cix.
[1597, July 28. The Lord Mayor and Aldermen to the Privy Council, printed M. S. C. i. 78, from Remembrancia, ii. 171.]
To the Lords against Stage playes.
Our humble dutyes remembred to your good LL. & the rest. Wee haue signifyed to your HH. many tymes heartofore the great inconvenience which wee fynd to grow by the Common exercise of Stage Playes. Wee presumed to doo, aswell in respect of the dutie wee beare towardes her highnes for the good gouernment of this her Citie, as for conscience sake, beinge perswaded (vnder correction of your HH. iudgment) that neither in politie nor in religion they are to be suffered in a Christian Commonwealth, specially beinge of that frame & matter as vsually they are, conteining nothinge but prophane fables, lascivious matters, cozeninge devises, & scurrilus beehaviours, which are so set forth as that they move wholie to imitation & not to the auoydinge of those faults & vices which they represent. Amonge other inconveniences it is not the least that they give opportunity to the refuze sort of euill disposed & vngodly people, that are within and abowte this Cytie, to assemble themselves & to make their matches for all their lewd & vngodly practices; being as heartofore wee haue fownd by th’examinaton of divers apprentices & other seruantes whoe have confessed vnto vs that the said Staige playes were the very places of theire Randevous appoynted by them to meete with such otheir as wear to ioigne with them in theire designes & mutinus attemptes, beeinge allso the ordinarye places for maisterles men to come together & to recreate themselves. For avoyding wheareof wee are now againe most humble & earnest sutours to your honours to dirrect your lettres aswell to our selves as to the Iustices of peace of Surrey & Midlesex for the present staie & fynall suppressinge of the saide Stage playes, aswell at the Theatre, Curten, and banckside, as in all other places in and abowt the Citie, Wheareby wee doubt not but, th’opportunitie & the very cause of many disorders beinge taken away, wee shalbee more able to keepe the worse sort of such evell & disordered people in better order then heartofore wee haue been. And so most humbly wee take our leaves. From London the xxviijth of Iulie. 1597.
Your HH most humble.
The inconueniences that grow by Stage playes abowt the Citie of London.
1. They are a speaciall cause of corrupting their Youth, conteninge nothinge but vnchast matters, lascivious devices, shiftes of Coozenage, & other lewd & vngodly practizes, being so as that they impresse the very qualitie & corruption of manners which they represent, Contrary to the rules & art prescribed for the makinge of Comedies eaven amonge the Heathen, who vsed them seldom & at certen sett tymes, and not all the year longe as our manner is. Whearby such as frequent them, beinge of the base & refuze sort of people or such young gentlemen as haue small regard of credit or conscience, drawe the same into imitacion and not to the avoidinge the like vices which they represent.
2. They are the ordinary places for vagrant persons, Maisterles men, thieves, horse stealers, whoremongers, Coozeners, Conycatchers, contrivers of treason, and other idele and daungerous persons to meet together & to make theire matches to the great displeasure of Almightie God & the hurt & annoyance of her Maiesties people, which cannot be prevented nor discovered by the Gouernours of the Citie for that they are owt of the Citiees iurisdiction.
3. They maintaine idlenes in such persons as haue no vocation & draw apprentices and other seruantes from theire ordinary workes and all sortes of people from the resort vnto sermons and other Christian exercises, to the great hinderance of traides & prophanation of religion established by her highnes within this Realm.
4. In the time of sicknes it is fownd by experience, that many hauing sores and yet not hart sicke take occasion hearby to walk abroad & to recreat themselves by heareinge a play. Whearby others are infected, and them selves also many things miscarry.