THe ocasions that hath moued me to write this pamphlet are many, and forcible, and the Atempt in writing it aduenturous and full of danger, for as on the one side I doubt not but with truth to stoppe the mouthes of Ignorance and Mallice that haue and doe daily scandalize mee, (and withall I know I shall purchase a generall thankes, from all honest men of my Company) so I am assured to gaine the hatred of some that loue me wel, and I affeect them no worse, onely for my playne truth and discharging my conscience; But fall back, fall edge, come what can come I am resolued and without feare or flattery thus I begin.

In the month of Ianuary last 1613. there was a motion made by some so the better sort of the company of Water-men, that it were necessary for the releefe of such a decayed multitude to pettition to his Maiesty, that the Players might not haue a play-house in London or in Midlesex, within foure miles of the city on that side of the Thames. Now this request may seeme harsh and not well to be disgested by the Players and their Apendixes, but the reasons that mou'd vs vnto it be­ing charitably considered, makes the suite not onely seeme [Page] reasonable, but past seeming most nessessary to be sued for, and tollerable to be granted.

Our petition being written to purpose afforesaid, I was selected by my company to deliuer it to his Maiesty and fol­low the businesse, which I did with that care and integrity, that I am assured none can iustly taxe mee with the contrary. I did ride twise to Theobalds, once to Newmarket, and twice to Roystone, before I could get a reference vpon my pettiti­on, I had to beare my charge, of my company first and last, sea­uen pound two shillings, which horshire horsemeat and mans meat brought to a consumption, besides I wroat seuerall pet­tions to most of the right honorable Lords of his Maiesties Priuy Counsell, and I found them all compassiontly affected to the nessessity of our cause.

First I did briefly declare part of the seruices that Water-men had done in Queene Elizabeths raigne, of famous me­mory, in the voyage to Portingale, with the Right Ho­norable and neuer to be forgotten Earle of Esex, then [...]er that how it pleased God (in that great deliuerance in the yeare 1588.) to make Watermen good seruicable instru­ments, with their losse of liues and limbs to defend their Prince and Country. More ouer many of them serued with Sir Francis Drak, Sir Iohn Hawkins, Sir Martin Frobusher and others, besides in Cales action, the Iland voyage, in Ireland, in the Lowcuntryes, and in the narrow seas they haue beene, (as in duty they are bound) at continuall command, so that euery Sommer 1500. or 2000. of them were imployed to the places aforesaid, hauing but nine shillings foure pence the month a peece for their pay, and yet were they able then to set themselues out like men, with shift of Aparell, linen and wollen, and forbeare charging of their Prince for their pay sometimes sixe months, nine months, twelue months, some­times more, for then there were so few Watermen and the one halfe of them being at Sea, those that staid at home had as much worke as they would doe.

Afterwards the Players began to play on the Bankside and to [Page] leaue Playing in London & Middlesex (for the most part) then there went such great concourse of people by water, that the smal number of watermen the remain'd at home were not able to cary them, by reason of the Court, the Tearmes, the play­ers, and other imployments, so that we were inforced and en­coraged, (hoping that this golden stirring world would haue lasted euer) to take and entertaine men and boyes, which boyes are growne men, and keepers of houses, many of them being ouer charged with families of Wife and Children, so that the number of Water-men, and those that liue and are maintained by them, and by the onely labour of the Oare and the Skull, betwixt the Bridge of Windsor, and Graues­end, cannot be fewer then forty thousand; the cause of the greater halfe of which multitude, hath beene the Players playing on the Bank-side, for I haue knowne three Compa­nies, besides the Beare-bayting, at once there, to wit, the Globe, the Rose, and the Swan. And it is an infallible truth that had they neuer played there it had beene better for Wa­ter-men by the one halfe of their liuing, for the Company is encreased more them halfe by their meanes of playing there in former times.

And now it hath pleased God in this peacefull time, that there is no imployment at the sea, as it hath beene accusto­med, so that all those great numbers of men remaines at home, and the Players haue all (except the Kings men) left their vsuall residency on the Bank-side, and doe play in Midelsex far remote from the Thames, so that euery day in the weeke they doe draw vnto them three or foure thousand people, that were vsed to spend their monies by water, (to the releefe of so many thousands of poore people, which by Plai­ers former playing on the Bankside,) are encreased so that of­times a poore man that hath fiue or sixe children, doth giue good attendance to his labour all day, and at night (perhaps) hath not gotten a Groat to relieue himselfe his wife and fa­milie.

This was the effect and scope of our pettition though here [Page] I haue declared it more at large, to which his Maiesty gra­ciously granted me a reference to his comissioners for suites, who then were the Right honorable Sir Iulius Caesar, Sir Thomas Parry Knights, the Right Worshipfull Sir Francis Bacon then the Kings Aturney generall, Sir Henry Mounta­gue his Maiesties Seargant at Law, Sir Walter Cope, Maister George Caluert, one of the Clarks of his Maiesties priuy Coun­sell, and Barron Southerton, one of the Barrons of the Kings exchequer, these Honorable and Worshipful persons I did oft solicite, by pettitions, by friends, and by mine owne industri­ous imporunity, so that in the end when our cause was heard, we found them generally affected to the suit we prosecuted.

His Maiesties Players did exhibit a pettition against vs, in which they said that our suit was vnreasonable, and that wee might as iustly remoue the exchange, the walkes in Pauls, or Moorefields to the Bankside for our profits as to confine them; but our extremities and cause being iudiciously pon­dered by the Honorable and Worshipfull Comissioners, Sir Francis Bacon very worthily said that so far forth as the Pub­like weale was to be regarded before pastimes, or a seruicea­ble decaying multitude before a handfull of perticular men, or profit before pleasure, so fare was our suite to be pre­ferred before theirs. Wherevpon the players did apeale to the Lord Chamberlaine, which was then the Earle of Sommerset who stood well affected to vs, hauing beene moued before in the buisines by Maister Samuel Goldsmith an especiall friend of mine, and a gentleman that my selfe and all the rest of my poore company in generall, are generally beholding and deepely ingaged vnto; for of his owne free will to his cost and charge, we must with thankful­nesse acknowledge hee hath beene and is continually our worthie friend. Who seeing the wants of such numbers of vs, hee hath often neglected his owne vrgent and profitable af­faires, spending his time and coyne in any honest ocasion that might profit vs. This much I thoght good to insert in the way of thankfulnes, because of al vices ingratitude is most hateful.