Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: After dinner I went to the theatre, and there saw Love's Mistress done by them, which I do not like it some things so well as their acting in Salsbury Court. [Although Pepys saw this play on 2 March 1660@1 at Salisbury Court, done by the Duke's Company, here he appears to indicate a rival performance of it by the King's Company in Vere St.]

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Theatre and there saw King and no King, well acted

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To Whitefriars and saw The Spanish Curate, in which I had no great content

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: Mr Creed and I to White-Fryars, where we saw The Bondman acted most excellently, and though I have seen it often, yet I am every time more and more pleased with Betterton's action

Event Comment: Pepys, Diary: And then out to the red bull (where I had not been since plays come up again)...where I was led by a seaman that knew me, but is here as a servant, up to the tireing-room, where strange the confusion and disorder that there is among them in fitting themselves, especially here, where the clothes are very poor, and the actors but common fellows. At last into the pitt, where I think there was not above ten more than myself, and not one hundred in the whole house. And the play, which is called All's lost by Lust, poorly done; and with so much disorder, among others, that in the musique-room the boy that was to sing a song, not singing it right, his master fell about his ears and beat him so, that it put the whole house in an uprore. Nicoll (Restoration Drama, p. 309) argues that George Jolly probably occupied the red bull in St John's Street, Clerkenwell. When Richard Walden saw the red bull players at Oxford in July 1661, Anne Gibbs acted Dionysia in All's Lost by Lust. It is possible that she played that role on this day. See Walden's Io Ruminans, 1662

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. See 2 March 1661. Pepys, Diary: I and Captain Ferrers to Salisbury Court, by water, and saw part of the Queen's Maske

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: Mrs Pierce and her husband and I and my wife to Salisbury Court, where coming late he and she light of Col. Boone that made room for them, and I and my wife sat in the pit, and there met with Mr Lewes and Tom Whitton, and saw The Bondman done to admiration

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: Then with Mr Shepley to the Theatre and saw Rollo ill acted

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: Then to Whitefryars, and there saw part of Rule a wife have a wife, which I never saw before, but do not like it

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. An edition dated 1661 lists no cast, no prologue, and epilogue. Pepys, Diary: And so to White-fryars and saw The Little Thiefe, which is a very merry and pretty play, and the little boy do very well

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: Then by water, Creed and I, to Salisbury Court and there saw Love's Quarrell acted the first time, but I do not like the design or words

Event Comment: Pepys, Diary: So back to the Cockpitt [Whitehall], and there, by the favour of one Mr Bowman, he [Creed] and I got in, and there saw the King, and Duke of York and his Duchess (which is a plain woman, and like her mother, my Lady Chancellor). And so saw The Humersome Lieutenant acted before the King, but not very well done. But my pleasure was great to see the manner of it, and so many great beauties, but above all Mrs Palmer, with whom the King do discover a great deal of familiarity. Sometime before the Coronation of Charles II, on 23 April 1661, there may have been acted The Merry Conceited Humours of Bottom the Weaver. An edition of 1661 refers to its being "often publikely acted by some of his Majesties Comedians" and the Dedication suggests that it would make a good entertainment at the mirthful time of the Coronation. The edition lists no actors' names, no prologue, no epilogue

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: After dinner with Mr Creed and Captain Ferrers to the Theatre to see The Chances

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Theatre, and there saw the latter end of The Mayd's Tragedy, which I never saw before, and me thinks it is too sad and melancholy

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Theatre, wher I saw a piece of The Silent Woman, which pleased me

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Theatre, and saw Harry the 4th, a good play

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: I went to the Theatre and there saw Bartholomew Faire, the first time it was acted now-a-days. It is a most admirable play and well acted, but too much prophane and abusive

Event Comment: According to the diary of the Reverend John Ward, ed. Charles Severn (London, 1839), Ward saw The Alchymist at this time. The Folger MS V.a. 292, of Ward's journal, gives it as performed between 1 and 25 Sept. 1662. See Shakespeare Quarterly, XI (1961), 336. See also Dec. 1660

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Theatre, The Alchymist, which is a most incomparable play

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: With my Lady Batten, Mrs Rebecca Allen, Mrs Thompson, &c., two coaches of us, we went and saw Bartholomew Fayre, acted very well

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To Sir William Davenant's Opera; this being the fourth day that it hath begun, and the first that I have seen it. To-day was acted the second part of The Siege of Rhodes. We staid a very great while for the King and the Queen of Bohemia. And by the breaking of a board over our heads, we had a great deal of dust fell into the ladies' necks and the men's hair, which made good sport. The King being come, the scene opened; which indeed is very fine and magnificent, and well acted, all but the Eunuch, who was so much out tha he was hissed off the stage

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: I went to the Theatre, and there I saw Claracilla (the first time I ever saw it), well acted. But strange to see this house, that used to be so thronged, now empty since the Opera begun; and so will continue for a while, I believe

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Theatre, and saw Brenoralt, I never saw before. It seemed a good play, but ill acted; only I sat before Mrs Palmer, the King's mistress, and filled my eyes with her, which much pleased me

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Theatre, and saw The Jovial Crew, the first time I saw it, and indeed it is as merry and the most innocent play that ever I saw, and well performed

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Theatre, and there I saw The Tamer Tamed well done