Event Comment: By authority [of the Lord Chamberlain]. At the Desire of the most noble Order of Bucks. Benefit for West and Johnson. Tickets to be had of West at the Black Lion, Russel-street; of Johnson at the Golden-cross, Charing-cross. Tickets delivered by Comerford will be receiv'd. Doors to be opened at 5:00. To be begin exactly at 6:30. [Mrs West was from the China Hall, Rotherhithe. Author of Prologue unknown.

Event Comment: Benefit for Emery, Mrs T. Dibdin & Mrs Johnson. 1st piece: Not acted these 3 years [acted 11 Apr. 1798]. Receipts: #326 12s. (47.4.6; 7.8.0; tickets: 271.19.6)

Event Comment: [The edition of 1662 suggests that this was a ballet, the text offering description or synopses of the entries. Edition of 1662: Being part of that Magnificent Entertainment by the Noble Prince, DelaGrange, Lord Lieutenant of Lincolns Inn. Presented to the High and Mighty Charles II, Monarch of Great Britain, France and Ireland. On Friday 3 of January 1662. Evelyn, Diary: After Prayers I went to Lond: invited to the solemn foolerie of the Prince de la Grange at Lincolne Inn: where came also the King, Duke, &c.: beginning with a grand Masquev and a formal Pleading before the mock-princes (Grandes), Nobles & Knights of the Sunn: He had his L. Chancelor, Chamberlaine, Treasurer, & other royal officers gloriously clad & attended, which ended in a magnificent Banquet: one Mr John? Lort, being the young spark, who maintained the Pageantrie. Pepys, Diary: While I was there, comes by the King's life-guard, he being gone to Lincoln's Inn this afternoon to see the Revells there; there being, according to an old custom, a prince and all his nobles and other matters of sport and charge. John Ward (notebooks, 6 Jan.): I saw a Leopard and the same day as strange a sight which was the mock prince of Lincolnes' Inne his Nobels his Knights of the Garter and his other officers (Shakespeare Quarterly, XI [1960], 494)

Event Comment: This performance was recorded by Count Dona of Sweden (Seaton, Literary Relationships, pp. 337-38). Evelyn, Diary: This Evening I saw the Trajedie of Horace (written by the virtuous Mrs Philips) acted before their Majesties: 'twixt each act a Masque & Antique: daunced: The excessive galantry of the Ladies was infinite, Those especially on that...Castlemaine esteemed at 40,000 pounds & more: & far out shining the Queene &c. BM Add. Mss. 36916, folio 62: This night there is a play Acted at court by the Dutchess of Monmouth Countess of Castlemain and others. The Countess is adorned with Jewells to the Value of #200,000 the Crowne Jewells being taken from the Tower for her. There are none but the Nobility admitted to see it. The play is Madam Phillips translation of Corneiles Horace, finished by Sr John Denham

Event Comment: The King's Company. Evelyn, Diary: Whence to see the Duke of Buckingam's ridiculous farce & Rhapsody called the Recital, bouffoning all Plays yet prophane enough. In a collection of broadsides (Bodleian Wood 417) A Ballad (on Buckingham and his son) has some lines which apparently refer to a performance: @I confess the Dances were very well Writ, @And the Tune and the Time by Haynes as well Hit, @And Littlewood's Motion and Dress had much Wit: @But when his Poet John Bayes did appear, @'Tis known to more than half that were there, @The greatest part was his own Character.

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Evelyn, Diary: I was so idle as to go see a play, cald Love and honor

Event Comment: It is uncertain at which theatre this play was performed, but it has been assigned to the King's Company because Pepys saw that company act it on the following day, 27 Nov. Evelyn, Diary: I saw Hamlet Pr. of Denmark played: but now the old playe began to disgust this refined age; since his Majestie being so long abroad

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Evelyn, Diary: I saw acted the 2d? part of the Siege of Rhodes: In this acted the faire & famous Comoedian call'd Roxalana for that part she acted, & I think it was the last; then taken to be the E. of Oxfords Misse (as at this time they began to call lew'd women) it was in Recitativa Musique

Event Comment: Possibly this was acted by the King's Company, which had given it on 16 Nov. 1660 and 8 Jan. 1661. Evelyn, Diary: This Night was acted before his Majestie the Widow, a lewd play

Event Comment: This play was probably given by the King's Company, which presented it a number of times later. See Noyes, Ben Jonson, pp. 42-43. Evelyn, Diary: I saw Vulpone acted at court before their Majesties &c

Event Comment: See Boswell (Restoration Court Stage, p. 280), who identifies the company as the King's Company. Evelyn, Diary: Saw the Young Admiral acted coram Rege &c

Event Comment: The King's Company. This is the first known performance of the comedy, but it may not be the premiere. Evelyn, Diary: At night saw acted the Committe, a ridiculous play of Sir R. Howards where that Mimic Lacy acted the Irish-footeman to admiration: a very Satyrus or Roscius. Downes, Roscius Anglicanus, p. 16: @For his Just Acting, all gave him due Praise,@His Part in the Cheats, Jony Thump, Teg and Bayes,@In these Four Excelling; The Court gave him the Bays.

Event Comment: Sir Samuel Tuke's The Adventures of Five Hours was probably intended to have its first performance on this day. The edition of 1663 reads: The Prologue Enters with a Play-Bill in his hands, and Reads, This day being the 15th of December, shall be Acted a New Play, never Plai'd before, call'd The Adventures of Five Hours. [On the other hand, Evelyn, on 23 Dec. 1662, saw a rehearsal of the comedy, and Pepys, 8 Jan.1662@3, refers to a performance on that day as the first one.

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Evelyn, Diary: I saw acted the Law against Lovers

Event Comment: See also 15 Dec. 1662. Evelyn, Diary: I went with Sir S. Tuke to heare the Comedians con, & repeate his new Comedy, the Adventures of 5 houres: a play whose plot was taken out of the famous Spanish Poet Calderon

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. See also 15 and 23 Dec. 1662. Pepys, Diary: There being the famous new play acted the first time to-day, which is called The Adventures of Five Hours, at the Duke's house, being, they say, made or translated by Colonel Tuke, I did long to see it; and so made my wife to get her ready, though we were forced to send for a smith, to break open her trunk...and though early, were forced to sit almost out of sight, at the end of one of the lower forms, so full was the house. And the play, in one word, is the best, for the variety and the most excellent continuance of the plot to the very end, that ever I saw, or think ever shall, and all possible, not only to be done in the time, but in most other respects very admittable, and without one word of ribaldry; and the house, by its frequent plaudits, did show their sufficient approbation. Evelyn, Diary: I went to see Sir S: Tuke (my kinsmans) Comedy acted at the Dukes Theater, which so universaly tooke as it was acted for some weekes every day, & was belived would be worth the Comedians 4 or 5000 pounds: Indeede the plot was incomparable but the language stiffe & formall. Downes (pp 22-23): Wrote by the Earl of Bristol, and Sir Samuel Tuke: This Play being Cloath'd so Excellently Fine in proper Habits, and Acted so justly well....It took Successively 13 Days together, no other Play Intervening. Lady Anglesey to her husband, 10 Jan. 1663: Lord Bristol has made a play which is much commended (CSPD 1663-64, p. 8)