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without the precaution of first learning the rudiments of education, and of the ridicule likely to attend upon any more than usually ambitious effort, which succeeds in landing its perpetrator quite out of his depth.

Old playbills offer a fruitful subject to the investigator, but their actual origin is hidden in the obscurity of ages. So far as their history goes, however, they are plentiful, and mention of them is made in works of a period far anterior to the date of any specimens extant. The modern drama had its origin in an attempt to commemorate the mysteries of the Incarnation, from whence the plays were called mysteries; and it is recorded that one Gregory Nazianzen, an early father of the Christian Church, constructed a drama on the Passion, for the purpose of counteracting the profanities of the ancient plays, about the year of our Lord 364. We have to pass over eight hundred years for the next mention of dramatic representations, and then it is met in Fitzstephen, who states that "London had for its theatrical exhibitions holy plays, and the representation of miracles wrote by holy confessors." This would be towards the close of the twelfth century; and next we come to the Chester Mysteries, which were performed about 1270. These have been reprinted during the present century, and the application of the word mystery is explained in the two subjoined verses from the proclamation or prologue to the Whitsun Plays, a title by which the famous Chester Mysteries were also known. The "moonke" mentioned is Done Rondali, of Chester Abbey, who founded the plays :

This moonke, moonke-like in Scriptures well seene

In storyes travelled with the best sorte;

In pagentes set fourth, apparently to all eyne,

The Olde and Newe Testament with livelye comforte;
Intermynglinge therewith, onely to make Sporte,
Some things not warranted by any writt,

Which, to glad the hearers, he woulde men to take yt.
Now, you worshippfull Tanners, that of custome olde
The fall of Lucifer did set out,

Some writers awarrante your matter; therefore be boulde,
Lustily to playe the same to all the rowtte;

And yf any thereof stande in any doubte,

Your author his author hath, your shewe let bee,
Good speech, fyne players, with apparill comelye.

With the history of plays we have nothing to do, and need only state that the first regular English tragedy was "Ferrex and porrex," which was acted before Queen Elizabeth on the 18th of January 1561 by the gentlemen of the Inner Temple. This same play was tried at one of the minor theatres in 1854, but had no claim upon the tastes of the time. From a passage in Strype's Life of Archbishop Grindall, it has been assumed that the custom of issuing bills, giving information concerning the time, place, and nature of plays to be acted, came in with the plays themselves, as it is there shown to exist prior to the year 1563. In alluding to Grindall's objections to dramatic representations, Strype mentions that the Archbishop complained to Queen Elizabeth's secretary that the players "did then daily, but especially on the holidays, set up their bills, inviting to plays." This, however, is a somewhat curious error of Strype's, into which Mr Payne Collier has also fallen. The Bishop did not write bills but booths; his words are as follows: "Common players, now daylie, but speciallye on holy dayes, set up boothes whereunto the youthe resorteth excessively." There is, however, other evidence to prove that playbills were in use not long after the above date; for John Northbrooke, in his treatise against theatrical performances, printed about 1579, says: "They use to set up their bills upon posts some certain days before, to admonish people to make resort to their theatres." At that time the Stationers' Company had the right of giving licences for the printing of playbills, and in the year 1587 its Court of Assistants conferred upon John Charlewood the privilege of being the sole printer of bills for players. Before that time they were printed by one James Roberts, who

names "the bills for the players" amongst his publications as early as 1573-six years before Northbrooke's mention of them—and, authorised no doubt by Charlewood, he continued to print them until after the year 1600. This right of printing playbills was at a subsequent period assumed by the Crown. A broadside, dated 1620, is preserved in the Library of the Society of Antiquaries, by which this privilege was granted to a printing firm by James I. It is entitled “An Abstract of his Majesty's Letters Patent granted unto Roger Wood and Thomas Symcocke, for the sole printing of paper and parchment on the one side." Among the articles enumerated as coming under this category are, “Bills for Playes, Pastimes, Showes, Challenges, Prizes, or Sportes whatsoever." At the end the public are informed that if they may want any work of that description, they need only repair to Edward Allde (Wood and Symcocke's assignee), "in the Old Change at the Golden Anchor, over against Carter Lane end, where they shall be reasonably dealt with for the same."

According to Malone these early playbills did not contain a list of the characters or of the names of the actors by whom they were represented. But that the name of the author was sometimes, if not always, on the playbill may be inferred from a passage in the anonymous play of "Histriomastix" (1610), act iv., in which Belch, speaking of Post-hast the playwriter, says, "It is as dangerous to read his name at a play dore, as a printed bill on a plague dore," the allusion being to the practice of writing "Lord have mercy upon us" on the doors of houses in which the plague had broken out, which words of course were a caution, and made people pass on hurriedly. In the same play also we find a curious illustration of our subject in a reference to the part of one of the inferior actors. In act iii. the stage direction says, "Enter Belch setting up bills." And it may not be out of place to remark that the word poster is evidently derived from the custom of sticking bills on

posts. That bills were stuck on posts for choice, many of them at stated or customary places, there is plenty of evidence. Sometimes they were ordered to be stuck upon doors and gates, as in the following, though this very possibly means door or gate post. From the Moderate Intelligencer, March 18-25, 1647, we discover that in the time. of civil war, when the bishops' lands and palaces were sold, the following places were appointed by Parliament to be used for affixing bills concerning the sales. Upon the outer gate and upon the hall door of Sir Richard Gourney's house in the Old Jewry (this was the office where the committee charged with those sales held their sitting), upon the north door of St Paul's Church, upon the gate of Guildhall, and upon the gate of Blackwell Hall.

As long as they have had an existence from the sixteenth century—these bills have gone by the name of playbills. In the prologue to the anonymous tragedy of "A Warning for Fair Women" (1599), Tragedy whips History and Comedy from the stage, exclaiming :

'Tis you have kept the theatre so long
Painted in Play bills upon every post,
While I am scornèd of the multitude.

They have also, however, in various places and at various times, been called "text bills for plays." The natural and shorter title, though, always overruled its more pretentious rival. From the prologue to Shirley's "Cardinal" (1652) it appears that it was usual to add on the bill whether the piece was a comedy or a tragedy. This "Cardinal" being a tragedy, the author apologises in the following words for only calling it "a play" in the bills :

Think what you please, we call it but a "play."
Whether the comic muse, or lady's love,

Romance, or direful tragedy it prove,

The bill determines not and you would be

Persuaded I would have't a comedy

For all the purple in the name.

From which it may be inferred that the names of tragedies, for greater distinction, were usually, or at all events occasionally, printed in red ink. That the custom of posting playbills continued in the reign of Charles II. may be inferred from the following entry in Pepys' Diary: "I went to see if any play was acted and I found none upon the posts, it being Passion Weeke."

During the Civil Wars the drama had a hard struggle not to be swamped in the deluge which destroyed all things appertaining to the pomp and luxury of the Court, or connected with pleasure generally. The face of the Parliament was turned against stage-plays, and when the war broke out, one of the first measures was that which led to the publication of the following bill :

Ordinance of the Lords and Commons concerning Stage-Plays.

Whereas,

The distressed Estate of Ireland, steeped in her own Blood, and the distracted Estate of England, threatened with a Cloud of Blood by a civil War, call for all possible Means to appease and avert the Wrath of God, appearing in these Judgements; amongst which Fasting and Prayer, having been often tried to be very effectual, have been lately, and are still, enjoined; And whereas public Sports do not well agree with public Calamities, nor public Stage-plays with the Seasons of Humiliation, this being an exercise of sad and pious Solemnity, and the other being Spectacles of Pleasure too commonly expressing lascivious Mirth and Levity; It is therefore thought fit, and ordered by the Lords and Commons in this Parliament assembled, That while these sad Causes and set Times of Humiliation do continue, public Stage-plays shall cease and be forborne. Instead of which are recommended to the People of this Land the profitable and seasonable consideration of Repentance, Reconciliation, and Peace with God, which probably will produce outward Peace and Prosperity, and bring again Times of Joy and Gladness to these Nations.

This intimation was of course received with much outcry, and "The Actors' Remonstrance" was soon published In it the writer complains naturally of a law which robs the poor player of his livelihood, and allows bear-gardens

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