ere once safely possessed by Dulwich College, but have
now, for the most part, disappeared. Among the articles of dress
enumerated appear "Longshanks' suit;" "Tamberlane's breeches of
crimson velvet," and the same hero's "coat with coper lace;" "Harye
the Fifth's velvet gown and satin doublet, laid with gold lace;"
Dido's robe and Juno's frock; Robin Hood's hat and green coat; and
Merlin's gown and cape. Then there are gowns and caps for senators,
suits for torchbearers and janissaries, shepherds' coats, yellow
leather doublets for clowns, robes of rich taffety and damask, suits
of russet and of frieze, fools' caps and bells, cloth of gold, French
hose, surplices, shirts, farthingales, jerkins, and white cotton
stockings. From another document, the cost of theatrical apparel may
be fairly estimated. A list headed: "Note of all such goods as I have
bought for the company of my Lord Admiral's men, since the 3rd April,
1598," has the sum paid for each article plainly stated, and contains
such items as: "Bought a damask cassock, garded with velvet, eighteen
shillings;" "bought a payer of paned rownd hose of cloth, whiped with
silk, drawn out with taffety, and one payer of long black woollen
stockens, eight shillings;" "bought a robe for to go invisibell and a
gown for Nembia, three pounds ten shillings" (Malone conjecturing that
the mysterious "robe for to go invisibell" pertained to some drama in
which the wearer of the garment specified was supposed to be unseen by
the rest of the performers); "bought a doublet of white satten layd
thick with gold lace, and a pair of rowne paned hose of cloth of
silver, the panes layd with gold lace, seven pounds ten shillings,"
and so on.

Alleyn's inventory still exists, or did exist very recently, in his
own handwriting, at Dulwich College; it is without heading or date,
and relates almost exclusively to the dresses worn by himself in his
personation of various characters upon the stage. It is of interest,
seeing that it demonstrates the assumption by Alleyn of various parts,
if not in Shakespeare's plays, at any rate in the earlier dramas upon
which the poet founded certain of his noblest works. Thus the actor's
list makes mention of "a scarlet cloke with two brode gould laces with
gould down the same, for Leir"--meaning, doubtless, "King Lear;" "a
purple satin cloke, welted with velvett and silver twist, Romeo's;"
"Hary the VIII. gowne;" "blew damask cote for the Moor in Venis;" and