that part incomparably well." From the remembrance of his performance of Hamlet, Sir William D'Avenant is faid to have conveyed his inftructions to Mr. Betterton. Taylor likewife played lago. He alio performed True-wit in The Silent Woman, Face in The Alchymift, and Mofca in Volpone; but not originally 9. He reprefented Ferdinand in The Dutchess of Malfy, after the death of Burbadge. He acted Mathias in The Picture, by Maffinger; Paris in The Roman Actor; the Duke in Carlell's Deferving Favourite; Rollo in The Bloody Brother; and Mirabel in The Wild Goofe Chafe. There are verfes by this performer prefixed to Maffinger's Roman Actor, 1629.

In the year 1614, Taylor appears to have been at the head of a diftinct company of comedians, who were distinguished by the name of The Lady Elizabeth's Servants. However, he afterwards returned to his old friends; and after the death of Burbadge, Heminge and Condell, he in conjunction with John Lowin and Eliard Swanton had the principal management of the king's company. In Sept. 1639 he was appointed Yeoman of the Revels in ordinary to his Majesty, in the room of Mr. William Hunt. There were certain perquifites annexed to this office, and a falary of fixpence a day. When he was in attendance on the king he had 31. 6s. 8d. per month.

I find from Fleckno's Characters, that Taylor died either in the year 1653 or in the following year': and according to Wright he was buried at Richmond. The Register of that parish antecedent to the Restoration, being loft, I am unable to ascertain that fact. He was

8 Hift. Hiftrion.

9 Taylor's name does not occur in the lift of actors printed by Jonfon at the end of Volpone.

* Mf. Virtue.

"He is one, who now the stage is down, acts the parafite's part at table; and, fince Taylor's death, none can play Mofca fo well as he.” Charalier of one who imitates the good companion another way. In the edition of Fleckno's Characters, printed in 1665, he says, this character was written in 1654. Taylor was alive in 1652, having published The Wild Goofe Chafe in that year.

probably

probably near feventy years of age at the time of his death.

He is faid by fome to have painted the only original picture of Shakspeare now extant, in the poffeffion of the duke of Chandos. By others, with more probability, Richard Burbadge is reported to have been the painter: for among the pictures in Dulwich college is one, which, in the catalogue made in the time of Charles the Second by Cartwright the player, is laid to have been painted by Burbadge.

ROBERT BENFIELD

appears to have been a fecond-rate actor. He performed Antonio in The Dutchess of Malfy, after the death of Oftler. He alfo acted the part of the King in The Deferving Favourite; Ladislaus in The Picture; Junius Rufticus in The Roman Actor; and De-gard in The Wild Goofe Chafe.

He was alive in 1647, being one of the players who figned the dedication to the folio edition of Fletcher's plays, published in that year.

ROBERT GOUGHE.

This actor at an early period performed female characters, and was, I fuppofe, the father of Alexander Goughe, who in this particular followed Robert's fteps. In The Seven Deadly Sins, Robert Goughe played Afpatia; but in the year 1611 he had arrived at an age which entitled him to reprefent male characters; for in The Second Maidens Tragedie, which was produced in that year, he performed the part of the ufurping tyrant.

RICHARD ROBINSON

is faid by Wright to have been a comedian. He acted in Jonfon's Catiline in 1611; and, it should seem from a paffage in The Devil is an Afs, [A&t II. sc. viii.] 1616,

Mf. in the collection of the Marquis of Lanfdown. See p 71, n. 7.

that

that at that time he ufually reprefented female characters. In The Second Maidens Tragedie, he reprefented the Lady of Govianus. I have not learned what parts in our author's plays were performed by this actor. In The Deferving Favourite, 1629, he played Orfinio; and in The Wild Goofe Chafe La-Caftre. In Maffinger's Roman Ador, he performed fopus; and in The Dutchess of Malfy, after the retirement of Condell, he played the Cardinal. Hart, the celebrated actor, was originally his boy or apprentice. Robinson was alive in 1647, his name being figned, with feveral others, to the dedication prefixed to the first folio edition of Fletcher's plays. In the civil wars he served in the king's army, and was killed in an engagement, by Harrifon, who was afterwards hanged at Charing-Crofs. Harrifon refufed him quarter, after he had laid down his arms, and shot him in the head, faying at the fame time, "Curfed is he that doth the work of the Lord negligently 3."

JOHN SHANCKE

was, according to Wright, a comedian. He was but in a low clafs, having performed the part of the Curate in Fletcher's Scornful Lady, and that of Hillario (a fervant) in The Wild Goofe Chafe. He was a dramatick author as well as an actor, having produced a comedy entitled Shanke's Ordinary, which was acted at Blackfriars in the year 1623-44.

JOHN RICE.

The only information I have met with concerning this player, is, that he reprefented the Marquis of Pescara, an inconfiderable part in Webster's Dutchess of Malfy. He was perhaps brother to Stephen Rice, clerk, who is mentioned in the will of John Heminge.

The foregoing lift is faid in the first folio to contain the names of the principal actors in these plays.

3 Hift. Hiftrion. p. 8.

4" For the kings company. Shankes Ordinarie, written by Shankes himselfe, this 16 March, 1623,—£. 1. 0, 0,” M(, Herbert.

Befide thefe, we know that John Wilfon played an infignificant part in Much ado about nothing.

Gabriel was likewise an inferior actor in these plays, as appears from the Third Part of King Henry VI., p. 150, edit. 1623, where we find "Enter Gabriel." In the correfponding place in the old play entitled The True Tragedie of Richarde Duke of Yorke, &c. we have→

Enter a Mejenger." Sinkler or Sinclo, and Humphreys, were likewife players in the fame theatre, and of the fame class. William Bark fted, John Duke, and Christopher Beefton', alfo belonged to this company. The latter from the year 1624 to 1638, when he died, was manager of the Cockpit theatre in Drury-lane.

In a book of the laft age of no great authority, we are told that the infamous Hugh Peters, after he had been expelled from the Univerfity of Cambridge, went to London, and enrolled himself as a player in Shakfpeare's company, in which he ufually performed the part of the Clown." Hugh Peter (for that was his name, not Peters, as he was vulgarly called by his contemporaries,) was born at Fowey or Foye in Cornwall in 1599, and was entered of Trinity College, in Cambridge, in the year 1613. In 1617 he took the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and that of Master of Arts in 1622. On the 23d of December 1621, as 1 find from the Registry of the Bishop of London, he was ordained a deacon, by Dr. Mountaine then bishop of that fee; and on June 8, 1623, he was ordained a priest. During his refidence at Trinity college, he behaved fo improperly, that he was once publickly whipped for his infolence and contumacy*; but I do not find that he was

5 In The Third Part of King Henry VI. p. 158, first folio, the following ftage-direction is found: "Enter Sinklo and Humphrey. In the old play in quarto, entitled The true tragedie of Richarde duke of Yorke, Enter tavo keepers."

6 He was one of the children of the Revels. See the Dramatis Perfond of Ben Jonfon's Silent Woman.

1 Dramatis Perforæ of Every man in bis humour.

Warton's Milton, p. 432.

4

expelled.

expelled. It is, however, not improbable that he was rufticated for a time, for fome mifconduct; and perhaps in that interval, instead of retiring to his parent's house in Cornwall, his reftlefs fpirit carried him to London, and induced him to tread the ftage. If this was the cafe, it probably happened about the time of our author's death, when Hugh Peter was about eighteen years

old.

Langbaine was undoubtedly mistaken in fuppofing that Edward Alleyn was "an ornament to Blackfriars." Wright, who was much better acquainted with the ancient stage, fays, "he never heard that Alleyn acted there" and the lift in the first folio edition of our author's plays proves decifively that he was not of his company; for fo 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 said to have been performed by the Lord Admiral's Servants, were represented at the Fortune by Alleyn's company.

P. 197, n. 5.

THE

8 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 houfe amounted to no more than three pounds and fome odd fhillings." But I have fince feen Alleyn's Diary, (which was then mislaid,) 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. 3, 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 stage. "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