Shakespeare of Stratford/The Biographical Facts/Fact 37
XXXVII. SHAKESPEARE AND HIS COLLEAGUES BECOME THE KING’S SERVANTS (1608).
James I’s instructions to his Keeper of the Privy Seal, endorsed ‘The Players’ Privilege,’ May 17, 1603. (Public Record Office.)
By the King. Right trusty and well beloved counselor, we greet you well, and will and command you that under our Privy Seal in your custody for the time being you cause our letters to be directed to the Keeper of our Great Seal of England, commanding him that under our said Great Seal he cause our letters to be made patents in form following:—James, by the grace of God King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c., to all justices, mayors, sheriffs, constables, headboroughs, and other our officers and loving subjects, greeting. Know ye that we, of our special grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, have licensed and authorized, and by these presents do license and authorize, these our servants, Lawrence Fletcher, William Shakespeare, Richard Burbage, Augustine Phillippes, John Henninges, Henry Condell, William Sly, Robert Armyn, Richard Cowlye, and the rest of their associates, freely to use and exercise the art and faculty of playing comedies, tragedies, histories, interludes, morals, pastorals, stage-plays, and such other, like as they have already studied or hereafter shall use or study, as well for the recreation of our loving subjects as for our solace and pleasure when we shall think good to see them, during our pleasure. And the said comedies, tragedies, histories, interludes, moral[s], pastorals, stage-plays, and such like to show and exercise publicly to their best commodity, when the infection of the plague shall decrease, as well within their now usual house called the Globe, within our county of Surrey, as also within any townhalls or motehalls or other convenient places within the liberties and freedom of any other city, university, town, or borough whatsoever within our said realms and dominions, willing and commanding you and every of you, as you tender our pleasure, not only to permit and suffer them herein without any your lets, hindrances, or molestations during our said pleasure, but also to be aiding and assisting to them, if any wrong be to them offered, and to allow them such former courtesies as hath been given to men of their place and quality. And also what further favor you shall show to these our servants for our sake we shall take kindly at your hands. In witness whereof &c. And these our letters shall be your sufficient warrant and discharge in this behalf. Given under our signet at our manor of Greenwich the seventeenth day of May in the first year of our reign of England, France, and Ireland, and of Scotland the six-and-thirtieth.—Ex: per Lake.[1]—To our right trusty and well beloved counselor, the Lord Cecill of Esingdon, Keeper of our Privy Seal for the time being.
Note. The royal patent here called for was formally issued two days later, the language being virtually the same. The significance of this emphatic testimonial of royal favor is enhanced by the circumstance that James had arrived in London to begin his reign only ten days before (May 7).
Lawrence Fletcher, who here first appears as a colleague of Shakespeare, had acted before King James in Scotland in 1599 and again in 1601.
- ↑ Expedi (‘put it into effect’) per Lake. Thomas Lake, clerk of the signet under Elizabeth; made Latin secretary to James and knighted, 1603; appointed keeper of the records at Whitehall, 1604.