His servants have prepared one of his favorite dinners for him today: chicken cooked with oranges, served with a side of artichokes and broadbeans, and to drink he has some Claret wine. He thanks his servants for a delightful lunch and his wife for her stunning company. He says farewell and is off to the Rose Theatre.
He does not have to travel far because the Rose is located in Bankside of Southwark. On the 10th of January in 1587 Henslowe and John Cholmley, another South London business man, signed an agreement to build a playhouse in Bankside and run it together for eight years. However, Cholmley died before that agreement was up Henslowe had been working alone until he became partners with Edward Alleyn, Henslowe's step daughter Joan's husband. Immediately upon his arrival Alleyn greets Henslowe. They briefly discuss their thoughts to build a playhouse north of the city to compete with the Globe. There is no time to complete this lengthy in-depth conversation now because it is time to watch the Admiral's Men rehearse Thomas Dekker's Phaethon. Henslowe is pleased with what he sees and makes a list of the inventory of all the properties for the Admiral's Men: .
Item, i rock, i cage, i tomb, i Hell.
mouth i bedstead.
Item, viii lances, i pair of stairs for.
Phaethon.
Item, i globe, & i golden sceptre; iii.
clubs.
Item, i golden fleece, ii racquets, i bay.
tree.
Item, i lion's skin, i bear's skin;.
Phaethon's.
limbs, & Phaethon's chariot, & Argus's.
head.
Item, Iris's head, & rainbow; i little.
altar .
i ghost's gown; i crown with a sun. .
.
Henslowe decides that he will let Alleyn handle the rest of the rehearsal while he goes and tries to find some of the items on this list. .
Henslowe leaves the theatre and takes a walk to the other side of Bankside. There is a merchant there who has helped him with many projects before. He shows him this list and finds that if he makes a deposit this man can get eight of these items.