distressed estate, and for God's cause to comfort her with
your worship's warrant under your hand to let and set the
same to my best comodity during the term of years in the
said lease contained, not doing any waste. In all which
doing, I shall evermore most abundantly pray unto God for
the preservation of your worship's long continuance. From
Grenwich, the twenty-fifth of December,

By a poor and sorrowful widow,

ANNE FARRANT.[158]

[Footnote 157: Wallace, _The Evolution of the English Drama_, p. 163.]

[Footnote 158: Wallace, _The Evolution of the English Drama_, p.
153.]

Whether she secured in writing the permission she requested we do not
know. Four years later More said that she did not. Possibly, however,
she was orally given to understand that she might transfer the lease
to her husband's former partner in the enterprise, William
Hunnis.[159] Hunnis naturally was eager to make use of the building in
preparation for the Christmas plays at Court. At some date before
September 19, he secured the use of the playhouse on a temporary
agreement with the widow; but in order to avoid any difficulty with
More, he interviewed the latter, and presented a letter of
recommendation from the Earl of Leicester. This letter has been
preserved among Sir William's papers:

_Sir William More:_

Whereas my friend, Mr. Hunnis, this bearer, informeth me
that he hath of late bought of Farrant's widow her lease of
that house in Blackfriars which you made to her husband,
deceased, and means there to practice the Queen's Children
of the Chapel, being now in his charge, in like sort as his
predecessor did, for the better training them to do Her
Majesty's service; he is now a suitor to me to recommend him
to your good favour--which I do very heartily, as one that I
wish right well unto, and will give you thanks for any
continuance or friendship you shall show him for the
furtherance of this his honest request. And thus, with my
hearty commendations, I wish you right heartily well to
fare. From the Court, this nineteenth of September, 1581.

Your very friend,

R. LEICESTER.[160]

[Footnote 159: More had "refused to accept any rent but
conditionally." Probably he refused written consent to the sublease
for the same reason.]

[Footnote 160: Wallace, _The Evolution of the English Drama_, p. 154.]

The result