THe ocasions that hath moued me to write this pamphlet are many , and forcible , and the Atempt in writing it aduenturous and full of danger , for as on the one side I doubt not but with truth to stoppe the mouthes of Ignorance and Mallice that haue and doe daily scandalize mee , ( and withall I know I shall purchase a generall thankes , from all honest men of my Company ) so I am assured to gaine the hatred of some that loue me wel , and I affeect them no worse , onely for my playne truth and discharging my conscience ; But fall back , fall edge , come what can come I am resolued and without feare or flattery thus I begin .

In the month of Ianuary last 1613. there was a motion made by some so the better sort of the company of Water-men , that it were necessary for the releefe of such a decayed multitude to pettition to his Maiesty , that the Players might not haue a play-house in London or in Midlesex , within foure miles of the city on that side of the Thames . Now this request may seeme harsh and not well to be disgested by the Players and their Apendixes , but the reasons that mou'd vs vnto it being charitably considered , makes the suite not onely seeme reasonable , but past seeming most nessessary to be sued for , and tollerable to be granted .

Our petition being written to purpose afforesaid , I was selected by my company to deliuer it to his Maiesty and follow the businesse , which I did with that care and integrity , that I am assured none can iustly taxe mee with the contrary . I did ride twise to Theobalds , once to Newmarket , and twice to Roystone , before I could get a reference vpon my pettition , I had to beare my charge , of my company first and last , seauen pound two shillings , which horshire horsemeat and mans meat brought to a consumption , besides I wroat seuerall pettions to most of the right honorable Lords of his Maiesties Priuy Counsell , and I found them all compassiontly affected to the nessessity of our cause .

First I did briefly declare part of the seruices that Water-men had done in Queene Elizabeths raigne , of famous memory , in the voyage to Portingale , with the Right Honorable and neuer to be forgotten Earle of Esex , then 〈…〉 er that how it pleased God ( in that great deliuerance in the yeare 1588. ) to make Watermen good seruicable instruments , with their losse of liues and limbs to defend their Prince and Country . More ouer many of them serued with Sir Francis Drak , Sir Iohn Hawkins , Sir Martin Frobusher and others , besides in Cales action , the Iland voyage , in Ireland , in the Lowcuntryes , and in the narrow seas they haue beene , ( as in duty they are bound ) at continuall command , so that euery Sommer 1500. or 2000. of them were imployed to the places aforesaid , hauing but nine shillings foure pence the month a peece for their pay , and yet were they able then to set themselues out like men , with shift of Aparell , linen and wollen , and forbeare charging of their Prince for their pay sometimes sixe months , nine months , twelue months , sometimes more , for then there were so few Watermen and the one halfe of them being at Sea , those that staid at home had as much worke as they would doe .

Afterwards the Players began to play on the Bankside and to leaue Playing in London & Middlesex ( for the most part ) then there went such great concourse of people by water , that the smal number of watermen the remain'd at home were not able to cary them , by reason of the Court , the Tearmes , the players , and other imployments , so that we were inforced and encoraged , ( hoping that this golden stirring world would haue lasted euer ) to take and entertaine men and boyes , which boyes are growne men , and keepers of houses , many of them being ouer charged with families of Wife and Children , so that the number of Water-men , and those that liue and are maintained by them , and by the onely labour of the Oare and the Skull , betwixt the Bridge of Windsor , and Grauesend , cannot be fewer then forty thousand ; the cause of the greater halfe of which multitude , hath beene the Players playing on the Bank-side , for I haue knowne three Companies , besides the Beare-bayting , at once there , to wit , the Globe , the Rose , and the Swan . And it is an infallible truth that had they neuer played there it had beene better for Water-men by the one halfe of their liuing , for the Company is encreased more them halfe by their meanes of playing there in former times .

And now it hath pleased God in this peacefull time , that there is no imployment at the sea , as it hath beene accustomed , so that all those great numbers of men remaines at home , and the Players haue all ( except the Kings men ) left their vsuall residency on the Bank-side , and doe play in Midelsex far remote from the Thames , so that euery day in the weeke they doe draw vnto them three or foure thousand people , that were vsed to spend their monies by water , ( to the releefe of so many thousands of poore people , which by Plaiers former playing on the Bankside , ) are encreased so that oftimes a poore man that hath fiue or sixe children , doth giue good attendance to his labour all day , and at night ( perhaps ) hath not gotten a Groat to relieue himselfe his wife and familie .

This was the effect and scope of our pettition though here I haue declared it more at large , to which his Maiesty graciously granted me a reference to his comissioners for suites , who then were the Right honorable Sir Iulius Caesar , Sir Thomas Parry Knights , the Right Worshipfull Sir Francis Bacon then the Kings Aturney generall , Sir Henry Mountague his Maiesties Seargant at Law , Sir Walter Cope , Maister George Caluert , one of the Clarks of his Maiesties priuy Counsell , and Barron Southerton , one of the Barrons of the Kings exchequer , these Honorable and Worshipful persons I did oft solicite , by pettitions , by friends , and by mine owne industrious imporunity , so that in the end when our cause was heard , we found them generally affected to the suit we prosecuted .

His Maiesties Players did exhibit a pettition against vs , in which they said that our suit was vnreasonable , and that wee might as iustly remoue the exchange , the walkes in Pauls , or Moorefields to the Bankside for our profits as to confine them ; but our extremities and cause being iudiciously pondered by the Honorable and Worshipfull Comissioners , Sir Francis Bacon very worthily said that so far forth as the Publike weale was to be regarded before pastimes , or a seruiceable decaying multitude before a handfull of perticular men , or profit before pleasure , so fare was our suite to be preferred before theirs . Wherevpon the players did apeale to the Lord Chamberlaine , which was then the Earle of Sommerset who stood well affected to vs , hauing beene moued before in the buisines by Maister Samuel Goldsmith an especiall friend of mine , and a gentleman that my selfe and all the rest of my poore company in generall , are generally beholding and deepely ingaged vnto ; for of his owne free will to his cost and charge , we must with thankfulnesse acknowledge hee hath beene and is continually our worthie friend . Who seeing the wants of such numbers of vs , hee hath often neglected his owne vrgent and profitable affaires , spending his time and coyne in any honest ocasion that might profit vs. This much I thoght good to insert in the way of thankfulnes , because of al vices ingratitude is most hateful .