Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard: the King and Queen &c Two Boxes. See VanLennep, Plays on the English Stage," p. 18. See also Tuesday 14 Nov. 1671

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, Plays on the English Stage, p. 18. British Museum Add. Mss. 36916, folio 233: 18 Nov. 1671: The new playhouse in Salisbury Court opened on the 9th instant, since which his Majesty hath been often there, and likes it so well that he hath given the players #1000 towards the building of it

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard: The Villain. See VanLennep, Plays on the English Stage, pp. 18-19

Event Comment: Anthony Devolto, an operator of puppet shows, was forced to petition the King against paying a fee for running a theatre, and the King granted his petition. See CSPD, 1672; in Speaight, The History of the English Puppet Theatre, p. 76

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, Plays on the English Stage, p. 19

Event Comment: Journal of the Earl of Anglesey, 25 Jan. 1671@2: At eight of the clock The King's playhouse took fire, and most of that side of Russell Street and many other houses thereabout were burnt down, and we in Drury Lane and all about in great danger; but the Lord had mercy, and by great industry and blowing up houses the fire was overcome: I had no rest, but sat up almost all night, even till six in the morning. The Lord pardon sin, which brings judgements (HMC, 13th Report, Part VI [London, 1893], p. 270. The Bulstrode Papers (I, 217): About 8 hapened a sad and violent fire, which begun in the King's Theater, and in a few howers burnt down that...severall were hurt and killed, amongst which was Mr Bell, one of the actors in that house. For a poem, On the Unhappy Conflagration of the Theatre Royal, January 25th, 1672, see Fitzgerald, A New History of the English Stage, I, 137

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, Plays on the English Stage, p. 19

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, Plays on the English Stage, p. 19

Event Comment: The King's Company. This day marks the resumption of acting by the King's Company after the disastrous fire at Bridges Street, Drury Lane; the players turned to the theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields which the Duke's Company had recently left. The Prologue was printed in Covent Garden Drollery, 1672. Sloane MS. 4455 folio 26 verso: The Prologue of a Play entitled Witt without Money-Spoken at the Dukes old Theatre (after the Kings was burnt) by the King's players, Feb. 26 1671. The Curtaine being drawne up all the Actors were discover'd on the stage in Melancholick postures, & Moone [Mohun] advancing before the rest speaks as follows, addressing chiefly to ye King then [present]. Langbaine (English Dramatick Poets, p. 216): Wit Without Money: a Comedy which I have seen acted at the Old House in little Lincolns-Inn-Fields with very great Applause: the part of Valentine being Play'd by that compleat Actor Major Mohun deceas'd. This was the first Play that was acted after the Burning the King's House in Drury-lane: a New Prologue being writ for them by Mr Dryden

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, Plays on the English Stage, pp. 12, 19

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. It is uncertain whether this performance and those for 13 and 28 March belong to 1670@1 or 1671@2. They are on the L. C. list, 5@141, p. 2 (see also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 347), but VanLennep's discovery of an L. C. list for the Duke's Company covering March 1670@1 but not including these plays led him to believe that they Pertain to March 1671@2. See VanLennep, Plays on the English Stage, p. 19. On 9 March 1670@1 or 1671@2 Henry Herbert qranted permission to the Duke's Company to act The Lady Errant. See The Plays and Poems of William Cartwright, ed. G. Blakemore Evans (Madison, Wisc., 1951), p. 85

Event Comment: The King's Company. This play is one of a series represented by Prologues and Epilogues in Covent Garden Drollery, 1672, all of which may have been acted by the actress only. Langbaine (English Dramatick Poets, p. 213) states: This Play was One of those that were represented at the old Theatre in Lincolns-Inn-Fields, when the Women acted alone. The Prologue and Epilogue were spoken by Mrs Marshall, and printed in Covent-garden Drollery, pag. 18. About this Time there was a Prologue written on purpose for the Women by Mr Dryden, and is printed in his Miscellany Poems in octavo, p. 285

Event Comment: The King's Company. This is another in the series of plays acted entirely by actresses and probably Performed in the early summer of 1672. The Prologue and Epilogue are in Covent Garden Drollery, 1672. Langbaine (English Dramatick Poets, p. 313): This play was reviv'd at the Old Theatre, in little Lincolns-Inn-fields, and acted all by Women, a new Prologue and Epilogue being spoken by Mrs Marshall in Man's Cloaths, which Reader may find printed in Covent-Garden Drollery, 80, pag. 3. &c

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This play is on the L. C. list, 5@141, p. 216. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 348. The date on the list seems to be "3," but as this is a Sunday, it is more likely "9." This performance may well be the one to which Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 31) refers: Note, Mr Cademan in this Play [The Man's the Master], not long after our Company began in Dorset-Garden; his Part being to Fight with Mr Harris, was Unfortunately, with a sharp Foil pierc'd near the Eye, which so Maim'd both the Hand and his Speech, that he can make little use of either; for which Mischance, he has receiv'd a Pension ever since 1673, being 35 Years a goe. [For a discussion of this accident, see William VanLennep, Henry Harris, Actor, Friend of Pepys, Studies in English Theatre History (London, 1952), p. 16, and the entry under 20 Aug. 1673.

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, Plays on the English Stage, p. 12

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. list, 5@141, p. 216, the original being in the Harvard Theatre Collection. See VanLennep, Plays on the English Stage, p. 12, and Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 348

Event Comment: The King's Company. The date of the premiere is not known, but, as the play was entered in the Term Catalogues, May 1674, a first production not later than March 1674 is likely. In addition, the relatively large number of minor actors suggests that it might be a Lenten performance by the young players of the company. As to the authorship, the title page states: Written by a Person of Honour. On the other hand, Langbaine (English Dramatick Poets, p. 526) reports that he had heard that it was written by Duffett. The second Prologue is in Covent Garden Drollery, 1673, but the fact that it was intended but not spoken does not assist in dating the first performance

Event Comment: The King's Company. This performance (entitled The French Opera) is on the L. C. list, 5@141, p. 73. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 345. The edition of 1674 (appearing in both an English and a French version) states: An Opera, or, a Vocal Representation. First Compos'd by Monsieur P. P. Now put into Musick by Monsieur Grabut, Master of His Majesties Musick. And Acted by the Royall Academy of Musick, At the Theatre-Royal in Covent-Garden. The names of the singers for this production are not known, but it is possible that some of the French singers who appeared in Calisto in the following season, 1674-75, were in London for this production. See Boswell, Restoration Court Stage, pp. 201, 222, and W. J. Lawrence, Early French Players in England, The Elizabethan Playhouse and Other Studies, p. 145. French dancers in the opera were Pecurr [Preux], LeTemps, Shenan, D'muraile. See L. C. 5@140, p. 472, in Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 355

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. The Journal of Baron von Schwerin, [14 June 1674 NS (?)], 4 June 1674 OS: (translation) Attended an English play, [The Tempest], or the Enchanted Island, which because of the changing of the scenes was well worth seeing (in Gesandtschafts-Berichten des Ministers Otto von Schwerin [Berlin, 1837], p. XXII). See also 16 May 1674

Event Comment: John Dryden wrote a Prologue to the University of Oxford and an Epilogue to the University of Oxford in 1674. The Prologue was apparently spoken by Hart, the Epilogue by Mrs Marshall. See also Sybil Rosenfeld, Some Notes on the Players in Oxford, 1661-1713, Review of English Studies, XIX (1943), 368

Event Comment: Evelyn, Diary: [I] heard Signor Francisco on the Harpsichord, esteem'd on[e] of the most excellent masters in Europe on that Instrument: then came Nicholao Matteis? with his Violin & struck all mute, but Mrs Knight, who sung incomparably, & doubtlesse has the greatest reach of any English Woman; she had lately ben roming in Italy: & was much improv'd in that quality: Then was other Musique, & this Consort was at Mr Slingsbys Master of the Mint, my worthy friend, & great a lover of musique. [For a contemporary account of Matteis, see Roger North on Music, ed. John Wilson (London, 1959), pp. 307-11.

Event Comment: The Bulstrode Papers (1, 274): The first of January ye young Princes are to divert their Maties and Court wth a play & an opera in whch ye splendour of ye English monarchy will be seen

Event Comment: Evelyn, Diary: Saw a Comedie at night, at court, acted by the Ladys onely, viz: The Lady Mary & Ann his R. Highnesses two Daughters, & my deare friend Mrs Blagg, who having the principal part, perform'd it to admiration: They were all covered with Jewels. [It seems likely that Evelyn saw a rehearsal or was in error concerning the date of performance.] Newdigate newsletters (Folger Shakespeare Library): On Twelfe day the principallest abt ye Court divert their Matys with a Play & Opera where in ye Splendor & Grandeur of the English Monarchy will be seen (Wilson, Theatre Notes, p. 79). See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, pp. 357-58, for an order of this date, L. C. 5@141, p. 83, concerning habits for the opera

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance, the premiere, is on the L. C. list, 5@141, p. 216: first Acting. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 348. Nell Gwyn also attended this performance; see VanLennep, Nell Gwyn's Playgoing, p406. The title page states: The English Opera; or The Vocal Musick in Psyche, with the Instrumental Therein Intermix'd...By Matthew Lock. Preface: All the Instrumental Musick (which is not mingled with the Vocal) was Composed by that Great Master, Seignior Gio. Baptista Draghi, Master of the Italian Musick to the King. The Dances were made by the most famous Master of France, Monsieur St.Andree. The Scenes were Painted by the Ingenious Artist, Mr Stephenson. In those things that concern the Ornament or Decoration of the Play, the great industry and care of Mr Betterton ought to be remember'd, at whose desire I wrote upon this Subject. Roger North Upon Music: I am sure the musick in the Psyche was composed by Mr M. Lock, of whom wee may say, as the Greeks sayd of Cleomenes, that he was ultimus Heroum. This masque is also in print, and begins 'Great Psyche,' &c. and the book containing the whole musick of that entertainment is not unworthy of a place in a vertuoso's cabanet (ed. John Wilson [1959], pp. 306-7). Preface to Settle's Ibrahim (licensed 4 May 1676): I have often heard the Players cursing at their oversight in laying out so much on so disliked a play [Psyche]; and swearing that they thought they had lost more by making choice of such an Opera: writer than they had gained by all his Comedies; considering how much more they might have expected, had such an Entertainment had that scence in it, that it deserved: and that for the future they expect the Tempest, which cost not one Third of Psyche, will be in request when the other is forgotten. Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, pp. 35-36): In February 1672. The long expected Opera of Psyche, came forth in all her Ornaments; new Scenes, new Machines, new Cloaths, new French Dances: This Opera was Splendidly set out, especially in Scenes; the Charge of which amounted to above 800l. It had a Continuance of Performance about 8 Days together it prov'd very Beneficial to the Company; yet the Tempest got them more Money

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. The date of the premiere is not known, but the fact that play was licensed for printing on 23 Feb. 1676@7 suggests a first performance about this time. The play was entered in the Term Catalogues, May 1677. Langbaine (English Dramatick Poets, p. 36) refers to this play as altered from Richard Brome's The Mad Couple