[_Deposition of_ GEORGE BIRCH.]
George Birch of London, carrier, of the age of 32 years or thereabouts,
sworn and examined saith, that he knew well a player's garment lined
with red tuke and stitched with Roman letters upon it of blue and red
sarcenet; another garment paned with blue and green sarcenet, lined with
red buckram, and another garment paned with yellow, green, red, and blue
sarcenet, lined with old red buckram; another garment spangled of blue
satin of Bruges, lined with green sarcenet, and a woman's gown or
garment of green and blue sarcenet, checked and lined with red buckram;
in which garments this deponent and his company played in while they
remained in the hands of the said Rastell. And he saith that every
garment, one with another, were worth 20s., and that Walton did let out
the same garments to hire to stage plays and interludes sundry times,
but how many times he knoweth not. And further he saith that the common
custom is at an interlude 8d. for the garments, and at a stage play as
the parties can agree. And he saith if they had been made of new stuff
they had been much more worth. And he saith he saw the curtains of
sarcenet, but how many ells they were he knoweth not, but every ell was
worth 3s. And further he saith that 3 or 4 years past, when the King's
banquet was at Greenwich that summer, he saw the said garments played in
3 or 4 times, by the lending of the said Walton, and at that time they
seemed fresh and good garments, and more he knoweth not.
(Signed) per me GEORGE BIRCH.