Event Comment: Benefit for Portal, Stevenson, Percey. George, Bowley, Woollams, Massingham, J. Edwards, Chumbley [box-keepers]. Receipts: #41 10s. 6d. (21.3.6; 20.7.0; 0.0.0; tickets: none listed) (charge: #201 8s. 8d.)

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 last time of the Company's performing this Season. Benefit for Portal, Stevenson, Percey, George, Bowley, Woollams, Massingham, J. Edwards, Chumbley [box-keepers]. Receipts: #54 3s. (32.2; 22.1; 0.0; tickets: none listed) (charge: none listed)

Event Comment: According to Robert Withington (English Pageantry, An Historical Outline, Cambridge, Mass., 1918, I, 242n), the expense of the entertainment came to #7888 2s. 6d. (See also Pepys, Diary, and other accounts.) The Diurnal of Thomas Rugg, ed. Sachse, pp. 98-99: A lane [was] made in the Citty, made by the livery men of several companyes; and many pageants in the streets...Att Cheap sid his Majesty beheld a famous pagien, and staid there for som littl space, where were speeches made by the lady paganetts. Evelyn, Diary: I saw his Majestie go with as much pompe & splendor as any Earthly prince could do to the greate Citty feast...but the exceeding raine which fell all that day, much eclips'd its luster:...the streets adorn'd with Pageants &c: at immense cost

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Opera, where there was a new play (Cutter of Coleman Street), made in the year 1658, with reflections much upon the late times; and it being the first time, the pay was doubled, and so to save money, my wife and I went up into the gallery, and there sat and saw very well; and a very good play it is. It seems of Cowly's making. Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 25): This Comedy being Acted so perfectly Well and Exact, it was perform'd a whole Week with a full Audience. John Dennis, Dedication to The Comical Gallant, 1702: The only Play that ever Mr Cowley writ, was barbarously treated the first night, as the late Mr Dryden has more than once informed me, who has told me that he went to see it with the famous Mr Sprat, now Bishop of Rochester, and that after the Play was done, they both made a visit to Mr Cowley. Langbaine (English Dramatick Poets, p. 81): This Play met with some Opposition, at its Representation under this new Name, from some who envyed the Authors unshaken Loyalty to the Prince, and the Royal Cause, in the worst of Times. BM Add. Mss. 34217, fol. 31b, in Hotson (Commonwealth and Restoration Stage, p. 247): @The Cutter of Coleman street had more fame@Before the Author chang'd its name@And shewd himselfe an Englishman right@By mending of things to spoyle them quite@And bee's more to blame because he can tell@(No better) to make new strings soe well.

Event Comment: The Lord Mayor's show. Evelyn, Diary: Was my L. Majors shew with a number of sumptuous pageantry, speeches & Verses: I was standing in an house in Cheape side, against the place prepared for their Majesties. The Prince & heire of Denmark was there, but not our King

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the King's playhouse, by agreement met Sir W. Pen, and saw Love in a Maze: but a sorry play: only Lacy's clowne's part, which he did most admirably indeed; and I am glad to find the rogue at liberty again. Here was but little, and that ordinary, company. We sat at the upper bench next the boxes, and I find it do pretty well, and have the advantage of seeing and hearing the great people, which may be pleasant when there is good store. Now was only Prince Rupert and my Lord Lauderdale, and my Lord [...]...But here was neither Hart, Nell, nor Knipp; therefore, the play was not likely to please me

Event Comment: In L. C. 5@12, p. 212, is a list of plays formerly acted at Blackfriars and now allowed (ca. 12 Jan. 1668@9) to the King's Company: Everyman in his Humour. Everyman out of his Humour. Cyntheas Revells. Sejanus. The ffox. The Silent Weoman. The Alchymist. Catilin. Bartholomew ffayre. Staple of Newes. The Devills an Asse. Magnitick Lady [The Humours Reconciled]. Tale of a Tubb. New Inn [or The Light of Heart]. Beggers Bush [by John Fletcher, with Philip Massinger?]. Bonduca. Custome of ye Country. The Captaine. The Chances. The Coxcombe. The Double Marriage. The ffrench Lawyer. The ffalse One. The fayre Mayd of ye Inn. The Humorous Leivt. The Island Princes. The Knights of Malta. Nathan Field. The Loyall Subject. The Lawes of Candye. Loves Progresse [The Lover's Progress; or, The Wandering Lovers. The Winters Tale. King John. Richard the Second. Loues Cure [or The Martial Maid]. Loues Pilgrimage. The Noble Gentlemen. The Nice Valour [or, The Passionate Madman]. The Prophetesse. The Marshall Mayd [see Love's Cure]. The Pilgrim. The Queene of Corinth. The Spanish Curate. The Sea Voyage. Valentinian. The Weomans Prize [or, The Tamer Tamed]. A Wife for a Moneth. The Wyd Goose-Chase. The Elder Brother. The ffaythfull Shepherdesse. A King & noe King. The Maydes Tragedie. Phylaster. Rollo Duke of Normandy [or, The Bloody Brother]. The Scornefull Lady. Thiery & Theodorat. Rule a Wife. The Gentlemen of Verona. The Merry Wives of Windsor. The Comoedy of Errors. Loves Labour Lost. Midsomer Nights Dreame. The Merchant of Venice. As you like it. The Tameing of ye Shrew. Alls well yt ends well. Henry ye fourth. The Second part Henry IV. The Royall Slaue

Event Comment: The King's Company. For the identification of this play and details of its performance, see W. J. Lawrence, "Foreign Singers and Musicians at the Court of Charles II," Musical Quarterly, IX (1923), 217-25, and James G. McManaway, "Entertainment for the Grand Duke of Tuscany," Theatre Notebook, XVI (1961), 20-21. The Travels of Cosmo the Third [Monday 3 June 1669 NS; Monday 24 May 1669 OS]: In the afternoon his highness left home earlier than usual to make his visits, that he might be at the King's Theatre in time for the comedy, and a ballet set on foot and got up in honor of his highness by my Lord Stafford, uncle of the Duke of Norfolk. On arriving at the theatre, which was sufficiently lighted on the stage and on the walls to enable the spectators to see the scenes and the performances, his highness seated himself in a front box, where, besides enjoying the pleasure of the spectacle, he passed the evening in conversation with the Venetian ambassador, the Duke of Norfolk, Lord Stafford, and other noblemen. To the story of Psyche, the daughter of Apollo, which abounded with beautiful incidents, all of them adapted to the performers and calculated to express the force of love, was joined a well-arranged ballet, regulated by the sound of various instruments, with new and fanciful dances after the English manner, in which different actions were counterfeited, the performers passing gracefully from one to another, so as to render intelligible, by their movements, the acts they were representing. This spectacle was highly agreeable to his highness from its novelty and ingenuity; and all parts of it were likewise equally praised by the ladies and gentlemen, who crouded in great numbers to the theatre, to fill the boxes, with which it is entirely surrounded, and the pit, and to enjoy the performance, which was protracted to a late hour of the night (pp. 347-48). In BM Add. Mss. 10117, folio 230, Rugge's Diurnall states that towards the end of May 1669 Cosmo, Prince of Tuscany had several plays acted for him

Event Comment: Newsletter, 8 Nov. 1670: The 4th being the birthday of the Prince of Orange a comedy was prepared at Whitehall to entertain him and all things done that might show what a great value the whole Court had for him (Hastings MSS. HMC, III, 324)

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard: and two Boxes for H. Prince of Orange. See VanLennep, "Plays on the English Stage", p. 16