but that all those playhouses that are erected and built
only for suche purposes shall be plucked downe, namelie The Curtayne and
The Theatre nere to Shorditch, or any other within that county."

It is not known whether the order was withdrawn or whether the disregard
of it was winked at--the court very likely was not particularly inclined
to see the sentence or condemnation carried out. At all events, neither
The Curtain nor The Theatre was pulled down at the time. But the order
shows how much power the Puritans possessed, and what difficulties the
brothers Burbage had to contend with.

They seem, however, to have inherited their father's resolute character.
Since it seemed quite impossible to come to terms with the grasping
proprietor, Allen, the brothers were sensible enough to avail themselves
of the clause in the now expired lease, which permitted them to pull
down and remove the buildings they had erected on the premises, in case
they had spent at least two hundred pounds on them during the first ten
years. This sum had been much exceeded at the time, and one day, to the
great consternation and anger of the astonished Giles Allen, they simply
removed The Theatre.

One of the paragraphs in the account of the subsequent lawsuit between
Allen and the Burbages gives a very vivid idea of this remarkable
removal. Allen accuses Cuthbert Burbage of "unlawfully combininge and
confederatinge himselfe with the sayd Richard Burbage, and one Peter
Streat, William Smyth and divers other persons, to the number of twelve,
to your subject unknowne, did aboute the eight and twentyth daye of
December in the one and fortyth yeere of your Highnes raygne (1598)
ryotouslye assemble themselves together, and then and there armed
themselves with dyvers and manye unlawfull and offensive weapons, as,
namelye, swordes, daggers, billes, axes, and such like, and so armed,
did then repayre unto the sayd Theatre, and then and there, armed as
aforesayd, in verye ryotous, outragious and forcyble manner, and
contrarye to the lawes of your highnes realme, attempted to pull down
the sayd Theatre, whereupon divers of your subjectes, servauntes, and
farmers, there goinge aboute in peaceable manner to procure them to
desist from that their unlawfull enterpryse, they the sayd ryotous
persons aforesayd notwithstanding procured then therein with greate
vyolence, not only then and there forcyblye and ryotouslye resisting
your subjectes, servauntes, and far