Event Comment: Luttrell, A Brief Relation, III, 336, 30 June 1694: A quarrel hapned at the play house on Thursday night between the duke of Richmond and one Mrs Leonard, whereupon they challenged each other

Event Comment: Luttrell, A Brief Relation, III, 410, 11 Dec. 1694: Sunday last was performed before their majesties in the chappel royal the same vocal and instrumental musick as was performed at St Brides church on St Cecilia's day last

Event Comment: Luttrell, A Brief Relation, III, 488: On Tuesday Night last the play house in Dorset Garden was broke open and their rich garments, to the value of 300#, taken away

Event Comment: Luttrell, A Brief Relation, IV, 268, 24 Aug. 1697: The lord mayor has published an order forbidding all unlawfull gameing, excesse in drinking, swearing, cursing in Bartholomew fair. The only notice of a performance is an advance one, Post Boy, 12-14 Aug. 1697: At Mr Barns's Booth, between the Crown Tavern, and the Hospital-Gate, over against the Cross-Daggers in West-Smithfield Rounds, during the time of Bartholomew Fair, is to be seen the famous Rope-Dancers of Europe, being four Companies join'd in one, viz. the English, High-German, French and Morocco Companies of Rope-Dancers, by whom will be presented a Variety of Agility of Body, as Danceing, Tumbling, Walking, and Vaulting, the like was never seen before

Event Comment: Luttrell, A Brief Relation, IV, 376, 5 May 1698: The lord Monmouth moved the house against the impudence of the actors at the playhouses, upon Powell s wounding a gentleman; and the lords with the white staves are to desire his majestie that none of the players wear swords

Event Comment: Luttrell, A Brief Relation, IV, 378, 10 May 1698: The justice of Middlesex have presented the playhouses to be nurseries of debauchery and blasphemy

Event Comment: Luttrell, A Brief Relation, IV, 502-3: Monsieur Ballon, the famous French dancing master, (whose father teaches the dauphins 3 sons,) having leave to come hither for 5 weeks, is allowed by the playhouse 400 guineas for that time, besides which the lord Cholmley has sent him a present of 100 more. [Betterton's Company.

Event Comment: Luttrell, A Brief Relation, IV, 518-79: This day being the anniversary of the kings birth...there was also a fine ball at St. James to conclude the solemnity, where the king was present: their royal highnesses the prince and princesse dined with his majestie at Kensington, who all the while were diverted with a fine consort of musick; and Mr Tate, the poet laureat, presented the king with a curious ode

Event Comment: Luttrell, A Brief Relation, IV, 586: This day the strong Kentish man was shewn at the play house in Dorset Garden, where he drew against a horse, and lifted 20 hundred weight: the boxes 10s. apeice, and the pit 5s. [Other accounts are in a newsletter in the Burney Collection (British Museum) and in the Post Man, 25-28 Nov. 1699.

Event Comment: Luttrell, A Brief Relation, IV, 674: The lord chamberlain has ordered that no playes be acted for 6 weeks while the mourning [for the Duke of Gloucester] continues

Event Comment: The King's Company. The exact date of this performance is not known, but the Prologue refers to "After a four Months Fast," suggesting that the theatre did not reopen until the end of the Long Vacation (24 Oct. 1681 is the beginning of Michaelmas Term). The Epilogue also seems to refer to events at Bartholomew Fair, and the Prologue to the King's visit to Newmarket, from which the King did not return until 12 Oct. 1681. Furthermore, The Impartial Protestant Mercury, No. 54, 28 Oct. 1681, reports: A Revised Play was some days since Acted on an Eminent Publick Theatre, and the Prologue is extreamly talked of. [The periodical reprints some of the lines (which are essentially those in the printed version).] The Loyal Protestant, No. 70, 29 Oct. 1681, refers to the same performance and reprints part of the Epilogue (which also is essentially that of the separately printed Epilogue). All of these elements point to a performance in mid-October. Both the Prologue and the Epilogue were printed separately, and have been reprinted by Wiley, Rare Prologues and Epilogues, pp. 43-45. Broadside copies of the Prologue and Epilogue in the Huntington Library bear Luttrell's manuscript notations that both were written by Dryden. Luttrell's date of acquisition is 13 Feb. 1681@2, an instance in which Luttrell's date of purchase does not apparently correspond closely to a date of performance

Event Comment: The United Company. The date of the first performance is not known, but Luttrell's copy of the separately printed Prologue and Epilogue bears the date 12 Nov. 1683 (item 87, Sotheby's sale, 12 June 1939), and the premiere probably occurred shortly before that date. A revised version of the Epilogue, correcting errors, appeared almost immediately after the one first published; it bears Luttrell's date of 14 Nov. 1683. The Epilogue, in the revised version, bears the note: Written by Mr Dryden. The Prologue and both versions of the Epilogue are reprinted in Wiley, Rare Prologues and Epilogues, pp. 183-87. In addition, a song, Awake O Constantine awake, with music by Thomas Farmer, is in The Theater of Music, 1865; it also appeared in A Collection of the Newest and Choicest Songs, 1864 (which bears Luttrell's date, 10 March 1683@4, Bindley Collection, William Andrews Clark@Jr@Library)

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. The Prologue and Epilogue, printed separately, bear Luttrell's MS notations: At ye Dukes theater at Venice Preserv'd &c. Acted 31 May. 1682 (Huntington Library, with Luttrell's date of purchase, 1 June 1682). The Prologue and Epilogue are reprinted in Wiley, Rare Prologues and Epilogues, pp. 108-10. The Newdigate newsletters disagree as to the play acted: 1 June 1682: Yesterday the D. of Y. came to town & went wth his Dutchess to ye play called the Royallist (Wilson, Theatre Notes from the Newdigate Newsletters, p. 80)

Event Comment: The United Company. Newdigate newsletters, 28 Nov. 1682: This day was Acted a new play called the Duke of Guise by Mr Dryden it was formerly forbidd as reflecting upon the D of Monmouth but by ye supplication of ye Author its now allowed to be acted (Wilson, Theatre Notes from the Newdigate Newsletters, p. 81). The Prologue and Epilogue, separately printed, bear Luttrell's date of acquisition (Huntington Library) as 4 Dec. 1682, but above this date Luttrell has written: "30 Nov." The Prologue and Epilogue are reprinted in Wiley, Rare Prologues and Epilogues, pp. 149-52. Dedication, Edition of 1683: In the Representation itself, it was persecuted with so notorious Malice by one side, that it secur'd us the Partiality of the other. In a report from the Abbe Rouchi, in London, 14 Dec. 1682, it is stated that the Duke of Guise was acted three times (Campana de Cavelli, Les Derniers Stuarts [Paris and London, 1871], I, 398). One song, Tell me Thyrsis all your anguish, with music by Captain Pack, is in the edition of 1683 and also in Choice Ayres and Songs, The Fourth Book, 1683

Event Comment: The United Company. On 23 April 1689 Luttrell purchased a copy of the Prologue. The broadside copy, with Luttrell's date of acquisition, is in the possession of Mr Louis Silver, Wilmette, Illinois, to whose courtesy I am indebted for permission to use this date. When the Prologue, which is reprinted in Wiley, Rare Prologues and Epilogues, pp. 271-72, appeared in The Fourth and Last Volume of the Works of Mr Tho. Brown (1719), the Prologue has the title: Jo. Haines in Penance; Or, his Recantation-Prologue, at his acting of Poet Bays in the Duke of Buckingham's Play call'd The Rehearsal. Spoken in a white Sheet, with a burning Taper in his Hand, upon his Admittance in to the House after his Return from the Church of Rome. In the Preface to his play, The Fatal Mistake (1691-92), Haines stated: In troth I have Acted Mr Bays so often, and so feelingly, that I could not possibly forbear copying after so fair an Original

Event Comment: The United Company. The date of the first performance is not certain, but it lies between Saturday 9 and Saturday 16 April. Luttrell, A Brief Relation (II, 413) stated on 9 April that the Queen had prohibited its being acted; on 16 April (II, 422) he reports that it has been acted. Luttrell, A Brief Relation, II, 422, 16 April: Mr Dryden s play has been acted with applause, the reflecting passages upon this government being left out. The Gentleman's Journal, May 1692 (licensed 14 May): I told you in my last, that none could then tell when Mr Dryden's Cleomenes would appear; since that time, the Innocence and Merit of the Play have rais'd it several eminent Advocates, who have prevailed to have it Acted, and you need not doubt but it has been with great applause. Preface, Edition of 1692: Mrs Barry, always Excellent, has, in this tragedy, excell'd Herself, and gain'd a Reputation beyond any Woman whom I have ever seen on the Theatre. [See also Cibber, Apology, I, 160, for a discussion of Mrs Barry in Cleomenes.] A song, No, no, poor suffering heart no change endeavour, the music by Henry Purcell, is in Comes Amoris, The Fourth Book, 1693, and also, with the notice that it was sung by Mrs Butler, in Joyful Cuckoldom, ca. 1695. See also Purcell's Works, Purcell Society, XVI (1906), xviii-xix; Epistolary Essay to Mr Dryden upon his Cleomenes, in Gentleman's Journal, May 1692, pp. 17-21. When the play was revived at Drury Lane, 8 Aug. 1721, the bill bore the heading: Not Acted these Twenty-Five Years

Event Comment: Newdigate newsletters, 2 Sept. 1693: On Thursday a person acting ye Jack pudding on a stage in Bartholomew fair Bantering upon ye Straits Expedition & return of the ffleet was taken into Custody (Folger Shakespeare Library, transcribed by Professor John Harold Wilson). Luttrell, A Brief Relation, III, 176, 2 Sept. 1693: A merry andrew in Bartholomew fair is committed for telling the mobb news that our fleet was come into Torbay, being forced in by some French privateers, and other words reflecting on the conduct of great ministers of state. Newdigate newsletters, 12 Sept. 1693: On Sunday [10 Sept.] Mr Percivall who kept a Booth during St Barthollomew fair was siezed near Charing cross upon ye acct of clipping being discovered by a young man (Wilson, Theatre Notes from the Newdigate Newsletters, p. 82). [See also Luttrell, A Brief Relation, III, 183, 205, 207, 212.

Event Comment: [This performance is conjectured from Luttrell's statement (Luttrell, IV, 712), "the actors ridiculed a christning, and Underhill represented the archbishop," and from the performance on Monday 25.

Event Comment: Benefit Corbett. [Luttrell, 21 March, states: "This being Passion week, there was a new opera acted last Monday at the old playhouse, which her majestie being informed of resented the same, and ordered the lord chamberlain to suffer no more till after Easter Sunday" (VI, 29). There is no known advertisement of the performance to which Luttrell refers.

Event Comment: The Lord Mayor's Show. For brief accounts, see Luttrell, A Brief Relation, I, 25, and Domestick Intelligence, No. 34, 31 Oct. 1679

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. The date of the first production is not known. The play was entered in the Term Catalogues, May 1680, and advertised in the True News, 12-15 May 1680, suggesting a production not later than April 1680. Nevertheless, the fact that the Prologue refers to the attack on John Dryden in Rose Street (18 Dec. 1679) and to the petitions to Parliament--Luttrell, A Brief Relation, I, 31, on 13 Jan. 1679@80, refers to petitions subscribed by several thousands--suggests that the play appeared during January 1679@80

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. The date of the first performance is not known. Luttrell, however, dated the copy he purchased 6 July 1680 (VanLennep, Two Restoration Comedies, pp. 57-58) and attributed it to Mrs Aphra Behn. If copies were available in early July, the play was most probably performed in June 1680. Langbaine (English Dramatick Poets, p. 547) had heard that Mrs Behn was the author, but A Comparison between the Two Stages (p. 11) attributed it to Thomas Betterton. For a discussion of the authorship, see also Ten English Farces, ed. Leo Hughes and A. H. Scouten (Austin, Texas, 1948), pp. 203-4

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. The date of the first production is not known, but the date 31 May 1681 on a copy in the Ohio State University Library, representing Luttrell's purchase of a copy, argues for a performance initially in April or early May 1681. See Wilson, Six Restoration Play-Dates, p. 222

Event Comment: For reports on the Lord Mayor's Day, see Luttrell, A Brief Relation, I, 139-40, and The Impartial Protestant Mercury, No 55, 28 Oct.-1 Nov. 1681