came into the Cross
Keys, amongst many people, to see fashions.

At the Bull at Bishops-gate was a play of Henry the Fifth.

The several "jests" which follow these introductory sentences indicate
that the inn-yards differed in no essential way from the early public
playhouses.

1588. "John Mathews played his master's prize the 31 day of January,
1588, at the Bell Savage without Ludgate."[17]

[Footnote 17: _MS. Sloane_, 2530, f. 6-7, quoted by Halliwell in his
edition of _Tarlton's Jests_, p. xi. There is some difficulty with the
date. One of the "masters" before whom the prize was played was
"Rycharde Tarlton," whom Halliwell takes to be the famous actor of
that name; but Tarleton the actor died on September 3, 1588. Probably
Halliwell in transcribing the manuscript silently modernized the date
from the Old Style.]

1589. In November Lord Burghley directed the Lord Mayor to "give order
for the stay of all plays within the city." In reply the Lord Mayor
wrote:

According to which your Lordship's good pleasure, I
presently sent for such players as I could hear of; so as
there appeared yesterday before me the Lord Strange's
Players, to whom I specially gave in charge and required
them in Her Majesty's name to forbear playing until further
order might be given for their allowance in that respect.
Whereupon the Lord Admiral's Players very dutifully obeyed;
but the others, in very contemptuous manner departing from
me, went to the Cross Keys and played that afternoon.[18]

[Footnote 18: _Lansdowne MSS._ 60, quoted by Collier, _History of
English Dramatic Poetry_ (1879), I, 265.]

1594. On October 8, Henry, Lord Hunsdon, the Lord Chamberlain and the
patron of Shakespeare's company, wrote to the Lord Mayor:

After my hearty commendations. Where my now company of
players have been accustomed for the better exercise of
their quality, and for the service of Her Majesty if need so
require, to play this winter time within the city at the
Cross Keys in Gracious Street, these are to require and pray
your Lordship (the time being such as, thanks to God, there
is now no danger of the sickness) to permit and suffer them
so to do.[19]

[Footnote 19: _The Remembrancia_, The Malone Society's _Collections_,
I, 73.]

By such devices as this the players were usually able to secure
permission to act "within the city" during the disagr