sigs A2–A4 verso

The Actors Remonstrance or Com-
plaint, for the silencing of their Profession,
and banishment from their severall
PLAY-HOUSES.

OPpressed with many calamities, and languishing to death under the burthen of a long and (for ought wee know) an everlasting restraint, we the Comedians, Tragedians and Actors of all sorts and sizes belonging to the famous private and publike Houses within the City of London and the Suburbs thereof, to you great Phoebus, and you sacred Sisters, the sole Patronesses of our distressed Calling, doe we in all humility present this our humble and lamentable complaint, by whose intercession to those powers who confined us to silence, wee hope to be restored to our pristine honour and imployment.

First, it is not unknowne to all the audience that have frequented the private Houses of Black-Friers, the Cock-Pit and Salisbury-Court, without austerity, wee have purged our Stages from all obscene and scurrilous jests; such as might either be guilty of corrupting the manners, or defaming the persons of any men of note in the City or Kingdome; that| wee have endevoured, as much as in us lies, to instruct one another in the true and genuine Art of acting, to represse bawling and railing, formerly in great request, and for to suite our language and action to the more gentile and naturall garbe of the times; that we have left off for our owne parts, and so have commanded our servants, to forget that ancient custome, which formerly rendred men of our quality infamous, namely, the inveigling in young Gentlemen, Merchants Factors, and Prentizes to spend their patrimonies and Masters estates upon us and our Harlots in Tavernes; we have cleane and quite given over the borrowing money at first sight of punie gallants, or praising their swords, belts and beavers, so to invite them to bestow them upon us; and to our praise be it spoken, we were for the most part very well reformed, few of us keeping, or being rather kept by our Mistresses, betooke our selves wholy to our wives; observing the matrimoniall vow of chastity, yet for all these conformities and reformations, wee were by authority (to which wee in all humility submit) restrained from the practice of our Profession; that Profession which had before maintained us in comely and convenient Equipage; some of us by it meerely being inabled to keepe Horses (though not Whores) is now condemned to a perpetuall, at least a very long temporary silence, and wee left to live upon our shifts, or the expence of our former gettings, to the great impoverishment and utter undoing of our selves, wives, children, and dependants; besides which, is of all other our extremest grievance, that Playes being put downe under the name of publike recreations; other publike recreations of farre more harmfull consequence permitted, still to stand in statu quo prius, namely, that Nurse of barbarisme and beastlinesse, the Beare-Garden, whereupon their usuall dayes, those Demy-Monsters, are baited by bandogs, the Gentlemen of Stave and Taile, namely, boystrous Butchers, cutting Coblers, hard-handed Masons, and the like, rioting companions, resorting thither with as much freedome as formerly, ma-|king with their sweat and crowding, a farre worse stinck than the ill formed Beasts they persecute with their dogs and whips, Pick-pockets, which in an age are not heard of in any of our Houses, repairing thither, and other disturbers of the publike peace, which dare not be seen in our civill and well-governed Theatres, where none use to come but the best of the Nobility and Gentry; and though some have taxed our Houses unjustly for being the receptacles of Harlots, the exchanges where they meet and make their bargaines with their franck chapmen of the Country and City, yet we may justly excuse our selves of either knowledge or consent in these lewd practices, we having no propheticke soules to know womens honesty by instinct, nor commission to examine them; and if we had, worthy were these wretches of Bridewell, that out of their owne mouthes would convince themselves of lasciviousnesse: Puppit-plays, which are not so much valuable as the very musique betweene each Act at ours, are still up with uncontrolled allowance, witnesse the famous motion of Bell and the Dragon, so frequently visited at Holbourne-bridge; these passed Christmas Holidayes, whither Citizens of all sorts repaire with far more detriment to themselves then ever did to Playes, Comedies and Tragedies being the lively representations of mens actions, in which, vice is alwayes sharply glanced at, and punished, and vertue rewarded and encouraged; the most exact and naturall eloquence of our English language expressed and daily amplified; and yet for all this, we suffer, and are inforced, our selves and our dependants, to tender our complaint in dolefull manner to you great Phoebus, and you inspired Heliconian Virgins: First, our House-keepers, that grew wealthy by our endevours, complaine that they are enforced to pay the grand Land-lords rents, during this long Vacation, out of their former gettings; in stead of ten, twenty, nay, thirty shillings shares, which used nightly to adorne and comfort with their harmonious musique, their large and well-stuffed pockets, they have shares in nothing| with us now but our mis-fortunes; living meerly out of the stock, out of the interest and principall of their former gotten moneyes, which daily is exhausted by the maintenance of themselves and families.

For our selves, such as were sharers, are so impoverished, that were it not for some slender helps afforded us in this time of calamitie, by our former providence, we might be enforced to act our Tragedies: our Hired-men are disperst, some turned Souldiers and Trumpetters, others destin'd to meaner courses, or depending upon us, whom in courtesie wee cannot see want, for old acquaintance sakes. Their friends, young Gentlemen, that used to feast and frolick with them at Tavernes, having either quitted the kin in these times of distraction, or their money having quitted them, they are ashamed to look upon their old expensive friends. Nay, their verie Mistresses, those Buxsome and Bountifull Lasses, that usually were enamoured on the persons of the younger sort of Actors, for the good cloaths they wore upon the stage, beleeving them really to be the persons they did only represent, and quite out of sorts themselves, and so disabled for supplying their poore friends necessities. Our Fooles, who had wont to allure and excite laughter with their very countenances, at their first appearance on the stage (hard shifts are better than none) are enforced, some of them at least to maintaine themselves, by vertue of their bables. Our boyes, ere wee shall have libertie to act againe, will be growne out of use like crackt organ-pipes, and have faces as old as our flags.

Nay, our very Doore-keepers, men and women, most grievously complaine, that by this cessation they are robbed of the priviledge of stealing from of us with licence: they cannot now, as in King Agamemnons dayes, seeme to scratch their heads where they itch not, and drop shillings and half Crowne-pieces in at their collars. Our Musicke that was held so delectable and precious, that they scorned to come to a Taverne under twentie shillings salary for two houres, now| wander with their Instruments under their cloaks, I meane such as have any, into all houses of good fellowship, saluting every roome where there is company, with Will you have any musike Gentlemen? For our Tire-men, and others that belonged formerly to our ward-robe, with the rest, they are out of service: our stock of cloaths, such as are not in tribulation for the generall use, being a sacrifice to moths. The Tobacco- men, that used to walk up and downe, selling for a penny pipe, that which was not worth twelve-pence an horse-load; Being now bound under Tapsters in Inns and Tippling houses. Nay such a terrible distresse and dissolution hath befallen us, and all those that had dependance on the stage, that it hath quite unmade our hopes of future recoverie. For some of our ablest ordinarie Poets, in stead of their annuall stipends and beneficiall second-dayes, being for meere necessitie compelled to get a living by writing contemptible penny-pamphlets in which they have not so much as poetical licence to use any attribute of their profession; but that of Quid libet audendi? and faining miraculous stories, and relations of unheard of battels. Nay, it is to be feared, that shortly some of them; (if they have not been enforced to do it already) will be encited to enter themselves into Martin Parkers societie, and write ballads. And what a shame this is, great Phoebus, and you sacred Sisters; for your owne Priests thus to be degraded of their ancient dignities. Be your selves righteous Judges, when those who formerly have sung with such elegance the acts of Kings and Potentates, charming like Orpheus the dull and brutish multitude, scarce a degree above stones and forrests into admiration, though not into understanding with their divine raptures, shall be by that tyrant Necessitie reduced to such abject exigents, wandring like grand children of old Erra Paters, those learned Almanack-makers, without any Mæcenas to cherish their loftie conceptions, prostituted by the mis-fortune of our silence, to inexplicable miseries, having no heavenly Castalian Sack to actuate and informe their spirits almost| confounded with stupiditie and coldnesse, by their frequent drinking (and glad too they gan get it) of fulsome Ale, and hereticall Beere, as their usuall beverage.

To conclude, this our humble complaint great Phoebus, and you nine sacred Sisters, the Patronesses of Wit, and Protectresses of us poore disrespected Comedians, if for the present, by your powerfull intercessions we may be re-invested in our former Houses, and setled in our former Calling, we shall for the future promise, never to admit into our six-penny-roomes those unwholesome inticing Harlots, that sit there meerely to be taken up by Prentizes or Lawyers Clerks; nor any female of what degree soever, except they come lawfully with their husbands, or neere allies: the abuses in Tobacco shall be reformed, none vended, not so much as in three-penny galleries, unlesse of the pure Spanish leafe. For ribaldry, or any such paltry stuffe, as may scandall the pious, and provoke the wicked to loosenesse, we will utterly expell it with the bawdy and ungracious Poets, the authors to the Antiodes. Finally, we shall hereafter so demeane our selves as none shall esteeme us of the ungodly, or have cause to repine at our action or interludes: we will not entertaine any Comedian that shall speake his part in a tone, as if hee did it in derision of some of the pious, but reforme all our disorders, and amend all our amisses, so prosper us Phoebus and the nine Muses, and be propitious to this our complaint

F I N I S.

sheet 12 (31 July)

Richard Late Bishop of Winchester by Lease dated ye 25^th of ffebruary 1631 de<...> Thomas Lardge certaine Capitall Messuages or Tenementes with their appurtenan<...> called or knowne by ye names of the Barge the Bell and the Cocke sett lying<...> vpon the Banke called the Stewes in ye parish of St Saviours in Southwa<...> buttinge and lyinge against the kings highway next to the Thames on th<...> and a Tenement called the Ros on the East, and a Tenement some tyme the L<...> on the West and Maydenlane on the South Together with all small hous<...> and wharfes with their appurtenances and all the proffitts and Comodities therto belong<...> Habend' from ye makinge of ye Lease for 21 yeares Reddendo per annum xx s at Mich<...> and Lady day which Lease was confirmed by ye Deane and Chapter of Wincheste<.> the sixth day of March 1631 and is since come to the hands of Iohn Archer gentleman Executor of the Last will and Testament of the said Thomas Lardge.

The said premisses are now divided into divers severall Tenements and are in the possession of ye severall partyes herafter named videlicet:

One Messuage or Tenement now called and vsed for the Beare Garden with the Beare house and other the appurtenances in ye occupacion of Thomas Lardge Godfrey Wee value to be worth forty pounds per annum

40 li. 00 s. 0 d.

...

single membrane (1 December) (Bill of Complaint)

The firste day of december 1652

To the right honorable the Lordes Commissioners for the greate Seale of England/

(signed) Smythes

Humbly Complayneing sheweth to your honour your daylie Oratour Thomas Godfrey of the parish of St Savyours Southwarke in the County of Surry gentleman That whereas aboute the xiiij^th yeare of the Late Kinge Charles your Oratour being for a Longe tyme before that tyme deputie in the Roome or Office of Cheife Master Overseer and Ruler over all and singuler the Games Pastymes and Sportes of the Late Kinge his heires and Successors. that is to say of all and singuler the Beares Bulls and Mastiffes of the said Late Kinge his heires and successors and in the Office of Cheife keeper and Ruler of the Bandoggs Mast<.>ff doggs Mastiff Bitches of the said Late Kinge vnder those who had Letters pattentes from the said Late King or his Predecessors for the Roome and Office of the cheife Master and Overseer and Ruler of all and singuler the sports games and Pastymes aforesaid/ Aboute the moneth of ffebruary in the xiiij^th yeare of the said Late king Charles your Oratour vnderstanding that one Thomas Davies and Thomas Manley gentlemen had procured Letters Pattentes from the said Late Kinge Charles for Lives or yeares of the Roome or office of Cheife Master and Overseer and Ruler of all and singuler the Games Pastymes & sportes aforesaid, speech and Communicacion was then had Betweene the said Thomas Davyes & your Oratour for your Oratour to be theire Deputie in theire Roome or office aforesaid And your Oratour further sheweth that aboute the tyme aforesaid, it was agreed by and Betweene the said Thomas Davies for & on the behalfe of him ‸⸢&⸣ of the said Thomas Manley that your said Oratour should be theire deputie in the said Roome or office of cheife Master Overseer and Ruler of all and singuler the Games pastymes and sportes of the said Late Kinge his heires and successors That is to say of all and singuler the Beares Bulls and Mastiffes of the said Late Kinge his heires & successors and in the office of cheife master & keeper of the Bandoggs Mastiff doggs and Mastiff bitches And accordinglie they made ‸⸢a⸣ deputacion of‸⸢to⸣ your Oratour of the same and for him your said Oratour to hold the same from yeare to yeare at there Will & pleasure your Oratour haueing noe certaine terme or number of yeares of the same from them or either of them And it was at the same tyme agreed betweene the said Thomas Davies for and on the behalfe of himselfe & the said Thomas Manley and your Oratour That your Oratour should pay the somme of 40 li. yearelie by quarterlie paymentes to them the said Thomas Davies and Thomas Manley and that in Consideracion thereof your Oratour should haue as full power & authoritie to act and doe in the said office as they or either of them had by vertue of theire Letters Pattentes from the said Late Kinge And hee the said Thomas Davies Lefte and deposites the said Letters Pattentes in the handes and Custodie of your Oratour to ympower him to Act in the said Office and for prevencion of Disorder and Cumbustions & tumultes and quarrells that might arrise by reason of the said Pastyme sport & recreacion in baiteing of the said Beares and Bulls And your Oratour further sheweth vnto your honores that hee constantlie paid vnto the said Thomas Davies the said yearelie rent of 40 li. per Annum according as it grewe due & payable by vertue of the aforesaid agreement vntil about the yeare of our Lord 1642 aboute which tyme the Late Wars increasing in this Common Wealth the said Thomas Davies (which was the person that your Oratour always treated with) came vnto your Oratour and forbadd him to vse the said sportes <...> pastymes & recreacions any Longer By vertue of any right or power derived from him alleadging that in the mynoritie of Iames Davies his sonne hee had power & right from the said Thomas Manley and Iames Davies his sonne to doe and Act what hee the said Thomas thought fitt and Convenient and then the said Thomas Davies gave your Oratour hard Language and tould him hee should be noe Longer protected defended or secured in preservacion of the game aforesaid, neither should your Oratour be protected in the place of Deputie vnder any of them but take his owne Course And hee the said Thomas Davies did at the same tyme comand from your said Oratour the said Letters Pattentes & deputacions & discharged your Oratour from any Longer by vertue of the aforesaid power soe given & graunted vnto him Wherevppon your Oratour haueing but a Lease paroll from yeare to yeare did deliver vp to him the said Thomas Davies the said Lettres Pattentes & Deputacions vppon the delivery of which your Oratour was absolutlie discharged from his said Deputacion hee the said Thomas Davies then declareing to your Oratour that his rent from ‸⸢that⸣ tyme should cease & determyne & your Oratour further sheweth that at the tyme of the agreement betwixt the said Thomas Davies & your Oratour as aforesaid All the stock of Beares Bulls and Mastiff Doggs Bandoggs and Mastiff bitches at the beare garden where your Oratour for a Longe tyme before and yett Liveth where were your Oratours owne proper goodes which hee had a Longe tyme before that tyme bought with his owne money and expended and Layd out the somme of 600 li. and vpwardes for the same and none of them were the goodes of them the said Thomas Davies or Thomas Manley they being then but only cheife masters or Rulers of the said Game by vertue of theire said Letters Pattentes for which your said Oratour paid them the somme of 40 li. yearelie for the tyme aforesaid And your Oratour paid the somme of 60 li. yearelie for the rent of the dwelling howse & yett payes so much yearelie to the Lord or owner of the same And your Oratour further sheweth that shortlie after the said Iohn Davies had so taken away the said Letters Pattentes from him and the said Deputacion there came to your Oratoures dwelling howse diuers vnruly fellowes and kild aboue 40^tie of your Oratours Beares ‸⸢at severall tymes & your Oratour & his freeinds in great danger of theire Lyves in and endev<...>ing to preserve them⸣ which cost your Oratour aboue 500 li. they giveing forth in speeches that your Oratour had noe power to bayte or play for that they that gave him his Comission had taken it a way againe by reason whereof and of the Late Warrs still increaseing hee did not play his said game for the space of two yeares & an halfe being alsoe prohibited by the Parliament by reason alsoe of the publique Calamitie in the Nacion by meanes whereof your ‸⸢Oratour⸣ was extreamely ympouerished haueing for all that tyme beene at very great charges & expenses in feedeing of his Beares Bulls doggs and in paying of his servant wages to attend them besides a very greate yearelie rent for the said howse insoemuch that your Oratour was necessitated to present his humble peticion to the Parliament for his speedie redresse ‸⸢being almost vndone & worsted in his estate in 90 li. at Least⸣ which said peticion did not anywayes relate to the said Lettres Pattentes or deputacions as by the said peticion ready to be produced may appeare: Vpon which petitcion it was Ordered by the Parliament on or aboute the 17^th day of Aprill 1644 that the said peticion should be referred vnto the Subcommittee for the Burrough of Southwarke for the speedy releefe of your Oratour, Since which tyme the said Committee hath some tymes permitted your Oratour to play his said Games and some tymes prohibite him soe to do according to theire definacion in that behalfe soe that your Oratour hath made very Little or noe benefitt of Late yeares of his said game his charges in that befalfe expended Considered And your Oratour further sheweth that for the space of these Tenn yeares Last past hee was never any wayes countenaunced or incorraged in the preserveing of the said game by them the said Thomas Davies Thomas Manly or Iames Davies or or ever any way asisted by them or either of them when his game was soe distroyed & spoiled and your Oratour in his deepest misery and necessious condicion as aforesaid Neither did they or either of them ever Looke after your Oratour or treate with him aboute the sayd game or ever asked or demaunded any thing Rent from your Oratour for the same vntill now of Late And your Oratour further sheweth that since the tyme of the said Thomas Davies soe takeing away of the said Lettres Patentes and <...> Deputacion as aforesaid hee hath not made any other ageement with them the said Thomas or Iames Davies or Thomas Manley nor acted vnder theire or either of there power or any power else but by the permission aforesaid vntill the ffirst day of Iune Last your Oratour had a tearme of 3 yeares graunted vnto him by one Daniell Gotherson to be deputie as aforesaid by vertue of the same power graunted vnto him as hee informed your Oratour And your Oratour humbly conceiveth that of theire power were not extinct at the death of the Late Kinge and theire Letters Pattentes ⸢then⸣ voyde gott from that tyme the said Thomas Davies for badd your Oratour to act any more vnder them or by vertue of theire power now arreares are due vnto them from your Oratour or recoverable from your Oratour ‸⸢Either in Lawe or equitie⸣ in regard the said Thomas Davies nor any our one else ever demaunded the said rent dureing the tyme aforesaid or any wayes soe much as assisted your Oratour or tooke any course for the preservacion of the said Game yett soe it is May it further please your honours that of Late the said Thomas Manley and Iames Davies the sonne of the said Thomas Davies hath preferred theire Bill of Complaint into this honorable Court against your Oratour for the arreares of the said rent and that your Oratour held the same ever since by vertue of theire power graunted by the said Letters Pattentes whereas they the said Thomas Manley and Iames Davies well knowe that your Oratour never at all treated with them or either of them about being deputie as aforesaid, and that hee the said Thomas Davies forbadd your Oratour vseing the said sportes and Games Long since as aforesaid and that your Oratour should not pay any more rent to them or either of them, and that hee the said Thomas Davies tooke from your Oratour the said Letters Pattentes and deputacion yett questions your Oratour for Tenn yeares rent arreare by practise Combynacion and Confederacy doth with other and with one Samuell Warcupp Esquier the sole and principall Agent that stirrs vp the other parties Confederates to prosecute your Oratour where as they all were to knowe what greate Losses your said Oratour hath had by reason of the Late tymes and taxes and paymentes imposed on your Oratour and hee noe power at all nor any agreement or deputacion to shewe vnder the handes of the said Thomas Manley Thomas or Iames Davies to give him power to mayntaine and vphold the said Game which cost him soe much money as aforesaid All which doeings of them the said Thomas Davies Thomas Manley Iames Davies and Samuell Warcup are not only to your Oratoures vtter vndoeing but alsoe contrary to Iustice and Equitie In tendre Consideracion whereof And forasmuch as your Oratour is remeadiles at the Common Lawe for that the agreement & deputacion aforesaid was but from yeare to yeare at theire pleasure and hee hath not any writeings at all to shewe vnder the handes of either of the said Thomas or Iames Davies or Thomas Manley to the effecte aforesaid and the Witnesses that were present when the said Thomas Davies Commaunded the said Letters Pattentes and deputacion from your Oratour and wished ‸⸢him⸣ not to act anymore by vertue of that power and promised him that hee should not pay any more rent for the tyme to come are either dead or gon into partes vnknowne soe that your Oratour is for all the matters hearein complained of <..> properlie to be releeved before your honours by the wonted Iustice and Equitie of this honorable Court To thend therefore to at all said parties Confederates may sett forth and discover the truth of the premisses vpon theire Corporall Oathes And whether the said Thomas Davies did not aboute the tyme a foresaid forbidd your Oratour to vse the said sporte and game any Longer by vertue of any power derived from them the said Thomas Davies Iames Davies and Thomas Manley and Commaunded the said Letters Pattentes and at a Deputacion from your Oratour and receaued the same from him And whether hee did not promise your Oratour that hee should not pay any more rent Neither would hee or the said Thomas Manley and Iames Davies expect any more by vertue of the said Letters Pattentes And whether your Oratour hath for the space of these Tenn yeares Last past really acted vnder theire or either of theire power by vertue of the said Letters Pattentes And whether they or either of them ever demaunded the said rent dureing all the tyme afore said <...> or ever anywayes assisted or countenaunced your Oratour or Looked after the preservacion of the said Game dureing all the tyme aforesaid And that they may all of them further sett forth whether they does not knowe or haue heard that your Oratour hath beene at very greate Losse in his said Stock of Beares and Bulls by rude and disorderlie persons that killed them and at a very greate charge in the mayntaineing of the same when hee made Little or noe proffitt for a Longe tyme And that all the said parties Confederates may make a perfect Answere to all singuler the premisses And your Oratour freed from the arreares of the said 40 li. per Annum for theis Tenn yeares Last past in Case the said Letters Pattentes are still in force for the reasons aforesaid May it please your honoures the premisses Considered to graunt vnto your Oratour a Writt or Writtes of Subpena to be directed to them the said Thomas Davies Thomas Manley Iames Davies and Samuell Warcup Commanding them and either of them and either of them at a certaine day and vnder a certaine paine there in to be Lymitted & personallie to be and appeare before your Lordshippes in the high Court of Chauncery then and there to Answere the premisses And to stand to and a byde such further Order and dirrecion therein as your Lordshippes shall seeme meete And your Oratour shall praye &c/.

pp 21–2 (5 May)

...

That the Beare bayting, and Bull bayting, heretofore used in Southwarke ‸ ⸢as alsoe the playing of prizes by Fencers⸣whereby great evills and abominations are occasioned and Committed to the dishonur of God and scandalle | of the Commonwealth be for the future suppressed, and that the game be not used for the tyme to come in that or any other place, and that it be referred to Colonell Cooper, Colonell Pride, Mr Hyland, and Maiour Allen, or any three or more of them to see this order put in execution.

...

sheet 1 (1 July)

To the right honrable Edward Earle of Clarendon Lord high Chancellor of England.

Humbly complayning Sheweth vnto your Lordshipp your dayly Orator Thomas Davis of Westminster in the County of Middlesex Esquuier That your Orator is interessed and possessed of and in a parcell of ground on or neare the bankeside in the Parish of St Saviour Southwark in the County of Surrey comonly called the Beare Garden conteyning in length North and south three hundred and thirty foote or more and in breadth East and West of one hundred and sixty six foote at the least by and vnder a Lease made thereof by King Iames whereof there are nowe eleven yeares yet to come And that the said ground hath been vsed anciently and continually employed for the vse of beare and Bull baiteing and divers houses and buildings for the conveniency of the said game and sport were erected and continued there till in the late vnhappy troubles the said game there was destroyed the buildings and houseing pulled downe and the ground converted to private vse to your oratours insupportable losse and vndoeing And that your Oratours son Iames Davis Master of his Maiesties game of Beares and Bulls &c. since his Maiesties most happy restauracion for want of the convenience of the said place was necessitated for sometime to keepe the said game in other places and to build for the convenient exercise thereof att his great charge vntill soone after by order of his Maiestie and his most honorable privy Councell your Oratours said son was for some reasons comanded to remove the game to the accustomed place on the banke side in Southwarke aforesaid and to reduce the said ground to its former vse and service in obedience wherevnto your Oratour for and on the behalfe of his said son vndertooke the same...