Under the rule of Henry Julius, the persecution of Jews and witches reached a historic peak. On the other hand, the duke was a dedicated follower of theatre and acting. In the years 1593 and 1594, he wrote eleven plays and invited Robert Browne, Thomas Sackville and their theatre company, who staged a shortened version of his "Susanna" for several years. His other plays, five comedies, four tragedies, were not very successful; however, one was a basis for the tall tales of Baron Munchausen. Duke Henry Julius also invited John Dowland to come and see Michael Praetorius, his "Kapellmeister", playing on the famous Gröningen organ.