of London. It seems to have set Farrant to think-
ing. The professional actors, he observed, had
one important advantage over the child actors:
not only could they present their plays before
the Queen and receive the usual court reward, but
in addition they could present their plays before
the public and thus reap a second and richer har-
vest. Since the child actors had, as a rule, more
excellent plays than the professional troupes, and
were better equipped with properties and cos-
tumes, and since they expended just as much
energy in devising plays and in memorizing and
rehearsing their parts, Farrant saw no reason why
they, too, should not be allowed to perform before
the public. This, he thought, might be done under
the guise of rehearsals for the Court. Possibly the
Queen might even wink at regular performances
before the general public when she understood
that this would train the Boys to be more skilful
actors, would provide Her Majesty with more
numerous and possibly more excellent plays, and
would enable the Master and his assistants to live
in greater comfort without affecting the royal
purse.

For Farrant to build a playhouse specifically
for the use of the Children was out of the ques-
tion. In the first place, it would be too conspicu-
ously a capitalization of the royal choristers for
private gain; and in the second place, it would
be far too hazardous a business venture for so poor

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