a distinct institution, its
tumblers and riders only in a very distant and illegitimate way
connected with even the humblest branches of the great Thespian
family.

But strolling, in its old sense, is fast expiring. Barns have ceased
to be temples of the drama. The railways carry the public to the
established theatres; London stars and companies travelling in
first-class carriages, with their secretary and manager, visit in turn
the provincial towns, and attract all the playgoers of the
neighbourhood. The country manager, retaining but a few "utility
people," is well content to lend his stage to these dignified players,
who stroll only nominally, without "padding the hoof," or the least
chance of hardship or privation attending their rustical wanderings.
Their travels are indeed more in the nature of royal progresses. Even
for the "boothers" times have changed. Waste lands on which to "pitch"
their playhouses are now hard to find; the "pleasure fairs," once
their chief source of profit, become more and more rare; indeed, there
is a prevalent disposition nowadays to abolish altogether those
old-fashioned celebrations. And worse than all, perhaps, the audiences
have become sophisticated and critical, and have not so much simple
faith and hearty goodwill to place at the disposal of the itinerants.
Centralisation has now affected the stage. The country is no longer
the nursery and training-school of the player. He commences his career
in London, and then regales the provinces with an exhibition of his
proficiency. The strollers are now merged in the "stars." The
apprentice has become the master, which may possibly account for the
fact, that the work accomplished is not invariably of first-rate
quality.

CHAPTER VII.

"PAY HERE."

Acting, as a distinct profession, seems to have been known in England
at least as far back as the reign of Henry VI. There had been
theatrical exhibitions in abundance, however, at a much earlier
period. Stow, in his "Survey of London," in 1599, translates from the
"Life of Thomas a Becket," by Fitzstephen, who wrote about 1182,
mention of "the shews upon theatres and comical pastimes" of London,
"its holy playes, representations of miracles which holy confessors
have wrought, or representations of tormentes wherein the constancie
of martirs appeared." As Mr. Payne Collier observes, "no country in
Europe, since the revival of letters, has been able to produce any
notice of theatrical