ii.
[Extracts from Historia Histrionica: an Historical Account of the English Stage, shewing the Ancient Use, Improvement, and Perfection of Dramatick Representations in this Nation. In a Dialogue of Plays and Players (1699). A facsimile reprint was issued by E. W. Ashbee in 1872. The text is also given in Dodsley4, xv. I use, with a correction, the modernized text of A. Lang, Social England Illustrated (1903, Arber, English Garner2), 422. The Historia Histrionica is ascribed to James Wright, an antiquary and play-collector (1643–1713), who can only have recorded what he learnt from others. He is, of course, writing primarily of the Caroline, rather than the Elizabethan or Jacobean period.]
Truman. I say, the actors that I have seen, before the Wars, Lowin, Taylor, Pollard, and some others, were almost as far beyond Hart and his company; as those were, beyond these now in being....
Lovewit. Pray, Sir, what master-parts can you remember the old ‘Blackfriars’ men to act, in Johnson’s, Shakespeare’s, and Fletcher’s plays?
Truman. What I can at present recollect I’ll tell you. Shakespeare (who, as I have heard, was a much better Poet than Player), Burbage, Hemmings, and others of the older sort, were dead before I knew the Town. But, in my time, before the Wars; Lowin used to act, with mighty applause, Falstaff; Morose; Vulpone; and Mammon in the Alchemist; Melancius in the Maid’s tragedy. And at the same time, Amyntor was played by Stephen Hammerton: who was, at first, a most noted and beautiful Woman-Actor; but afterwards he acted, with equal grace and applause, a young lover’s part.
Taylor acted Hamlet incomparably well; Jago; Truewit, in the Silent Woman; and Face, in the Alchemist.
Swanston used to play Othello.
Pollard and Robinson were Comedians. So was Shank; who used to act Sir Roger in the Scornful Lady. These were of the ‘Blackfriars’....
Truman. Before the Wars, there were in being, all these Play Houses at the same time.
The ‘Blackfriars’ and ‘Globe’ on the Bankside. A winter, and summer house belonging to the same Company; called ‘The King’s Servants’.
The ‘Cockpit’ or ‘Phoenix’ in Drury Lane; called ‘The Queen’s Servants’.
The Private House in Salisbury Court; called ‘The Prince’s Servants’.
The ‘Fortune’ near White Cross Street: and the ‘Red Bull’ at the upper end of St. John’s Street. The two last were mostly frequented by citizens, and the meaner sort of people.
All these Companies got money, and lived in reputation: especially those of the ‘Blackfriars’, who were men of grave and sober behaviour.
Lovewit. Which I much admire at. That the Town, much less than at present, could then maintain Five Companies; and yet now Two can hardly subsist.
Truman. Do not wonder, but consider! That though the Town was then, perhaps, not much more than half so populous as now; yet then the prices were small (there being no scenes), and better order kept among the company that came: which made very good people think a play an innocent diversion for an idle hour or two; the plays being then, for the most part, more instructive and moral.... It is an argument of the worth of the Plays and Actors of the last Age, and easily inferred that they were much beyond ours in this, to consider that they could support themselves merely from their own merit, the weight of the matter, and goodness of the action; without scenes and machines....
Lovewit. I have read of one Edward Alleyn.... Was he one of the ‘Blackfriars’?
Truman. Never, as I have heard; for he was dead before my time. He was Master of a Company of his own; for whom he built the ‘Fortune’ playhouse from the ground: a large round brick building....
Lovewit. What kind of Playhouses had they before the Wars?
Truman. The ‘Blackfriars’, ‘Cockpit’, and ‘Salisbury Court’ were called Private Houses; and were very small to what we see now. The ‘Cockpit’ was standing since the Restoration; and Rhodes’s Company acted there for some time.
Lovewit. I have seen that.
Truman. Then you have seen the other two, in effect; for they were all three built almost exactly alike, for form and bigness. Here they had ‘Pits’ for the gentry, and acted by candlelight.
The ‘Globe’, ‘Fortune’, and ‘Bull’ were large houses, and lay partly open to the weather: and there they always acted by daylight....
Truman. Plays were frequently acted by Choristers and Singing Boys; and several of our old Comedies have printed in the title-page, Acted by the Children of Paul’s (not the School, but the Church); others, By the Children of Her Majesty’s Chapel. In particular, Cynthia’s Revels and the Poetaster were played by them; who were, at that time, famous for good action.... Some of the Chapel Boys, when they grew men, became Actors at the ‘Blackfriars’. Such were Nathan Field and John Underwood.