The King was pleased to command my Lord Chamberlain to direct his warrant to Monsieur Le Fevure, to give him a power to contract with the Frenchmen for to build a playhouse in the manage-house, which was done accordingly by my advice and allowance.[711]
In Glapthorne's The Ladies' Priviledge is a good-natured allusion to the French Company and their vivacious style of acting:[712]
La. But, Adorni,
What think you of the French?
Ador. Very airy people, who participate
More fire than earth; yet generally good,
And nobly disposition'd, something inclining
To over-weening fancy. This lady
Tells my remembrance of a comic scene
I once saw in their Theatre.
Bon. Add it to
Your former courtesies, and express it.
Whereupon, according to the stage direction, Adorni "acts furiously."
In the margin of his Office-Book Sir Henry Herbert writes complacently: "These Frenchmen were commended unto me by the Queen, and have passed through my hands gratis." This was indeed a rare favor from Herbert; but they did not so easily escape his deputy, William Blagrove, who accepted from them the sum of "three pounds for his pains."
How long the French actors occupied their temporary playhouse in Drury Lane is not clear. In the Lord Chamberlain's book we find an entry showing that they presented a play at Court in December, 1635: "Warrant to pay £10 to Josias Floridor for himself and the rest of the French players for a tragedy by them played before His Majesty Dec. last."[713] The entry is dated January 8, 1636, and, so far as I can discover, this is the last reference to the French players in London. We may suppose that shortly after this they returned to Paris.
V
Davenant’s Projected Theatre in Fleet Street
On March 26, 1639, William Davenant, who had succeeded Ben Jonson as Poet Laureate, secured from King Charles a royal patent under the Great Seal of England to erect a playhouse in Fleet Street, to be used not only for regular plays, but also for "musical entertainments" and "scenic representations." Davenant, as we know, was especially interested in "the art of perspective in scenes," and also in the Italian opera musicale. The royal patent—unusually verbose even for a patent—is printed in full in Rymer's Fœdera, xx, 377; I cite below all the essential passages:
[The Building.] Know ye, that we, of our especial grace, certain knowledge, and meere motion, and upon the humble petition of our servant William Davenant, gentleman, have given and granted, and by these presents, for us, our heirs, and successors, do give and grant unto the said William Davenant, his heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns, full power, license, and authority ... to frame, new-build, and set up ... a Theatre or Playhouse, with necessary tiring and retiring rooms, and other places convenient, containing in the whole forty yards square at the most,[714] wherein plays, musical entertainments, scenes, or other like presentments may be presented ... so as the outwalls of the said Theatre or Playhouse, tiring or retiring rooms, be made or built of brick or stone, according to the tenor of our proclamations in that behalf.