THE WATERMENS SVIT, Concerning Players.  
THe ocasions that hath moved me to writ this pamphlet are many, and forcible, and the attempt in writing it adventurous and full of danger, for as on the one side I doubt not but with truth to stop the mouths of Ignorance and malice that haue and do daily scandalise me,( and withall I know I shall purchase a general thankes, from all honest men of my Company) so I am assured to gain the hatred of some that love me well, and I affeect them no worse, onely for my plain truth and discharging my conscience; But fall back, fall edge, come what can come I am resolved and without fear or flattery thus I begin.  
In the month of january last 1613. there was a motion made by some so the better sort of the company of watermen, that it were necessary for the relief of such a decayed multitude to pettition to his majesty, that the Players might not haue a play-house in London or in Midlesex, within four miles of the city on that side of the Thames. Now this request may seem harsh and not well to be digested by the Players and their Apendixes, but the reasons that moved us unto it being charitably considered, makes the suite not onely seem reasonable, but past seeming most nessessary to be sued for, and tolerable to be granted.  
Our petition being written to purpose afforesaid, I was selected by my company to deliver it to his majesty and follow the business, which I did with that care and integrity, that I am assured none can justly tax me with the contrary. I did ride twice to Theobalds, once to Newmarket, and twice to Roystone, before I could get a reference vpon my pettition, I had to bear my charge, of my company first and last, seven pound two shillings, which horshire horse-meat and mans meat brought to a consumption, besides I wroat several pettions to most of the right honourable Lords of his majesties privy counsel, and I found them all compassiontly affencted to the nessessity of our cause.  
First I did briefly declare part of the services that watermen had done in queen Elizabeths reign, of famous memory, in the voyage to portugal, with the Right honourable and never to be forgotten earl of Esex, then 〈…〉 er that how it pleased God( in that great deliverance in the year 1588.) to make Watermen good seruicable instruments, with their loss of lives and limbs to defend their Prince and Country. More over many of them served with Sir Francis Drak, Sir John Hawkins, Sir Martin Frobusher and others, besides in Cales action, the island voyage, in Ireland, in the Lowcuntryes, and in the narrow seas they haue been,( as in duty they are bound) at continual command, so that every summer 1500. or 2000. of them were employed to the places aforesaid, having but nine shillings four pence the month a piece for their pay, and yet were they able then to set themselves out like men, with shift of apparel, linen and wollen, and forbear charging of their Prince for their pay sometimes six months, nine months, twelve months, sometimes more, for then there were so few Watermen and the one half of them being at Sea, those that stayed at home had as much work as they would do.  
Afterwards the Players began to play on the Bankside and to leave Playing in London& Middlesex( for the most part) then there went such great concourse of people by water, that the small number of watermen the remained at home were not able to carry them, by reason of the Court, the terms, the players, and other employments, so that we were enforced and encouraged,( hoping that this golden stirring world would haue lasted ever) to take and entertain men and boyes, which boyes are grown men, and keepers of houses, many of them being over charged with families of Wife and Children, so that the number of watermen, and those that live and are maintained by them, and by the onely labour of the oar and the Skull, betwixt the Bridge of Windsor, and gravesend, cannot be fewer then forty thousand; the cause of the greater half of which multitude, hath been the Players playing on the Bank-side, for I haue known 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 never played there it had been better for watermen by the one half of their living, for the Company is increased more them half by their means of playing there in former times.  
And now it hath pleased God in this peaceful time, that there is no employment at the sea, as it hath been accustomend, so that all those great numbers of men remaines at home, and the Players haue all( except the Kings men) left their usual residency on the Bank-side, and do play in Midelsex far remote from the Thames, so that every day in the week they do draw unto them three or four thousand people, that were used to spend their moneys by water,( to the relief of so many thousands of poor people, which by players former playing on the Bankside,) are increased so that oftimes a poor man that hath five or six children, doth give good attendance to his labour all day, and at night( perhaps) hath not gotten a Groat to relieve himself his wife and family.  
This was the effect and scope of our pettition though here I haue declared it more at large, to which his majesty graciously granted me a reference to his commissioners for suits, who then were the Right honourable Sir Iulius Caesar, Sir Thomas Parry Knights, the Right worshipful Sir Francis Bacon then the Kings Aturney general, Sir Henry montague his majesties Seargant at Law, Sir Walter Cope, master George Caluert, one of the clerks of his majesties privy counsel, and baron Southerton, one of the barons of the Kings exchequer, these honourable and Worshipful persons I did oft solicit, by pettitions, by friends, and by mine own industrious imporunity, so that in the end when our cause was heard, we found them generally affencted to the svit we prosecuted.  
His majesties Players did exhibit a pettition against us, in which they said that our svit was unreasonable, and that wee might as justly remove the exchange, the walks in Pauls, or Moorefields to the Bankside for our profits as to confine them; but our extremities and cause being judiciously pondered by the honourable and worshipful commissioners, Sir Francis Bacon very worthily said that so far forth as the public weal was to be regarded before pastimes, or a serviceable decaying multitude before a handful of particular men, or profit before pleasure, so fare was our suite to be preferred before theirs. whereupon the players did apeale to the Lord chamberlain, which was then the earl of somerset who stood well affencted to us, having been moved before in the business by master Samuel Goldsmith an especial friend of mine, and a gentleman that myself and all the rest of my poor company in general, are generally beholding and deeply engaged unto; for of his own free will to his cost and charge, we must with thankfulness aclowledge he hath been and is continually our worthy friend. Who seeing the wants of such numbers of us, he hath often neglected his own urgent and profitable affairs, spending his time and coin in any honest occasion that might profit vs. This much I thought good to insert in the way of thankfulness, because of al vices ingratitude is most hateful.