Item, My will and mind is, and I do hereby limit and appoint, that the several legacies and fums of money by me herein before bequeathed to be paid in money, be raised and taken out of the yearly profit and benefit which fhall arife or be made by my feveral parts and shares in the feveral playhouses called the Globe and Black friers, after my faid debts fhall be paid, with as much speed as the fame conveniently may be; and I do hereby will, require, and charge my executor herein after named efpecially to take care that my debts, firft, and then thofe legacies, be well and truly paid and difcharged, as foon as the fame may be fo raised by the fale of my goods and by the yearly profits of my parts and fhares; and that my eftate may be fo ordered to the beft profit and advantage for the better payment of my debts and difcharge of my legacies before mentioned with as much speed as the fame conveniently may be, according as I have herein before in this will directed and appointed the fame to be, without any leffening, diminishing, or undervaluing thereof, contrary to my true intent and meaning herein declared. And for the better performance thereof, my will, mind, and defire is, that my faid parts in the faid play-houfes fhould be employed in playing, the better to raife profit thereby, as formerly the fame have been, and have yielded good yearly profit, as by my books will in that behalf appear. And my will and mind is, and I do hereby ordain, limit, and appoint, that after my debts, funerals, and legacies fhall be paid and fatisfied out of my eftate, that then the refidue and remainder of my goods, chattels, and credits whatfoever fhall be equally parted and divided to and amongst fuch of my children as at the time of my decease shall be unmarried or unadvanced, and fhall not have received from me any portion in marriage or otherwife, further than only for their education and breeding, part and part like; and I do hereby ordain and make my fon William Heminge to be the executor of this my laft will and teftament, requiring him to fee the fame performed in and by all things, according to my true meaning herein declared. And I do defire and appoint my loving friends Mr. Burbage' and Mr. Rice to be the overfeers of this my laft will and teftament, praying them to be aiding and affifting to my faid executor with their beft advice and council in the execution thereof: and I do hereby utterly revoke all former wills by me heretofore made, and do pronounce, publifh, and declare this to be my laft will and teftament. In witnefs whereof I have hereunto put my hand and feal the day and year firft above written. Probatum fuit teflamentum fuprafcriptum apud Lon don coram venerabili viro, magiftro Willielmo James, legum dolore, Surrogato, undecimo die menfis Octobris, Anno Domini, 1630, juramento Willielmi Heminge filii naturalis et legitim. diéti defuncti, et executoris, cui, &c. de bene, &c. jurat. AUGUSTINE PHILIPS. This performer is likewife named in the licence granted by King James in 1603. It appears from Heywood's Apology for Actors, printed in 1612, that he was then dead. In an extraordinary exhibition, entitled The Seven deadly Sins, written by Tarleton, of which the MS. plot or fcheme is in my poffeflion, he represented Sardanapalus. I have not 3 Cuthbert Burbadge, brother to the actor. been able to learn what parts he performed in our author's plays; but believe that he was in the fame clafs as Kempe, and Armine; for he appears, like the former of these players, to have published a ludicrous metrical piece, which was entered on the Stationers' books in 1595. Philips's production was entitled The Figg of the Slippers. WILLIAM KEMPE was the fucceffor of Tarleton. "Here I must needs remember Tarleton, (fays Heywood, in his Apology for Actors,) in his time gracious with the queen his foveraigne, and in the people's general applaufe; whom fucceeded Will. Kemp, as well in the favour of her majeftie, as in the opinion and good thoughts of the general audience." From the quarto editions of fome of our author's plays, we learn that he was the original performer of Dogberry in Much Ado about Nothing, and of Peter in Romeo and Juliet. From an old comedy called The Return from Parnaffus, we may collect that he was the original Juftice Shallow; and the contemporary writers inform us that he usually acted the part of a Clown; in which character, like Tarleton, he was celebrated for his extemporal wit.+ Launcelot in The Merchant of Venice, Touchstone in As you like it, Launce in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and the Grave-digger in Hamlet, were probably alfo performed by this comedian. He was an author as well as an actor." 4 See p. 242, n. 7, 5 See The Returne from Parnaffus, a comedy, 1606: "Indeed, M. Kempe, you are very famous, but that is as well for workes in print as your part in cue." Kempe's New Jigg of the KitchenBuff Woman was entered on the books of the Stationers' company in 1595; and in the fame year was licenfed to Thomas Goffon, So early as in the year 1589 Kempe's comick talents appear to have been highly eftimated, for an old pamphlet called An Almond for a Parrot, written, I think, by Thomas Nashe, and published about that time, is dedicated "to that most comicall and conceited Cavaleire Monfieur du Kempe, Jeftmonger, and vice-gerent generall to the Ghost of Dicke Tarleton." From a paffage in one of Decker's tracts it may be prefumed that this comedian was dead in the year 1609.6 In Braithwaite's Remains, 1618, he is thus commemorated : "Kempes New Figge betwixt a Souldier and a Mifer and Sym the Clowne." Sept. 7, 1593, was entered on the Stationers' books, by R. Jones, "A comedie entitled A Knack how to know a Knave, newly fet forth, as it hath been fundrye times plaied by Ned Allen and his company, with Kempes applauded merryment of The Men of Gotham.' In the Bodleian Library, among the books given to it by Robert Burton, is the following tract, bound up with a few others of the fame fize, in a quarto volume marked L, 62d. art.: 66 Kemps nine daies wonder performed in a daunce from London to Norwich. Containing the pleasure, paines and kind entertainment of William Kemp between London and that city, in his late morrice. Wherein is fomewhat fet downe worth note; to reprooue the flaunders fpred of him: many things merry, nothing hurtfull. Written by himfelfe, to fatisfie his friends." (Lond. E. A. for Nicholas Ling. 1600. b. 1.-With a wooden cut of Kempe as a morris-dancer, preceded by a fellow with a pipe and drum, whom he (in the book) calls Thomas Slye, his taberer.) It is dedicated to" The true ennobled lady, and moft bountifull miftris, miftris Anne Fitton, mayde of honour to the moft facred mayde royall queene Elizabeth." 6 Tufh, tufh, Tarleton, Kempe, nor Singer, nor all the litter of fooles that now come drawling behind them, never played the clownes part more naturally than the arrantest fot of you all." Guls Hornebooke, 1609. "UPON KEMPE AND HIS MORICE, WITH HIS EPITAPH. "Welcome from Norwich, Kempe: all joy to fee Thy fafe return morifcoed luftily. "But out alas! how foone's thy morice done, "Then all thy triumphs fraught with ftrains of mirth, "Shall be? they are; thou haft danc'd thee out of breath; THOMAS POPE. This actor likewife performed the part of a Clown.' He died before the year 1600. GEORGE BRYA N. I have not been able to gather any intelligence concerning this performer, except that in the exhibition of The Seven deadly Sins he reprefented the Earl of Warwick. He was, I believe, on the stage before the year 1588. HENRY CUNDALL is faid by Roberts the player to have been a comedian, but he does not mention any other authority "And Pope, the clowne, to fpeak fo borish, when Humours Ordinarie, where a Man may be verie merie and exceeding well used for his Sixpence. (No date.) • Heywood's Apology for Alters. |