Event Comment: [Miss Humphries, who was from the Private Theatre, Tottenham Court Road, is identified by MS annotation on Kemble playbill. In afterpiece the playbill retains Barrymore as Sir Rowland, and Bannister Jun. as Walter, but "The Public are respectfully informed that Bannister being suddenly afflicted with a Hoarseness, and Barrymore having met with an unfortunate Accident, are both rendered incapable of the honour of appearing before them this Evening. To prevent a disappointment of The Children in the Wood Dowton will perform...Walter, and C. Kemble Sir Rowland, presuming humbly upon the usual kind indulgence experienced upon such emergencies" (printed slip attached to Kemble playbill).] Receipts: #259 18s. (160.0.6; 98.12.6; 1.5.0)

Event Comment: By Desire. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. First Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. Places for Boxes may be taken of Mr Sarjant(Only)Book-Keeper at the Stage Door. No Money to be received at the stage door, nor any money returned after the curtain is up. [Customary note at foot of each bill during season. Only significant variations will be noted.] Present the Duke of Gloucester, Prince Henry, the Princesses Brunswick, Louisa and Caroline (Account Book). Receipts: #224 3s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Both Pieces By Particular Desire. Present the Dukes of York and Cumberland, Princess of Brunswick, and Lady Louisa. Paid for the paragraph of the Royal Family coming in the Ledger and Gazetteer 6s. (Account Book). Receipts: #149 4s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Program By Command of their Majesties. Present their Majesties, the Duke of Cumberland, Princess of Brunswick, and Lady Louisa. Paid Yeoman of the Guard #2 2s. Paid Messrs Tomkyn and Robinson a bill for wine, &c. 4s. 3d. (Account Book). Receipts: #243 7s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Both pieces By Command of their Majesties. Present their Majesties, the Duke of Cumberland, Princess of Brunswick, and Lady Louisa. Gave Yeomen of the Guard #2 2s., and gave Princess Dowager's Footmen #1 1s. and Chairmen #1 1s. (Account Book). Receipts: #232 7s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: By Command of their Majesties, both pieces. Present their Majesties, the Prince of Wales Duke of Cumberland, Princess of Brunswick, and Lady Louisa. Gave Yeomen of the Guards #2 2s. Paid Miss Valois the balance of her salary last season #27 16s. 8d., and in full for this season to 24 Oct. 1766, #3 16s. 8d. (Account Book). Receipts: #241 3s

Event Comment: Both pieces By Command of their Majesties. Afterpiece: Not acted these 7 years. [See 27 Nov. 1760.] Present their Majesties, Dukes of Gloster and Cumberland, Princess of Brunswick and Lady Louisa. Gave Yeomen of the guard #2 2s.; Paid Mr Cousins for hair dressing in the Fairy Favour #1 4s. and Mr Thompson for the same #1 12s. Paid Ellis (scourer) a bill for the Men's Wardrobe, #1 4s. 6d. Paid for the license of Love in the City #2 2s. (Account Book). Receipts: #231 16s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: By Command of their Majesties. Present their Majesties, The Duke of Gloster, Lady Louisa, the Prince and Princess of Brunswick. Gave Yeomen of the Guard #2 2s. (Account Book). Receipts: #230 1s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Under the license of the Lord Chamberlain. Leader of the band-Mountain. Grand Piano Forte-Reeve. Among the other Instrumental Performers are W. Ware, Haigh, Leffler Sen., Leffler Jun., Nicks, Alexander, Price, Francis, Cornish, English, Eley, Forster, &c. The Doors to be opened at 6:30. To begin at 7:30. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. [For names of speakers and singers see Morning Post, 5 Mar.; Oracle, 12 Mar.

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Mr Love & Mr Sanderson's Night. as Authors of ye Pantomime (Hopkins). Benefit for Compo[ser]s Panto (Cross Diary). Mr Powell played much better than the first night. Princess Augusta married to the Hereditary Prince of Brunswick (Hopkins Diary-MacMillan). Receipts: #233 8s. (MacMillan)

Event Comment: This night a new Occasional Interlude call'd Hymen was introduc'd between the Acts; but not put in the Bills (Hopkins). [For cast, see 21 Jan.] An occasional Interlude on the Marriage of Princess Augusta to Prince of Brunswick call'd Hymen (Cross Diary). This night a new occasional Interlude called Hymen, but not in the bills. Hymen was written by Mr Allen (Hopkins Diary-MacMillan). [The Larpent MS 217 lists four characters and a Chorus: Hymen, Cupid, Venus, Mars, Chorus. The words of the Songs by Cupid, Hymen and Venus were published in the Public Advertiser, 23 Jan.] Receipts: #122 5s. (MacMillan)

Event Comment: By Command of their Majesties. Present their Majesties and the Princess Brunswick and Lady Louisa. Paid Yeomen of the guard #2 2s. Paid Joseph Stevens, Music porter, #1 16s. (Account Book). Receipts: #220 5s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: By Command of their Majesties. Paid printer's bill #9 6s (Treasurer's Book). The New Tragedy of Dido, for Benefit of the author, is oblig'd to be deferr'd till Thursday next. Receipts: #229 9s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). Had no intention of going to the play, but seeing Garrick was to play Lord Chalkstone, I (after hearing Mr Romaine's Lecture on the chapter which contains ye Destruction of Sodom) went before 9 to ye right-side door of ye Pit. The doorkeepers said, --No Room. Saw that ye Canopy, Yeomen, &c. would prevent my seeing. They desired me if I could not get in at ye other door to come back. Found a number of people waiting there and at ye door of the First Gallery; so went back, entered and stood in ye same disagreeable situation I did last night. But I saw the inimitable Garrick very well. [Comments on excellence of whole cast.] Scarcely cool now past eleven o'clock. Ye King and Queen, Princess of Brunswick, Louisa, and all that Tribe were at dl tonight (Neville MS Diary)

Event Comment: Doors to open at half past Four. Play to begin at half past Six. Send servants to hold places by Four o'clock. [Mrs Vincent's deficit of 1st instant received #20 3s. 6d.] Paid scavenger's rate for St Martin's due Lady Day #5 1s. Paid printer's bill #9 6s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #262 7s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). Went to Drury Lane, but could not get in. Stayed from half past 4, sometime at one Pit door, sometime at the other, till past 6, and got in at the right hand side just as the play began, and was dreadfully squeezed, but rewarded by seeing Garrick play Hamlet. The expression in his features, his eyes particularly, surpasses anything I ever saw. He is a little man, but handsome and full of that fire which marks the stronger, and of the softness natural to the tender passions. It is impossible to see his greatest excellencies from ye Gallery. Baddeley and Dodd are pretty well in Polonius and Ostrick. Mrs Baddeley and Yates do Ophelia and ye Grave Digger very well. Mrs Pritchard is great, as usual in ye Queen. Gravedigger's man-Castle. Horatio-$Mr Packer. Several parts of ye play, as it is in $Shakespeare, are omitted rather improperly...The Prince Brunswick, his wife and Louisa were present (Neville MS Diary)

Event Comment: NNeville MS Diary: To Ranelagh to hear a grand Jubilee Entertainment; it is the most elegant public room in the world and must give foreigners a high idea of the riches of our nation. It is circular and the fireplace is under a circular Portico in the middle, round which are tables at which the company are served with tea and coffee, and there are two sets of boxes at the side one above another for the same purpose. The landing room from the river which projects a little into the water commands a fine view of the river and country...Saw the Tripoline ambassador in the dress of his country. Took notice of a Miss Spencer and a Miss Johnson, two pretty ladies of the town, the latter had one of the prettiest faces I ever saw. Brunswick, Cumberland...Tripolian Ambassador...Miss Spencer and a Miss Johnson, two pretty ladies of ye town... were there...Began to use an Opera glass

Event Comment: Ode: In two Parts. Principal Instrumental Performers as 20 Feb., but omitted: Bridgtower, Archer, Mahon, Lavenu, Napier, Simpson. Mr Ashley is exceedingly concerned that he is under the necessity of informing the Public that the Anthem [The Anthem that will be performed at the Chapel Royal, St. James's, on the Nuptials oF his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and the Princess Caroline of Brunswick, composed by Handel, to conclude with the Hallelujah Chorus from The Messiah (advance playbill of 25 Feb.)] advertised for this Evening is necessarihy postponed until the Royal Marriage shall have taken place

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; MD 2, by William Pearce. The Masque was produced in honor of the marriage of the Prince of Wales and Princess Caroline of Brunswick, 8 April 1795]: The Overture composed expressly for the Occasion by Haydn, as is the rest of the Music by Salomon [and see 9 Apr.]. The Scenery, Machinery, Decorations and Dresses are entirely New, and Designed by Noverre, except St. George's Hall, painted by the late Signor Cipriani. The Scenery executed by Hodgins, Walmsley, Phillips, Lupino, Hollogan, and many Assistants. The Machinery and Decorations by Sloper. Goosetree and Martinelli. The Dresses by Lupino, Dick and Mrs Egan. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. "On the 10th [of April] I was at the Covent Garden Theatre-to see the big Spectacul [sic]-Windsor Castle, the music by Salomon quite passable. The decorations-costumes-scenery, and the enormous amount of people on the stage are exaggerated. All the Gods of Heaven and Hell, and everything that lives on the earth are in the piece" (Haydn, 299). Morning Chronicle, 7 May 1795: This Day is published Windsor Castle (1s. 6d.). Receipts: #266 8s. 6d. (250.12.6; 15.16.0)

Event Comment: On this date, L. C. 5@16, p. 101 (Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 10n) Nathaniel Lee's The Duke of Guise was banned. John Drummond to Marquis and Duke of Queensberry, 16 July 1682: Ther is a play hear to be acted that maks a great business, for the Duke of Munmuth has complained of it, and they say that notwithstanding it is to be acted sometime nixt weik. They call it the Duke of Guise, but in the play the true story is cheinged to the plott time hear (HMC, Buccleuch-Queensberry MSS., 1903, II 108). Newsletter, 29 July 1682: A play by Mr Dryden, termed the Duke of Guise, wherein the Duke of Monmouth was vilified and great interest being make for the acting thereof, but coming to His Majesty's knowledge is forbid, for though His Majesty be displeased with the Duke yet he will not suffer others to abuse him (HMC, 15th Report, Part VII, 1898, p. 108). Newdigate newsletters, 29 July 1682: A play having been made [by] Mr Dryden termed ye Duke of Guise supposed to Levell att the villifying the Duke of Monmouth & many other protestants & great Interest made for the Acting thereof but bringing to the knowledge of his Matie the same was forbidd for though his Maties pleasure is to be dissatisfyed and angry with the Duke of Monmouth, yet hee is not willing that others should abuse him out of a naturall affection for him (Wilson, Theatre Notes from the Newdigate Newsletters, p. 81)

Event Comment: On this day a quarrel occurred at lif between Henry Killigrew and George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, but the play is not named in the various accounts of the affair. For details, see HMC, 12th Report, Part VII, p. 51; and Carl Niemeyer, "Henry Killigrew and the Duke of Buckingham", Review of English Studies, XII (1936), 326-28. Pepys, Diary: 22 July: Creed tells me of the fray between the Duke of Buckingham at the Duke's playhouse the last Saturday (and it is the first day I have heard that they have acted at either the King's or Duke's house this month or six weeks) and Henry Killigrew, whom the Duke of Buckingham did soundly beat and take away his sword, and make a fool of, till the fellow prayed him to spare his life; and I am glad of it; for it seems in this business the Duke of Buckingham did carry nimself very innocently and well

Event Comment: See 27 Feb. 1668@9. Pepys, Diary: I did meet Sir Jeremy Smith, who did tell me that Sir W. Coventry was just now sent to the Tower, about the business of his challenging the Duke of Buckingham, and so was also Harry Saville to the Gate-house....So, meeting with my Lord Bellassis, he told me the particulars of this matter; that it arises about a quarrel which Sir W. Coventry had with the Duke of Buckingham about a design between the Duke and Sir Robert Howard, to bring him into a play [The Rehearsal] at the King's house, which W. Coventry not enduring, did H. Saville send a letter to the Duke of Buckingham, that he had a desire to speak with him. Upon which, the Duke of Buckingham did bid Holmes, his champion ever since my Lord Shrewsbury's business, go to him to know the business; but H. Saville would not tell it to any but himself, and therefore did go presently to the Duke of Buckingham, and told him that his uncle Coventry was a person of honour, and was sensible of his Grace's liberty taken of abusing him, and that he had a desire of satisfaction, and would fight with him. But that here they were interrupted by my Lord Chamberlain's coming in, who was commanded to go to bid the Duke of Buckingham to come to the King, Holmes having discovered it

Event Comment: Rich's Company. The date of the premiere is not knwon, but the Dedication is dated February 1699@1700, the play was entered in the Term Catalogues in February 1699@1700, and advertised in the Flying Post, 16 March 1699@1700. The latest likely date for the first production is January 1700, but the play may have appeared in late December as a rival to lif's production of I Henry IV early in January 1700. Cibber, Apology, I, 275: But the Master of the Revels, who then licens'd all Plays for the Stage, assisted this Reformation [of the morality of the stage] with a more zealous Severity than ever. He would strike out whole Scenes of a vicious or immoral Character, tho' it were visibly shewn to be reform'd or punish'd; a severe Instance of this kind falling upon my self may be an Excuse for my relating it: When Richard the Third (as I alter'd it from Shakespear) came from his Hands to the Stage, he expung'd the whole first Act without sparing a Line of it. This extraordinary Stroke of a Sic volo occasion'd my applying to him for the small Indulgence of a Speech or two, that the other four Acts might limp on with a little less Absurdity! no! he had no leisure to consider what might be separately inoffensive. [Cibber continues with an explanation of the censor's argument for cutting the act.] Preface to Cibber's Ximena, 1719: Richard the Third, which I alter'd from Shakespear, did not raise me Five Pounds on Third Day

Event Comment: [By Aaron Hill.] On Shakespear's Foundation. With several Sets of Scenes entirely new and properWto the Play. [In an advance notice in Daily Journal, 6 Nov., the scenes are reported to be designed by Signior Angelo, an Italian.

Event Comment: "The performance of last night boasted some additional impression, by the fine imagination of [Kemble's] starting at the trumpet from the prayer of penitence, and springing up the Hero and the King...[In Act V] the scene with Katharine was as sportive and as easy as possible...Comus followed, vice the Critic, obliged to be postponed from [the] indisposition of Parsons (MS annotation on Kemble playbill)]. Some disapprobation attended the drawing up the curtain. Palmer explained, and then, without 'wiping his lips since he spoke last' began "The Star that bids the Shepherd fold" (Oracle, 1 Nov.). Receipts: #223 5s. 6d. (180.8.6; 41.3.0; 1.14.0)