Event Comment: Afterpiece: Composed by Byrn. A View of the Sea and Rock, from which Oscar escapes, by leaping from a precipice, into the arms of his Soldiers; A View of the Bridge with the Camp of Carrol; The Death of Carrol by the Hand of Malvina, with his Fall into the Sea, and the Burning of the Camp of Carrol. [This was included in all subsequent performances.] With entire new Dresses and Decorations, and the Scenery new painted. The Ballet under the direction of Farley. The Overture by Reeve, with an accompaniment on the Union Pipes and Harp by Murphy and Weippert. Receipts: #378 11s. (369.6; 9.5)

Event Comment: Benefit for Lewis. 3rd piece [1st time; M. INT 1, by Thomas John Dibdin. Larpent MS 1288; not published]: Founded on a late Glorious Naval Achievement [the recapture by Capt. Edward Hamilton, on 25 Oct. 1799, of the British frigate Hermione, from the Spaniards]. The Music selected and composed by Attwood. Morning Chronicle, 1 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Lewis, No. 52, Great Queen-street, Lincoln's Inn Fields. Receipts: #361 17s. (263.2.0; 33.5.6; tickets: 65.9.6)

Event Comment: [The playbill announces The Point of Honour and Obi, but "The Publick is most respectfully inform'd that in consequence of the sudden indisposition of Miss DeCamp, The Point of Honour, and Obi cannot be acted. This Evening will be presented [as above]" (printed slip attached to Harvard playbill).

Event Comment: Pepys, Diary: Mr Moore coming to me, my wife staid at home, and he and I went out together...and so home with him to the cockpit, where, understanding that "Wit without money" was acted, I would not stay

Event Comment: See Herbert, Dramatic Records, p. 116. The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: Mr Shepley and I to the new Play-house near Lincoln's-Inn-Fields (which was formerly Gibbon's tennis-court), where the play of Beggar's Bush was newly begun; and so we went in and saw it, it was well acted: and here I saw the first time one Moone [Mohun], who is said to be the best actor in the world, lately come over with the King, and indeed it is the finest play-house, I believe, that ever was in England

Event Comment: See Herbert, Dramatic Records, p. 116. The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: I to the new playhouse and saw part of the Traitor, a very good Tragedy; Mr Moon [Mohun] did act the Traitor very well

Event Comment: See Herbert, Dramatic Records, p. 117. The King's Company. The Prologue is in Thomas Jordan's A Royal Arbour of Loyal Poesie (1664). Andrew Newport to Sir Richard Leveson, 15 Dec.: Upon our stages we have women-actors, as beyond seas (HMC, 5th Report, Part I, 1876, p. 158). For a discussion of actresses who may have played Desdemona on this day, see Wilson, All the King's Ladies, pp. 6-8. Possibly Clun acted Iago. See An Elegy Upon the Most Execrable Murther of Mr Clun, 1664

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: Mr Moore and I to the Theatre, where was The Scornful Lady, acted very well, it being the first play that ever he saw

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: I took my Lord Hinchinbroke and Mr Sidney to the Theatre, and shewed them The Widdow, and indifferent good play, but wronged by the women being to seek in their parts

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: Mr Creed and I to White-Fryars, where we saw The Bondman acted most excellently, and though I have seen it often, yet I am every time more and more pleased with Betterton's action

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: Mrs Pierce and her husband and I and my wife to Salisbury Court, where coming late he and she light of Col. Boone that made room for them, and I and my wife sat in the pit, and there met with Mr Lewes and Tom Whitton, and saw The Bondman done to admiration

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: Then with Mr Shepley to the Theatre and saw Rollo ill acted

Event Comment: Pepys, Diary: So back to the Cockpitt [Whitehall], and there, by the favour of one Mr Bowman, he [Creed] and I got in, and there saw the King, and Duke of York and his Duchess (which is a plain woman, and like her mother, my Lady Chancellor). And so saw The Humersome Lieutenant acted before the King, but not very well done. But my pleasure was great to see the manner of it, and so many great beauties, but above all Mrs Palmer, with whom the King do discover a great deal of familiarity. Sometime before the Coronation of Charles II, on 23 April 1661, there may have been acted The Merry Conceited Humours of Bottom the Weaver. An edition of 1661 refers to its being "often publikely acted by some of his Majesties Comedians" and the Dedication suggests that it would make a good entertainment at the mirthful time of the Coronation. The edition lists no actors' names, no prologue, no epilogue

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: After dinner with Mr Creed and Captain Ferrers to the Theatre to see The Chances

Event Comment: Pepys, Diary: At noon comes Luellin to me, and he and I to the tavern and after that to Bartholomew fair, and there upon his motion to a pitiful alehouse, where we had a dirty slut or two come up that were whores, but my very heart went against them, so that I took no pleasure but a great deal of trouble in being there and getting from thence in fear of being seen. From hence he and I walked towards Ludgate and parted. I back to the fair all alone , and there met with the ladies Jemimah and Paulina, with Mr Pickering and Madamoiselle, at seeing the monkeys dance, which was much to see, when they could be brought to do so, but it troubled me to sit among such nasty company

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: Captain Ferrers and Mr Moore and I to the Theatre, and there saw Hamlett very well done

Event Comment: The King's Company. This play appears on Herbert's List, following the entry for 26 Oct. 1661. (See William VanLennep, "Thomas Killigrew prepares his Plays for Production," J. Q. Adams Memorial Studies (Washington, D. C., 1948, p. 803.) Pepys, Diary: W. Pen and I to the Theatre, but it was so full that we could hardly get any room, so he went up to one of the boxes, and I into the 18d. places, and there saw Love at first sight, a play of Mr Killigrew's and the first time that it hath been acted since before the troubles, and great expectation there was, but I found the play to be a poor thing, and so I perceive every body else do. BM Add. Mss. 34217, fol. 31b, in Hotson Commonwealth and Restoration Stage, p. 246: @First then to speake of his Majestys Theatre@Where one would imagine Playes should be better@Love att the first sight did lead the dance@But att second sight it had the mischance@To be so dash'd out of Countenance as@It never after durst shew itts face@All though its bashfullnesse as tis thought@Be far from being the Authors ffault.

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: By and by called on by Mr Sanchy and his mistress, and with them by coach to the Opera, to see The Mad Lover, but not much pleased with the play

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: Seeing that the Spanish Curate was acted to-day, I...home again and sent to young Mr Pen and his sister to go anon with my wife and I to the Theatre...we went by coach to the play, and there saw it well acted, and a good play it is, only Diego the Sexton did overdo his part too much. [Sir Edward Browne seems to connect this play with the Duke's Company. See Introdutcion to 1661-1662.

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: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Opera, and there saw Romeo and Juliet, the first time it was ever acted; but it is a play of itself the worst that ever I heard in my life, and the worst acted that ever I saw these people do, and I am resolved to go no more to see the first time of acting, for they were all of them out more or less. Downes (p. 22): Note, There being a Fight and Scuffle in this Play, between the House of Capulet, and House of Paris; Mrs Holden Acting his Wife, enter'd in a Hurry, Crying, O my Dear Count! She Inadvertently left out, O, in the pronuntiation of the Word Count! giving it a Vehement Accent, put the House into such a Laughter, that London Bridge at low-water was silence to it. This Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, was made some time after into a Tragi-comedy, by Mr James Howard, he preserving Romeo and Juliet alive; so that when the Tragedy was Reviv'd again, twas Play'd Alternately, Tragical one Day, and Tragicomical another; for several Days together. [No specific notices are known which would indicate when Howard's version appeared.