it is our nearest approach to a pen picture of an Elizabethan stage, whereby to eke out that of De Witt's pencil.
'They might distinctly perceiue a goodlye Stage to be reard (shining
to sight like the bright burnish golde) uppon many a faire Pillar of
clearest Cristall, whose feete rested uppon the Arch of the broad Rayne-*bow,
therein was the high Throne wherein the King should sit, and that
prowdly placed with two and twenty degrees to the top, and round
about curious wrought chaires for diverse other Potentates, there might
you see the ground-worke at the one end of the Stage whereout the
personated divels should enter in their fiery ornaments, made like the
broad wide mouth of an huge Dragon . . . the teeth of this Hels-mouth
far out stretching. . . . At the other end in opposition was seene the
place where in the bloudlesse skirmishes are so often perfourmed on
the Stage, the Wals . . . of . . . Iron attempered with the most firme
steele . . . environed with high and stately Turrets of the like metall
and beautye, and hereat many in-gates and out-gates: out of each
side lay the bended Ordinaunces, showing at their wide hollowes the
crueltye of death: out of sundry loopes many large Banners and
Streamers were pendant, brieflye nothing was there wanting that might
make it a faire Castle. There might you see to be short the Gibbet, the
Posts, the Ladders, the tiring house, there everything which in the
like houses either use or necessity makes common. Now above all
was there the gay Clowdes Vsque quaque adorned with the heavenly
firmament, and often spotted with golden teares which men callen
Stars. There was lively portrayed the whole Imperiall Army of the
faire heavenly inhabitaunts. . . . This excellent faire Theator erected,
immediatly after the third sound of the Trumpets, there entreth in
the Prologue attired in a blacke vesture, and making his three obeysances,
began to shew the argument of that Scenicall Tragedy, but
because it was so far off they could not understand the wordes, and
having thrice bowed himselfe to the high Throne, presently vanished.'
The action of the play is then described. Devils issue from
hell mouth and besiege the castle. Faustus appears on the
battlements and defies them. Angels descend from heaven
to the tower and are dismissed by Faustus. The devils
assault the castle, capture Faustus and raze the tower. The
great devil and all the imperial rulers of hell occupy the
throne and chairs and dispute with Faustus. Finally,
'Faustus . . . leapt down headlong of the stage, the whole company
immediatly vanishing, but the stage with a most monstrous thundering
crack followed Faustus hastely, the people verily thinking that they
would have fallen uppon them ran all away.'
The three salient features of the Swan stage, as depicted by
De Witt, are, firstly the two pairs of folding doors in the back
wall; secondly, the 'heavens' supported on posts, which
give the effect of a division of the space into a covered rear
