divertisement" for many of his subjects, and
having experience of the art and skill of his trusty and well-beloved
Thomas Killigrew and William Davenant, granted them full power to
elect two companies of players, and to purchase, build and erect, or
hire, two houses or theatres, with all convenient rooms and other
necessaries thereunto appertaining, for the representation of
tragedies, comedies, plays, operas, and all other entertainments of
that nature. The managers were also authorised to fix such rates of
admission as were customary or reasonable "in regard of the great
expenses of scenes, music, and such new decorations as have not been
formerly used:" with full power "to make such allowances out of that
which they shall so receive to the actors and other persons employed
in the same representations, in both houses respectively, as they
shall think fit." For these patents other grants were afterwards
substituted, Davenant receiving his new letters on January 15th, and
Killigrew _his_ on April 25th, 1662. The new grants did not differ
much from the old ones, except that the powers vested in the patentees
were more fully declared. No other companies but those of the two
patentees were to be permitted to perform within the cities of London
and Westminster; all others were to be silenced and suppressed.
Killigrew's actors were styled the "Company of his Majesty and his
Royal Consort;" Davenant's the "Servants of his Majesty's
dearly-beloved brother, James, Duke of York." The better to preserve
"amity and correspondence" between the two theatres, no actor was to
be allowed to quit one company for the other without the consent of
his manager being first obtained. And forasmuch as many plays formerly
acted contained objectionable matter, and the women's parts therein
being acted by men in the habits of women, gave offence to some, the
managers were further enjoined to act no plays "containing any
passages offensive to piety and good manners, until they had first
corrected and purged the same;" and permission was given that all the
women's parts to be acted by either of the companies for the time to
come might be performed by women, so that recreations which, by reason
of the abuses aforesaid, were scandalous and offensive, might by such
reformation be esteemed not only harmless delights, but useful and
instructive representations of human life to such of "our good
subjects" as should resort to see the same.

These patent