the introduction of blank verse, to the exclusion of the rhymed couplet, a change which may be attributed to a Norwich man, the Earl of Surrey, as the first poet to introduce blank verse into this country. But, it is not with this literary side of the question that I wish to deal in the present paper, but rather to enquire what players came to Norwich, what we know of their life amongst us, and where, and how they performed within our city. As early as the reign of Edward IV., strolling actors were to be found throughout the country representing themselves as the servants of some royal personage, or member of the nobility; but these strolling companies became so numerous, that in 1572 it was found necessary to pass an Act (which was renewed twenty-five years later), providing that all fencers, bearwards, common players in interludes and minstrels not belonging to any baron of this realm, or to any other honourable personage of greater degree, should be treated as rogues and vagabonds, if they had not the licence of at least two justices of the peace. But, even though they might be the servants of some nobleman, it appears to have been the custom for players on entering our city to obtain the Mayor's licence to play within the city (to perform without it being punishable with imprisonment), and permission, it would seem, was in the reign of Henry VIII., only granted for guild days and festivals. In Willis' Mount Tabor, published in 1639, the writer describing a play which he saw when a child, says: In the City of Gloucester the manner is (as I think it is in other like corporations) that when the players of interludes come to town, they first attend the Mayor to inform him what nobleman's servants they are, and so to get licence for their public playing; and if the Mayor but will deal with the players who visited Norwich in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and performed there the works of our first legitimate English dramatists. Although in the Elizabethan drama we gain greatly in point of literary excellence, we lose that local element which was so distinguishing a characteristic of the miracle plays. These latter were often the work of local writers, and were in many cases performed by amateur actors of the neighbourhood, but in the present paper we shall deal for the most part with companies of actors from London, performing the latest successes from the pens of the great writers of the period. We must not forget, however, that Norwich can claim Robert Greene, one of these great dramatic writers, as her son, while our local actors were not yet extinct, for on the 4th February, 1576, the whole company of the waytes of this city came into the Mayor's Court, and craved that they might have leave to play comedies, and open interludes, and such other plays and tragedies which should seem to them meet, which petition was granted to them by the whole consent of the Court, provided they did not play in the time of divine service and sermons. It would be beyond my subject to discuss the causes which produced so many fine dramas in response to the enthusiasm for the stage, but, I may say that nothing contributed more to the popularity of the drama than 3 In his Repentance, Greene writes:-"I need not make long discourse of my parents, who for their gravity and honest life are well-known and esteemed amongst their neighbours, namely, in the City of Norwich, where I was bred and born." After leaving Cambridge, he travelled awhile in Spain, and Italy, and then settled for a time in London, where he lived a dissolute life. He must, however, have returned to his native city at least for a short time, as he writes "Once I felt a fear and horror in my conscience. This inward motion I received in St. Andrew's Church, in the City of Norwich, at a lecture or sermon, being new come from Italy. But this good motion lasted not long in me." Greene died in 1592, the introduction of blank verse, to the exclusion of the rhymed couplet, a change which may be attributed to a Norwich man, the Earl of Surrey, as the first poet to introduce blank verse into this country. But, it is not with this literary side of the question that I wish to deal in the present paper, but rather to enquire what players came to Norwich, what we know of their life amongst us, and where, and how they performed within our city. As early as the reign of Edward IV., strolling actors were to be found throughout the country representing themselves as the servants of some royal personage, or member of the nobility; but these strolling companies became so numerous, that in 1572 it was found necessary to pass an Act (which was renewed twenty-five years later), providing that all fencers, bearwards, common players in interludes and minstrels not belonging to any baron of this realm, or to any other honourable personage of greater degree, should be treated as rogues and vagabonds, if they had not the licence of at least two justices of the peace. But, even though they might be the servants of some nobleman, it appears to have been the custom for players on entering our city to obtain the Mayor's licence to play within the city (to perform without it being punishable with imprisonment), and permission, it would seem, was in the reign of Henry VIII., only granted for guild days and festivals. In Willis' Mount Tabor, published in 1639, the writer describing a play which he saw when a child, says::"In the City of Gloucester the manner is (as I think it is in other like corporations) that when the players of interludes come to town, they first attend the Mayor to inform him what nobleman's servants they are, and so to get licence for their public playing; and if the Mayor like the actors, or would shew respect to their lord and master, he appoints them to play their first play before himself, and the aldermen and common council of the City, and that is called the Mayor's Play, where everyone that wills comes in without money, the Mayor giving the players a reward as he thinks fit to shew respect unto them." There can, I think, be no doubt, that when the players first visited Norwich, about the middle of the sixteenth century, a similar custom of a Mayor's Play existed. There are, however, comparatively few payments to players recorded in the Chamberlain's accounts, prior to 1550, which may be easily explained by the facts, that, at that time the strolling companies were far fewer in number than they afterwards became, and the mayors were accustomed to receive from the Chamberlain a lump sum for rewards given by them during their year of office to minstrels and gameplayers. One distinct instance of a Mayor's Play occurs in 1542, when an interlude was performed by certain game players, in the Council or Assembly Chamber of the Guildhall, before the Mayor and Aldermen. The players were given a reward of 68. 8d., of which 48. 8d. was contributed by the company present, and the other 28. paid by the Chamberlain. A stage was formed at a cost of 2d., by laying planks on the tops of the forms, while there was a further outlay of "2d. for perfume, spent in the Council Chamber for to avoid the strong savour there by reason of a chimney in the prison whereof the soot was brent." Possibly the dimensions of the Guildhall were found to be too limited to be the scene of further dramatic displays, for on Ascension Day, 1544, my Lord Prince's My Lord Marshal's servants, however, acted a play at the Guildhall in players played an interlude "at Mr. Castelden's Place, before Mr. Mayor and some of his brethren and comyns." Fortunately for the players, the city, in 1540, acquired the dissolved monastery of the Blackfriars, and accordingly we find, for the future, nearly all official performances taking place either in St. Andrew's or the Common Hall, as it was then called, or in the Chapel, now Blackfriars' Hall, adjoining. Doubtless also the audience was no longer restricted to the Mayor and his brethren, although the performances were probably not free to the public as at Gloucester, because we meet with small gratuities made to "one that kept the door," while the larger dimensions of the building required precautions to secure greater quiet among the audience and clearer articulation by the players: hence an outlay of a few pence is usually incurred by the City Chamberlain for sedge, with which to strew the hall, and drink for the players. The stage was also, probably, enlarged, and was formed by laying planks upon the tops of barrels; on the Sunday after Twelfth Day, 1543, twelve long "popill" planks being used for the purpose. The custom of giving the players a reward, made up of the amount collected among the audience and the balance paid by the Chamberlain out of the city funds, continued until the end of the reign of Edward VI.; thus, in 1543, the Chamberlain notes a reward of 10s. to certain players "of the which was gathered of the Mayor and his brethren, 28. 10d., and so was paid by the accountant, 78. 2d."; while three years later we meet with the following:-" Item. Gaf in reward to the Qwenys players who played an interlude at the Comon Halle, on the Tewsday in the vjth weke after Myhelmas, whose matter was the market of myscheffe, x"; of the |