Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-04-29
A DRAMATIC RELIC.
Representation of a London Theater tD Shakcspeare's Time.

Representation of a London Theater in
 Shakospeare's Time.
 An interesting dramatic relic has just been sent to the British Museum on loan by the University of Utrecht, says the Lon don Times. It is representation and description of the Swan Theater in South wark, in 1596 The picture was discovered in a manuscript work in the Utrecht library The author was one Van Buchell, who filled this commonplace book with notes on vari- ous subjects. Among others is the picture of the Swan, with letter-press on the op- posite page. The former is described as drawn ex observatio nibus Londonensibus Johannes De Witt, and pelnt of doubt in connection with it is whether the picture was actually copied from one drawn by De Witt, or whether it was drawn by Van Buchell from oral descriptions by De Witt. The latter was a Dutch scholar and preb- endary of the sixteenth century, who travelled widely in foreign countries (proba- ply because he was a Roman Catholic, for whom Holland would not be comfortable just then), and noted what he saw. The theater is represented as containing three galleries, one above the other, with tiled roof above the top one, but open to the sky in the center. The stage is supported on wooden posts, painted like marble, "so that" remarks De Witt, "it might deceive the most sagacious." It is believed to have been removable, so that the amphitheater might be free whenever it was wanted for bull bear batting. The green room is represented as an erection ln the space behind the stage and apparent ly open to the public view. De Witt de- scribed it to Van Buchell as built solidly of Hints and possessing accommodation for 5000 persons. It is possible that large
 number could stand in the amphltheater on
 a 1ouo1 with fha in n other
 we account for this surprising statement.
 He says there were four theateEs in Lon
 don which derived their names from vari- ous signs and each had performances every day. The two principal ones were on the south side of the river and were called the Rose and the Swan-Shakespeare's Globe did not then exist-and there were two in
 the north in Bishopsgate street. A fifth was used for bull and bear batting, and ac-
 cording to De Witt "pres ents a most de-
 ightful spectacle" The best, he says, was
 the Swan, of which he gives picture. be- cause of it's accommodation and it's archl- lecture, which seemed to him to be 8 sur vival of the Roman amphitheater, and it is because of this latter circumstance that Van Buchell preserved the picture. In the l play in progress on the stage two ladies are | in conversation, and some one enters to | them, probably messenger; but it is prob | able that this is fancy scene and comes | from no Elizabethan drama. The drawing | and letter-press were brought to light by Dr. Carl Gaedertz, who has published with l Mueller, of Bremen, fac-simile of both with discussion on the subject in pam phlet entitled, 'sZur Kentniss der Alten l glischen Buhne," which is intended as a
 contribution to Shakespearean literature
 It has been generously lent by the Utrecht University authorities to the British Museum for the inspection of students of the Eliza l bethan Theater.