Event Comment: Towards raising a Sum of Money for building a Wing to the Middlesex Hospital. Pit and Boxes at Half a Guinea. Gallery 5s. Upper Gallery 3s. 6d. To begin at 6:30 p.m. After the Opera will be an Assembly, with Coffee, Tea, Orgeat, and Lemonade. At Mr Almack's Great Room in King St., St James, to which every Gentleman or Lady who shall produce a Ticket that will be annexed to the Box Tickets for the Opera, will be admitted without any additional Expense. Box Tickets for this Night will admit only one Person into any part of the House, as the Tickets for the Assembly are annexed thereto. Mr Almack's room will be opened at Nine o'clock, and Ladies are desired to order their Chairs to wait in King Street, and the Coaches in St James's Square

Event Comment: At the Little Theatre in James Street near the Haymarket. Doors to be opened at 5:00. To begin exactly at 6:00. Boxes 4s. Pit 2s. 6d. Gallery 1s. 6d. to the public. After several of our Lords and Masters, the Men, have with various success made wry faces for the amusement of the town; permit a woman to attempt the arduous task of laughing the men out of their follies; declaring, however, that while she attempts the ridicule of vices peculiar to the other sex, she will by no means spare the slightest foible of her own (Public Advertiser). The Theatre is fitted up in an elegant manner, and constant fires are kept to make the house agreeably warm (Gazetteer & New Daily Advertiser). [This Lecture continued to 6 March.

Event Comment: The Epilogue to the play published in the St James Chronicle

Event Comment: Author's Night. [Two more epigrams on Foote appeared in the St James Chronicle.

Event Comment: To begin at 7:00 p.m. Boxes 5s. Pits 3s. Gallery 2s. Places for the Boxes to be had of Mr Jewell at the Theatre. Vivant Rex et Regina. [Repeated in the bills. Note in St James Chronicle speaks of great crowd and of numbers turned away.

Event Comment: Paid James Amson for a set of China for Love in the City, #11 2s. 11d. (Account Book). Receipts: #115 13s. 6d. (Account Book). [On 5 March appeared in the Public Advertiser the following squib]: To the Author of Love in the City. @If e'er again thy Muse engage@To laugh at Folly on the Stage,@Let Cockneys 'scape the stroke@Since 'tis with Men of Sense a Rule@That of all Fools, the Bo-Bell Fool@Can least endure a Joke. A.

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Pritchard. Part of pit laid into boxes. House charges #61 4s. [Profit to Mrs Pritchard #68 8s.] Lent to Mr Johnston, Prompter, by order #2 2s.; Paid to James Aickin on his note #40; Paid Poor's rate (1!2 year for St Martin's) #20 4s.; Salary list #294 2s. 8d. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #129 12s. (Treasurer's Book). Went to see Macbeth for Mrs Pritchard's Benefit. Got a good seat in the Pit, which was not full for half an hour after I went, tho part of it was laid into the boxes. Read the Public Advertiser of Today' and part of London Chronicle before the play began...Dance of the Furies in the 4th Act, and end of the Play (Neville MS Diary)

Event Comment: The Fifth Performance of the Mainpiece. The Music by Mr Linley of Bath. Afterpiece: By Particular Desire. Paid James Abbott for Flowers etc. for the Garland Dance #5 11d. and paid Mrs Winter for flowers etc. for the same #2 13s. 4d. (Account Book). [See 14 Dec.] Receipts: #211 2s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Gave Princess of Wales' Footmen #1 1s.; and Chairmen #1 1s. Paid James Dyer 9 nights as extra dancer #1 17s. 6d. (Account Book). Receipts: #97 19s

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted in two years.[See 27 April 1768.] Afterpiece: Altered from Richard Brome's Jovial Crew by James Love. [Dance.

Event Comment: [Macklin dismissed after this night. See the account in The Genuine Arguments of the Council, with the Opinion of the Court of the King's Bench, &c., By a Citizen of the World, (London, 1774). Extracts in E. R. Page, George Colman, the Elder (New York, 1935). See notes for 23 and 30 Oct. and the subsequent action in note for 20 Nov. He did not return until 18 May 1775. This night was aparently, except for #4 5s. which was not recorded on the books of the theatre until 18 June well after the season closed. Macklin's suit in court against the rioters was judged 24 Feb. 1775. A column and a half account of the trial appeared in the Public Advertiser, Saturday 13 May 1775, giving the testimony of the witnesses accused of starting the riot, the lawyers, and the judge. The accused were Leigh, Miles, James, Aldus, and Clarke. The first four were convicted of a conspiracy and a riot, the last of a riot only. During the Course of the Business Lord Mansfield took Occasion to observe, that the Right of Hissing, and Applauding in a theatre was an unalterable Right, but there was a wide Distinction between expressing the natural Sensations of the Mind as they arose on what was seen and heard, and executing a pre-concerted Desagn, not only to hiss an Actor when he was playing a Part in which he was universally allowed to be excellent, but also to drive him from the theatre, and effect his utter ruin." See also William W. Appleton, Charles Macklin, An Actors Life (Cambridge, Mass., 1960), Chapter X.

Event Comment: To the writer of the letter signed Hotspur in the Morning Chronicle 13 Jan. 1774; Sir: I solemnly disavow myself the writer of any anonymous letter in this or any other Newspaper relative to the School for Wives and as to the villainous accusation respecting any personal insult offered me at Liverpool I pronounce it to be a notorious lie. I now call on you to stand forth with your name and your proofs or the world will be convinc'd you are an infamous malignant assassin. Thursday Nt. Jan. 13 1774. James Reddish (Winston MS 10, from Dr Burney News Cuttings). Receipts: #255 12s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Sunday 30 Jan-Saturday last died James Love, Comedian, Master of Edinburg Theatre, late of Drury Lane. Was educated at Westminster School and went from there to Cambridge (Winston MS 10). Rec'd stopages #19 19s. 6d.; Paid salary list #529 2s.; Mr King's extra salary #3. Receipts: #183 19s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Gentleman's Magazine, XLX, p. 147: The cause of Macklin against Clarke, Aldys, Lee, James, and Miles came on to be tried in the Court of the King's Bench. The Indictment consisted of two counts; the first specifying that on the 18th of November 1773 the defendents had been guilty of a riot; the other that they had been guilty of conspiracy....The jury withdrew and in a few minutes brought Clark in guilty of the riot and the others of conspiracy. Judgment was deferred till next term

Event Comment: Benefit for Macklin. Last time of performing this season. Doors open half past 5. To Begin at half past 6 o'clock. Tickets to be had of Macklin, James St., Covent Garden, and of Mr Sarjant at the stage Door where places for the Boxes may be taken

Event Comment: [As afterpiece Public Advertiser announces The Rival Candidates, but see Hopkins Diary, 12 Oct.] The Managers met again to-day, but nothing settled. Hamlet was given out. I saw Mr Sheridan, he told me that Mr Lacy and he had agreed that no Play should be given out, nor any Bills put up, till they had settled this Affair, which was to be done to-Morrow at Mr Wallis's (the Attorney's) where they were all to dine. I waited on Mr Lacy, who agreed to the same, and no Bills or Paragraph were sent to the Papers. All the Business of the Theatre is at a Stand, and no Rehearsal called. Wed. 16th--Mr Sheridan, Dr Ford and Mr Linley dined today by Appointment with Mr Wallis where Mr Lacy was to have met them; about four o'clock he sent a verbal Message that he could not come to Dinner, but would wait upon them in the Evening, and about nine o'clock he came, and everything was settled to the Satisfaction (of them all) and a Paragraph sent to the Papers, and the Hypocrite and Christmas Tale was advertised for Friday, but no Play was to be done on Thursday--Covent Garden did not play on Friday (Hopkins Diary). Public Advertiser, 16 Oct., summarizes the proprietors' dispute: the Drury Lane patent had been purchased [in 1747] by David Garrick and James Lacy. On his death Lacy had devised his half-share to his son, Willoughby Lacy; on his retirement from the stage Garrick had sold his half-share to Sheridan, Ford and Linley. The original agreement between Garrick and Lacy, as recited in a document retained by the attorney Albany Wallis was that, in case of the sale of either share of the patent, or any part of either share, the seller was obligated to offer the first refusal to purchase to the other partner, and that this was to be done only when the theatre was closed for the summer. In selling one half of his share to Robert Langford and to Edward Thompson, Willoughby Lacy was--so argued his three partners--acting illegally: he had not offered to them the first refusal, and he was negotiating the sale at a time when the theatre was open. Public Advertiser, 17 Oct.. prints a statement from Lacy saying that he did not feel himself bound by the original agreement between his father and Garrick, but that, in the interest of the business of the theatre, he had asked Langford and Thompson to withdraw their claim to partnership, to which request they had acceded. Receipts: #130 9s. 6d

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Younge. Interlude [1st time; M. INT I, by Edward Jerningham]: Interspersed with Music [by James Hook. Text 1st published in Jerningham's Poems, vol. I (J. Robson, 1786)]. Public Advertiser, 20 Feb.: Tickets to be had of Miss Younge at Thelwall's, Silk Mercer, King-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #222 9s. (80.14; 18.10; 1.19; tickets: 121.6) (charge: #65 17s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Macklin. Public Advertiser, 8 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Macklin, James-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #273 16s. (charge: #64 10s.). [Of this amount #177 17s. was "Money," i.e. tickets sold at the door. The remainder, #95 19s., was "Tickets," disposed of by Macklin: 305 in the boxes, 104 in the pit, 41 in the gallery.

Event Comment: By Authority of the Lord Chamberlain. Benefit for Stewart and Walker. Mainpiece [1st time; PAST 5]: Done into English, from the Original of Allan Ramsay, by Cornelius Vanderstop, Esq. As it has long been the Desire of the Nobility and Gentry to have this celebrated Piece performed in English, the Gentleman who has undertaken this ardent Task hopes it will give Satisfaction to the Public in general. [Text 1st published For the Author, 1777.] Afterpiece [1st time; F 2, by James Stewart. Authors of Prologues unknown.]. The Doors to be opened at 5:00. To begin at 6:00. No Persons whatever to be admitted behind the Scenes, nor any Money returned after the Curtain is drawn up. Ladies are desired to send their Servants by Five to keep Places. Tickets to be had at the Edinburgh Coffee-house and Jamaica Coffee-house, Cornhill; the St. Andrew, Wapping; and of Walker, No. 4, New Round Court, Strand

Event Comment: Boxes 10s. 6d. Pit 4s. 1st Gallery 3s. 2nd Gallery 2s. Places for the Boxes to be taken of Sarjant (only) at the Stage Door. Books of the Oratorio to be had at the Theatre. The Doors to be opened at 5:30. To begin at 6:30 [same throughout oratorio season. The Account-Book notes that the director of the oratorios this season was James Hook.

Event Comment: Benefit for Dimond. Tickets to be had of Dimond, No. 3, Upper James-street, Golden-square

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; MF 1, by James Cobb; music by Samuel Arnold. Larpent MS 530; not published]: Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre

Event Comment: [3rd piece 1st acted at dl, 5 Apr. 1779, as The Contract; or, The Female Captain. Prologue by James Cobb (Public Advertiser, 19 Sept. 1780).] Tickets delivered by Kenny and Painter will be admitted