Event Comment: By Their Majesties' Command. Receipts: #163 2s. Mainpiece: Written by the late Sir John Vanbrugh. [Their Majesties, the Duke, and Princesses Amelia and Carolina present.

Event Comment: By Command of His Royal Highness the Duke. Mainpiece: Written by the late Sir John Vanbrugh

Event Comment: By Command of His Royal Highness the Duke. Mainpiece: Written by the late Sir John Vanbrugh

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: Benefit Mrs Roberts. At the particular Desire of several Ladies of Quality. [Tickets at Mrs Roberts' House in Duke Street, near Lincoln's Inn Fields.

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Roberts. Tickets at Mrs Roberts' House in Duke Street

Event Comment: Benefit Harper's Widow. Six rows of the pit railed into the boxes. Rylands MS.: Duke &c. [present]. Garrick Play'd. Daily Advertiser, 7 May, stated that Mrs Harper's benefit on Saturday last because of the warm weather brought scarcely the charges of the theatre. Therefore Garrick made a voluntary offer to perform for her.] Receipts: #240

Event Comment: The Late Wells, the bottom of Lemon St., Goodman's Fields. A Concert of Vocal and Instrumental Musick. Divided into two Parts. The Concert to conclude with the Chorus of Long Live the King. Boxes 2s. 6d. Pit or First Gallery 1s. 6d. Upper Gallery 1s. Between the two Parts of the Concert will be exhibited Gratis, and not acted these 50 years, an Historical Play...written by the celebrated Mr Lee. And founded on Facts which happened in France, in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth. Shewing the unparalleled Dissimulations, Imprecations, and Perjuries of Charles the 9th of France, the Queen Mother, and Cardinal Lorrain, to draw the Hugonot Party into their snares, by which means the Death of the Queen Navarre was effected by Poison, and most of the Protestant Princes of the Blood destroyed. Chastillon, the famous Admiral of France, with his Wife, Children, Commanders, and Followers, all put to Death, with the King's Consent, bx the cruel and Revengeful Duke of Guise, and his Adherents. After which the Massacre becoming general over the Kingdom, near near 100,000 Protestants were destroyed in the most barbarous and inhuman manner. The Concert will begin every Evening Positively at Six of the Clock, and the Whole be concluded by Half an Hour after Nine, the Wdlls being appointed (after the Entertainment is over) for the Main Guard of the Militia of the Tower Hamlets

Event Comment: Benefit for James Sturgis Adams (a Person in Distress) (Cross). Gave Xmas Box to Duke's Servts #1 1s. (Treasurer's Book). Tickets for Boxes to be had at the following Coffee Houses, St. James, St. James's St; Somerset in the Strand; Grigsby's behind the Royal Exchange; and the Union, Cornhill. Receipts: #205 (Cross); charges, #80 (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Being the Death of the Duke of Buckinghamv; the Trial and Divorce of Queen Catherinev; the Death of Cardinal Wolseyv; The Christening of Princess Elizabethv; and many other Historical Passages. [This customary note accompanying each subsequent announcement this season will not be repeated further.] Receipts: #120 (Cross)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; C 5, by John O'Keeffe. Prologue by John Taylor (see text). Address by John Wolcot (Pocket Magazine, supra)]: With new Dresses and Decorations. [Mrs Lee was from the Salisbury theatre.] Morning Chronicle, 11 May 1795: This Day is published Life's Vagaries (2s.). Receipts: #268 3s. 6d. (259.19.6; 8.4.0)

Event Comment: The King's Company. Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 16) refers to Hart's acting Don John. Wilson (All the King's Ladies, p. 170) lists Rebecca Marshall as possibly play1ng First Constantia. The Works of Beaumont and Fletcher (1711), p. ix: Mr Hart played the Part of Don John to the highest Satisfaction of the Audience, the Play had a great run, and ever since has been follow'd as one of the best Entertainments of the Stage. Pepys, Diary: And took them [Mrs Pepys and Betty Michell] against my vowes, but I will make good my forfeit, to the King's house, to show them a play, The Chances. A good play I find it, and the actors most good in it; and pretty to hear Knipp sing in the play very properly, All night I weepe; and sung it admirably. The whole play pleases me well; and most of all, the sight of many fine ladies--among others, my Lady Castlemayne and Mrs Middleton

Event Comment: Betterton's Company. The date of the first production is not known, but the Songs were advertised in the Flying Post, 6-8 Dec. 1698, and the play in the London Gazette, 19-22 Dec. 1698; hence, the premiere was certainly not later than early December and was probably not later than November. In fact, on 5 Dec. 1698 Dr. William Aglionby wrote Matthew Prior, referring to Dennis, "a poor poet who has made us a fine entertainment of Rinaldo and Armida" (quoted in The Works of John Dennis, II, 489). In a dialogue written by John Oldmixon (Reflections on the Stage [London, 1699], p. 101) Savage, referring to Rinaldo and Armida, states: I have seen it 3 or 4 times already, but the Musick is so fine, and the Play pleases me so well, that I shall not think it a burthen [to see it again] (in The Works of John Dennis, I, 479). The Musical Entertainments in the Tragedy of Rinaldo and Armida (1699) is reprinted, with an introduction by Herbert Davis, in Theatre Miscellany (Luttrell Society Reprints, No 14, Oxford, 1953), pp. 103-15. One song, Ah queen, ah wretched queen, give o'er, sung by Gouge, is in Mercurius Musicus, 1699; and another, Jolly breeze that comes whistling, sung by Gouge, is in Twelve New Songs, 1699. A Comparison between the Two Stages (1702), p. 22: Critick: At last, (as you say) the old Stagers moulded a piece of Pastry work of their own, and made a kind of Lenten Feast with their Rinaldo and Armida; this surpriz'd not only Drury-lane, but indeed all the Town, no body ever dreaming of an Opera there; 'tis true they had heard of Homer's Illiads in a Nut-shel, and Jack in a Box, and what not?...Sullen: Well, with this Vagary they tug'd a while, and The Jolly-Jolly breeze-came whistling thro'-all the Town, and not a Fop but ran to see the Celebrated Virgin in a Machine; there she shin'd in a full Zodiack, the brightest Constellation there; 'twas a pleasant Reflection all this time to see her scituated among the Bulls, Capricorns, Sagittaries, and yet the Virgo still remain itacta....Critick: But this merry Time lasted not always; every thing has an end, and at length down goes Rinaldo's inchanted Mountain; it sunk as a Mole-hill seen on't: What a severity was this? that the Labour of such a gigantick Poet, nay Critick, shou'd give up the Ghost so soon: The renown'd Author thought himself immortal in that Work, and that the World was to last no longer than his Rinaldo; and tho' he stole every thing from the Italian, yet he said, what the Italian did was but Grub-street to his. See also 5 Jan. 1698@9 for a letter written by Mrs Barry, in part concerning Rinaldo and Armida

Event Comment: [By Sir John Vanbrugh and Colley Cibber.] All the Characters new drest. Mist's 13 Jan.: On Wednesday last a most horrid, barbarous, and cruel Murder was committed...upon a posthumous Child of the late Sir John Vanbroog, by one who, for some Time past, has gone by the Name of Keyber. It was a fine Child born, and would certainly have lived long, had it not fallen into such cruel Hands. Davies (Dramatic Miscellanies, III, 260-61): In all the tumults and isturbances of the theatre on the first night of a new play, which was formerly a time of more dangerous service, to the actors, than it has been of late, Mrs Oldfield was entirely mistress of herself; she thought it her duty, amidst the most violent opposition and uproar, to exert the utmost of her abilities to serve the author. In the comedy of uproar, to exert the utmost of her abilities to serve the author. In the comedy of the Provoked Husband, Cibber's enemies tried all their power to get the play condemned. The reconciliation scene wrought so effectually upon the sensible and generous part of the audience, that the conclusion was greatly and generously approved. Amidst a thousand applauses, Mrs Oldfield came forward to speak the epilogue; but when she had pronounced the first line,-Methinks I hear some powder'd critic say-a man, of no distinguished appearance, from the seat next to tne orchestra, saluted her with a hiss. She fixed her eye upon him immediately, made a very short pause, and spoke the words poor creature! loud enough to be heard by the audience, with such a look of mingled scorn, pit, and contempt, that the most uncommon applause justified her conduct in this particular, and the poor reptile sunk down with fear and trembling. See also Cibber, Apology, I, 310-11; Victor, History of the Theatres, II, 105

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Written by Sir John Vanburgh [sic], with Alterations [by John Philip Kemble]. [Afterpiece in place of Arthur and Emmeline, advertised on playbill of 22 Oct.] Receipts: #176 1s. (140.1.0; 31.9.6; 4.10.6)

Event Comment: The United Company. The date of the first performance is not known, but according to the Gentleman's Journal, May 1694, it followed Have at All: the other call'd The married Beau, or the Curious Impertinent, by Mr Crown, already acted many times (p. 134). The manuscript of a song composed by John Eccles and sung by Doggett is in Bodleian, School of Music Collection, c. 95, f 102. One by Henry Purcell, See, where repenting Celia lyes, sung by Mrs Ayliff, is in Thesaurus Musicus, 1695. See also Purcell's Works, Purcell Society, XX (1916), xvii-xviii

Event Comment: [By John Vanbrugh. Date of premiere unknown. Published 10 Feb.

Event Comment: Written by Sir John Vanbrugh. Receipts: #15 2s. 6d

Event Comment: Not Acted these Ten Years. Written by Sir John Vanbrug. Receipts: #22 9s

Event Comment: Benefit Quin. Written by Sir John Vanbrugh. Receipts: money #48 4s.; tickets #93 9s

Event Comment: Benefit Lesac and Miss Latour. Written by the late Sir John Vanbrugh. Receipts: money #12 10s. 6d.; tickets #54 2s

Event Comment: Written by the late Sir John Vanbrugh

Event Comment: Benefit Rowland and Widow Atkins. Written by the late Sir John Vanbrugh. Receipts: money #9 9s.; tickets #108 8s. Probable attendance: boxes, 13 by money and 200 by tickets; stage, 2 by money; pit, 8 by money and 256 by tickets; first gallery, 15 by money and 200 by tickets; second gallery, 19 by money

Event Comment: Written by Sir John Vanbrugh. Receipts: #18 10s. Probable attendance: boxes, 6 paid and 9 orders; pit, 58 paid and 32 orders; slips, 11 paid and 7 orders; first gallery, 75 paid and 23 orders; second gallery, 46 paid and 4 orders

Event Comment: Written by the late Sir John Vanbrugh