Shakspere and Montaigne | Page 5

in strong
language, easily understood by the many, before a grateful public of
simple taste.
The drama, thus created anew, soon became the most popular
amusement in the whole country. Every other sport was forgotten over
it. In every market town, in every barn, a crowd of actors met. In those
days no philosophical hair-splitting was in vogue on the boards.
Everything was drawn from real life; a breath of freedom pervaded all
this exuberant geniality. That which a man felt to-day, tomorrow he
was able to communicate to his public. The spoken word was freer than
the printed one. The latter had to pass a kind of censorship; the author
and the publisher could be ascertained, and be made responsible. But
who would be so severe against an extemporised satirical hit, uttered
perhaps by a clown? Who would, for that sake, be the denouncing
traitor?
Yet it must not be thought that poets and players could do exactly as
they listed. They, too, had their enemies. More especially, the austere
Puritans were their bitter foes; they never ceased bringing their
influence to bear upon highly-placed persons, in order to check the
daring and forward doings of the stage, whose liberty they on every
occasion wished to see curtailed, and its excesses visited by
punishment. The ordinary players, if they did not possess licences from
at least two justices of the peace, might be prosecuted, in accordance
with an old law, as 'rogues and vagabonds,' and subjected to very hard
sentences. It was not so easy to proceed against the better class of
actors, who, with a view of escaping from the chicanery which their

calling rendered them liable to, had placed themselves under the
protection of the first noblemen, calling themselves their 'servants.' An
ordinance of the Privy Council was required in order to bring actors
who were thus protected, before a court of justice.
Nevertheless, these restless people got into incessant conflicts with the
authorities. Actors would not allow themselves to be deprived of the
right of saying a word on matters of the State and the Church; and what
did occupy men's minds more than the victory of the Reformation?
Already, in the year 1550, Cardinal Wolsey felt bound to cast an author,
Roo, [9] and 'a fellow-player, a young gentleman,' into prison, because
they had put a piece on the stage, the aim of which was to show that
'Lord Governaunce (Government) was ruled by Dissipation and
Negligence, by whose misgovernment and evil order Lady Public-Weal
was put from Governaunce; which caused Rumor-populi, Inward
Grudge, and Disdain of Wanton Sovereigntie to rise with a great
multitude to expel Negligence and Dissipation, and to restore
Publike-weal again to her estate--which was so done.'
The reproaches made to the bishops about the year 1544 prove, that the
stage had already long ago boldly ventured upon the territory of
religion, in order to imbue the masses with anti-ecclesiastical
tendencies. In this connection the following words of an actor,
addressed to the clerics, are most significant. 'None,' he says, 'leave ye
unvexed and untroubled; no, not so much as the poor minstrels and
players of interludes. So long as they played lies and sang bawdy songs,
blaspheming God, and corrupting men's consciences, ye never blamed
them, but were very well contented; but since they persuaded the
people to worship the Lord aright, according to His holy laws and not
yours, ye never were pleased with them.' [10]
The first Act of Parliament for 'the controul and regulation of stages
and dramatic representations' was passed in the reign of Henry VIII.
(1543). Its title is, 'An Act for the Advancement of True Religion and
the Punishment of the Contrary.'
In 1552 Edward VI. issued a further proclamation both in regard to the

stage and the sellers of prints and books; this time mainly from political
reasons.
Whilst poets and players under Henry VIII. and his youthful successor
could bring out, without hindrance, that which promoted their ideas of
'true religion,' they ran great risk, in the reign of Queen Mary, with any
Protestant tendencies; for, scarcely had this severe queen been a month
on the throne than she issued an ordinance (August 16, 1553)
forbidding such dramas and interludes as were calculated to spread the
principles and doctrines of the Reformation.
Under this sovereign, spectacles furthering the Roman Catholic cause
were of course favoured. On the other hand, it may be assumed that,
during the long and popular reign of Queen Elizabeth, Protestant
tendencies on the stage often passed the censorship, although from the
first years of her government there is an Act prohibiting any drama in
which State and Church affairs were treated, 'being no meete matters to
be written or treated upon but by men of authoritie, nor to be handled