21 September, 1594 - Godfrey of Bouillon

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 20 of septmbȝ 1594 ... R at godfrey ... xxx^s 

In modern English: [21]^st September, 1594 ... Received at Godfrey ... 30 shillings

The death of Godfrey of Bouillon.
From a thirteenth century
manuscript of William of 
Tyre's Histoire d'Outremer

Today, the company revived a play that Henslowe calls Godfrey. This was probably The Second Part of Godfrey of Bouillon, a lost sequel premiered about a month ago; you can read more about it in the entry for 19th July. Alternatively, it might have been the equally lost original play, sometimes identified by scholars with the mysterious Jerusalem, which you can read about in the entry for 22 March, 1592. Either way, today's play would have dramatized some aspect of the eponymous medieval warrior's capture of the city of Jerusalem from the Turks.

Godfrey of Bouillon continues to do solid work for the company. Today's box office is more modest than the surprisingly enthusiastic one of a week and a half ago, but it still suggests a play that can be relied on.

What's next?

There will be no blog post tomorrow, because 21st September was a Sunday in 1594, and the players did not perform. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 23rd, for a week that will see a new play plus a couple of farewells.

FURTHER READING

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!