7 December, 1594 - The Wise Man of West Chester

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 6 of desembȝ 1594 ... R at the wiseman of weschester ... xxxiiij^s 

In modern English: [7^th] December, 1594 ... Received at The Wise Man of West Chester ... 34 shillings.

A man, who might possibly be
wise, carved on the choir
stalls of Chester Cathedral

Today, the Admiral's Men returned The Wise Man of West Chester to the stage. This lost play appears to have been about a wizard in the English city of Chester; you can read more about it in the entry for 3 December.

The company premièred The Wise Man of West Chester only four days ago, and have swiftly brought it back for its second outing. It received one shilling more this time. The box office indicates a half-full theatre, but that's actually quite impressive during the current Advent season, in which Londoners seem to be staying away from the theatre.

What's next?

There will be no blog entry tomorrow because 8 December was a Sunday in 1594 and the players did not perform. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on 9 December for a week that will include a new play. See you then!

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!