Event Comment: TThe King and Queen present. Receipts: #61 7s. Probable attendance: boxes, 56 paid and 40 orders; stage, 4 paid; pit, 205 paid and 14 orders; slips, 16 paid and 29 orders; first gallery, 178 paid and 21 orders; second gallery, 154 paid and 1 order

Event Comment: Receipts: #148 19s. 6d. Probable attendance: boxes, 174 paid and 23 orders; stage, 6 paid; pit, 292 paid and 8 orders; slips, 29 paid and 10 orders; first gallery, 423 paid and 8 orders; second gallery, 168 paid

Event Comment: Receipts: #69 4s. 6d. Probable attendance: boxes, 19 paid and 6 orders; stage, 3 paid; pit, 177 paid and 22 orders; slips, 13 paid and 3 orders; first gallery, 228 paid and 4 orders; second gallery, 161 paid and 3 orders

Event Comment: Receipts: #74 7s. 6d. Probable attendance: boxes, 66 paid and 31 orders; stage, 2 paid; pit, 167 paid and 23 orders; slips, 5 paid and 19 orders; first gallery, 218 paid and 9 orders; second gallery, 127 paid and 2 orders. Prince and Three Princesses present

Event Comment: At the Desire of several Persons of Quality. Receipts: #75 6s. 6d. Probable attendance: boxes, 71 paid and 16 orders; stage, 1 paid; pit, 181 paid and 20 orders; slips, 13 paid and 4 orders; first gallery, 173 paid and 12 orders; second gallery, 159 paid and 1 order

Event Comment: Receipts: #50 7s. Probable attendance: boxes, 23 paid and 1 order; stage, 1 paid; pit, 178 paid and 33 orders; slips, 7 paid and 4 orders; first gallery, 113 paid and 13 orders; second gallery, 55 paid

Event Comment: By Command of His Royal Highness. [The Prince present.] Receipts: #98 19s. Probable attendance: boxes, 87 paid; stage, 1 paid; pit, 278 paid; slips, 22 paid; first gallery, 254 paid; second gallery, 137 paid

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Written by the late Sir John Vanbrugh. Receipts: #74 14s. 6d. Probable attendance: boxes, 70 paid and 16 orders; stage, 2 paid; pit, 200 paid and 20 orders; slips, 10 paid and 3 orders;first gallery, 163 paid and 13 orders; second gallery, 82 paid and 3 orders

Event Comment: [T+The Necromancer, not advertised, may have been given as an afterpiece, as the Daily Journal, 12 Feb., states that the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, and the Princesses Amelia and Carolina saw it as part of the program.] Receipts: #68 15s. 6d. Probable attendance: boxes, 113 paid and 30 orders; stage, 2 paid; pit, 164 paid and 17 orders; slips, 7 paid and 12 orders; first gallery, 117 paid and 4 orders; second, 123 paid

Event Comment: Receipts: #33 16s. Probable attendance: boxes, 37 paid and 1 order; stage, 2 paid; P1t, 77 paid and 10 orders; slips, 4 paid and 1 order; first gallery, 80 paid and 2 orders; second gallery, 69 paid

Event Comment: The last Night of the Company's performing this Season. Receipts: #180 12s. (after-money not listed). Account-Book, 18 June: Paid Harris for his trouble in superintending the Business of the Theatre #500; Garton in full for salary this season #230; Hull for salary as acting manager #150; Mrs Yates in lieu of cloathes this season #200; Cooper, printer, #347 9s.; Carver, painter, #245 18s.; Hodgins, painter, #141 15s.; Received of Their Majesties this season #100; of the Prince of Wales #65. 27 June: Paid Hull in lieu of a benefit #100, Mrs Lessingham #70, Mrs Morton #21. 17 July: Paid one year's Land Tax #122 10s.; Macklin in full for season #217 10s.; Received Stage Forfeits #35 4s. 6d. 23 July: Paid Hawkes, coal merchant, #173 5s. 28 Aug.: Paid Hawkes, tallow chandler, #331 10s. 4 Sept.: Paid Barrett, wax chandler, #426 9s

Event Comment: Sir Samuel Tuke's The Adventures of Five Hours was probably intended to have its first performance on this day. The edition of 1663 reads: The Prologue Enters with a Play-Bill in his hands, and Reads, This day being the 15th of December, shall be Acted a New Play, never Plai'd before, call'd The Adventures of Five Hours. [On the other hand, Evelyn, on 23 Dec. 1662, saw a rehearsal of the comedy, and Pepys, 8 Jan.1662@3, refers to a performance on that day as the first one.

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. See also 15 and 23 Dec. 1662. Pepys, Diary: There being the famous new play acted the first time to-day, which is called The Adventures of Five Hours, at the Duke's house, being, they say, made or translated by Colonel Tuke, I did long to see it; and so made my wife to get her ready, though we were forced to send for a smith, to break open her trunk...and though early, were forced to sit almost out of sight, at the end of one of the lower forms, so full was the house. And the play, in one word, is the best, for the variety and the most excellent continuance of the plot to the very end, that ever I saw, or think ever shall, and all possible, not only to be done in the time, but in most other respects very admittable, and without one word of ribaldry; and the house, by its frequent plaudits, did show their sufficient approbation. Evelyn, Diary: I went to see Sir S: Tuke (my kinsmans) Comedy acted at the Dukes Theater, which so universaly tooke as it was acted for some weekes every day, & was belived would be worth the Comedians 4 or 5000 pounds: Indeede the plot was incomparable but the language stiffe & formall. Downes (pp 22-23): Wrote by the Earl of Bristol, and Sir Samuel Tuke: This Play being Cloath'd so Excellently Fine in proper Habits, and Acted so justly well....It took Successively 13 Days together, no other Play Intervening. Lady Anglesey to her husband, 10 Jan. 1663: Lord Bristol has made a play which is much commended (CSPD 1663-64, p. 8)

Event Comment: Pepys, Diary: I with Lord Brouncker (who was this day in an unusual manner merry, I believe with drink), J. Minnes, and W. Pen to Bartholomew-Fair; and there saw the dancing mare again, which, to-day, I find to act much worse than the other day, she forgetting many things, which her master beat her for, and was mightily vexed; and then the dancing of the ropes, and also the little stage-play, which is very ridiculous

Event Comment: On this day and on Friday the 20th the Duke's players gave The Impertinents; or, The Sullen Lovers or Sir Salomon. Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 29) lists these as the two plays presented by the Duke's Company, but no contemporary statement indicates for certain which play was given on each day. The Journal of Sir Richard Bulstrode: Yesterday [19] at five of ye clocke, the Court were entertained with a comedy acted by the Duke's player (The Bulstrode Papers, 1879, I, 139). Saturday 28 May 1670: The absence of the court which continues at Dover till Wensday next makes us very barren of news. There is the greatest gallantry and mirth imaginable. The Dukes players have beene there all the time past came up yesterday and the kings goe downe this day (Aston Papers, Vol. XVI, Add. Mss. 36916, folio 182)

Event Comment: According to Sir Edward Smith's bill--see Hotson, Commonwealth and Restoration Stage, p. 308--Rich's Company acted 161 days from 6 Oct. 1697 to 19 May 1698, 41 days from that date to 10 July 1698, and the young actors played 24 days from 10 July 1698 to 10 Oct. 1698

Event Comment: [Librettist unknown. Premiere. For the identification of this opera, see Loewenberg, pp. 58-59. Downes (p. 48) says that the opera lasted five days; Cibber (I, 325) states that it was given only three days, and those not crowded. This day marked the opening of the Queen's Theater in the Haymarket, the first new theatrical construction of the century. For a discussion of it, see Cibber, I, 319-22.