Event Comment: A blunder in ye same place (the Giants) a great noise-Horse beans thrown-when ye curtain was down, Mr Woodward went on & said-Gentlemen I am very sorry this Accident shou'd happen, but before this little piece is perform'd again, I'll take care to see it so well practis'd that no Mistake can happen for ye furture. Great Applause.-The play was hiss'd again at the End (Cross). Receipts: #120 (Cross)

Event Comment: RRichd 3d (by Mossop) & Anatomist was put up but: Mossop being taken ill, after many Messages it was resolv'd to do ye Con. Lovers & Harl. Ranger. Small bills were printed & deliver'd at ye Doors to signify the Change & all went well. Mr Rich's Ent: of ye Sorcerer came out this day (Cross). Receipts: #120 (Cross). [The small bill referred to by Cross read as follows:] @Theatre Royal in Drury Lane@This night being the@11th of February@Richard the Third@(On Account of the Indisposition of a Principal Performer)@Is Oblig'd to be Chang'd to@The Conscious Lovers@and@Harlequin Ranger@with Dancing@By Mad Auretti@

Event Comment: This play was wrote by Mr Moor but as he had some Enemies, came out under ye Name of Mr Spence--went off well, except some few Words & a Song wch are since omitted--Mr Havard not being able to play the part design'd for him The following advertisement was put at ye Bottom of ye Bills for he first 2 Days: N.B. The Managers being engag'd to act two New Plays this Winter, cou'd not longer defer this Tragedy in waiting for Mr Havard's Recovery; Mr Davies at a very short Warning, has willingly undertaken the Character which Mr Havard was to have acted, and humbly hopes for the Indulgence of the Public (Cross). [This N.B. note from the Cross Diary is printed verbatim on the playbill]. Never Acted before. Tis hoped no Gentlemen will desire to be admitted behind the Scenes, this night. Receipts: #217 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for ye Author (no more Noise) (Cross). Tickets as of 5 Feb. Tickets deliver'd out for the third and sixth Nights will be taken. Receipts: #140 (Cross). Gentleman's Magazine, Feb. 1751, pp. 77-78, concerning Gil Blas: To animadvert upon a piece which is almost universally condemned is unneccessary, and to defend this is impossible. There is not one elegant expression or moral sentiment in the dialogue; nor indeed one character in the drama, from which either could be expected. It is however, to be wished that the Town, which opposed this play with so much zeal, would exclude from the theatre every other in which there is not more merit; for partiality and prejudice will be suspected in the treatment of new plays, while such pieces as the London Cuckolds, and the City Wives Confederacy, are suffered to waste time and debauch the morals of society....Upon the whole the Author appears to have intended rather entertainment than instruction, and to have disgusted the Pit by adapting his comedy to the taste of the Galleries....Perhaps the ill success of this comedy is chiefly the effect of the author's having so widely mistaken the character of Gil Blas whom he has degraded from a man of sense, discernment, true humor, and great knowledge of mankind...to an impertinent silly, conceited coxcomb, a mere Lying Valet, with all the affectation of a Fop, and all the insolence of a coward. [Thomas Gray wrote to Horace Walpole 3 March 1751, "Gil Blas is the Lying Valet in five acts. The fine lady has half-a-dozen good lines dispersed in it."

Event Comment: Benefit for ye widow of Capt. James Spencer, an Officer &c., and her small Children (Cross). An Old Officer who had been in His Majesty's Service 46 years, but dying when upon half-pay has left the Widow without pension and with several small children in greatest distress. N.B. Part of the Pit will be rail'd into the boxes and servants will be allowed to keep places on the Stage. Tickets to be had of Mrs Spencer, the uppermost house in Prince's Court, by Storey's Gate; the Bedford Coffee House, Covent Garden; the Tiltyard Coffee House; St James Coffee House; Sweet's Coffee House, Bukingham Court; Bridge Street Coffee House; The Rainbow Coffee House, Ludgate Hill; the Temple Exchange, Fleet St.; the Rainbow, Cornhill; and at the Stage Door of the theatre where places may be taken. Mr Norton Amber, humbly hopes this general acknowledgment of the favour which his friends were pleas'd to confer on him by their generous appearance last Night at Drury Lane, will be accepted, instead of a more particular application, which his constant employment prevents; and begs leave to assure them, that he shall ever retain a most grateful sense of their indulgent assistance. Receipts: #252 (Cross)

Event Comment: [The Duke's Company. For Harris' role, see Pepys, 11 May 1668. For Angel as Stephano, see An Elegy Upon...Mr Edward Angell, reprinted in A Little Ark, pp. 38-39: @Who shall play Stephano now? your Tempest's gone@To raise new Storms i' th' hearts of every one.@ For Underhill as Trincalo, note his nickname of Prince Trincalo. (For Mary Davis as Ariel and Mrs Long as Hypolito, see J. H. Wilson, All the King's Ladies, pp. 140, 166.) Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 33): The Tempest...Acted in Lincolns-Inn-Fields...alter'd by Sir William Davenant and Mr Dryden before 'twas made into an Opera. Pepys, Diary: At noon resolved with Sir W. Pen to go see The Tempest, an old play of Shakespeare's, acted, I hear, the first day; and so my wife, and girl, and W. Hewer by themselves, and Sir W. Pen and I afterwards by ourselves; and forced to sit in the side balcone over against the musique-room at the Duke's house, close by my Lady Dorset and a great many great ones. The house mighty full; the King and Court there: and the most innocent play that ever I saw; and a curious piece of musique in an echo of half sentences, the echo repeating the former half, while the man goes on the latter, which is mighty pretty. The play [has] no great wit, but yet good, above ordinary plays. Thence home with Sir W. Pen, and there all mightily pleased with the play

Event Comment: This is a farce of Macklin's Writing, it went off very greatly-he play'd Shylock too (Cross). Receipts: #190 (Cross). [Garrick and Lacy had contracted with Macklin for this Farce two weeks before this performance, according to the following document (BM Add. MS 27925): Memorandum of an Agreement relating to Mr Macklin's Farce and his Playing & performing in the said Farce, with such plays as shall be performed on which the said Farce shall be acted as aforesaid as follows: Imprimis: The said Farce to be publicly performed before Christmas, otherwise not this season on account of the Managers other engagements. Item: Mr Macklin to have for his performing in the said plays and Farce a Fifth part of the profits of the first five nights after deducting sixty-three pounds for the charges of each night during the said five nights-and the sixth night to be for the Benefit of Mr Macklin, he paying the usual charges of sixty-three pounds. Item: The Managers to have it in their power to stop the performances of the said Farce at the end of Six nights on account of their other engagements,-and in case the Receipt of any one night of the said nights on which the said Farce shall be performed as aforesaid shall fall short of One Hundred pounds. Then the Managers to have it in their power to stop the performance of said Farce as the Receipt does not amount to One Hundred pounds. Item: The said Six nights for the said Farce & plays in which Mr Macklin shall perform as aforesaid not to be played immediately succeeding one another, but alternately with such plays as the Managers shall think Convenient. Lastly: That if the said Farce shall meet with the disapprobation of the Publick, that then it shall be in the Power of Discretion of the Managers to stop the performance thereof. Dated this 28th day of November, 1759. S@ James Lacy, D. Garrick. Witness: R. Cross, Geo. Garrick.

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: I after dinner to the Duke of York's playhouse, and there saw Sir Martin Mar-all; which I have seen so often, and yet am mightily pleased with it, and think it mighty witty, and the fullest of proper matter for mirth that ever was writ; and I do clearly see that they do improve in their acting of it. Here a mighty company of citizens, prentices, and others; and it makes me observe, that when I begun first to be able to bestow a play on myself, I do not remember that I saw so many by half of the ordinary prentices and mean people in the pit at 2s. 6d. a-piece as now; I going for several years no higher than the 12d. and then the 18d. places, though I strained hard to go in them when I did: so much the vanity and prodigality of the age is to be observed in this particular

Event Comment: Benefit Nicolino. With New Scenes and Cloaths, particularly the Scene with the Fountain. Pit and Boxes half a guinea. Stage Boxes 15s. Gallery 4s. At 6 p.m. Weekly Packet, 25 June: Signior Nicolini's Quail-Pipe continues to lug the Nobility and Gentry by the Ears, who have gone very far on his last Benefit-Night, towards equipping him for another purchase at Venice, he having already built a stately Edifice there, near the Rialto, upon which is written in Characters of Gold, Villa Britannica, as a Testimony that Scaliger's Saying, that we are Hospitibus Feri, is a downright Untruth, and falsly imputed to our Nation

Event Comment: Benefit Carlo Broschi Farinello. With several Alterations and Additions. Pit and Boxes, Places on the Stage, at Half a Guinea. N.B. Signor Farinello humbly hopes, that the Subscribers will not make use of their Tickets on this Occasion. The Stage will be in the same Manner as in the Assembly with a great Number of Benches. Mrs Pendarves to Mrs Granville, 15 March: Tonight is Farinelli's benefit; all the polite world will flock there, and go at four o'clock, for fear they should not be time enough. I don't love mobbing, and so I shall leave them to themselves. Daily Advertiser, 13 March: 'Tis expected that Signor Farinelli will have the greatest Appearance on Saturday that has been known. We hear that a Contrivance will be made to accommodate 2000 People. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has been pleas'd to give him 200 Guineas, the Spanish Ambassador 100, the Emperor's Ambassador 50, his Grace the Duke of Leeds 50, the Countess of Portmore 50, Lord Burlington 50, his Grace the Duke of Richmond 50, the Hon. Col. Paget 30, Lady Rich 20, and most of the other Nobility 50, 30 or 20 Guineas each; so that 'tis believ'd his Benefit will be worth to him upwards of 2000l

Event Comment: Benefit Handel. Pit and Boxes half a guinea. Gallery 5s. London Evening Post, 30 March: Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales were present; there was the greatest and most polite Audience ever seen there, and it's thought Mr Handel cou'd not get less that Night than 15001. Egmont, Diary, II, 474: In the evening I went to Hendel's Oratorio, where I counted near 1,300 persons besides the gallery and upper gallery. I suppose he got this night 1,000 1. [For further details, see Deutsch, Handel, p. 455.

Event Comment: A New Comic Opera; compsoed by Pietro Guglielmi; under the direction of Mazzinghi. Pit Half a Guinea. Gallery 5s. No Money to be returned. The Doors to be opened at 6:30. To begin at 7:30 precisely [see 14 Feb. 1792]. The Nobility and Gentry are intreated to give particular Orders to their Coachmen to set down and take up with their Horses' Heads towards Hyde Park. The Door in Blenheim Mews will be shut during the Performance and opened only for the Company to go in Chairs. Subscriptions are received at Messrs Ransom, Morland and Hammersly's, No. 57, Pall-mall. And the Nobility and Gentry are earnestly requested to send a complete List of the Subscribers to their respective Boxes as soon as possible, since (by express Orders) no Person, on any account, can be admitted without producing a proper Ticket

Event Comment: Benefit for Davis, Holtom and Merrifield. Afterpiece: By Particular Desire. Charges: half house charge to Davis #32 5s. minus half Receipts, deficit to Davis #18 12s. 9d.; half house charge to Holtom and Merrifield 32 5s. minus half Receipts, deficit to Holtom #9 6s. 4 1!2d.; deficit to Merrifield #9 6s. 4 1!2d.; covered by income from tickets: Davis #76 10s. (Box 97; Pit 259; Gallery 134); Holtom #28 17s. (Box 25; Pit 110; Gallery 61); Merrifield #45 16s. (Box 93; Pit 114; Gallery 57) (Account Book). Receipts: #27 4s. 6d

Event Comment: Pepys, Diary: But my wife and I rose from table, pretending business, and went to the Duke's house, the first play I have been at these six months, according to my last vowe, and here saw the so much cried-up play of "Henry the Eighth"; which, though I went with resolution to like it, is so simple a thing made up of a great many patches, that, besides the shows and processions in it, there is nothing in the world good or well done

Event Comment: Benefit Author of Chrononhotonthologos. Note, the Author gives out no Tickets (a few Boxes excepted) depending intirely upon the Courtesy of the Town. Egmont, Diary, II, 40: After dinner I went to the Haymarket playhouse, where among other representations I saw the strong man show one of his feats. Two chairs were placed on the stage at such a distance as that laying himself along, his head and a small part of his shoulders rested on one, and his feet on the other, so that his body and legs were suspended in the air. Then six grown men (two of whom I observed to be remarkably tall) go up, and stood perpendicular upon his body, two on his chest, two on his body, and two on his legs. He bore them all a quarter of a minute, and bending his body downward till it almost touched the ground between the chairs, with a surprising spring and force raised his body with all that weight upon it, not only level as he lay at first, but higher in the air. The mob of the gallery not satisfied with this, hissed, whereupon he refused to show any other of his tricks

Event Comment: The Doors to be opened at Half an Hour after Five. To begin exactly at Half an Hour after six. [The Account Book indicates that the following paid up their deficits of half values of tickets: Rose, Mrs Griffiths, Claridge, Doe, Pullen, Fransdorf, Norbury, Robson, Pilfold, Roberts and Singleton.] Receipts: #163 9s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: The 4th Night of Oratorios's (Account Book, Egerton 2268). Pit and Boxes laid together at 10s. 6d. each. Gallery 5s. Upper Gallery 3s. Galleries open at 1!2 past 4; Pit and Boxes at 5. Oratorio to begin at 1!2 past 6 o'clock

Event Comment: [Text by Giacomo Rossi. Music by George Frederic Handel.] Never Perform'd before. Compos'd by Mr Hendel. Colman's Opera Register: This was not by Subscription but at ye usuall Opera Price of Boxes 8s. Pit 5s. Gallery 2s. 6d. The Scene represented only ye Country of Arcadia. ye Habits were old.--ye Opera Short. [Published as Pastor Fido.

Event Comment: Afterpiece: By Particular Desire. Ye Audience allarm'd in the Middle of ye farce by Cap Robinson & Cap Loyde fighting behind ye Boxes; people suspected at first it was fire, but being convinc'd to ye Contrary set down again. Cap Rob was wounded (Cross). Was a terrible alarm at Drury Lane theatre by a noise from behind the boxes, occasion'd by two gentlemen quarrelling and drawing their swords, which produc'd a rumor of fire through the house, and so great a confusion that many were hurt in attempting to force their way out. A woman was with difficulty saved from throwing herself over the gallery into the pit (Gentleman's Magazine, p. 425). Receipts: #80 (Cross)

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: Newdigate newsletters, 14 Aug. 1683: The Manager of ye Kings Theatre intend wth in short time to pforme an Opera in like manner of yt of ffrance. Mr Betterton wth other Actrs are gone over to fetch Ye designe [Wilson, Theatre Notes from the Newdigate Newsletters, p. 82). See also a letter from Lord Preston to the Earl of Sunderland, Paris, 25 Aug. 1683 N.S. concerning Betterton's visit to Paris (HMC, 7th Report, Appendix, p. 288)

Event Comment: Peregrine Bertie to the Countess of Rutland, 11 Feb. 1685@6: To-day was the French opera. The King and Queen were there, the musicke was indeed very fine, but all the dresses the most wretched I ever saw; 'twas acted by none but French. A Saturday the Court goes to another play, to take their leaves of those vanitys till after Lent (HMC, 12th Report, Appendix, Rutland MSS., Part V, Vol. II, p. 104). [This performance is on the L. C. list 5@147, p. 125: The King & Queene & a Box for ye Maydes of honor at ye French Opera [the charge for the royal box was increased from #20 to #25 on this occasion]. W. J. Lawrence conjectured that this French opera was Cadmus et Hermione and that Jacques Rousseau, a scene painter of Paris, provided the decor. See W. J. Lawrence, The French opera in London; A Riddle of 1686, TLS, 28 March 1936, p. 268

Event Comment: The United Company. This performance is on the L. C. list, 5@151, p. 369: ye Q a Box & a Box for ye Maids Honr K Arthur. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 352. Luttrell, A Brief Relation, II, 331: The queen and queen dowager went this evening to the play of Mr Dryden s opera. [See also the reference to this play under January 1691@2 above.