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Show THEATRICAL PROPERTIES. Stage Contrivances Three Centuries Ago like Those of Today. In the induction to Jonson's "Bartholomew "Bar-tholomew Fair" we find the "Stage Keeper" says, "Would not a fine pump upon the stage have done well for a property now?" while in the old play of "The Taming of a Shrew" one of the players who is to act before Sile says, I'll speak for the properties. My Lord, we must Have a shoulder of mutton for a property. prop-erty. Now, both these quotations show that "properties" three centuries ago consisted of much the same things as they do today. The mention of properties prop-erties in the stage directions of old plays are frequent; a few instances must suffice. In Greene's "James IV," we are directed to have ."a tomb con- I veniently placed upon the stage," while in the same author's Alphon-sus Alphon-sus of Araggon" we read, "Exit Venus, or if you conveniently can, let a chair come down from the top of the stage and draw her up." This is interesting both for the fine consideration for the convenience of others which it implies and also because it shows that the use of mechanical appliances for introducing intro-ducing a deus ex machina were not unknown. un-known. In Henslowe's Diary we find an entry for a disbursement for a somewhat similar contrivance "a pair of pullies to hang Absalom." On this point, as on so many others, Henslowe provides us with a great deal of valuable valua-ble information. In his Diary for September Sep-tember and October, 1598, we find that he expended 29 2s on properties for "Piers of Winchester," a larger amount than was usual with him for one play; the properties for ."Patient Grissel" cost him the much more moderate sum of 4 5s, while among an inventory in-ventory of properties belonging to the Admiral's men we find such entries as "Tasso's picture," "a tree of golden apple," and "three imperial crowns." Gentlemen's Magazine. |