Event Comment: Benefit for the General Lying-in Hospital. (Upper Gallery 3s. 6d.) 3428 helpless women have already been received and preserved, besides 800 out-patients supplied with medicine &c. and many soldiers' and seamens' wives have been taken out of the streets penniless, starving and with Labour pains upon them and admitted at several hours of the night or day without any letter or recommendation whatever. [Long advertisement in Public Advertiser for all to support this charity and at the same time have the "opportunity of seeing a very pleasing Burletta."

Event Comment: Benefit for the General Lying-in Hospital, Duke St. [a long advertisement in the Public Advertiser, similar to that for 16 April 1761, notes the service the hospital has performed for some 6000 destitute "female objects" wives of soldiers and sailors.] Second Gallery 3s. 6d. 6:30 p.m

Event Comment: [T+The Provok'd Wife and The Rape of Proserpine had been advertised By Desire.

Event Comment: By Command of their Majesties

Event Comment: Benefit for Capitani, now in the King's Bench, singer in the Opera for 20 years past. Boxes 10s. 6d. Pit 5s. Gallery 2s. 6d. To begin at 7 p.m. [A long note hn the Public Advertiser about the nature of Capitani's distresses--death of wife after an expensive illness loss of considerable sums in trade, now in debtor's prison. The Public Advertiser this day Published the following Sonnet V, seemingly a new sort of puff' for Foote]: @To Mr F-@While party rage, my F., distracts the state@And mutual lies contending parties raise,@As int'rest leads, or Pitt or Bute to praise,@Let vet'ran Tories with staunch Whigs debate.@With gen'rous Punch our spirits we'll dilate,@Laugh at those loud-tongued politicians' frays,@And to good Brookman's fame attune our lays,@Whose genial bowl all cares can dissipate.@Safely to Harrogate let Bute retire,@His gout at Hayes lett Pitt in quiet nurse,@And Wilkes at either Secretary rail:@These party feuds unsocial rage inspire,@Destroy all mirth, and all good humour curse,@But shall not o'er our joyous souls prevail.

Event Comment: Oratorio by Dr Morell. Set by Mr Smith to the Music of some old genuine performances of Handel (Biographia Dramatica). Music of the Songs and Chorusses entirely from works of Mr Handel. This day publish'd Nabal an Oratorio, as performed at Covent Garden. Price 1s. This day Publish'd Midas: an English Burletta. 2nd Edition. Price 1s. As it is acted with great applause at Covent Garden

Event Comment: Benefit for Mortimer, Tomlinson and West. Tickets deliver'd for Rule a Wife (which is oblidg'd on account of Palmer's Indisposition) will be taken

Event Comment: [C$Colman published in the Public Advertiser this day extracts from the Oxonian in Town showing what favorable things were said of the Irish in it. He apparently did so to forstall a predicted riot by Irishmen who feared their nation was slandered because the scoundrels in the play were Irish. See E. R. Page, George Colman, The Elder (New York, 1935), p. 168. Monitor No V (21 Nov. 1767) includes a letter from Timothy Calfskin requesting refund of 4 shillings since his wife was frightened by the noise of the "wild Irish" and ran from the playhouse.] Receipts: #191 4s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: The New Comedy of the Man and Wife is oblig'd to be deferr'd for a few days. Receipts: #106 19s

Event Comment: Books of the Entertainment [i.e., of The Spanish Lady] to be had at the theatre. The Comedy of Man and Wife cannot be perform'd, on account of Mr Shuter's hoarsness. Receipts: #202 6s. 6d

Event Comment: Benefit for A. Smith and Miss Dowson

Event Comment: Bold Stroke for a Wife oblig'd to be deferr'd on account of Indisposition of a principal performer. Receipts: #151 14s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Man and Wife is deferr'd on account of Indisposition of a principal performer. Paid Mr Asselin for his performance #10 10s. (Account Book). [See Entertainments for 5 Nov.] Receipts: #120 4s

Event Comment: King not being sufficiently recover'd the School for Wives deferr'd. Paid half year's rent to the Duke of Bedford to Mich. last #165 2d.; Insurance of theatre and New Building to Christmas 1774 from this day #51 10s. 6d.; Mr G. Garrick on acct #100. Receipts: #183 (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: A drunken man and a livery servant were both very troublesome in the first gallery [according to an account in the Morning Chronicle, 11 Dec., which continued]: It is a very great insult to respectable citizens and gentlemen of moderate fortunes, who from principles of economy choose to sit in the first gallery, that they admit too men in liveries. Their prices of admission have been raised within these thirty years, and every art practised for interest of the managers; and in these times, when every necessary and convenience of life is considerably enhanced, it is a matter of prudence in persons of the middle rank of life to prefer the gallery to the pit. But this is no reason why livery servants should be allowed to place themselves by the wives and daughters of private gentlemen and reputable tradesmen, to whom they often behave with great insolence and indecency. [It is desirable] to know why a constable does not make his appearance in the back row of the first, as well as the second, gallery, being frequently as much wanted in the one as the other (John Hampden Diary, p. 122)