a surrender of the said
Evans his said lease."[357] This time Burbage listened to the
proposal, for he and his fellow-actors at the Globe "considered that
the house would be fit for themselves." So in August, 1608, he agreed
to take over the building for the use of the King's Men.

[Footnote 357: _Ibid._, p. 87.]

Even after Evans's surrender of the lease, Keysar, it seems, made an
effort to keep the Children together. On the following Christmas,
1608-09, we find a record of payment to him for performances at Court,
by "The Children of Blackfriars." But soon after this the troupe must
have been disbanded. Keysar says that they were "enforced to be
dispersed and turned away to the abundant hurt of the said young
men";[358] and the Burbages and Heminges declare that the children
"were dispersed and driven each of them to provide for himself by
reason that the plays ceasing in the City of London, either through
sickness, or for some other cause, he, the said complainant [Keysar],
was no longer able to maintain them together."[359] In the autumn of
1609, however, Keysar assembled the Children again, reorganized them
with the assistance of Philip Rosseter, and placed them in Whitefriars
Playhouse, recently left vacant by the disruption of the Children of
His Majesty's Revels. Their subsequent history will be found related
in the chapter dealing with that theatre.

[Footnote 358: _Ibid._, p. 90.]

[Footnote 359: Wallace, _Shakespeare and his London Associates_, p.
97.]

When in August, 1608, Richard Burbage secured from Evans the surrender
of the Blackfriars lease, he at once proceeded to organize from the
Globe Company a syndicate to operate the building as a playhouse. He
admitted to partnership in the new enterprise all of the then sharers
in the Globe except Witter and Nichols, outsiders who had secured
their interest through marriage with the heirs of Pope and Phillips,
and who, therefore, were not entitled to any consideration. In
addition, he admitted Henry Evans, doubtless in fulfillment of a
condition in the surrender of the lease. The syndicate thus formed was
made up of seven equal sharers, as follows: Richard Burbage, Cuthbert
Burbage, Henry Evans, William Shakespeare, John Heminges, Henry
Condell, and William Slye. These sharers leased the building from
Richard Burbage for a period of twenty-one years,[360] at the old
rental of L40 per annum, each binding himself to pay annually the sum
of L5 14_s._ 4_d._[