My British Empire

  Chapter 100 Drama Theater

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  After the 16th century, with the rise of British capitalism, the scale of London expanded rapidly. In 1500 AD, the population of London was only 50,000. In 1600, the population increased to 200,000. It is about the size of a county in China today.

  London, the capital of the United Kingdom, is located on the plains in southeastern England, across the Thames River, 88 kilometers from the Thames River estuary.

  The London area was where the British lived at that time. In 54 BC, the Roman Empire invaded the British Isle. In 43 BC, it was the main military station of the Romans and built the first wooden bridge across the Thames.

  The Thames River flows through the south of the City of London. The river is rich in various fish, which brings it the reputation of "the glory and wealth of the city".

  The Thames River is the main traffic artery of the city of London. Royal flat-bottomed barges, large cargo ships and small boats of the people shuttle on the river every day, and come and go like weaving.

  Pedestrians on land must pass through London Bridge if they want to cross the Thames, otherwise they have to take a ferry to cross the river. London Bridge was built around the end of the 12th century. There are two rows of houses on the bridge supported by 20 stone arches, leaving only a narrow passage for pedestrians and vehicles. Not far from the Thames, on the top of a hill to the east of Rudgate, stands the ancient St. Paul's Cathedral.

  The towering and solemn church overlooks the city surrounded by towers. St. Paul's, where St. Paul's Church belongs, is where publishers gather in London.

  There are countless merchants and craftsmen living in the city of London. The city is run by a mayor elected by the various craft and trade guilds.

  The handicraft industry and industrial and commercial guilds at that time had strict rules. These guild regulations protect the interests of the owners and employees of various firms. In order to maintain good social customs, city officials moved all kinds of games, performances and theaters outside the walls of the City of London.

   Therefore, there are few entertainment places in the city. There are only a few pubs and inns with colorful signs, such as "Bull", "Big Clock", etc., and there will be plays from time to time.

  The Shoreditch and Riverside area outside the city wall was once the territory of the monastery before the Reformation. It enjoyed tax-free privileges and was known as "free land".

  This area has now become a "three no matter" zone. Theatres, circuses and brothels that could not fit in the city of London were built here. Beggars, thieves, peddlers and other criminals in London often live here.

  In the eyes of serious people, this place is obviously a place where dirt is hidden, a very dangerous place to go. Strangely, however, the crime rate here is not necessarily higher than elsewhere in London.

  So, when they learned that Edward had decided to go here, Lucy and Luna began to cooperate and persuaded Edward to dispel his idea.

  But as a king, Edward was not so easy to submit. Instead, he persuaded the two of them.

  As for Little Mary and Elizabeth who were booing aside, he chose to ignore his attitude.

  So, on this rare day, Edward began to appreciate London in the sixteenth century, a city with a medieval tail.

  Walking on the narrow streets of London, followed by the leader of the Dark Blade, Guy Ham, and Andre from Portsmouth.

   After two years of eating and drinking, the originally thin Andrei has become a tall and strong boy, much taller than ordinary children.

  The two followed Edward, coupled with Edward's own gorgeous clothes, a proper young nobleman was traveling.

  Of course, there must be more than these people guarding His Majesty the King. Edward could vaguely see some dark blade masters arranged by Guy to follow.

  The roads in London at this time were still paved with bricks, and the original white color was now dyed black and yellowish.

  The originally not spacious road is covered with various kinds of garbage piled up in hills, which makes the road more and more congested.

A group of green flies buzzed around the shriveled cow dung that had lost a lot of moisture, as if they were very satisfied with the food; in the stagnant water by the roadside there was a lump of yellow spiral regular stuff , was suddenly run over by a passing carriage, and spread out in a sticky state, but the people passing by did not show any surprise.

Bare boys swinging cute little puddings, being chased by women with broad waists and round shoulders, shuttled through the street from time to time; from time to time, well-dressed gentlemen leaned on crutches and wore tall hats, looking imposing. Passing by in a carriage, with disdainful eyes on his face.

  Of course, there are more disheveled pedestrians in a hurry, vagrants with ragged clothes and filthy bodies, and wandering warblers hiding in alleys with red faces and scantily clad clothes.

  Edward took a look at the streets where the sewage flowed and mud was splashed, and he had to hire a large open carriage to stay away from this disgusting road.

   "Hello! Dear Sir, where do you need to go?"

  Edward boarded the carriage, which was big enough to carry six or seven people, and after seeing that the hygiene was in good condition, he sat down, and Commander Guy and Andre also followed with some anxiety.

   "Go to Drama Street!" Edward heard the driver in the black cap ask, thought for a while, and couldn't help saying.

  At this time, dramas began to emerge in London, the most famous of which were four theaters dedicated to drama performances, namely the Swan Theatre, the Rose Theatre, the Flower Bed Theater and the Happiness Theatre.

   Coupled with these small restaurants that also serve as theater performances, it constitutes a very famous theater street in London, attracting London citizens and civilians.

   "But, are you sure you want to go to Drama Avenue?" The coachman smiled cautiously, feeling incredible at such a customer's request.

   "That's right, it's Drama Avenue, take us there!"

  Edward knew that theater was still an entertainment activity for ordinary people, and dignitaries and decent gentlemen disdain to watch it, and even feel ashamed to watch it.

   Only in the period of Queen Elizabeth, batch after batch of talented literati made a living by writing dramas, and a large number of excellent works emerged.

   Coupled with the advent of the Renaissance era, nobles and gentlemen began to pursue freedom and humanities, and the rich forms of expression of drama met their spiritual needs, so drama became popular.

  The coachman was in a very depressed mood at this time. He didn't expect that one of his customers, who looked like an aristocrat, would like to go to places where fish and dragons mixed together.

   "Okay, dear sir, listen to you! I'll go!"

  The coachman sighed silently in his heart, but he agreed quickly in his mouth, and his movements were even more agile.

  The coachman sat in the driving seat, "pa—" the whip cracked in the air, and the two horses cleverly understood the coachman's meaning immediately, and ran forward with long legs.

  Sitting on the swaying carriage, Edward finally remembered to make a spring carriage. Sure enough, his memory is not good!

  Sitting in the carriage, the two brown horses driving in the front row were not running fast, not only because of the uneven road, but also because there were too many people.

  The outside of the city, which has not been expanded for a long time, can no longer withstand the population explosion and is extremely crowded.

  Watching the carriage drive cautiously, and the pedestrians could not help avoiding it, Edward had a sense of sight in India.

  Edward sat in the car, looking at the busy crowd, their faces showed bitter and sad expressions, the hardships of life have crushed their backs, nine out of ten people are hunchbacked.

Edward took a closer look, and under the walls of some ruined dilapidated houses, some small heads were exposed. His longing eyes stared blankly at Edward's clothes, as if he had never seen them before. eager.

   Soon, a broken palm pushed back a few peeping little heads, revealing a weather-beaten and thin face. The face of the twenties is full of aura after suffering, without the laughter that future generations should have at this age.

  Edward knew that these were the results of the enclosure movement. After losing their land, the peasants who had nothing could only come to big cities like London to find life.

  Although these are the pains of capitalist development, Edward, who has been educated for more than ten years, still cannot accept them. He thinks that the primitive accumulation of capitalism should be carried out in another way.

  After thinking about the philosophy of life, Edward felt the carriage stop, and the voice of the coachman came from his ear.

   "Sir! Drama Street is here!" The groom's tone was still as respectful as ever. It was obvious that he had no doubts that Edward was a big shot. After all, that kind of high-ranking temperament cannot be deceived.

   "Really? Then how much should I pay you?" Edward glanced at the coachman with interest, expecting to kill his driver, slap him in the face, and give him a sense of presence.

   "Here, sir, you only need to give me sixpence, just two pence each!"

   As he spoke, the groom smiled, showing a simple and honest smile.

   "Guy, give it to him!" Edward heard the figures, and knew that the groom didn't beat him hard, but exaggerated a little more than usual, which is a bit of a small businessman's mind.

  No longer interested in him, Edward looked around. This is almost the innermost layer of the free area of ​​​​Shoreditch.

  Four slightly larger theaters are lined up in a row, spreading out like cattail fans. Swan, Rose, Happiness, and Flowerbed, these four theaters are included in Edward's eyes in turn.

  The remaining small theaters or part-time theaters are arranged in the corners, like a string of pearls, with the largest and most beautiful in the middle, and the others can only be bent to the two sides.

   It is said to be a grand theater, but it is actually not that big. It is at most as big as a middle school auditorium, with two floors, but its aura is completely different from those of small theaters.

  Their ticket office was not only full of people, but the ticket price was higher than that of a theater. Edward looked, the line was fifty feet long.

  (end of this chapter)