fometimes finished in two hours. Even in 1667, they commenced at three o'clock." About thirty years afterwards, (in 1696) theatrical entertainments began an hour later." We have feen that in the infancy of our ftage Mysteries were ufually acted in churches; and the practice of exhibiting religious dramas in buildings appropriated to the fervice of religion on the Lord's-day certainly continued after the Reforma tion. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth plays were exhibited in the publick theatres on Sundays, as well as on other days of the week." The licence "Or if you are detain'd fome little space, "And drink till three, and then come dropping in." Though Sir John Davies in the paffage above quoted, mentions one o'clock as the hour at which plays commenced, the time of beginning the entertainment about eleven years afterwards (1609) feems to have been later; for Decker in his Guls Horne-booke makes his gallant go to the ordinary at two o'clock, and from thence to the play. When Ben Jonfon's Magnetick Lady was acted (in 1632,) plays appear to have been over at five o'clock. They probably at that time did not begin till between two and three o'clock. 3 See p. 255, n. 2. See alfo the Prologue to King Henry VIII. and that to Romeo and Juliet. 4 See The Demoiselles a la Mode, by Fleckno, 1667: I. Actor. Hark you, hark you, whither away fo faft? 2. Actor. Why, to the theatre, 'tis paft three o'clock, and the play is ready to begin." See alfo note 2, above. After the Restoration, (we are told by old Mr. Cibber) it was a frequent practice of the ladies of quality, to carry Mr. Kynaston the actor, in his female drefs, after the play, in their coaches to Hyde-Park. 5 See the Epilogue to The She Gallants, printed in that year. 6"Thefe, [the players] becaufe they are allowed to play every Sunday, make four or five Sundays, at least, every week." Schoole of Abuse, 1579. granted by that queen to James Burbage in 1574, which has been already printed in a former page,7 shews that they were then represented on that day, out of the hours of prayer. We are told indeed by John Field in his Declaration of God's Judgment at Paris Garden, that in the year 1580" the magiftrates of the city of London obtained from Queene Elizabeth, that all heathenish playes and enterludes fhould be banished upon fabbath dayes." This prohibition, however, probably lafted but a fhort time; for her majefty, when the vifited Oxford in 1592, did not fcruple to be prefent at a theatrical exhibition on Sunday night, the 24th of September in that year. During the reign of James the Firft, though dramatick entertainments were performed at court on Sundays, I "In former times, (fays Strype in his Additions to Stowe's Surey of London,) ingenious tradefmen and gentlemen's fervants would fometimes gather a company of themfelves, and learn interludes, to expofe vice, or to reprefent the noble actions of our ancestors. Thefe they played at festivals, in private houses, at weddings, or other entertainments. But in procefs of time it became an occupation, and thefe plays being commonly acted on Sundays and other festivals, the churches were forfaken, and the playhoufes thronged." See alfo A Sermon preached at Paules Croffe on St. Bartholomew day, being the 24. of August, 1578, By John Stockwood:-" Will not a fylthie playe with the blait of a trumpette fooner call thyther [to the country] a thousande, than an houres tolling of a bell bring to the fermon a hundred? Nay, even heere in the citie, without it be at this place, and fome other certaine ordinarie audience, where fhall you find a reasonable company? Whereas if you reforte to the Theatre, the Curtaine, and other places of playes in the citie, you fhall on the Lord's day have these places, with many other that I can reckon, fo full as poffible they can throng." See alfo Stubbes's Anatomie of Abuses, 1583, in pref.; and The Mirrour of Magiftrates for Cities, 1584, p. 24. 7 P. 156. Peck's Memoirs of Cromwell, No. IV. p. 15. 9 This is afcertained by the following account of" REVELLS and PLAYES performed and acted at Christmas in the court at VOL. II. S believe, no plays were publickly reprefented on that day; and by the statute 3 Car. I. c. 1. their exhi Whitehall, 1622;" for the prefervation of which we are indebted to Sir John Aftley, then Master of the Revels: "Upon St. Steevens daye at night The Spanish Curate was acted by the kings players. 66 Upon St. Johns daye at night was acted The Beggars Bush by the kings players. "Upon Childermas daye no playe. 66 Upon the Sonday following The Pilgrim was acted by the kings players. 66 Upon New-years day at night The Alchemift was acted by the kings players. 66 Upon Twelfe night, the Masque being put off, the play called A lowe and a good one was acted by the princes fervants. "Upon Sonday, being the 19th of January, the Princes Mafque appointed for Twelfe daye, was performed. The speeches and fongs compofed by Mr. Ben. Johnson, and the scene made by Mr. Inigo Jones, which was three times changed during the tyme of the mafque: where in the first that was difcovered was a prospective of Whitehall, with the Banqueting Houfe; the fecond was the Mafquers in a cloud; and the third a forreft. The French embaffador was prefent. "The Antemafques of tumblers and jugglers. "The Prince did leade the measures with the French embaffadors wife. "The meafures, braules, corrantos, and galliards being ended, the Mafquers with the ladyes did daunce 2 contrey daunces, namely The Soldiers Marche, and Huff Hamukin, where the French Embal fadors wife and Mademoy fala St. Luke did [daunce]. "At Candlemas Malvolio was acted at court, by the kings fer vants. "At Shrovetide, the king being at Newmarket, and the prince out of England, there was neyther mafque nor play, nor any other kind of Revells held at court." MS. Herbert. 2 In the Refutation of the Apologie for Actors, by J. G. quarto, 1615, it is asked, "If plays do fo much good, why are they not fuffered on the Sabbath, a day select whereon to do good?" From hence it appears that plays were not permitted to be publickly acted on Sundays in the time of James I. Yet Beard in his Theatre of God's Judgment, p. 212, edit. 1631, tells us, that in the year 1607," at a towne in Bedfordshire called Rifley, the floore of a chamber wherein many were gathered to gether to fee a ftage-play on the fabbath day, fell downe." But bition on the Sabbath day was abfolutely prohibited: yet, notwithstanding this act of parliament, both plays and mafques were performed at court on fundays, during the firft fixteen years of the reign of that king, and certainly in private houses, if not on the publick stage. this was a private exhibition.-From a paffage alfo in Prynne's Hiftriomaftix, p. 243, it appears that plays had been fometimes reprefented on Sundays in the time of James the First, though the practice was then not common. "Dancing therefore on the Lords day is an unlawful paftime punishable by the ftatute 1 Caroli, c. 1. which intended to fuppreffe dancing on the lords day, as well as beare-bayting, bull-bayting, enterludes and common playes, which were not fo rife, so common, as dancing, when this law was first enacted." I It is uncertain whether this writer here alludes to publick or private exhibitions. 3 May, in his Hiftory of the Parliament of England, 1646, taking a review of the conduct of King Charles and his minifters from 1628 to 1640, mentions that plays were ufually represented at court on Sundays during that period. There were during this period fimilar exhibitions on Sundays elfewhere as well as at court, notwithstanding the statute made in the beginning of this reign: but whether they were permitted then in the publick theatres, I am unable to afcertain. Prynne in his Hiftriomaftix, p. 645, has the following paffage: "Neither will it hereupon follow, that we may dance, dice, fee mafques or plays on Lords-day nights, (as too many do,) becaufe the Lords day is then ended," &c. and in p. 717, he infinuates that the ftatute 3 Car. I. c. 4. (which prohibited the exhibition of any interlude or flageplay on the Lord's-day,) was not very ftrictly enforced : "If it were as diligently executed as it was piously enacted, it would fuppreffe many great abufes, that are yet continuing among us, to Gods difhonour and good chriftians' grief in too many places of our kingdom; which our juftices, our inferiour magiftrates, might foon reforme, would they but fet themselves fericuíly about it, as fome bere and there have done." See alfo Withers's Britaines Remembrancer, Canto VI. p. 197, b. edit. 1628: "And feldom have they leifure for a play In John Spencer's Difcourfes of diverfe Petitions, &c. 4to. 1641, It has been a queftion, whether it was formerly a common practice to ride on horfeback to the playhouse; a circumstance that would scarcely deferve confideration, if it were not in fome fort connected with our author's hiftory, a plausible story having been built on this foundation, relative to his first introduction to the stage. The modes of conveyance to the theatre, anciently, as at prefent, feem to have been various; fome going in coaches, others on horseback, and (as I learn from Oldys's Manufcript notes on Langbaine,) it is faid, "Villaine, the beft ;-whate'er you prize it at. "I fhall be proud to usher her anon; My coach ftands ready." Notes from Black-friars, 1617. The author is defcribing the behaviour of a gallant at the Blackfriars theatre. 6 See the induction to Cynthia's Revels, 1601: "Befides, they could wish, your poets would leave to be promoters of other men's jetts, and to way-lay all the ftale apothegms or old books they can hear of, in print or otherwife, to farce their scenes withal :-again, that feeding their friends with nothing of their own but what they have twice or thrice cook'd, they fhould not wantonly give out, how foon they had dreft it, nor how many coaches came to carry away the broken meat, befides bobby-borfes, and foot-cloth nags." By this time," (fays Decker, defcribing an ordinary,) "the |