‘“At least we’ll die with harness on our back,”’ he ended and went off into the OP area and through it. He waited offstage.

They played through the battle scenes to the point where Macbeth entered on the platform OP and Macduff entered from Prompt corner.

‘Turn, hell-hound. Turn.’

The fight. Gaston was perfect. Macduff, who looked exhausted and tried to go through it at token speed, was forced to respond fully.

Exeunt. Macbeth’s scream, cut off. Macduff ran straight through and out. Alleyn set his watch.

There followed the long triumphant entry and final scene with Old Siward. Macduff re-entered OP corner. Gaston reverted to Seyton and came on, without the claidheamh-mor, behind him. He proclaimed in his natural tones: ‘I assume my claidheamh-mor is not to be found. I presume it has been seized by the police. I take this opportunity,’ he went on, pitching his considerable voice into the auditorium, ‘of warning them that they do so at their peril. There is strength in the weapon.’

‘The claidheamh-mor is perfectly safe in our keeping,’ said Alleyn.

‘It may be, and doubtless is, safe. It is the police who should be trembling.’

Before addressing the actors Alleyn allowed himself a moment to envisage this situation.

‘Thank you, gentlemen,’ Alleyn said. ‘It was asking a lot of all of you to re-enact the last scene but I think I can tell you that you have really helped us. Now, if you will do the same thing again with the scene immediately before it, from “brandished by man that’s of a woman born” up to “Enter, sir, the castle,” I think you will then be free to go home. It’s Macduff’s soliloquy. I want you all in your given places. With offstage action and noises, please. Jay, would you?’

Peregrine said: ‘It’s where the group of Macduff’s soldiers run across and upstairs. Right? Simon?’

‘Oh God. Yes. All right,’ said the exhausted Simon.

‘Ready, everybody. “Brandished by man that’s of a woman born.”’

The speech was broken by offstage entries, excursions and alarms. Alleyn timed it. Three minutes. Macbeth entered on OP rostrum.

‘Right. Thank you very much, Mr Morten. And Mr Sears. We’ve not established your own movements, Mr Sears, as you’ve been kind enough to impersonate Macbeth’s. Can you now tell us where you were over this period?’

‘Certainly. On the OP side but not in the darkened corner. I remained there throughout, keeping out of the way of the soldiers who entered and exited in some disorder. I may say their attempts at soldierly techniques during these exercises was pitiful. However, I was not consulted and I kept my opinions to myself. I spoke, I believe, to several fellow players during this period. Those who were called for the final curtain – Miss Gaythorne, I recall – advanced some astonishing claptrap about garlic as a protection against bad luck. Duncan was one. Banquo was another. He complained, I recollect, that he was called too soon.’