celebrated a performer could not have been overlooked, when that lift was forming. So early as in 1593, we find "Ned Alleyn's company mentioned." Alleyn was fole proprietor and manager of the Fortune theatre, in which he performed from 1599 (and perhaps before) till 1616, when, I believe, he quitted the ftage. He was fervant to the Lord Admiral (Nottingham): all the old plays therefore which are faid to have been performed by the Lord Admiral's Servants, were reprefented at the Fortune by Alleyn's company." s P. 342, 11. 5• 66 6 In a former edition I had faid, on the authority of Mr. Oldys, that Edward Alleyn, the player, mentions in his Diary, that he once had fo flender an audience in his theatre called the Fortune, that the whole receipt of the house amounted to no more than three pounds and fome odd fhillings." But I have fince seen Alleyn's Diary, (which was then miflaid,) and find Mr. Oldys was mistaken. The memorandum on which the intelligence conveyed by the Librarian of Dulwich College to that Antiquary, was founded, is as follows: " Oct. 1617. I went to the Red Bull, and rd. for The Younger Brother but £.3. 6. 4." It appears from one of Lord Bacon's Letters that Alleyn had in 1618 left the ftage. "Allen that was the player," he calls him. The money therefore which he mentions to have received for the play of The Younger Brother, must have been the produce of the fecond day's reprefentation, in confequence of his having fold the property of that piece to the fharers in the Red Bull theatre, or being in fome other way entitled to a benefit from it. Alleyn's own play-houfe, the Fortune, was then open, but I imagine, he had fold off his property in it to a kinfman, one Thomas Allen, an actor likewife. In his Diary he frequently mentions his going from Dulwich to London after dinner, and fupping with him and fome of "the Fortune's men.” From this MS. I expected to have learned feveral particulars relative to our ancient stage; but unluckily the Diary does not commence till the year 1617, (at which time he had retired to his College, at Dulwich,) and contains no theatrical intelligence whatsoever, except the article already quoted. THE HE hiftory of the stage as far as it relates to Shakspeare, naturally divides itfelf into three periods: the period which preceded his appearance as an actor or dramatick writer; that during which he flourished; and the time which has elapfed fince his death. Having now gone through the two former of thefe periods, I fhall take a tranfient view of the flage from the death of our great poet to the year 1741, ftill with a view to Shakspeare, and his works. Soon after his death, four of the principal companies then fubfifting, made a union, and were afterwards called The United Companies; but I know not precifely in what this union confifted. I fufpect it arofe from a penury of actors, and that the managers contracted to permit the performers in each house occafionally to affift their brethren in the other theatres in the reprefentation of plays. We have already seen that John Heminge in 1618 pay'd Sir George Buck, "in the name of the four companys, for a lenten difpenfation in the holydaies, 44s. ;" and Sir Henry Herbert obferves that the play called Come fee a Wonder, "written by John Daye for a company of ftrangers," and reprefented Sept. 18, 1623, was "acted at the Red Bull, and licensed without his hand to it, because they [i. e. this company of ftrangers] were none of the four companys." The old comedy entitled Amends for Ladies, as appears from its title-page, was acted at Blackfriars before the year 1618," both by the Prince's fervants and Lady Elizabeth's," though the theatre at Blackfriars then belonged to the king's fervants. After the death of Shakspeare, the plays of Fletcher appear for feveral years to have been more admired, or at leaft to have been more fre quently acted, than thofe of our poet. During the latter part of the reign of James the First, Fletcher's pieces had the advantage of novelty to recommend them. I believe, between the time of Beaumont's death in 1615 and his own in 1625, this poet produced at least twenty-five plays. Sir Afton Cokain has informed us, in his poems, that of the thirty-five pieces improperly afcribed to Beaumont and Fletcher in the folio edition of 1647, much the greater part were written after Beaumont's death; and his account is partly confirmed by Sir Henry Herbert's Manufcript, from which it appears that Fletcher produced eleven new plays in the last four years of his life. If we were poffeffed of the Register kept by Sir George Buck, we fhould there, I make no doubt, find near twenty dramas written by the fame author in the interval between 1615 and 1622. As, to afcertain the share which each of these writers had in the works which have erroneously gone under their joint names, has long been a defideratum in dramatick history, I shall here fet down as perfect a lift as I have been able to form of the pieces produced by Fletcher in his latter years. For what a foul And inexcufable fault it is, (that whole "Volume of plays being almost every one After the death of Beaumont writ,) that none "Would certifie them fo much?" Verfes addreffed by Sir Afton Cokain to Mr. Charles See alfo his verfes addreffed to Mr. Humphry Mofeley and Mr. Humphry Robinfon: "In the large book of playes you late did print Being fole itfues of fweet Fletcher's brain." The Honeft Man's Fortune, though it appeared first in the folio 1647, was one of the few pieces in that collection, which was the joint production of Beaumont and Fletcher. It was first performed at the Globe theatre in the year 1613, two years before the death of Beaumont.8 The Loyal Subject was the fole production of Fletcher, and was firft reprefented in the year 1618. It appears from Sir Henry Herbert's Manufcript, that the new plays which Fletcher had brought out in the courfe of the year, were generally prefented at court at Chriftmas. As therefore The Island Princefs, The Pilgrim, and The Wild Goofe Chafe are found among the court exhibitions of the year 1621, we need not hesitate to afcribe thefe pieces alfo to the fame poet. The Wild Goofe Chafe, though abfurdly printed under the joint names of Beaumont and Fletcher, is exprefsly afcribed to the latter by Lowin and Taylor, the actors who published it in 1652. The Beggar's Bufb, being alfo acted at court in 1622, was probably written by Fletcher. The Tamer tamed is exprefsly call'd his by Sir Henry Herbert, as is The Mad Lover by Sir Afton Cockain: and it appears from the manufcript fo often quoted that The Night-Walker and Love's Pilgrimage, having been left imperfect by Fletcher, were corrected and finished by Shirley. I have now given an account of nine of the pieces in which Beaumont appears to have had no hare; and fubjoin a lift of eleven other plays written by Fletcher, (with the affiftance of Rowley in one only,) precifely in the order in which they were licensed by the Mafter of the Revels. A Manufcript copy of this play is now before me, marked 1622. May 14, he produced a new play called The Prophetess. June 22, The Sea Voyage. This piece was acted at the Globe. October 24, The Spanish Curate. Acted at Blackfriars. 1623. Auguft 29, The Maid of the Mill, written by Fletcher and Rowley; acted at the Globe. October 17, The Devill of Dowgate, or Ufury put to use. Acted by the king's fervants. This piece is loft. Decemb. 6. The Wandering Lovers; acted at Blackfriars. This piece is also lost. 1624. May 27, A Wife for a Month. Acted by the King's fervants. Octob. 19. Rule a Wife and have a Wife. 1625-6. January 22. The Fair Maid of the Inn. Acted at Blackfriars. Feb. 3. The Noble Gentleman. Acted at the fame theatre. In a former page an account has been given of the court-exhibitions in 1622. In Sir Henry Herbert's Office-book I find the following "Note of fuch playes as were acted at court in 1623 and 1624," which confirms what I have fuggefted, that the plays of Shakspeare were then not fo much admired as thofe of the poets of the day. Upon Michelmas night att Hampton court, The Mayd of the Mill by the K. Company. Upon Allhollows night at St. James, the prince being there only, The Mayd of the Mill againe, with reformations. ་ Upon the fifth of November att Whitehall, the prince being there only, The Gipfye, by the Cockpitt company. Upon St. Stevens daye, the king and prince |