quality, ecclefiaftics, and others, who were lovers of church-mufic, to be admitted into this corporation: and they gave large gratuities for the fupport, or education, of many perfons in the practice of that science. Their public feasts, which I have already mentioned, were frequent, and celebrated with finging and mufic; most commonly at Guildhall chapel or college'. Before the reformation, this fociety was conftantly hired to afsist as a choir, at the magnificent funerals of the nobility, or other distinguished perfonages, which were celebrated within the city of London, or in its neighbourhood. The fplendid ceremonies of their anniversary proceffion and mass, in the year 1554, are thus related by Strype, from an old chronicle. cc May the fixth, was a goodly evenfong at Guild"hall college, by the Mafters of the CLARKS and their Fellowship, with finging and playing; and the morrow after, "was a great mafs, at the fame place, and by the fame

[ocr errors]

fraternity: when every clark offered an halfpenny. The "mafs was fung by diverfe of the queen's [Mary's] chapel "and children.. And after mass done, every clark went their proceffion, two and two together; each having on, a furplice and a rich cope, and a garland. And then, four

[ocr errors]

! Stowe's SURY. LOND. ut fupr. lib. v. p. 231.

"fcore

« הקודםהמשך »