Event Comment: The Ninth Night, For the Author of the mainpiece. Rec'd from Mr Condell second payment [for Fruit Office] #20. Receipts: #240 3s. 6d.; Charges: #73 10s.; Profit to author: #166 3s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Yates. Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Part of pit laid into boxes. Send servants at 4 o'clock. Tickets delivered for Cyrus (for this night) will be taken. [The Epilogue is Larpent MS 408. N.B. The Treasurer's Account Book for this year differs from those of the preceding five in not recording the income from tickets delivered out for benefit nights. See Comment, 23 Sept. 1775. The box receipts for benefit performances during this season, therefore, are not an accurate reflection of the popularity of a play.] Paid Mr Stainer for Music #2 4s. 9d. Receipts: #147 19s. 6d. Charges: #68 10s. Profits to Mrs Yates: #79 9s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Smith. Mr Lacy play'd Cyrus. Spoke too Low and wanted Spirit. Was receiv'd with Applause (Hopkins Diary). [MacMillan's note from Kemble differs slightly.] Tickets delivered for Siege of Damascus, for that night, will be taken. The Bill For establishing a Fund for Decayed Actors of dl Theatre has passed the House of Lords (Winston MS 11). Receipts: #134 19s. Charges: #67 7s. 6d. Profits to Smith: #67 11s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: [Identical program except a Solo on the Pedal Harp in place of Concerto on German Flute. Mr Jones was the harpist.] This program By Particular Desire

Event Comment: Benefit for Bensley. Tickets deliver'd for The Siege of Damascus (for that night) will be taken. Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Paid 8 extra trumpets #3; Mr Cook's singing boys, 17 nights #25 10s. Receipts: #187 15s. 6d. Charges: #78 16s. 6d. Profits to Bensley: #99 19s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: House Pacini's Night Bought by the Managers (Hopkins Diary). The last time of performing till Easter. Paid salary #416 4s. 4d.; Mr Smith for Abrams [sic] the Jew #21; Miss Abrahams [sic] #10 10s. Receipts: #262 8s. 6d

Event Comment: At the Foundling Hospital. Under the Direction of Mr Stanley. At Noon. Tickets Half a Guinea. There will be no Collection

Event Comment: House (Hopkins Diary). The new Comedy of The Runaway is unavoidably oblig'd to be deferred till Saturday. Rec'd Mr Stanley's Oratorio Account, 11 nights, #327 5s. Paid Lawrence (paper hanger) #13 7s.; Renters (for 11 Oratorio nights) #88; Cubit (tinman) #7 14s. 6d.; Gardner (shoemaker) #25; Chettle (timber merchant) #22 14s. 6d.; Mist andCo. (brazier) #10 8s.; Thomson (smith) #5 16s. 6d. Barrow andCo. (oil) #106 5s.; Tallow Chandler's 8th Bill #26 12s.; Palmer's Bill of Bath for Spermacetti Candles #162 10s. (Treasurer's Book). [MacMillan quotes from Kemble's note on the playbill, a Garrick interpolation in Drugger 's last speech (IV, vii): "Abel: Did you never see me play the Fool? Face: Yes. Abel: But the wise ones say I have played the Fool long enough; So I am going to leave it off and grow melancholy." [This note does not appear in the Hopkins Diary in the Folger Library.] Receipts: #265 17s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: House (Mr Parsons) Bought by the Managers (Hopkins Diary). N.B. On 6 May treasurer paid Parsons in Lieu of a Benefit #105 (Treasurer's Book). Paid salary list #621 16s. 6d. Receipts: #153 9s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr and Mrs Hopkins. Receipts: #57 4s. 6d. Charges: #66 3s. Deficit to the Hopkins: #8 18s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit Mr and Mrs Vallouy. The new Dances entirely composed by Vallouy

Event Comment: Benefit for Bransby and Burton. Paid Miss Abrahams #50; Ditto to Mr Bate for the Music of the Blackamoor #50; Paid for convicting a pickpocket 10s. Receipts: #54 17s. Charges: #64 16s. 6d. Deficit to Bransby and Burton: #9 19s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for DuBellamy. The Constant attendance Mr DuBellamy has, and is still oblig'd to pay to the business of the theatre, he humbly hopes will be admitted as a sufficient excuse for his not making a personal appliaction to his friends. Doors open half past 5. To begin half past 6 o'clock

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs West. Tickets to be had of West, at the Ship, near the Seven Houses, Rotherhithe. Mainpiece: In Act II the triumphal entry of Alexander into Babylonv; In Act IV the grand Banquet where Alexander kills his faithful soldier, old Clytus. [The playbill contains a lengthy synopsis of the plot of the mainpiece; it concludes by noting that "the many flowery passages with which this tragedy abounds does honour to the pen of its author, N. Lee, Esqr., and we may justly say with Mr Pope, 'Such plays alone shou'd please a British ear, as Cato's self had not disdain'd to hear.'"]

Event Comment: By Command of Their Majesties. Mrs Davies Miss Tittup--La! La! King sent a letter to $Sheridan desiring to be off his Engagement--all made up at night. Mattocks came and told me that Lacy had sold Half his Share of the Patent to Mr Langford (The Auctioneer) and Captain Thomson (Authour of the Syrens &c.). I acquainted Sheridan of it--he had not heard it before (Hopkins Diary). Receipts: #267 6s

Event Comment: Alexander the Great? [announced on playbill of 4 Nov.] is obliged to be deferred. [The playbill lists Mrs Yates as Lady Townly, but see following note. Miss Younge's name appears in all subsequent playbills, except on 19 Dec.] Alexander was advertised for this Night, but Lacy being hoarse, who was to have played Alexander, it was obliged to be deferred, and this Play substituted. It was between eleven and twelve o'clock at (Night) before we got it settled. Mr. Sheridan ordered me not to send to Mrs. Yates about (it) till the Morning. About eight o'clock I sent her Notice that the Provoked Husband was to be performed at Night. A little after nine, she sent Word by her Niece that she was never so ill treated in her life, that she was never before asked to play on the fifth of November [which day was traditionally set aside for the acting of Tamerlane], that she would not play Lady Townly that Night, nor would she play any more; and if she had an Inclination to play, she had no Cloaths ready to play it in; and sent back the Part of Semiramis in a new Tragedy that was preparing [see 16 Nov., 14 Dec.]. I got Miss Younge to do Lady Townly, and an Apology was made by Packer that Mrs Yates having refused this Morning to do Lady Townly, Miss Younge at a Minutes' Notice undertook to do it. Miss Younge was much applauded and Yates had a few hisses (Hopkins Diary). Receipts: #179 11s. 6d

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 16 years [not acted since 27 Oct. 1758]. With Alterations [by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Prologue by David Garrick]. The Characters new dressed. This Play is revived with Alterations (by R. B. Sheridan Esq) and a new occasional Prologue written by Mr Garrick? and spoken by Dodd, both well received. Miss Essex made her first Appearance upon this stage in Silvia, a small mean Figure and shocking Actress, so bad that she is to do the Part no more. Reddish was very imperfect in Vainlove from the Beginning, but was so very much so in the last Act, that the Audience hissed very much, and cryed out, 'Off, Reddish, Off!" He went forward, and addressed them as follows, 'Ladies and Gentlemen, I have been honoured with your Favour and Protection for these ten years past, and I am very sorry to give any cause for your Displeasure now; but having undertaken the Part at a very short Warning, in order to strengthen the Bill, and having had but two Rehearsals for it, puts it out of my Power to do Justice to the Part, or myself.' The Play then went on. So great a Lye was never delivered to an Audience by any Actor or Actress before. He had the Part at least six weeks in his Possession, and repeated Notice to be ready in it, and six Rehearsals was called for it,--indeed, he attended but three. Vernon undertook to study the Part at eleven o'clock to-night, and to perform it to-morrow (Hopkins Diary). [Miss Essex was from the hay.] Receipts: #209 6s

Event Comment: Before the Play began, Reddish went on, and addressed the Audience as follows, which was drawn up by Mr Sheridan, "Ladies and Gentlemen, having in my Address to the Publick on Tuesday Night last accounted for my Omission in the Part of Vainlove in a manner which appeared to reflect highly on the Managers, I now beg Permission to ascribe it to the Confusion I was in from the Displeasure of the Audience, and, as the Managers are satisfied with my Assurance that this was the Case, I humbly hope for the Indulgence of the Publick, whom I never meant to offend, and whom I will ever study to please" (Hopkins Diary). Raceipts: #119 17s. 6d

Event Comment: The Characters will be dressed in the Habits of the Times. The Musick of Macbeth had a proper Attention paid to it in the getting up by Mr Linley (who composed the Additional Accompaniments) and went off with great Applause. Mrs Melmoth, who came out at Covent Garden [on 26 Feb. 1774], made her first Appearance upon this Stage in Lady Macbeth, was very wild in the Part, met with some Applause. The Play was dressed in the Habits of the Times. [Note added by J. P. Kemble: I have seen some of these Habits, and very paltry and very improper they were] (Hopkins Diary). [Mrs Melmoth was from the Edinburgh theatre.] Receipts: #191 1s. 6d

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time in London; DR. POEM 5, by William Mason, 1st acted at Crow Street Theatre, Dublin, 30 Mar. 1764]: Written on the Model of the ancient Greek Tragedy. The Overture and all the Music composed New by Dr Arne. With a New Scene designed and executed by Dahl [recte Dall]. The Dresses, Decorations, &c. all entirely New. Books of the Lyrical Part of the Drama to be had at the Theatre. 'But I had rather talk of Caractacus; I agree that he will not suffer by not being sputtered by Barry, who has lost all his teeth. Covent Garden is rather above Drury Lane in actors, but both sets are exceedingly bad, so bad-that I almost wish Caractacus was not to appear. Very seldom do I go to the play, for there is no bearing such strollers" (Walpole [to the author, 8 Oct. 1776], IX, 419-20). "I attended Caractacus last winter, and was greatly interested, both from my friendship for Mr Mason and from the excellence of the poetry. I was out of all patience; for though a young Lewis played a subordinate part very well, and Mrs Hartley looked her part charmingly, the Druids were so massacred, and Caractacus so much worse, that I never saw a more barbarous exhibition" (Walpole [13 July 1777], X, 81-82). Public Advertiser, 7 Dec. 1776: This Day is published the Lyrical Part of Caractacus (6d.). [The publisher, J. Wilkie, states that he also has the "whole Drama, as altered by the Author, 18d." Ibid., 9 Dec., contains an advertisement from Mason stating that this version is unauthorized.] Ibid., 12 Dec.: This Day is published [by A. Ward of York] a new Edition of Caractacus, now altered for Representation at the Theatre-Royal in Covent Garden (1s. 6d.). Receipts: #163 10s. (163.6; 0.4)