Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: With Creed, my wife, and Mercer to a play at the Duke's, of my Lord Orrery's, called Mustapha, which being not good, made Betterton's part and Ianthe's but ordinary too, so that we were not contented with it at all...All the pleasure of the play was, the King and my Lady Castlemayne wer there; and pretty witty Nell Gwin?, at the King's house, and the younger Rebecca? Marshall sat next us; which pleased me mightily. Downes (p. 26): All the Parts being new Cloath's with new Scenes, Sir William's great Care of having it perfect and exactly perform'd, it produc'd to himself and Company vast Profit

Event Comment: W. S. Clark (Works of Orrery, 1, 40-41) believes that this is Thomas Middleton's play, not one by Orrery. Henry Savile to George Savile: I am come newly from my Lord of Orrery's new play called The Widow, whose character you will receive from better hands. I will only say that one part of it is the humour of a man that has great need to go to the close stool, where there are such indecent postures as would never be suffered upon any stage but ours, which has quite turn'd the stomach of so squeamish a man as I am, that am used to see nothing upon a theatre that might not appear in the ruelle of a fine lady (Savile Correspondence, ed. W. D. Cooper, Camden Society, LXXI [1858], 4)

Event Comment: Rugge's Diurnal, BM Add. Mss. 10117, folio 179: Acted at Whitehall atcourt a play witt wt'out mony before King and nobility. Pepys, Diary, 15 Oct.: But she [Lady Carteret] cries out of the vices of the Court, and how they are going to set up plays already; and how, the next day after the late great fast, the Duchesse of York did give the King and Queene a play. Nay, she told me that they nave heretofore had plays at court the very nights before the fast for the death of the late King [i.e., on the night preceding 30 Jan.]

Event Comment: The Duke's Company, presumably. Richard Legh, writing to his wife, 3 Jan. 1667@7, stated that he had seen The Valiant Cid but he did not indicate on what day he saw the play. See Lady Newton, The House of Lyme (London, 1917), p. 240

Event Comment: The King's Company. Richard Legh, writing to his wife, 3 Jan. 1667@7, reported to her concerning this play: which is so damn'd bawdy that the Ladyes flung their peares and fruites at the Actors (Lady Newton, The House of Lyme, p. 240). Pepys, Diary: Alone to the King's House, and there saw The Custome of the Country, the second time of its beind acted, wherein Knipp does the Widow well; but, of all the plays that ever I did see, the worst--having neither plot, language, nor anything in the earth that is acceptable; only Knipp sings a little song admirably. But fully the worst play that ever I saw or I believe shall see

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: With my wife's knowledge and leave did by coach go see the silly play of my Lady Newcastle's, called The Humourous Lovers; the most silly thing tiat ever come upon a stage. I was sick to see it, but yet would would not but have seen it, that I might the better understand her. Here I spied Knipp and Betty Hall?, of the King's house, and sent Knipp oranges

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on L. C. list, 5@139, p. 125. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 346. Pepys, Diary: But, Lord! how it went against my heart to go away from the very door of the Duke's play-house, and my Lady Castlemayne's coach, and many great coaches there, to see The Siege of Rhodes. I was very near making a forfait, but I did command myself

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: I walked to the King's playhouse, there to meet Sir W. Pen, and saw The Surprizall, a very mean play, I thought; or else it was because I was out of humour, and but very little company in the house. But there Sir W. Pen had a good deal of discourse with Moll Meggs?; who tells us that Nell Gwyn? is already left by my Lord Buckhurst, and that he makes sport of her, and swears she hath had all she could get of him; and Hart, her great admirer, now hates ner; and that she is very poor, and hath lost my Lady Castlemayne, who was her great friend also: but she is come to the House, but is neglected by them all

Event Comment: Pepys, Diary: I to Bartholomew fayre, to walk up and down; and there, among other things, find my Lady Castlemayne at a puppet-play, Patient Grizill, and the street full of people expecting her coming out. I confess I did wonder at her courage to come abroad, thinking the people would abuse her; but they, silly people! do not know her work she makes, and therefore suffered her with great respect to take coach, and she away, without any trouble at all, which I wondered at, I confess. I only walked up and down

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: [After stopping at Bridges Street] against our wills, went all to see Tu Quoque again, where there is pretty store of company, and going with a prejudice the play appeared better to us. Here we saw Madam Morland, who is grown mighty fat, but is very comely. But one of the best parts of our sport was a mighty Pretty lady that sat behind us, that did laugh so heartily and constantly, that it did me good to hear her

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the King's playhouse, and there saw The Black Prince again: which is now mightily bettered by that long letter being printed, and so delivered to every body at their going in, and some short reference made to it in heart in the play, which do mighty well; but, when all is done, I think it is the worst play of my Lord Orrery's. But here, to my great satisfaction, I did see my Lord Hinchingbroke and his mistress, with her father and mother; and I am mightily pleased with the young lady, being handsome enough--and, indeed, to my great liking, as I would have her. I could not but look upon them all the play

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the King's playhouse, and there saw The English Monsieur; sitting for privacy sake in an upper box: the play hath much mirth in it as to that particular humour. After the play done, I down to Knipp, and did stay her undressing herself; and there saw the several players, men and women go by; and pretty to see how strange they are all, one to another, after the play is done. Here I saw a wonderful pretty maid of her own, that come to undress her, and one so pretty that she says she intends not to keep her, for fear of her being undone in her service, by coming to the playhouse. Here I hear Sir W. Davenant is just now dead; and so who will succeed him in the mastership of the house is not yet known. The eldest Davenport is, it seems, gone from this house to be kept by somebody; which I am glad of, she being a very bad actor.... [Mrs Knepp] tells me mighty news, that my Lady Castlemayne is mightily in love with Hart of their house; and he is much with her in private, and she goes to him, and do give him many Presents; and that the thing is most certain, and Becke Marshall only privy to it, and the means of bringing them together, which is a very odd thing; and by this means she is even with the King's love to Mrs Davis

Event Comment: Richard ye Third. Coriolanus. Andronicus. Julius Ceaser. The Moore of Venice [Othello]. Anthony & Clopatra. Cymbelyne. The Doubtfull Heire [Rosania; or, Love's Victory, by James Shirley]. The Impostor. The Brothers. The Sisters. The Cardinall. The Duke of Lerma. The Duke of Millan. Alphonso. The vnnaturall Cumbat. The Gardian. Aglaura. Arviragus & Philitia 1st pt. Arviragus & Philitia 2d pt. The Spartan Ladyes. The Bashfull Lover. Bussy D'Amboys. Brenoralt [or, The Discountented Colonel]. Country Captaine. The Variety. The Emperour of ye East. The Deserveing ffavorett. The Goblins. The ffatall Dowry. The Lost Lady. The Devell of Edmonton. More Desemblers then Weomen. The Mayor of Quinborough. The Northen Lasse. The Novella. Osmond ye Great Turke [or, The Noble Servant]. The Roman Actor. The Widdow. The Widdows Teares

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: Carried The. and my wife to the Duke of York's house, to Macbeth,...and I to the Duke of York's house and saw the last two acts.... This day The. Turner shewed me at the play my Lady Portman, who has grown out of my knowledge

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: So we to the Duke of York's playhouse, and there saw She Would if She Could,... This day, going to the play, The. Turner met us, and carried us to her mother, at my Lady Mordaunt's; and I did carry both mother and daughter with us to the Duke of York's playhouse

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. list at Harvard. See VanLennep, "Plays on the English Stage," p. 14. Pepys, Diary: My wife and I to White Hall; and there, by means of Mr Cooling, did get into the play, the only one we have seen this winter: it was The Five Hours' Adventure: but I sat so far I could not hear well, nor was there any pretty woman that I did see, but my wife, who sat in my Lady Fox's pew with her. The house very full; and late before done, so that it was past eleven before we got home