and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c., to all justices, mayors, sheriffs, constables, headboroughs, and other our officers and loving subjects, greeting. Know ye that we, of our special grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, have licensed and authorized, and by these presents do license and authorize, these our servants, Lawrence Fletcher, William Shakespeare, Richard Burbage, Augustine Phillippes, John Henninges, Henry Condell, William Sly, Robert Armyn, Richard Cowlye, and the rest of their associates, freely to use and exercise the art and faculty of playing comedies, tragedies, histories, interludes, morals, pastorals, stage-plays, and such other, like as they have already studied or hereafter shall use or study, as well for the recreation of our loving subjects as for our solace and pleasure when we shall think good to see them, during our pleasure. And the said comedies, tragedies, histories, interludes, moral[s], pastorals, stage-plays, and such like to show and exercise publicly to their best commodity, when the infection of the plague shall decrease, as well within their now usual house called the Globe, within our county of Surrey, as also within any townhalls or motehalls or other convenient places within the liberties and freedom of any other city, university, town, or borough whatsoever within our said realms and dominions, willing and commanding you and every of you, as you tender our pleasure, not only to permit and suffer them herein without any your lets, hindrances, or molestations during our said pleasure, but also to be aiding and assisting to them, if any wrong be to them offered, and to allow them such former courtesies as hath been given to men of their place and quality. And also what
