single sheet
Mr Allen, commendations./
Sir I hope you mistake not our remoouall from the banks side: wee stood the intemperate
weather, 'till more Intemperate Mr
Meade thrust
vs ouer, taking the day from vs which by course was ours; though by the
time wee can yet claime none, & that power hee exacted on vs; for the
prosecution of our further suite in a house wee entreate you to fore thinke
‸⸢well⸣
<.> of the place, (though it
craue a speedie resolution) lest wee make a second fruitlesse paines ‸⸢and as wee purpose to dedicate all our paines⸣ powers
& frendes all referent to your vses; so wee entreate you in
the meane time, to looke toward our necessityes; leauing you euer a
certaine forme of satisfaction; wee haue neede of some monie (indeed vrdgent
necessitie) which wee rather wish you did heare in conference then by
report in writing, wee haue to receiue from the court (which after shrouetide wee meane to
pursue with best speede) a great summe of monie, meane while if you do but
furnish vs with the least halfe, which will be fourtie
poundes; it shall be all confirm'd to you till your satisfaction of the
fourty what wee can do for your auaile or purpose, wee professe
our readiest furtherance and you shall command it, for
which wee entreate this kindnesse from you; still resting
In your employmentes
frendes to their best powers
(signed) Robert Pallant (signed) william Rowley (signed) Ioseph Taylor (signed) Iohn newton (signed) Robert hamlen (signed) Hugh Attewell (signed) Anthony Smyth
From the list of actors signing above, it seems that William Barksted, Thomas Hobbes, and William Penn may have left the company since the 20 March 1615/16 Articles of Agreement were signed; see Articles of Agreement between Edward Alleyn, Jacob Meade and Players at the Hope, 1615/16. Both Hobbes and Penn appear in later lists of Prince Charles' Men until 1625.
For an abstract of this record and details of its transcription in other printed sources, see the related EMLoT event.
Record title: Letter to Edward Alleyn from the Players
Repository: Dulwich College
Shelfmark: MS I
Repository location: Dulwich
The date of the letter is uncertain though it obviously followed Henslowe's death in early January 1615/16 and likely also the 20 March 1615/16 Articles of Agreement signed by Prince Charles' Men, Alleyn and Jacob Meade.
For an image of the original manuscript, see Ioppolo, Henslowe-Alleyn Digitisation Project.
c 1616; English; single sheet; paper; 210mm x 310mm; good condition; addressed on the verso: 'To our worthy and much respecte‸⸢d⸣ | ffrend: Mr Allen these bee | deliuered/.' MS I has beeb recently unbound and separated into fascicles according to size, mounted onto modern page (unnumbered) in fascicle 5 and stored in box C. Foliated 157 in pencil by Warner and cited on pp 50–1 of his Catalogue.