Event Comment: [Authorship uncertain. According to the dedicatory essay in 1705 edition it was left unfinished by Mountfort?," but the Diverting Post, 28 Oct., states that it was written by Mrs Mary Pix. This is probably the premiere. It was acted four times before 18 Nov., but on which evenings is unknown.

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Waring

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Mattocks. Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Afterpiece: Never perform'd there. Tickets delivered by Barrington will be taken

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Egerton. Rec'd from Mr Dodd on Acct #15; from Mr Clutterbuck's [acc't] #200; Stopages #18 2s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #105 6s. Charges: #65 8s. Profits to Mrs Egerton: #39 18s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Robinson, musician, and Mrs Newby

Event Comment: The Carmelite [announced on playbill of 11 Oct.] is obliged to be deferred on Account of the Indisposition of Mrs Siddons. Mainpiece: With accompaniments to the airs composed by Linley [Sen.]. Receipts: #75 16s. (53/12; 21/4; 0/0; tickets not come in: 1/0)

Event Comment: Tickets delivered for this Evening [Account-Book: by Appleby, Bayne, Dale Jun., Daglish, Douglas, Gardiner, Gillis, Kirk, Lyon, Standen, Pilsbury, Mrs Lewis] will be admitted. Receipts: #192 1s. (7.11.0; 2.14.6; 0.15.6; tickets: 181.0.0)

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This play is on the L. C. list, 5@139, p. 125. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 347. Pepys, Diary, 31 May: At the play at court the other night, Mrs Davis was there; and when she was to come to dance her jigg, the Queene would not stay to see it, which people do think it was out of displeasure at her being the King's whore, that she could not bear it

Event Comment: Benefit Layfield and Mrs Cox. At the Desire of several Persons of Quality. With all the Risings and Flyings that were Originally in the Play

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Paid printer's 3 bills...#20 9s.; Mrs Hillman for women's cloathes #23 2s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #116 15s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Drugger, Mr Garrick (Cross Diary). Cymbeline Deferr'd on account of Mrs Barry's indisposition

Event Comment: This play is alter'd by Mr Cumberland was very well receiv'd Mr & Mrs Barry play'd very well Alcibiades was perform'd by Mr Crofts being his first appearance upon any Stage bad figure bad voice & Play'd bad (Hopkins Diary). New Scenes, Decorations &c. Mr Crofts-a stationer in the Temple (Winston MS 10). Theatrical Review, 4 Dec.: We think ourselves oblig'd to declare that this gentleman (Crofts), by no means answered the expectations we had formed, from the accounts we had heard of him.--His voice is not bad, though it is not much above the level of common conservation; --his deportment is aukward and void of grace to an extreme; and he labors under the disadvantage of having a face destitute of expression. His gestures are extremely ungraceful, and the whole of his execution is glaringly untutored, and misconceived. His persons is very ill formed, and therefore it makes greatly against him, especially as he is the representative of Alcibiades, who was the handsomest man in all Athens, and we never remember any one's attempting to set out as a capital performer with so few requisites for the support of such an undertaking as this gentleman appears to have. Paid Dr Nares & Mr Cooke's 8 boys in the Garter, 12 nights (30th ult. incl.) #36; Master Brown 7 nights (2nd inst. incl.) #2 12s 6d.; Licence for Timon, #2 2s. (Treasurer's Book). [Larpent MS 328 of Cumberland's Timon, is one of the earliest to include scenic descriptions: "A Hall in Timon's House. The Flat Scene represents stately Folding Doors. Scene two, the Back scene is hastily drawn back and discovers a magnificent Levee Room or Salon. &c."] Receipts: #243 1s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Turner. 5s., 3s., 2s

Event Comment: SSigismunda by Mrs Dancer, being her first appearance on this stage, --was well received and great applause, --She is a good figure, and has a great deal of merit, --and is an acquisition to the theatre (Hopkins MS Notes). Mainpiece: Not acted these 2 years. [See 21 Nov. 1765.] Got with difficulty into the Pit before the play began. Holland played Tancred pretty well but can never divest himself of a certain stiffness...Mrs Dancer was affecting in Sigismunda...Lovel [in the afterpiece] by King, much better than by Cautherly. Saw the Duchess of Ancaster at the Play, who tho upwards of 40, is still remarkably handsome (Neville MS Diary)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Yates. Mainpiece: Altered from Corneille [by Colley Cibber?]. Never Performed There. Pit and Boxes laid together (playbill). Charges #66 7s. 6d. Profit to Mrs Yates #39 7s. 6d., plus #179 from tickets (Box and Pit 716). Paid Younger a Bill for writing parts #5 19s. 9d. Paid John Smith for a Blue cloth suit lac'd with gold #9 9s. (Account Book). Receipts: #105 15s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Benefit Freeman. Mainpiece: Not Acted these Twelve Years. By particular Desire. Afterpiece: With Alterations. And a Description of Tom King's Coffee-house in Covent-Garden. At Common Prices [4s., 2s. 6d., and 1s. 6d. in Daily Advertiser]. 6 P.M

Event Comment: Benefit Husband and Mrs Baker. Afterpiece: A Farce of one Act. [Authorship and cast unknown.

Event Comment: Benefit Boman and Mrs Moore. Written by the late Mr Wycherley

Event Comment: Benefit for Cibber. Mainpiece. Reviv'd, not acted these 4 years [see 1 March 1746]. Afterpiece: Taken from the French of Dancourt, a Ballad Opera, performed by particular desire. Tomorrow, The Jubilee, for Benefit of Mrs Horton. [Baker, Biographia Dramatica, lists the afterpiece as written by James Wilder, taken from Dancourt. Cibber had announced (General Advertiser, 27 Feb.) for his benefit The Man of Mode, with Pasquin, with Alterations. In which would be performed The Rehearsal of a Comedy call'd The Election; or, Bribes on Both Sides, by the Author of Tom Jones.

Event Comment: Benefit for Quick, Furkins, Wilkinson, Abbott, Symonds, and others. Tickets deliver'd by Pullin, Claridge, Mrs Griffiths, Bagg, Bassan, Stephenson and Constable will be admitted. [Green and Ansell paid up their deficiencies for 2 June.] @Tickets Box Pit Gallery Value 1!2 Value@Quick 1 20 31 #8 18s. #3 9s.@Furkins 12 52 34 #13 6s. #6 13s.@Wilkinson 27 10 16 #10 3s. #5 1s. 6d.@Abbott 5 56 65 #16 12s. #8 6s.@Simmonds 5 36 24 #8 9s. #4 4s. 6d.@Pullen 2 71 46 #14 10s. #7 5s.@Claridge 8 24 1 #4 11s. #2 5s. 6d.@Griffiths 20 27 #6 1s. #3 6d.@Bagg 36 24 #7 4s. #3 12s.@Bassan 5 50 16 #8 13s. #4 6s. 6d.@Stephenson 23 78 45 #20 6d. #10 3s.@Asbury Gallery 22 8 #3 8s. #1 14s.@Total House value #120 1s. plus the receipts.@ Paid Master Harris for his performance this season #4 4s. Receipts: #25 3s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Wheeler, Walker and Mrs Simson Watkins (Cross Diary). Tickets deliver'd by Carlton and Mons. Langlois will be taken

Event Comment: Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. Drury Lane--New Painted and Decorated. Miss Pope's good acting is said to have made up for her deficiency in singing (Genest, V, 314). On Sept. 19 Fisher, Musician, married the widow of the late Powell, Patentee of cg (Winston MS 10). Rec'd Mrs Johnston's 1 year's rent to Lady Day Last #6; Paid Mr French on Acct per order Mr G. G. #20. Paid Renters #8. [This payment occurs each playing night throughout the season, and is not noted further.] The total amounted to #1576 (Drury Lane Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #188 15s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Both pieces By Comaand. 5th time (Treasurer's Book). Paid Mr Loutherbourg on Acct #41 13s. 4d.; 2 Bills for gauze &c. for Mrs Robinson #12 2s. 6d.; Mr Griffith on note #15 15s.; Properties 19s. 3d.; Housekeeper's Bill #11 19s. 6d. Receipts: #261 8s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Rich's Company. The date of the premiere is not known, but the fact that the play was advertised in the Post Boy, 28-30 April 1698, suggests a first performance in late March. The Songs, published separately, include: Come all ye shepherds, set by Daniel Purcell and sung by Freeman. Let every shepherd bring his lass, set by Daniel Purcell and sung by Magnus. Life is but a little span, set by Daniel Purcell and sung by Young Bowin and Mrs Campion. Fond shepherd, set by Daniel Purcell and sung by Pate. To pensive years resign your pining, set by Daniel Purcell and sung by Young Bowen. Look down, set by Daniel Purcell and sung by Pate. Dedication, edition of 1698: I have no Reason to complain of the Success it had on the Stage. A Comparison Between the Two Stages (1702), p. 20: Damn'd

Event Comment: Rich's Company. Lady Morley attended this performance: Lady Morley and one in the Box at the Grove an Opera. 10s. See Hotson, Commonwealth and Restoration Drama, p. 378. It is not known whether this performance was the premiere, but the publication of this work on 16 March 1699@1700 (Post Man, 14-16 March 1699@1700) suggests that if the usual month between premiere and publication intervened for this work, the premiere may have been in mid-February. On the other hand, a letter-see 20 Jan. 1699@1700-may refer to this work. The music was composed by Daniel Purcell. In Songs in the New Opera Called The Grove or Love's Paradice (1700) the following singers are listed: Mrs Irwin, Freeman, The Boy, Hughes, Mrs Lindsey, Pate, and Mrs Shaw. The Preface implies that the opera was a failure: As for the Persons who were not so generous...who thought the Catastrophe was not enough prepar'd, and that the discovery in the last Act was huddled and in confusion, they will now see if what he had writ had been spoken, every thing would have appear's clear and natural, which, to shorten the Entertainment had been before broken and disorder'd