Though the apparatus for theatrick exhibitions was thus scanty, and the machinery of the simplest kind, the invention of trap-doors appears not to be modern; for in an old Morality, entitled, All for Money, we find a marginal direction, which implies that they were very early in use.2 We learn from Heywood's Apology for Actors,3 that the covering, or internal roof, of the stage, was anciently termed the heavens. It was probably painted of a sky-blue colour; or perhaps pieces of drapery tinged with blue were suspended across the stage, to represent the heavens. It appears from the stage-directions1 given in When D'Avenant introduced scenes on the publick stage, this ancient practice was still followed. See his Introduction to his Siege of Rhodes, 1656: "In the middle of the freese was a compartment, wherein was written-RHODES." Here-with some fine conveyance, Pleasure shall appeare from beneathe." All for Money, 1578. So, in Marston's Antonio's Revenge, 1602: "Enter Balurdo from under the stage." In the fourth Act of Macbeth several apparitions arise from beneath the stage, and again descend. The cauldron likewise sinks : "Why sinks that cauldron, and what noise is this?" In The Roaring Girl, a comedy, by Middleton and Decker, 1611, there is a character called Trap-door. 3 Apology for Actors, 1612. Signat. D. Spanish Tragedy, 1610, Act IV. Signat. L: "Cast. How now Hieronimo, where's "That you take all this pains? your fellows, "Hiero. O, sir, it is for the author's credit. "To look that all things may go well. "But, good my lord, let me entreat your grace, "To give the king the copy of the play. "This is the argument of what we shew. "Cast. I will, Hieronimo. The Spanish Tragedy, that when a play was exhibited within a play, (if I may so express myself,) as is the case in that piece and in Hamlet, the court or audience before whom the interlude was performed sat in the balcony, or upper stage already described; and a curtain or traverse being hung across the stage for the nonce, the performers entered between that curtain and the general audience, and on its being drawn, began their piece, addressing themselves to the balcony, and regardless of the spectators in the theatre, to whom their backs must have been turned during the whole of the perform ance. From a plate prefixed to Kirkman's Drolls, printed in 1672, in which there is a view of a theatrical booth, it should seem that the stage was formerly lighted by two large branches, of a form similar to those now hung in churches; and from Beaumont's Verses prefixed to Fletcher's Faithful Shepherdess, which was acted before the year 1611, we find that wax lights were used." These branches having been found incommodious, as they obstructed the sight of the spectators, "Hiero. Let me entreat your grace, that when "You would vouchsafe to throw me down the key. "Enter Balthazar, with a chair. 6 "Hiero. Well done, Balthazar; hang up the tilt: "Our scene is Rhodes. What, is your beard on?" Afterwards the tragedy of Solyman and Perseda is exhibited before the King of Spain, the Duke of Castile, &c. "Some like, if the wax lights be new that day." • Fleckno in 1664, complains of the bad lighting of the stage, even at that time: "Of this curious art [scenery] the Italians (this latter age) are the greatest masters; the French good proficients; and we in England only scholars and learners you, having gave place at a subsequent period to small circular wooden frames, furnished with candles, eight of which were hung on the stage, four at either side: and these within a few years were wholly removed by Mr. Garrick, who, on his return from France in 1765, first introduced the present commodious method of illuminating the stage by lights not visible to the audience. 6 The body of the house was illuminated by cressets, or large open lanterns of nearly the same size with those which are fixed in the poop of a ship. If all the players whose names are enumerated in the first folio edition of our author's works, belonged to the same theatre, they composed a numerous company; but it is doubtful whether they all performed at the same period, or always continued in the same house. Many of the companies, in proceeded no farther than to bare painting, and not arrived to the stupendous wonders of your great ingeniers; especially not knowing yet how to place our lights, for the more advantage and illuminating of the scenes." Short discourse of the English Stage. See Cotgrave's French Dictionary, 1611, in v. Falot: "A cresset light, (such as they use in playhouses,) made of ropes wreathed, pitched, and put into small and open cages of iron." The Watchmen of London carried cressets fixed on poles till 1539 (and perhaps later). See Stowe's Survey, p. 160, edit. 1618. 7 An actor, who wrote a pamphlet against Mr. Pope, soon after the publication of his edition of Shakspeare, says, he could prove that they belonged to several different companies.. It appears from the MS. Register of Lord Stanhope, treasurer of the chamber to King James I. that Joseph Taylor, in 1613, was at the head of a distinct company from that of Heminge called the Lady Elizabeth's servants, who then acted at the Hope on the Bankside. He was probably, however, before that period, of the King's Company, of which afterwards he was a principal ornament. Some of the players too, whose names are prefixed to the first folio edition of our author, were dead in the year the infancy of the stage, certainly were so thin, that the same person played two or three parts; and a battle on which the fate of an empire was supposed to depend, was decided by half a dozen combatants." It appears to have been a common practice in their mock engagements, to discharge small pieces of ordnance on or behind the stage.' Before the exhibition began, three flourishes were played, or, in the ancient language, there were three soundings:2 Musick was likewise played be 1600, or soon after; and others there enumerated, might have appeared at a subsequent period, to supply their loss. See The Catalogue of Actors, post. In the Induction to Marston's Antonio and Mellida, 1602, Piero asks Alberto what part he acts. He replies, "the necessity of the play forceth me to act two parts." See also the Dramatis Persone of many of our ancient plays; and below; p. 122, n. 6. 9 "And so our scene must to the battle fly, "The name of Agincourt." King Henry V. Act IV. "Much like to some of the players that come to the scaffold with drumme and trumpet, to proffer skirmish, and when they have sounded alarme, off go the pieces, to encounter a shadow, or conquer a paper monster." Schoole of Abuse; by Stephen Gosson, 1579. So, in The True Tragedie of Richarde Duke of Yorke, and the Death of good King Henrie the Sixt, 1600: "Alarmes to the battaile.-York flies; then the chambers be discharged; then enter the king," &c. 2 Come, let's bethink ourselves, what may be found Notes from Black-fryars, by H. Fitz-Jeoffery, 1617. See also the Address to the readers, prefixed to Decker's Satiromastix, a comedy, 1602: " Instead of the trumpets sounding thrice before the play begin," &c. 4 tween the acts.3 The instruments chiefly used, were trumpets, cornets, hautboys, lutes, recorders, viols, and organs. The band, which, I believe, did not consist of more than eight or ten performers, sat (as I have been told, by a very ancient stage-veteran, who had his information from Bowman, the contemporary of Betterton,) in an upper balcony, over what is now called the stage-box. 5 See the prologue to Hannibal and Scipio, a tragedy, 1637: "Betwixt the acts." The practice appears to have prevailed in the infancy of our stage. See the concluding lines of the second Act of Gammer Gurton's Needle, 1575: "In the towne will I, my frendes to vysit there, "And hether straight again, to see the end of this gere: "In the mean time, felowes, pipe upp your fiddles, 1 say take them, "And let your freyndes here such mirth as ye can make them." It has been thought by some that our author's dramas were exhibited without any pauses, in an unbroken continuity of scenes. But this appears to be a mistake. In a copy of Romeo and Juliet, 1599, now before me, which certainly belonged to the playhouse, the endings of the acts are marked in the margin; and directions are given for musick to be played between each The marginal directions in this copy appear to be of a very old date, one of them being in the ancient style and hand"Playe musicke." act. See the stage-directions in Marston's Sophonisba, acted at Blackfriars theatre, in 1606: "The ladies draw the curtains about Sophonisba ;-the cornets and organs playing loud full musicke for the act. Signat. B 4. Organ mixt with recorders, for this act. Signat. D 2. "Organs, viols, and voices, play for this act. Signat. E 2. "A base lute and a treble viol play for this act." Signat. F 2. 5 In the last scene of Massinger's City Madam, which was first acted at Blackfriars, May 25, 1632, Orpheus is introduced chanting those ravishing strains with which he moved |