Event Comment: New Dormitory in Dean's Yard, Westminster. Mainpiece: of Terence...acted with great applause by the Scholars to a crowded audience.--Daily Advertiser, 28 Nov

Event Comment: Music of Afterpiece entirely new Composed by Dibdin. [An adaptation of Goldoni's Il Filosofo di Campagna.] Book of Songs to be had at Theatre (playbill). The Wedg R. a Comic Opera of Two Acts wrote & composed by Mr Dibdin. The Music very pretty--as the Author was kept a Secret The Town fancy'd that is one of Mr Bickerstaff & call'd out to know who was the Author. Mr Garrick inform'd them that he had no power to declare who the Author was but he could assure them that it was not Mr Bickerstaffs this did not Satisfy them at last Mr Dibdin went on & declard himself to be the Author & made an Affidavit of it & then the Farce went on with Applause (Hopkins Diary). [Account of The Wedding Ring in Westminster Magazine for Feb. 1773.] Paid #4 4s. for licensing The Wedding Ring and Alonzo (Treasurer's Book). [Maria Macklin, in a MS letter to her father, 3 Feb. 1773, commented fully on this night's performance: "Written as it was suppos'd by Bickerstaffe. The music by Dibdin. I went with a party into the Gallery to see the event as there was a great riot expected, & indeed never did I see an audience more inflamed. They would not suffer them to begin the piece. At last Mr King came on with a written paper in his hand, which he said he was desir'd to read in the name of the managers. After a great noise they let him read it. He said just before the play began the managers had receiv'd a letter from Mr Dibdin in which he declared that Bickerstaff was not the author of that piece, that he had made oath of it, and was ready to do the same again, but that for very particular reasons the author could not be given up. Then they stopp'd him & roar'd out that the author should be given up then. He continued as loud as he possibly could, reading on that 'but that if Mr Dibdin did not very soon given up the author he never should be suffered to appear again on that stage or any other.' Very luckily that turn'd them as I believe the House would have come down. The piece then began. Before the end of the first act one of Bannister's songs were encor'd. The other party were against it and would not let it go on. They all stood up and insisted that the author should be known then. After some time the house being nothing but confusion, Dibdin was push'd upon the stage ready to drop with fright, and declared that he was the author himself. Then they were as noisy the other way. Made them finish the piece, but how you may guess in a storm. It is like the Padlock, but the songs not so good." (Brander Matthews, Actors and Actresses, extra illustrated, Vol. I. Harvard Theatre Collection.). Westminster Magazine this month included in parallel columns flattering "Characters of Mr Garrick and Mr Colman," the Rival managers. The article especially praised Garrick's acting.] Receipts: #252 3s. 6d

Event Comment: Wednesday the Eunuch of Terence was acted by the scholars at the Charter House, to a very polite Audience with Great Applause (General Advertiser). [The London Daily Advertiser and Literary Gazette for 30 May noted: "Publish'd, Epilogue to the Eunuchus of Terence, acted lately by the Charter House Scholars, with great applause, spoken in his own cloaths, by the scholar who acted the part of Thais."

Event Comment: By Authority. By the French Company of Comedians. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Gallery 2s. Victor, History of the Theatres, I, 54-60: People went early to the Theatre, as a crouded House was certain. I was there, in the Centre of the Pit; where I soon perceived that we were visited by two Westminster Justices, Deveil and Manning. The Leaders, that had the Conduct of the Opposition, were known to be there; one of whom called aloud for the Song in Praise of English Roast Beef, which was accordingly sung in the Gallery by a Person prepared for that Purpose; and the whole House besides joining in the Chorus, saluted the Close with three Huzzas! This, Justice Deveil was pleased to say, was a Riot; upon which Disputes commenced directly, which were carried on with some Degree of Decency on both Sides. The Justice at first informed us, 'That he was come there as a Magistrate to maintain the King's Authority; that Colonel Pulteney, with a full Company of the Guards, were without, to support him in the Execution of his Office; that it was the King's Command the Play should be acted; and that the obstructing it was opposing the King's Authority; and if that was done, he must read the Proclamation; after which all Offenders would be secured directly by the Guards in waiting.' To all these most arbitrary Threatnings, this Abuse of his Majesty's Name, the Reply was to the following Effect:-'That the Audience had a legal Right to shew their Dislike to any Play or Actor; that the common Laws of the Land were nothing but common Custom, and the antient Usuage of the People; that the Judicature of the Pit had been acknowledged and acquiesced to, Time immemorial; and as the present Set of Actors were to take their Fate from the Public, they were free to receive them as they Pleased.' By this Time the Hour of Six drew near; and the French and Spanish Embassadors, with their Ladies; the late Lord and Lady Gage, and Sir T@R@, a Commissioner of the Excise, all appeared in the Stage Boxes together! At that Instant the Curtain drew up, and discovered the Actors standing between two Files of Grenadiers, with their Bayonets fixed, and resting on their Firelocks. There was a Sight! enough to animate the coldest Briton. At this the whole Pit rose, and unanimously turned to the Justices, who sat in the Middle of it, to demand the Reason of such arbitary Proceedings? The Justices either knew nothing of the Soldiers being placed there, or thought it safest to declare so. At that Declaratinn, they demanded of Justice Deveil (who had owned himself the commanding Officer in the Affair) to order them off the Stage. He did so immediately, and they disappeared. Then began the Serenade; not only Catcalls, but all the various portable Instruments, that could make a disagreeable Noise, were brought up on this Occasion, which were continually tuning in all Parts of the House; and as an Attempt to speaking was ridiculous, the Actors retired, and they opened with a grand Dance of twelve Men and twelve Woman; but even that was prepared for; and they were directly saluted with a Bushel or two of Peas, which made their Capering very unsafe. After this they attempted to open the Comedy; but had the Actor the voice of Thunder, it would have been lost in the confused Sounds from a thousand Various Instruments. Here, at the waving Deviel's Hand, all was silent, and (standing up on his Seat) he made a Proposal to the House to this Effect:-'That if they persisted in the Opposition, he must read the Proclamation; that if they would permit the Play to go on, and to be acted through that Night, he would promise, (on his Honour) to lay their Dislikes, and Resentment to the Actors, before the King, and he doubted not but a speedy End would be put to their acting.' The Answer to this Proposal was very short, and very expressive. 'No Treaties, No Treaties!' At this the Justice called for Candles to read the Proclamation, and ordered the Guards to be in Readiness; but a Gentleman seizing Mr Deveil's Hand, stretched out for the Candle, begged of him to consider what he was going to do, for his own Sake, for ours, for the King's! that he saw the unanimous Resolution of the House; and that the Appearance of Soldiers in the Pit would throw us all into a Tumult, which must end with the Lives of many. This earnest Remostrance made the Justice turn pale and passive. At this Pause the Actors made a second Attempt to go on, and the Uproar revived; which continuing some Time, the Embassadors and their Ladies left their Box, which occasioned a universal. Huzza from the whole House! and after calling out some Time for the Falling of the Curtain, down it fell. [For other accounts of this evening, see Daily Advertiser, 9 and 10 Oct.; London Evening Post, 12 Oct.; Gentleman's Magazine, VIII (1938), 545; Historical Register, XXIII, 278-87.

Event Comment: Receipts: #200 7s. 6d. (Account Book). Mainpiece: With New Dresses and Decorations. [The first of a series of five performances (the last, Merchant of Venice, 18 Nov.) which got Macklin dismissed from the theatre until 1775, when his lawsuit against six persons whom he claimed formed a conspiracy to hiss him from the stage and ruin his livlihood was concluded favorably for him. His performance of Macbeth was favorably treated but with certain misgivings in the Morning Chronicle (25 Oct.), but he was mercilessly criticized in the London Evening Post and St James Chronicle: "In Act II, Sc. i, Shakespeare has made Macbeth murder Duncan; Now Mr Macklin, being determined to copy from no man, reversed this incident, and in the very first act, scene the second, murdered Macbeth." The favorable review (Morning Chronicle) thought he did well in first and last acts, but gave way to stage rant and "vehemence of energetic expression" wanting any variation in tone in between. It also pointed out a certain faulty memory of his lines. His novel stage effects came in for a paragraph of comment: The alterations in the jeux de theatre respecting the representation of this tragedy do Mr Macklin great credit. His change of the scenery is peculiarly characteristical. The Quadrangle of Macbeth's castle, and the door which is supposed to lead to Duncan's apartment (both of which are entirely new) are additions of consequence to the exhibition of the play. The door also through which Macbeth comes to the Weird Sisters, in the 4th act, is a better and more probable entrance than through the common stage portal. The dresses are new, elegant, and of a sort hitherto unknown to a London audience, but exceedingly proper. The Banquet was superbly set out, and it must be confessed that the managers seem to have spared neither cost nor assiduity to ornament and add to the effect of the representation." A favorable letter from a correspondent to the London Evening Post adds: "I must observe, Mr Printer, that from the graceful and characteristic manner in which Macbeth was introduced by the martial music and military procession, from the manner of M. Macklin's acting, from his judicious alteration of the dresses, the disposition of the scene where the King is killed, the cave of the witches in the 4th act, from the improvement of Mrs Hartley's thinking in Lady Macbeth and from her manner of speaking, which seemed plainly to be the effects of some intelligence she had received from Mr Macklin...I thought Mr Macklin deserv'd great praise." See the newspaper comments all gathered and reprinted in an Apology for the Conduct of Charles Macklin, (London, 1773). See also note to 30 Oct. See also London Chronicle, Oct. 23-26 (cf. Odell, I, 453). The Westminster Magazine suggests the performance was pitiable. "Macklin knew what he ought to do, but could not do it." The Scenemen's pay this week was about double the normal cost. (Account Book).] Verse Squibs from St James Chronicle (Oct. 1773) against Macklin: @Macbeth@"Eight Kings appear and pass over in order, and Banquo the last"@Old Quin, ere Fate suppressed his lab'ring breath@In studied accents grumbled out Macbeth:--@Next Garrick came, whose utt'rance truth impressed,@While ev'ry look the tyrant's guilt confess'd:--@Then the cold Sheridan half froze the part,@Yet what he lost by nature sav'd by art.@Tall Barry now advanc'd toward Birnam Woodv@Nor ill performed the scenes--he understood--@Grave Mossop next to Foris shaped his march@His words were minute guns, his action starch.@Rough Holland too--but pass his errors o'er@Nor blame the actor when the man's no more.@Then heavy Ross, assay'd the tragic frown,@But beef and pudding kept all meaning down:--@Next careless Smith, try'd on the Murd'rer's mask,@While o'er his tongue light tripp'd the hurried task:--@Hard Macklin, late, guilt's feelings strove to speak,@While sweats infernal drench'd his iron cheek;@Like Fielding's Kings [in Tom Thumb] his fancy'd triumphs past,@And all be boasts is, that he falls the last.@ Also from St James Chronicle:@The Witches, while living deluded Macbeth@And the Devil laid hold of his soul after death;@But to punish the Tyrant this would not content him,@So Macklin he sent on the stage to present him.