Event Comment: Betterton's Company. The date of the premiere is not known, but the fact that the play was advertised in the Post Man, 7-9 July 1696, suggests that it was first presented not later than June 1696. The cast also has a large number of relatively new players, suggesting a performance in the early summer, when the young actors had more opportunities to act. Several Songs, with the names of the singers, were published separately: Hark you, madam, can't I move you, set by John Eccles, and sung by Bowman and Mrs Bracegirdle; Shou'd I not lead a happy life, set by John Eccles and sung by Reading and M. Lee; From Aberdeen to Edinburgh, set by Ackeroyd and sung by Mrs Hudson; all in Deliciae Musicae, The Second Book of the Second Volume, 1696. Preface, Edition of 1696: I am almost asham'd to mention the extraordinary Success of a Play which I myself must condemn....Let me leave this ungrateful Subject to acknowledge my obligations to Mr John Eccles, who not only set my three Dialogues to most charming Notes, but honour'd the Words to Admiration. Downes, Roscius Anglicanus, p. 44: Love's a Jest, a Comedy, done by Mr Mateox; succeeded well, being well Acted, and got the Company Reputation and Money

Event Comment: The Lord Chamberlain, L. C. 7@1--see Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 339-hearing that Dogget had left Lincoln's Inn Fields and Verbruggen had left Drury Lane, restated the order against players shifting companies, and ordered that Verbruggen was to stay with Drury Lane until 1 Jan. 1696@7 but that he might enter into agreement with Lincoln's Inn Fields to act there after the close of 1696

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: Not Acted these Fifteen Years. [After this performance the dl at Oxford, where Betterton spoke a prologue written by Joseph Trapp. It appeared as a broadside and in The Players Turn'd Academicks and has been reprinted by Wiley. p. 124.

Event Comment: Post Boy, 13-15 Sept.: On Tuesday, the 7th [sic] instant, in Drury-Lane, when the Players were just going to act, but were, by Order from their Superiors, stopp'd from farther Proceeding; so that they were, to their great Mortification, forced to dismiss their publick Auditors. [See also Female Tatler, 12 Sept.

Event Comment: At Mr Goff's new Playhouse in Hampstead. This Consort will be perform'd with much better Decorum than before. [In Post Boy, 13-15 Sept., it was announced that the Justices for Middlesex had served an order at Hampstead forbidding the players "to act any more there."

Event Comment: Benefit Penkethman, Pack, and Spiller. At Penkethman's Booth near St. George's Church, in Southwark. The Boxes and Pit are laid together, and the Booth will be pull'd down on Thursday. At 6 p.m. Weekly Journal or British Gazetteer, 5 Oct.: Wednesday at the Quarter-Sessions for the Borough of Southwark, Mr Penkethman, Mr Leigh, and other Persons taken out their Booths by the Informing Constables during the Time of the Fair, appear'd upon their Recognizances, and were immediately Discharg'd, there being no Prosecution, upon which Occasion the Recorder severely reprimanded the Constables for presuming to molest such as Acted upon a Lawful Patent, whilst they let others pass undisturb'd, who were really under the Censure of the Act against Strolling, or Vagrant Players

Event Comment: By His Royal Highness's Command. According to the Original Weekly Journal 26 April the Prince was present, but Edward Harley Jr writing to Abigail Harley on 6 May stated: The P..., not long ago, bespoke at the Old Playhouse, a play called the Indian Emperor. The K...hearing of it, sent to the players to tell them that if the P...came, and they acted that play, he would turn them out of his service, which message they sent to the P..., who had the good sense not to come, so the Indian Emperor was acted.-Portland MS, V, 560

Event Comment: Weekly Journal or Saturday's Post, 11 Oct.: Last Friday Night...three Gentlemen demanded to go behind the Scenes; but there being an Order of the House made to the contrary, they were denied Admittance; upon which they went into the Pit, and with Apples, &c. pelted the Players in a shameful Manner, after which they got upon the Stage and drew their Swords and broke down the Scenery, Lamps, &c. which put the House in an Uproar, and 'twas an Hour before the Gentlemen could be brought to a civil Behaviour

Event Comment: With all the Original Decorations of Rising, Sinking, and Flying. Daily Post, 30 Oct.: The Play of King Henry the Eighth...having met with a very favourable Reception from the Town, we hear that the Players propose to add several different Characters of Dignity to the Procession of Queen Anne Bullen , with other proper Decorations

Event Comment: At the particular Desire of several Persons of Quality. To which will be added the Coronation Scene of Anna Bullen , and the Ceremony of the Champion in Westminster Hallv; with several additional Decorations. Daily Post, 27 Nov.: The Coronation of Anna Bullenv having met with such extraordinary Success...the Players have been encouraged to give the Town and additional and different View of that Solemnity, by shewing the whole Magnificence at one, with the Ceremony of the Champion in Westminster Hall, &c. And we hear that several Persons of Quality being unwilling to lose their usual Variety of Plays, have desired the Comedians to add the Coronation, &c. as a separate Entertainment, to any other Play the Town may be inclin'd to see

Event Comment: DDaily Courant, 25 Aug.: On Friday Night last the Constables of Middlesex and Westminster went to [hay] in order to apprehend the Actors and Players there, upon a Warrant signed by several of his Majesty's Justices of the Peace, against them as Rogues and Vagabonds, but they all made their Escapes

Event Comment: DDaily Journal, 14 Jan.: We hear...that...The Modish Couple, which met with great Opposition the two first Nights, but was acted the third with Success, before one of the finest Assemblies of Persons of Quality that has been seen, was last Night again so interrupted, that the Players could not perform but were forced to dismiss the Audience.' The violent Treatment which this Piece has met with, is supposedles those People who made it their Business to raise Disturbances at every new Performance that comes on the Stage. [For another account, see Egmont, Diary, I, 216.

Event Comment: SSt. James's Evening Post, 2 June, quoted in Grub St. Journal, 7 June: Sir, As Mr Cibber has had various ill-natured reflections cast upon him, for selling his share of the patent for Drury-Lane house, and for not making it over to his son; it will be a piece of justice to inform the publick, that the reason which he gave for such a conduct was, that he chose to convert it into ready money, that he might make a proportionable division of what fortune he may happen to have among all his children. Craftsman, 2 June: We have likewise received undoubted Intelligence from [dl], that a considerable Body of malcontent Players, under the Command of that puissant Captain, Mr The@@lus C@@r, have lately enter'd into a mutinous Association against their Masters, the Patentees, and still continue in a State of Hostility; which hath prevented any Plays being acted there this Week

Event Comment: For two lengthy letters on the Patentees vs. The Players, see Grub St. Journal, 7 June

Event Comment: CCraftsman, 9 June: We hear...that the Rebel Players are not yet reduced to their Obedience, but it is thought that They will soon be obliged to surrender at Discretion. In that mean Time, the Publick waits with Impatience to see the Manifesto of their doubty Chief, Mr Theophilus Cibber, which He hath promised in the News-Papers. It is expected that, in this Manifesto, the young Captain will endeavour to prove that the King's Patent, after a solemn Adjudgment in the Court of Chancery, is of no Validity; and that picking a Gentleman's Pocket of Six Thousand Pounds is perfectly consistent with the Principles of Liberty. In the Daily Post, 11 June, Benjamin Griffin, Comedian, published his Humble Appeal to the Publick.The gist of his statement is: (1) Griffin had been under the management of Rich at Lincoln's Inn Fields, without any intention of leaving him, when, at the beginning of the season of 1721, the managers at Drury Lane sent him messages by Thurmond Sr and Shaw, seeking Griffin to treat with them. Griffin at first refused, but Steede, then the prompter of Drury Lane, prevailed upon him. Wilks immediately offered the same conditions Griffin had under Rich: #4 weekly and a benefit before 15 April, at the certain incident charge of #40. Wilks also offered him articles for three years, with a promise of an advance in salary and better terms at that time. (2) No sooner had Griffin agreed than the masters of both companies entered into a private agreement not to receive any one of the other's company, though discharged, without a private agreement to that purpose. (3) At the end of three years, under date of 12 December 1724, R. Castleman, the treasurer of Drury Lane, sent Griffin a note to the effect that the managers were willing to continue him at 10s. nightly (#3 weekly); as Griffin could not return to Rich, he had to accept the reduction in pay as well as a delay of his benefit to May and a payment of #50 for the charges. (4) He remained so until 1729, losing in salary #147 besides the #10 extra benefits. At Norris' illness and death, the managers returned him to #4 weekly but kept the charges at #50. (5) Under date of 4 June 1733, by the signatures of Mary Wilks, Hester Booth, John Highmore, and John Ellys, Griffin received a discharge from Drury Lane and full Liberty to treat with Rich or any one else. He asserts that he had no previous notice and received no reason for his discharge