2 November, 1594 - Belin Dun

Here's what the Admiral's Men performed at the Rose playhouse on this day, 424 years ago...

Henslowe writes: y^e 2 of novembȝ 1594 ... R at bellendon t ...  vij^s

In modern English: 2^nd November, 1594 ... Received at Belin Dun ... 7 shillings

A highwayman portrayed in Richard

Head's The English Rogue (1666)

Today, the Admiral's Men once again performed Belin Dun, their lost play about the notorious robber who terrorized the highways around Dunstable during the reign of King Henry I; you can read more about this play in the entry for 10 June.

For a second time in a row, the company has now left the once-reliable Belin Dun unperformed for three weeks before returning to it. The box office is now absurdly bad, among the worst ever recorded at the Rose. Surely it's time to put this play out of its misery?

What's next?

There will be no blog entry tomorrow, because 3 November was a Sunday in 1594, and the players did not perform. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on 4 November for a week that will include a new play.

Henslowe links

• Transcript of this page of the Diary (from W.W. Greg's 1904 edition)
• Facsimile of this page of the Diary (from the Henslowe-Alleyn Digitisation Project)

Comments?

Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!