actor. By far the larger proportion of acting companies, in-
cluding even the greater ones that played at Court and in the
main theatres of London, traveled at times from place to place.
And there were numbers of companies that made a business of
strolling. In so doing they escaped local responsibilities and
made it difficult for any community to hold them responsible
for their conduct. At a time when working people were closely
organized in craft gilds, with every member responsible to the
organization, it is no wonder that the unfettered life of the
traveling player should seem too irresponsible to be tolerated.
What happened was, that an old institution of medieval society
was formally recognized by law as a cure for the otherwise
masterless condition of these roving men. A nobleman was
permitted to take under his patronage a group of men, who thus
received their license to perform plays. The patron did not
necessarily become responsible for their subsistence, but he was
answerable for the conduct of his "servants." As a rule, the
nobleman, besides allowing the use of his name and his livery,
took an active interest in getting his men the privilege of playing
in various places. This might necessitate the writing of letters
to mayors or other officials or recommendations to other lords
to affix their own hands and seals to the players' privileges to
insure their local protection. ³

In 1572 a statute was passed requiring traveling players to
be the retainers of some "baron of this realme, or . . . . other
honorable personage of greater degree," or to "have licence of
two justices of the peace at the least." This statute and its
revivals held for many years and became the chief support for
the Puritan and other opponents of the drama. The statute
was renewed in 1597-98 in the requirement that "players of
enterludes belonging to any Baron of this Realme, or any other
honorable Personage of greater Degree . . . . be auctoryzed to
play under the Hand and Seale of armes of such Baron or
Personage." The effect of the statute can be seen in an applica-
tion by Burbage and his fellows to the Earl of Leicester for a
licence declaring them his "household servants" in order that
they might travel once a year as "other noble-mens Players do
and have done in tyme past." Only the customary livery was

-7-