Warrant
Granted by King Charles to Killigrew and Davenant
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| Charles the Second, by the grace of God, of England, Scotland, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc., to all whom these presents shall come, greeting. Whereas we are given to understand that certain persons in and about our City of London, or the suburbs thereof, do frequently assemble for the performing and Acting of plays and interludes for rewards, to which diverse of our subjects do for their entertainment resort: which said plays, as we are informed, do contain much matter of profanation and scurrility, so that such kind of entertainments which if well managed might serve as moral instructions in human life, as the same are now used, do for the most part tend to the debauching of the manners of such as are present at them and are very scandalous and offensive to all pious and well- persons. We, taking the premises into our princely consideration vet not holding it necessary totally to suppress the use of theatres, we are assured that if the evils and scandal in the plays that now are or have been acted were taken away, the same might serve as innocent mid harmless divertissement for many of our subjects; and having experience of the art mid skill of our trusty and well-beloved Thomas Killigrew. Esq., one of the Grooms of our Bedchamber, and of Sir William Davenant Knight, for the purposes hereafter mentioned do hereby give and grant unto the said Thomas Killigrew and Sir William Davenant full power and authority to erect two companies of players, consisting respectively of such persons as they shall choose and appoint, and to purchase, build, mid erect or hire at their charge as they shall think fit, two houses or theatres with all convenient rooms and other necessaries thereunto for the representation of tragedies, comedies, plays, operas, and all other entertainments of that nature in convenient places: and likewise to settle and establish such payments to be paid by those that shall resort to see the said representations performed as either have been accustomely given and taken in the like kind, or as shall be reasonable in regard of the great expenses of scenes, music, and such new decorations as have not been formerly used with further power to make such allowances out of that which they shall so receive to the actors and other persons employed in the said representations in both houses respectively as they shall think fit; the said companies to be under the government and authority of them, the said Thomas Killigrew and Sir William Davenant. And in regard to the extraordinary licentiousness that has lately used in things of this nature, our pleasure is, that there shall be no more places of representation nor companies of actors of plays, or operas, and recitations, music or representations by dancing and scenes and any other entertainments on the stage, in our Cities of London and Westminster or in the liberties of them than the two to be now erected by virtue of this authority. Nevertheless, we do hereby by our authority royal strictly enjoin the said Thomas Killigrew and Sir William Davenant that they do not at any time hereafter cause to be acted or represented any play, interlude, or opera, any matter of profanation, scurrility, or obscenity; and we do further hereby authorise and command the said Thomas Killigrew and Sir William Davenant to peruse all plays that have been formerly written, and to expunge all profanities and scurrility from the same before they be represented or acted. And this our grant and authority made to the said Thomas Killigrew and Sir William Davenant shall be effectual and remains in full force and virtue notwithstanding any former order or direction by us given, for the suppression of playhouses and plays and any other entertainments of the stage. 1 |
1 Theatre in Europe: a Documentary History: Restoration and Georgian England, 1660-1788, ed. David Thomas, Cambridge University Press 1989, p.11.