ALLEYN, Edward, a celebrated English actor in the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and King James, and founder of the college of Dulwich in Surrey, was born at London, in the parish of St Botolph, on the 1st of September 1566, as appears from a memorandum of his own writing. Dr Füller says that he was bred a stage-player, and that his father would have given him a liberal education, but that he was not turned for a serious course of life. He was, however, a youth of an excellent capacity, a cheerful temper, a tenacious memory, a sweet elocution, and in his person of a stately port and aspect; all which advantages might well induce a young man to take to the theatrical profession. By several authorities we find he must have been on the stage some time before 1592; for at that time he was in high favour with the town, and greatly applauded by the best judges, particularly by Ben Jonson.

Haywood, in his prologue to Marlow’s Jew of Malta, calls him Proteus for shapes, and Roseius for a tongue. He usually played the capital parts, and was one of the original actors in Shakspeare’s plays; in some of Ben Jonson’s he was also a principal performer: but what characters he personated in any of their plays, it is difficult now to determine. This is owing to the inaccuracy of their editors,, who did not print the names of the players opposite to, the characters they performed, as the modern custom is; but gave one general list of actors to the whole set of plays, as in the old folio edition of Shakspeare; or divided one from the other, setting the dramatis personae before the plays, and the catalogue of performers after them, as in Jonson’s.

It may appear surprising how one of Mr Alleyn’s profession should be enabled to erect such an edifice as Dulwich College, and liberally endow it for the maintenance of so many persons. But it must be observed that he had some paternal fortune, which, though small, might lay a foundation for his future affluence; and it is to be presumed, that the profits he received from acting, to one of his provident and managing disposition, and one who by his excellence in playing drew after him such crowds of spectators, must have considerably improved his fortune: besides, he was not only actor, but master of a playhouse built at his own expense, by which he is said to have amassed considerable wealth. He was also keeper of the king’s wild beasts, or master of the. royal bear-garden, which was frequented by vast crowds of spectators; and the profits arising from these sports are said to have amounted to L.500 per annum. He was thrice married; and the portions of his first two wives, they leaving him no issue to inherit, might probably contribute to this benefaction. Such donations have been frequently thought to proceed more from vanity and ostentation than real piety; but this of Mr Alleyn has been ascribed to a very singular cause, for the devil has been said to be the first promoter of it. Mr Aubrey mentions a tradition, that Mr Alleyn playing a demon, with six others, in one of Shakspeare’s plays, was in the midst of the play surprised by an apparition of the devil; which so worked on his fancy, that he made a vow, which he performed by building Dulwich College. He began the foundation of this college, under, the direction of Inigo Jones, in 1614; and the buildings, gardens, &c. were finished in 1617, in which he is said to have expended about L.10,000. After the college was built, he met with some difficulty in obtaining a charter for settling his lands in mortmain; for he proposed to endow it with L.800 per annum, for the maintenance of one master, one warden, and four fellows, three whereof were to be clergymen, and the fourth a skilful organist; also six poor men and as many women, besides twelve poor boys to be educated till the age of fourteen or sixteen, and then put out to some trade or calling. The obstruction he met with arose from the lord chancellor Baeon, who wished King James to settle part of those lands for support of two academical lectures; and he wrote a letter to the marquis of Buckingham, dated August 18, 1618, entreating him to use his interest with his majesty for that purpose. Mr Alleyn’s solicitation was, however, at last complied with, and he obtained the royal licence, giving him full power to lay his foundation, by his majesty’s letters patent, bearing date the 21st of June 1619; by virtue whereof he did, in the chapel at the said new hospital at Dulwich, called The College of God’s Gift, on the 13th of September following, pubicll read and publish a quadripartite writing in parchment, whereby he created and established the said college; he then subscribed it with his name, and fixed his seal to several parts thereof, in presence of several honourable persons, and ordered copies of the writings to four different parishes. He was himself the first master of his college; so that, to make use of the words of Mr Haywood, one of his contemporaries, ‘ He was so mingled with humility and charity, that he became his own pensioner, humbly submitting himself to that proportion of diet and clothes which he had bestowed on others.’ We have no reason to think he ever repented of this distribution of his substance; but, on the contrary, that he was entirely satisfied, as appears from the following memorial in his own writing, found amongst his papers.—‘ May 26, 1620. My wife and I acknowledged the fine at the common pleas bar, of all our lands to the college: blessed be God that he hath given us life to do it.’” His wife died in the year 1623; and about two years afterwards he married Constance Kinehtoe, who survived him, and received remarkable proofs of his affection, if at least we may judge of it by his will, in which he left her considerable property. He died on the 25th of November 1626, in the 61st year of his age, and was buried in the chapel of his new college, where there is a tomb-stone over his grave, with an inscription. His original diary is also there preserved.

The subjoining anecdote is entertaining in itself, and shows the high esteem in which Mr Alleyn was held as an actor :—“Edward Alleyn, the Garrick of Shakspeare’s time, had been on the most friendly footing with our poet, as well as Ben Jonson. They used frequently to spend their evenings together at the sign of the Globe, somewhere near Blackfriars, where the playhouse then was. The world need not be told, that the convivial hours of such a triumvirate must be pleasing as well as profitable, and may be said to be such pleasures as might bear the reflections of the morning. In consequence of one of these meetings, the following letter was written by G. Peele, a student of Christ Church College, Oxford, and a dramatic poet, who belonged to the Club, to one Marle, an intimate of his [7:2:526]‘ Friend Marle,

‘ I must desyr that my syster hyr watch, and the cookerie book you promysed, may be sente bye the man. I never longed for thy company more than last night: we were all very merrye at the Globe, when Ned Alleyn did not scruple to affyrme pleasauntly to thy Friende Will, that he had stolen his speech about thee Qualityes of art actor’s excellencye in Hamlet hys Tragedye, from conversations manyfold which had passed betweene them, and opinyons given by Alleyn touching the subjecte. Shakspeare did not take this talke in good sorte; but Janson put an ende to the strife with wittylye remarkinge, This affaire needeth no Contentione; you stole it from Ned, no doubte; do not marvel: Have you not seen him act tymes out of number?— Believe me most syncerilie yours, G. Peele. ’”