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Plays and Players at Court Court Entertainments. p.1: Acrobats, feats of activity, tumblers. p.2: Bear-baiting. p.3: Fools and Jesters. p.4: Masques. p.6: Playwrights. p.7: Players. p.8: Plays and Players: miscellaneous references. p.10: Plays: alphabetical list. p.13: Plays for the Queen. p.20: Companies of players, and court performances. p.24: Tournaments. p.26: Tournaments’ Glossary. p.27: Tournament Judges. p.27: Fees for tournaments. p.28-34: Tilters’ Index. Acrobats, feats of activity, tumblers. 1575 July 14: Kenilworth Castle: Italian tumbler. 1578 by Jan 13: Hampton Court: Italian tumbler. 1580 Jan 12: Whitehall: feats of tumbling, by Lord Strange’s tumblers. 1581 Dec 28: Whitehall: feats of activity, by Lord Strange’s Men. 1583 Jan 1: Windsor Castle: feats of tumbling and activity, and matachins (sword-dancers), by Lord Strange's Men, led by John Symons. 1584 Christmas: matachin suits were provided for a ‘pastoral’. 1585 Jan 1: Whitehall: feats of activity, by Earl of Oxford’s Men: presented by ‘Symons and his fellows’. Nov 26: Leicester House: tumblers. 1586 Jan 9: Greenwich: feats of activity and tumbling, by Mr Stanley’s Boys, led by John Symons. Christmas 1586-Shrovetide 1587: Greenwich: tumbling. 1587 Dec 28: Greenwich: feats of activity, by John Symons and his company. 1588 June/July: Greenwich: feats of activity by Turks; and referred to, July 6. Christmas 1588-Shrovetide 1589: Richmond or Whitehall: feats of activity and tumbling, and matachins; with Symons the tumbler. 1589 Dec 28: Richmond: feats of activity, by Admiral’s Men. 1590 Dec 27: Richmond: feats of activity, by Admiral’s Men and Lord Strange’s Men. 1591 Feb 16: Greenwich: feats of activity, by Admiral’s Men and Lord Strange’s Men. 1600 May 5: Queen wishes to see Frenchman who danced on a rope. May 10: Frenchman showed ‘wonders on a rope’ for French envoy. May 12: Queen appoints to see feats upon a rope (deferred). May 14: Greenwich: Peter Bromvill’s feats before the Queen. May 15: Bromvill permitted to perform at The Swan. 1601 Dec 25: hose made ‘for Nick to tumble in before the Queen’. Dec 27: Whitehall: Admiral’s Men: play and tumbling. 1603 Jan 2: Whitehall: ‘vaulting and other active exercises’, presented by John Hassett. 1 Bear-baiting. The Queen never visited the public bear-baiting arena at Paris Garden, Southwark, Surrey: when she watched bear-baiting bears were brought to court. 1559 March 21: Whitehall, after bringing Easter wyth. May 25: Whitehall: for Queen and French Ambassadors. May 26: Paris Garden, Southwark: for French Ambassadors. Christmas 1559-February 1560: Whitehall: ‘at sundry times’. 1560 April 10: Whitehall, after bringing the Easter wyth to court. 1561 Oct 28: Whitehall: for Queen and French visitors. 1565 May 25: Paris Garden: for Ambassadors: bears, bulls, wolves, mule, ape. 1567 Christmas 1567-New Year 1568: Whitehall; with payment. 1572 June 15: Whitehall: for Frenchmen (Queen absent). 1573 Jan 9: Hampton Court: payment to Richard Dorrington for bear-baiting. Jan 17: payment for baiting at Greenwich and twice at Westminster (1572). June 2: New Master of the Queen’s Games: Ralph Bowes. 1574 Jan 20: payment for baiting at Greenwich (in 1573), and twice at Westminster (Christmas 1573-January 1574). June 1: Greenwich. 1575 April 3: St James’s Palace, in Easter Week. July 14: Kenilworth Castle; Aug 3: Lichfield payment for Ralph Bowes’ tent. Dec 27: Hampton Court. 1576 March 5: Whitehall: for Queen and Champagney, envoy. June 13: Greenwich; Dec 27: Hampton Court. 1577 Feb 18: Whitehall. Christmas 1577-New Year 1578: Hampton Court. 1579 c.Feb 13: Paris Garden, Southwark: for Duke Casimir. 1580 by Jan 13: Whitehall: for Queen and Spanish Ambassador. Dec 27: Whitehall. 1581 April 23: Whitehall. May 1: Whitehall: for Queen and French Commissioners. Dec 4,5,7,31: Whitehall. Duke of Alençon at court. 1582 June 5: Greenwich. 1583 Jan 13: part of Paris Garden collapsed, many dead and injured; Jan 14: reported by Lord Mayor; Jan 15-17: sequel. Dec 27: Greenwich. 1584 March 3: Whitehall: bull broke loose; March 8: described. Dec 28: Greenwich. 1585 Dec 27: Greenwich. 1586 May 24: Greenwich: for Queen and Danish Chancellor; described. 1587 Greenwich: Feb 28; June 6; Dec 28. 1588 Greenwich: Feb 20; May 28. 1593 Jan 28: baiting of bears and bulls forbidden during plague. 1596 Oct 30: Harington’s allusion to a bear at Alençon’s visit (1581). 1598 Aug 11: New Master of the Queen’s Games: John Dorrington. 1599 May 29: Greenwich: for Queen and French Ambassador. 1600 May 12: preparations for bear-baiting at court, letter. May 12: bears, bull, and ape to be baited; May 13: baiting deferred; May 18: Greenwich: baiting in Tilt-yard. 1601 June 2: Greenwich: baiting in Tilt-yard. 1602 Feb 14: Whitehall: for Queen and French Ambassador. May 25: Greenwich: for Queen and French Ambassador. Dec 28: Whitehall. 2 Fools and Jesters. See also: ‘Anecdotes’ (Clod; Pace; Tarlton). 1559 Jan 15: Coronation apparel for William Somers ‘the Queen’s Fool’. May 30: De Quadra’s reference to one of the Queen’s Fools. 1562 Jan 1: from Modeno: picture of Patch, King Henry VIII’s Fool. May 7: charges against Countess of Lennox, one relating to her Fool. 1564 Sept 20: a Fool’s advice to the Queen. 1565 January, end: Robert Green, the Queen’s Fool: expenses for. April 16: Jack Green, the Queen’s Fool: apparel. June 4: Baron Zwetkovich relates a jest by the Queen’s jester. Aug 9: Earl of Leicester’s Fool, at Windsor. 1566 June, start: Fulharst, a Fool, imprisoned for slandering Sir William Cecil. 1567 Feb 10: Wardrobe account, including Jack Green, the Queen’s Fool. 1568 April 14: Wardrobe account, including Monarcho (an Italian who is referred to by Shakespeare in Love’s Labour’s Lost). 1572 April 9: hose for Hoyden, a male Fool. 1573 Sept 16: Canterbury Chamberlains paid ‘Walter the Jester’. 1574 Oct 14: Wardrobe account for a Fool, William Shenton. Dec 28: report that a jester at the French court dressed as Henry VIII; the Queen’s anger. 1575 Feb 18: French King and Queen Mother denied the report about a jester. 1578 July 27: Nashe compared Gabriel Harvey to Monarcho. 1585 Sept 8: Earl of Leicester rewarded Robin, Lord Lumley’s Fool. 1591 March 10: John Stanhope sent Jenkin, a Fool, with a letter. 1592 New Year: Countess of Shrewsbury rewarded Ramsey, court jester. 1592 end: Nashe’s play Summer’s Last Will and Testament, including Will Somers, or Summers. 1599 Sept 17: Cope’s museum has the ‘bauble and bells of Henry VIII’s fool’. 1602 Nov 19: note concerning supposed Fool, Garret. 3 Masques. 1559 Jan 6: Whitehall: Papists. Jan 16: Whitehall: Turks or Hungarians. Jan 22: Whitehall: Moors; torch-bearers: Moorish Friars. Feb 5: Whitehall: Swart Rutters [Black Riders]; torch-bearers: Germans. Feb 7: Whitehall: Fishermen, Fish-wives, Market-wives; with Minstrels. May 24: Whitehall: Astronomers; torch-bearers: Mariners. July 11: Greenwich: masque after Tilt. Aug 6: Nonsuch, Surrey: masque. Aug 13: Swedish envoys being mocked in masques. Aug 18/21: West Horsley, Surrey: Shipmen and Maids of the Country. Dec 31: Whitehall: Clowns; torch-bearers: Hinds [farm-workers]. 1560 Jan 1: Whitehall: Barbarians; torch-bearers: Venetian Commoners. Jan 6: Whitehall: Patriarchs; Italian Women. Feb 25: Whitehall: marriage of Lord Cobham: Nusquams; torch-bearers: Turkish Commoners. Feb 27: Whitehall: Diana and Nymphs Huntresses; torch-bearers: Maidens. Actaeons; torch-bearers: Hunters. 1561 Feb 16-18: Whitehall: masques. Oct 27: Whitehall: Wise and Foolish Virgins (described). 1562 Jan 15: Baynard’s Castle, London: masque. Jan 18: Whitehall: Beauty and Desire. Feb 1: Whitehall: masque from London (described). summer: masque prepared for meeting with Queen of Scots, Nottingham. [Details in ‘Proposed Progresses’: 1562]. 1563 Feb 17: Baynard’s Castle: masques, for double marriage. 1564 June 8: Richmond: masque for Queen and Frenchmen. July 5: Sackville House, London: masque (described). Aug 10: Hinchingbrooke, Hunts: Mock Mass; by Cambridge students (described; text given). Christmas: Whitehall: masque. 1565 Feb 18: Whitehall: Hunters. March 2: York House: masques for Queen and French Ambassador. March 6: Whitehall: Satyrs; Gentlemen: for Queen and Spanish Ambassador. July 16: Durham Place: marriage of Henry Knollys: masques (described). Nov 12: Whitehall: marriage of Earl of Warwick: one or more masques. 1566 Feb 19: London: marriage of Earl of Southampton: masque. July 1: Bermondsey: marriage of Thomas Mildmay: masque (described). 1567 Feb 11: Whitehall: masque. Christmas-Shrovetide 1568: Revels prepared six masques, two not used. 1568 March 2: Whitehall: masque: Moors. 1569 Christmas: Windsor Castle: masque. 1571 Christmas-Shrovetide 1572: Revels prepared six masques (described): black and white masque, at Christmas; red cloth of gold masque; yellow cloth of gold masque; murrey satin masque; two masques not new. These and other masque costumes were hired out by the Yeoman of the Revels, usually for marriages (details in Text). 4 1572 June 22: Whitehall: masque, for Queen and Frenchmen (described). September, end: at Viscount Montagu’s: marriages of his son and daughter: masque, by George Gascoigne (described). Christmas-Shrovetide 1573: masques: Turks; Women. 1573 Jan 1: Hampton Court: Janus. Feb 3: Greenwich: Fishermen. Sept 3: Canterbury: masques, with Mariners, Turks, Ladies. Nov 8: Greenwich: marriage of William Drury: masque. Dec 27: Whitehall: Lance-Knights. 1574 Jan 1: Whitehall: Foresters or Hunters. Jan 6: Whitehall: Sages. Feb 2: Hampton Court: Virtues: ready but cancelled. Feb 22: Hampton Court: masque ready but deferred. Feb 23: Hampton Court: two masques: Warriors; Ladies. 1575 Jan 6: Hampton Court: Pedlars. July 17: Kenilworth Castle: masque ready, not seen. 1577 Jan 6: Hampton Court: masque ready, deferred to Feb 19.
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