"fcore ftandards, ftreamers, and banners; and each one. "that bare them had an albe or a furplice. Then came in "order the waits playing: and then, thirty clarkes, fing ing FESTA DIES. There were four of these choirs. Then: "came a canopy, borne over the Sacrament by four of the "masters of the clarkes, with staffe torches burning, &c".", Their profeffion, employment, and character, naturally dictated to this fpiritual brotherhood the representation of plays, especially thofe of the fcriptural kind: and their conftant practice in fhews, proceffions, and vocal mufic, eafily accounts for their addrefs in detaining the best company which England afforded in the fourteenth century, at a religious farce, for more than a week. 3 Before I conclude this inquiry, a great part of which has been taken up in endeavouring to fhew the connection be tween places of education and the stage, it ought to be remarked, that the antient fashion of acting plays in the inns of court, which may be ranked among feminaries of instruction, although for a separate profeffion, is deducible from this fource. The first representation of this fort which occurs on record, and is mentioned with any particular cir cumstances, was at Gray's-inn. John Roos, or Roo, ftudent at Gray's-inn, and created a ferjeant at law in the year 1511, wrote a comedy which was acted at Christmas in the hall of that fociety, in the year 1527. This piece, which probably contained fome free reflections on the pomp of the clergy, gave fuch offence to cardinal Wolfey, that the author was degraded and imprisoned. In the year 1550, under the reign of Edward the fixth, an order was made in the fame fociety, that no comedies, commonly called Interludes, fhould be acted in the refectory in the intervals of vacation, except at the celebration of Christmas; and that then, the whole body of students fhould jointly contribute towards the dreffes, ECCLES, MEм, vol. iii. ch. xiii. p. 121. a Hollinfh. CHRON. ii. 894. fcenes, scenes, and decorations. In the year 1561, Sackville's and Norton's tragedy of FERREX AND PORREX was prefented before queen Elizabeth at Whitehall, by the gentlemen of the Inner Temple". In the year 1566, the SUPPOSES, a comedy, was acted at Gray's-inn, written by Gascoigne, one of the students. Dekker, in his fatire against Jonfon above cited, accuses Jonfon for having stolen fome jokes from the Christmas plays of the lawyers. "You fhall fweare not to "bumbaft out a new play with the old lyning of jestes "ftolne from the Temple-revells '." It the year 1632 it was ordered, in the Inner Temple, that no play should be continued after twelve at night, not even on Chriftmas-eve'. But these societies feem to have fhone most in the reprefentation of Masques, a branch of the old drama. So early as the year 1431, it was ordered, that the fociety of Lincoln's inn fhould celebrate four revels', on four grand festivals, every year, which I conceive to have confifted in • Dugdale, ORIG. JURID. cap. 67. p. 285. P Printed at London, 1565. 12mo. In one of the old editions of this play, I think a quarto, of 1590, it is faid to be "fet forth as the fame was fhewed before the queen's "moft excellent majeftie, in her highness's "court of the inner-temple." It is to be obferved, that Norton, one of the authors, was connected with the law: For the " Approbation of Mr. T. Norton, counsellor "and follicitor of London, appointed by "the bishop of London," is prefixed to Ch. Marbury's Collection of Italian Proverbs, Lond. 1581. 4to. 9 SATIROMASTIX, edit. 1602. ut fupr., SIGNAT. M. г Dudg. ut fupr. cap. 57. p. 140. feq. alfo c. 61. 205. It is not, however, exactly known whether these revels were not fimply DANCES: for Dugdale fays, that the ftudents of this inn" anciently had DANCINGS for their "recreation and delight," IBID. And he adds, that in the year 1610, the under bar- [pantofles] were ftolne away the whilft.” But this may alfo allude to their masks and plays. SIGNAT. H. 2. edit. Lond. 1616. 4to. great great measure of this fpecies of imperfonation. In the year 1613, they presented at Whitehall a mafque before king James the first, in honour of the marriage of his daughter the princess Elizabeth with the prince Elector Palatine of the Rhine, at the cost of more than one thousand and eighty pounds. The poetry was by Chapman, and the machinery by Jones". But the moft fplendid and sumptuous performance of this kind, plaid by these focieties, was the masque which they exhibited at Candlemas-day, in the year 1633, at the expence of two thousand pounds, before king Charles the firft; which so pleased the king, and probably the queen, that he invited one hundred and twenty gentlemen of the law to a fimilar entertainment at Whitehall on Shrove Tuefday following". It was called the TRIUMPH OF PEACE, and written by Shirley, then a ftudent of Gray's-inn. The scenery was the invention of Jones, and the mufic was compofed by William Lawes and Simon Ives. Some curious Dugdale IBID. p. 246. The other focieties feem to have joined. IBID. cap. 67. p. 286. See alfo Finett's PHILOXENIS, p. 8. 11. edit. 1656. and Ibid. p. 73. " Printed LOND. 1614. 4to. "With a "defcription of the whole fhew, in the "manner of their march on horseback to "the court from the Mafter of the Rolls "his houfe, &c." It is dedicated to fir E. Philipps, Mafter of the Rolls. But we find a mafque on the very fame occafion, and at Whitehall, before the king and queen, called The mafque of Grays inn gentlemen and the Inner temple, by Beaumont, in the works of Beaumont and Fletcher. W { Dugd. ibid. p. 346. It was printed, Lond. 1633. 4to. The author fays, that it exceeded in variety and richness of decoration, any thing ever exhibited at Whitehall. There is a little piece called THE INNS OF COURT ANAGRAMMATIST, or The Mafquers Mafqued in Anagrams, written by Francis Lenton, the queen's poet, Lond. 1634. 4to. In this piece, the 'names, and refpective houses, of each mafquer are fpecified; and in commendation of each there is an epigram. The masque with which his majefty returned this compliment on the fhrove-tuefday following at Whitehall, was, I think, Carew's COLUM BRITANNICUM, written by the king's command, and played by his majefty, with many of the nobility and their fons who were boys. The machinery by Jones, and the mufic by H. Lawes. It has been given to Davenant, but improperly. There is a play written by Middleton about the year 1623, called INNER TEMPLE MASQUE, or the MASQUE OF HEROES, prefented as an entertainment for many worthy ladies, by the members of that fociety. Printed, Lond. 1640. 4to. I believe it is the foundation of Mrs. Behn's CITY-HEIRESS. I have also seen the MASQUE OF FLOWERS, acted by the ftudents of Grays-inn, in the Banquetting-house at White-hall, on Twelfth Night in 1613. It is dedicated: to fir F. Bacon, and was printed, Lond. 1614. 4to. It was the laft of the courtfolemnities exhibited in honour of Carr, earl of Somerset. anecdotes anecdotes of this exhibition are preferved by a cotemporary, a diligent and critical obferver of thofe feemingly infignificant occurrences, which acquire importance in the eyes of pofterity, and are often of more value than events of greater dignity. "On Monday after Candlemas-day, the gentlemen "of the inns of court performed their MASQUE at Court. "They were fixteen in number, who rode through the "streets, in four chariots, and two others to carry their pages and musicians; attended by an hundred gentlemen on great horfes, as well clad as every I saw any: They far exceeded in bravery [fplendor] any Mafque that had formerly been prefented by thofe focieties, and per"formed the dancing part with much applaufe. In their company, was one Mr. Read of Gray's-inn; whom all the women, and fome men, cried up for as handfome a man as the duke of Buckingham. They were well used at τε court by the king and queen. No difguft given them, "only this one accident fell: Mr. May, of Gray's-inn, a "fine poet, he who tranflated Lucan, came athwart my "lord chamberlain in the banquetting-houfe, and he broke "his ftaff over his fhoulders, not knowing who he was; the "king present, who knew him, för he calls him HIS POET, "and told the chamberlain of it, who sent for him the next "morning, and fairly excufed himself to him, and gave "him fifty pounds in pieces.-This riding-fhew took fo "well, that both king and queen defired to fee it again, fo "that they invited themselves to fupper to my lord mayor's "within a week after; and the Mafquers came in a more "glorious fhow with all the riders, which were increased twenty, to Merchant-taylor's Hall, and there performed "again." But it was not only by the parade of proceffions, * They went from Ely house. z At Whitehall. a STRAFFORDE'S LETTERS, Garrard to the Lord Deputy, dat. Feb. 27. 1633. vol. i. p. 207. It is added, "On ShroveTuesday at night, the king and the lords ." performed their Mafque. The templars were all invited, and well pleased, &c." པ་ See and the decorations of scenery, that these spectacles were recommended. Some of them, in point of poetical compofition, were eminently beautiful and elegant. Among these may be mentioned a mafque on the ftory of Circe and Ulyffes, called the INNER TEMPLE MASQUE, written by Wil See alfo p. 177. And Fr. Ofborn's TRADIT. MEM. vol. ii. p. 134. WORKS, edit. 1722. 8vo. It feems the queen and her ladies were experienced actreffes: for the fame writer fays, Jan. 9. 1633. “ I "never knew a duller Christmas than we "had at Court this year; but one play all "the time at Whitehall!-The queen had "fome little infirmity, which made her "keep in only on Twelfth-night, fhe "feafted the king at Somerset-house, and 46 prefented him with a play, newly ftu"died, long fince printed, the FAITHFUL "SHEPERDESs [of Fletcher] which the king's players acted in the robes he and "her ladies acted their PASTORAL in the "laft year." Ibid. p. 177. Again, Jan. 11. 1634. "There is fome refolution for a Make at Shrovetide: the queen, and "fifteen ladies, are to perform, &c." Ibid. p. 360. And, Nov. 9. 1637. "Here "are to be two makes this winter; one " at Christmass, which the king and the "C young nobleffe do make; the other at "Shrovetide, which the queen and her "ladies do prefent to the king. A great room is now building only for this use "betwixt the guard chamber and the ban"quetting-houfe, and of fir, &c." Ibid. vol. ii. p. 130. See alfo p. 140. And Finett's PHILOXENIS, "There being a maske in "practice of the queen in perfon, with "other great ladies, &c." P. 198. See Whitelock, fub. an. 1632. She was [alfo] an actress in Davenant's mafque of the TEMPLE OF Love, with many of the nobility of both fexes. In Jonfon's CLORIDIA at Shrovetide, 1630.-In Jonson's Mafque called LOVE FREED FROM IGNO-' RANCE AND FOLLY, printed in 1640. In W. Mountagu's SHEPHEARD'S ORACLE, a Paftoral, printed in 1649.-In the mafque of ALBION'S TRIUMPH, the Sunday after Twelfth-night, 1631. Printed Vol. II. She 1631.-In LUMINALIA, or The Festival of Light, a mafque, on Shrove-tuesday in 1637. Printed Lond. 1637. 4to.-In SALMACIDA SPOLIA at Whitehall, 1639. Printed Lond. 1639. 4to. The words, I believe, by Davenant; and the mufic by Lewis Richard, mafter of her majesty's mufic.-In TEMPE RESTORED, with fourteen other ladies, on Shrove-tuesday at Whitehall, 1631. Printed Lond. 1631. 4to. The words by Aurelian Townsend. The king acted in fome of these pieces. In the preceding reign, queen Anne had given countenance to this practice; and, I believe. fhe is the first of our queens that appeared perfonally in this moft elegant and rational amufement of a court. acted in Daniel's Mafque of THE VISION OF THE FOUR GODDESSES, with eleven other ladies, at Hampton-court, in 1604. Lond. 1624. 4to.-In Jonfon's MASQUE OF QUEENS, at Whitehall, in 1609.-In Daniel's TETHYS'S FESTIVAL, a Masque, at the creation of prince Henry, Jun. 5. 1610. This was called the QUEEN'S WAKE. See Winwood. iii. 180. Daniel dedicates to this queen a paftoral tragicomedy, in which the perhaps performed, called HYMEN'S TRIUMPH. It was prefented at Somerset-houfe, where the magnificently entertained the king on occafion of the marriage of lord Roxburgh. Many others, I prefume, might be added. Among the ENTERTAINMENTS at RUTLANDHOUSE, compofed by Davenant in the reign of Charles the firft, there is a DECLAMATION, or rather Difputation, with mufic, concerning Public Entertainment by Moral Reprefentation. The difputants are Diogenes and Ariftophanes. I am informed, that among the manufcript papers of the late Mr. Thomas Coxeter, of Trinity college in Oxford, an ingenious and inquifitive gleaner of anecdotes for a biography Fff of |