of the next century, at least fifteen licensed theatres were open to the inhabitants of London. The best plays, particularly those of Shakespeare, were acted at the Blackfriars theatre, which was crowded with people of fafhion. The price of admittance to the best places at the fuperior theatres was, as late as 1614, only one fhilling; and at the inferior ones, one penny or two pence would gain admiffion to a pretty good place. Before the exhibition began, three flourishes, or pieces of mufic were played. The inftruments chiefly used were trumpets, cornets, and hautboys. The perfon who spoke the prologue was ushered in by trumpets, and ufually wore a long black velvet cloak. An epilogue was not looked on as a neceffary appendage to a play. Plays, in the early days of the drama, began about one in the afternoon, and lafted generally about two hours. One dramatic piece compofed the whole entertainment of the day. When the author fold his play to the ftage, the customary price was fix guineas.. CHAP. IX. INCIDENTS AND CURIOUS PARTICULARS. IN N 1553, Edward VI. incorporated Bethlem and Bridewell hofpitals in the metropolis, including a fchool for poor boys, with certain regulations, under the patronage of the city of London.. In 1554, during the heat of queen Mary's perfecution, Elizabeth was in a very unpleafant ftate. Being once urged to explain her fentiments concerning the real prefence, fhe made the following extemporary reply: "Chrift was the word that fpake it,. "He took the bread and brake it, She was, however, under the difagreeable neceffity to hear mals and fubmit to confeffion. Gardiner, bishop of of Winchester, had once actually procured a warrant for her death, figned by fome of the privy council; but the queen being told of it, was obliged to forbid the execution. Elizabeth loved the pomp, of the Romish fervice, and retained in her church ordinances fome of thofe vestments which her brother Edward had difmiffed; the expunged from the Litany, "From the tyranny of the Bifhop of Rome, and all his deteftable enormities, Good Lord deliver us!" She has been known to call out from her closet to her chaplain, in the middle of a fermon, to defift from condemning the fign of the crofs; fhe openly thanked one of her divines for preaching on behalf of the real prefence; fhe hated that the clergy fhould marry, and, but for Cecil, would have forbidden them. On the other hand, the is faid to have feverely reprimanded a clergyman for placing before her at church a ritual ornamented with paintings of faints, and other illuminations. In 1567, Captain Frobisher, in his purfuit of the North-Weft paffage, fell in with the Straights which lead to Hudfon's bay, and discovered the Western coast of Greenland. He brought with him to England a poor favage, who, unconfcious of the advantage of civilization, pined away through regret for his native fnows. In 1569, the Italian method of book-keeping was taught in England, by James Peele. His work,. printed in the black letter, is ftill extant; and its instructions, though verbose, are practical. In 1582, a fupply of water was brought by Peter Morris, a freeman of London, to the highest part of the city. He laid pipes over the tower of St. Magnus. In 1588, the Cheft at Chatham was established, which,. by means of a small deduction from the pay of every feaman, provides an annual allowance for fuch as may chance to be wounded. In 1590, Elizabeth formed an establishment at Westminfler, for forty boys, in every fpecies of claffical learning. The progrefs of Westminster school has. been been fteady and fortunate. Its mafters have been, and are ftill, as much diftinguifhed for their learning, as the ftudents for fpirit and urbanity. The university of Edinburgh was founded, in 1580, by James VI. on the fupplication of the magiftrates ruling that metropolis; who, with the moft opulent citizens, were the benefactors and endowers, aided by donations of religious houfes and lands. These are accordingly the fole patrons and vifitors, though James - feems to have wifhed to be the fole patron, and to have it called "King James's college." The Marifchal college at Aberdeen was founded, in 1594, by George, earl Marifchal, who endowed it with a confiderable landed eftate. The expence of the building was chiefly defrayed by the town of Aber deen. In 1589, coaches were first introduced into England. The hackney act paffed in 1693, and hackney coaches were increased to 1000, in 1770. BOOK BOOK VIII. CHAP. I. MILITARY HISTORY FROM THE ACCESSION OF JAMES VI. IN 1603, TO THE REVOLUTION, IN 1688. Trem father to fon with greater tranquillity, than HE crown of England was never tranfmitted it paffed from the family of Tudor to that of Stewart. James VI. king of Scotland, fon of the unfortunate Mary queen of Scots, fucceeded Elizabeth to the throne of England, by the title of James I. and as his hereditary right was unquestionable, and the late queen, with her dying breath, had recognised the title of her kinfman, his acceffion was univerfally approved of by all orders of the ftate. James was not infenfible to the great flow of affection which appeared in his new fubjects, and being himself of an affectionate temper, he feems to have been in hafte to make them fome return of kindness and good offices. In fix weeks after his entrance into the kingdom, he is computed to have bestowed knighthood on no less than 237 perfons; and titles of all kinds became fo common, that they were fcarcely a mark of diftinction. But as the king's favours were fhared out to the Scottish courtiers who attended him to England, proportionably in greater numbers than to the English, the latter did not fail to murmur. muft, however, be owned, in juftice to the new king, that he left almost all the chief offices in the hands of Elizabeth's minifters, and trufted the conduct of politi It cal tal concerns, both foreign and domestic, to his English fubjects. Henry IV. of France, in conjunction with the United Provinces, and the northern crowns, now proposed a league to deprefs the exorbitant power of the house of Auftria. But the genius of the English monarch not being equal to fuch vaft enterprises, and the love of peace being his ruling paffion, he declined it. Upon Amidft this tranquillity, a confpiracy was carried on to fubvert the government, and to feat on the throne the lady Arabella Stewart, the king's near relation by the family of Lenox, and defcended equally from Henry VII. Lord Grey, lord Cobham, fir Walter Raleigh, and many other perfons of confideration, were concerned in this dangerous combination. its being discovered, fome of them were executed. The lords Cobham and Grey were pardoned, after they had laid their heads on the block; and fir Walter Raleigh, having received a respite, was remanded to his confinement, in which he continued for several years.. It was an advantage to this monarch at the beginning of his reign, that the courts of Rome and Spain were thought to be his enemies; and this opinion was increafed by the difcovery and defeat of the gunpowder treafon. This was a fcheme of the Roman catholics to cut off at one blow the king, lords, and commons, at the meeting of parliament, when it was also expect. ed that the queen and prince of Wales would be prefent. About ten days before the meeting, a Roman catholic peer received a letter which had been delivered to his fervant by an unknown hand, earnestly advising him not to attend. The nobleman, though he confidered the letter as a foolifh attempt to frighten and ridicule him, thought proper to lay it before the king, who ftudying the contents with more attention, began. to fufpect fome dangerous contrivance by gun-powder, and ordered all the vaults below the houfe of parliament to be inspected. A juftice of peace was, therefore, fent with proper attendants, who finding one |