Event Comment: Benefit for Johnstone. [Forster is identified by MS annotation on hay playbill now at Harvard.] Morning Chronicle, 25 Aug.: Tickets to be had of Johnstone, No. 19, Piazza, Covent Garden

Event Comment: The Sixth Day...at the Desire of several Ladies of Quality. Daily Advertiser, 2 Oct.: Last Saturday Night the reviv'd Play of Romeo and Juliet...was acted...to a numerous and polite Audience, with Great Applause. There was an extraordinary fine appearance of Ladies in the Boxes; and every one allow'd Miss Jenny Cibber (who has given Proofs of an uncommon Genius) was greatly inprov'd in the character of Juliet. The Quality and Gentry were all safely guarded to the chairs and Coaches by the Lads of St. James's Market. [Hill was the stage name for Johnson.

Event Comment: Mainpiece: A new Tragedy. [By John Hewitt.]

Event Comment: Benefit the Author, Mr Johnson of Chesire. Never Acted before. [See Remains of John Byrom, Vol. I, Part II, pp. 349-50.

Event Comment: Never Acted before. Alter'd from Milton's Masque perform'd (upwards of a Hundred Years since) at Ludlow-Castle, and now adapted to the Stage. [By John Dalton.

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; P 2, by Thomas John Dibdin; pantomime by Charles Farley]: With new Scenery, Machinery, Tricks, Dresses, and Decorations. The Overture, Airs and Chorusses by Attwood. The Pantomime Music by Attwood, Mountain, and Ealy [recte Eley]. The Scenery by Phillips, Lupino, Hollogan, Blackmore, Thorne, Wilkins, &c. The Machinery and Tricks by Cresswell, Sloper and Goostree. The Dresses by Dick and Mrs Egan. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. Receipts: #364 (353.12; 10.8)

Event Comment: Benefit for Burton, Miss Heard, Miss Tidswell, & Mrs Bramwell. [2nd piece: With alterations by John Philip Kemble.] 3rd piece: Not acted these 6 years. "Of [Wroughton's] comedy something favourably must be said. His personations are usually natural, easy, and spirited; he is perhaps too locomotive: he cannot bear to stand still...To this peculiar bustle of his motion may be attributed much of his success in Sir John Restless [in All in the Wrong]...For the same reason, no man can play Ford with half the effect Wroughton does" (Monthly Mirror, Mar. 1796, p. 304). Morning Herald, 30 May: Tickets to be had of Miss Heard, No. 43, Haymarket [others not listed]. Receipts: #337 6s. 6d. (30.13.0; 40.16.6; 3.4.6; tickets: 260.10.0; odd money: 2.2.6) (charge: #202 11s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Hill, Rees and Miss Sims. Morning Chronicle, 6 June: Tickets to be had of Hill, No. 24, Bow-street, opposite the Pit Door. [Others not listed.] 2nd piece [1st time: M. INT 1]. Receipts: #287 7s. (50.17.6; 4.0.6; tickets: 232.9.0)

Event Comment: Rich's Company. The date of the first performance is uncertain, and the play has been sometimes assigned to December 1695. There are indications, however, that the play first appeared at a later time, but certainly not later than 14 March 1695@6, the date attached to the Dedication. The Epilogue has some allusions which suggest mid-February, for it refers to the "Fasting time" of Lent and to "Dancing at Drapers-Hall last Masquerade" (a masquerade ball was held there on 4 Feb. 1695@6). Dedication, Edition of 1696: This Play was given to my Care by a Friend: I promis'd him not to neglect it in the Difficulties it was to pass through. It has had hitherto but an unpleasant Journey; and I knew no better way to make Amends, than by taking up its Rest with you [Sir John Smith]; where I am assured its Reception will be the best a truly Noble and Generous Soul can give. I beg not your Protection, Sir, from those wide-mouth'd Curs, the Criticks: But since they have had their Ends in running it down, 'tis under the Shelter of your Name I desire a poor maim'd Thing, that did its best to shew them Sport, may lye secure from farther Danger....H. Horden. A Comparison Between the Two Stages (1702), p. 18: Damn'd

Event Comment: See Remains of John Byrom, p. 351

Event Comment: Principal Violoncello by C. Ashley. Double Drums by R. Ashley. Trumpets by Sariant, Cantelo, Purney. Among the other Principal Instrumental Performers are Foster, Mahon, Boyce, Flack, Lavenu, John Sharp, Simpson, Gwilliam, Monro, Mich. Sharp, Wood, Warren, Wm. Sharp, Cobham, Cornish, Jenkinson, F. Sharp, Shutze, Lord, Woodham, J. Sharp, Franks, &c. With a Complete Set of Chorus Singers. The Whole under the Direction of Ashley. Boxes 6s. Pit 3s. 6d. Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. No Money to be returned. The Doors to be opened at 5:30. To begin at 6:30 [same throughout oratorio season]. Places to be had of Brandon at the Box Office in Hart-street. Books of the Performance, 6d. each, may be had at the Theatre. The Directors' Books have these words at the bottom of each title-page: "Printed by H. Madeish, Recorder-Office, Duke's-Court, Drury-lane."

Event Comment: Benefit for Knight. 2nd piece [1st time; F 1, by Thomas John Dibdin. Larpent MS 1252; not published]. 3rd piec : Not acted these 9 years. [Miss A. DeCamp had appeared as a dancer with the dl Company at king's in the season of 1792-93.] Morning Chronicle, 22 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Knight, No. 38, King-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #392 3s. (185.12.6; 3.18.0; tickets: 202.12.6)

Event Comment: [Address by Thomas John Dibdin (T. J. Dibdin, Reminiscences, 1, 256).] Boxes 6s. Pit 3s. 6d. Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. The Doors to be opened at 5:30. To begin at 6:30 [see 9 Dec.]. Places for the Boxes to be taken of Brandon at the Box office in Hart-street. No Money to be returned. [On playbill of 6 May 1800: Printed by E. Macleish, 2, Bow-street, Covent-Garden.] Receipts: #290 3s. 6d. (279.12.0; 10.11.6)

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 United Company. The date of the first performance is not precisely known, but by 9 May 1693 it had been acted four times (see Dryden's letter, below); on the other hand, the Gentleman's Journal, February 1692@3 (issued in March) had stated that D'Urfey's new farce would not appear until after Easter. Hence, it may well have been the first new play after Passion Week. A dialogue, Behold, the man with that gigantick might, the music by Henry Purcell and sung by Mr Reading and Mrs Ayliff, is in Orpheus Britannicus, 1690. See Purcell's Works, Purcell Society, XXI (1917), viii-x. A dialogue, By these pigsnes eyes that stars do seem, the music by John Eccles and sung by Dogget and Mrs Bracegirdle, is in Joyful Cuckoldom, ca. 1695. Another, Stubborn church division, folly, and ambition, to a Ground of Mr Solomon Eccles, is in Thesaurus Musicus, 1694. And Maiden fresh as a rose, the verse by D'Urfey and sung by Pack, but not printed in the play, is in The Merry Musician, I (1716), 56-57. This last song may have been for a later revival. Gentleman's Journal, April 1693 (issued in May 1693): Since my last we have had a Comedy by Mr Durfey; 'tis called the Richmond Heiress or a Woman once in the right (p. 130). Dryden to Walsh, 9 May 1693: Durfey has brought another farce upon the Stage: but his luck has left him: it was sufferd but foure dayes; and then kickd off for ever. Yet his Second Act, was wonderfully diverting; where the scene was in Bedlam: & Mrs Bracegirdle and Solon [Dogget] were both mad: the Singing was wonderfully good, And the two whom I nam'd, sung better than Redding and Mrs Ayloff, whose trade it was: at least our partiality carryed it for them. The rest was woeful stuff, & concluded with Catcalls; for which the two noble Dukes of Richmond and St@Albans were chief managers (The Letters of John Dryden, pp. 52-53)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not Acted these thirty Years. Taken from the French of Moliere by Sir John Vanbrugh. [This version by James Ralph.] The Songs new set by John Frederick Lampe, and a new Grand Dance, in Grotesque Characters, proper to the Play. Afterpiece: a Farce of two Acts. Alter'd from Beaumont and Fletcher. [Author unknown. Apparently not published.]

Event Comment: The Characters all New Dress'd. A new Comedy [by Dr Benjamin Hoadly] never before acted. [The previous July Garrick had been entertained by the Rev. Dr John Hoadly at Alresford and carried on a pleasant correspondence with him afterwards. In his letter 19 Aug. 1746 (Folger) he wrote]: I had the pleasure of the Doctor's company [brother Benjamin Hoadly] to supper at my lodgings the night before I set out for this place; we talk'd about Ranger, but whether he will appear next winter or sleep forever in ye scritore, is not yet determined: 'tis pit, faith. [That this friendship was exceedingly profitable to Garrick is indicated by the fact that Benjamin Hoadly seems to have turned over the profits from the three author's nights to Garrick. (1) Garrick by a bargain with John Rich received #80 advance cash and promised to pay nightly charges (3rd, 6th, & 9th nights) of #60, and (2) to divide equally the remaining profits on those nights. The agreement was drawn 27 Dec. 1746. Garrick noted on this document]: N.B. the copy of the play is my own, and the profit arising from the printing of it. [Hoadly seems to have received only the #100 given him by George II for dedicating the printed copy to him.] [Settlement for the three performances was made 6 April. Total receipts for those nights (14, 18, 21 Feb.) was #570 11s. Total expenses were #182 2s. (including #2 2s. for the licensing). The profit of #388 9s. was equally divided and Garrick received his #194 4s. 6d. on that day. He had received the other #80 the day before the play opened, 11 Feb. 1747. See documents in Folger, Holograph Letters of David Garrick, p. 38, seemingly Edmund Malone's copy, of BM Add MSS 21508.] Receipts: #205 9s. 6d

Event Comment: Benefit Hill and Mrs Hill, the late Miss Anderson

Event Comment: Benefit: The Deceas'd Author's Friend or The Author [the bills vary]. A new Tragedy. [By William Bond. For a discussion of the play, see a letter from Hill to Victor, in Victor, History of the Theatres, II, 196-97. Hill states that the youth who speaks the Prologue is Harvey, a young man of eighteen or nineteen.

Event Comment: Benefit Winstone, Hill, Miss Cole. Tickets for Leigh, Peploe, Foxall also taken

Event Comment: The King's Company. The date of the premiere is not certain. This performance is known from an entry in the Newdigate newsletters, which also states that Rollo was to be acted on the following Monday. If this statement is accurate, the performance of The Loyal Brother on 4 Feb. 1681@2 may be the third night rather than the opening performance. Newdigate newsletters, 4 Feb. 1681@2: On Monday morn [the Moorish Ambassador] & ye Comers meet to conclude ye treaty and in ye afternoon goes to see Rollo D. of Normandy at ye Ks playhouse wre ye K was this afternoon to see ye new play calld ye Loyall brothr (Wilson, More Theater Notes from the Newdigate Newsletters, p. 59). The Prologue and Epilogue were printed separately and have been reprinted in Wiley, Rare Prologues and Epilogues, pp. 70-72. Luttrell acquired his copies (Huntington Library) on 7 Feb. 1681@2. In The Life of John Dryden (Chapel Hill, 1961), Charles E. Ward believes (pp. 166, 355) that The Loyal Brother was first acted in the autumn of 1681; but the entry in the Newdigate newsletters seems to make February 1682 the more probable time

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; P 2 (?), by James Wild. MS: Larpent 1000]: The greatest part entirely new, with a few Select Scenes from the most approv'd Compositions. With new Scenery, Machinery, Dresses and Decorations. The Dresses entirely new. The new Music composed by Shield, the rest selected from Harington, Dr Arne, Eley, Reeve, Pepusch, Galliard, George Ware, Hook, &c. The Scenery and Machinery entirely new painted by Richards, Hodgins, Walmsley, Lupino, Pugh, Phillips and Malton. The Dances entirely new, composed by Byrn. Account-Book, 23 Apr. 1795: Paid James Wild in full for Dr Faustus #40. European Magazine, Jan. 1794, p. 49: Dr Faustus has afforded entertainment to three if not four generations. It was first produced at Drury-lane in 1723, by Mr Thurmond, a dancing-master, and was afterwards succeeded at Lincoln's inn-fields, in the same year, by Mr Rich's more splendid performance [entitled The Necromancer; or, Harlequin Doctor Faustus], which received improvement at different revivals of it. At the latter end of 1766 [at Covent Garden] Mr Woodward made some alterations, and it was revived with great success. It is again brought forward with applause, and recalls to the remembrance of those who formerly saw it with delight, the recollection of the most enchanting period of life. The opening scene of Tartarus . . . was first introduced in the speaking pantomime of The Mirror [at Covent Garden, 30 Nov. 1779). Receipts: #352 13s. 6d. (324/13/6; 28/0/0)