Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: With my wife's knowledge and leave did by coach go see the silly play of my Lady Newcastle's, called The Humourous Lovers; the most silly thing tiat ever come upon a stage. I was sick to see it, but yet would would not but have seen it, that I might the better understand her. Here I spied Knipp and Betty Hall?, of the King's house, and sent Knipp oranges

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: We three [Mrs Pepys, Mercer, and Pepys] to the King's house, and saw the latter end of the Surprisall, wherein was no great matter,I thought, by what I saw there

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: I took coach and to the King's house, and by and by comes after me my wife with W. Hewer and his mother and Barker, and there we saw The Tameing of a Shrew, which hath some very good pieces in it, but generally is but a mean play; and the best part, Sawny, done by Lacy, hath not half its life, by reason of the swords, I suppose, not being understood, at least by me

Event Comment: The King's Company. For an edition of this play from the MS prompt copy, see The Change of Crownes, ed. F. S. Boas (Oxford University Press, 1949). For the consequences of Lacy's ad libbing, see 16, 20, and 22 April, and 1 May. Pepys, Diary: I to the King's house by chance, where a new play: so full as I never saw it; I forced to stand all the while close to the very till I took cold, and many people went away for want of room. The King and Queene, and Duke of York and Duchesse of York there, and all the Court, and Sir W. Coventry. The play called The Change of Crownes; a play of Ned Howard's the best that ever I saw at that house, being a great play and serious; only Lacy did act the country-gentleman come up to Court, who do abuse the Court with all the imaginable wit and plainness about selling of places, and doing every thing for money. The play took very much.... Gervase Jaquis to the Earl of Huntington, 16 April: Here is another play house erected in Hatton buildings called the Duke of Cambridgs play-house, and yester-day his Matie the Duke & many more were at the King's Playe house to see some new thing Acted (Hastings MSS, HA 7654, Huntington Library)

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: In haste to carry my wife to see the new play I saw yesterday, she not knowing it. But there, contrary to expectation, find The Silent Woman. However in; and there Knipp come into the pit...[and] tells me the King was so angry at the liberty taken by Lacy's part to abuse him to his face, that he commanded they should act no more, till Moone [Mohun] went and got leave for them to act again, but not this play. The King mighty angry; and it was better indeed, but very true and witty. I never was more taken with a play than I am with this "Silent Woman," as old as it is, and as often as I have seen it. There is more wit in it than goes to ten new plays. Nathaniel Wanby, Coventry, 1667: We have known in our time that the Silent Woman hath had the loud applause of a whole theatre (BM Harleian MS. 6430, p.23)

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the King's playhouse...and saw a piece of Rollo, a play I like not much, but much good acting in it: the house very empty

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: With my wife to the Duke of York's house, and there saw The Wits, a play I formerly loved, and is now corrected and enlarged: but, though I like the acting, yet I like not much in the play now

Event Comment: The King's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists, 5@139, p. 129, and 5@12, p. 17: The Mayden Queene at court. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 343

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Duke of York's house, and there saw The Witts again, which likes me better than it did the other day, having much wit in it.... Here were many fine ladies this afternoon at this house as I have at any time seen.... Resolving by the grace of God to see no more plays till Whitsuntide, I having now seen a play every day this week

Event Comment: The King's Company. This performance is on the L. C. list, 5@139, p. 129, and 5@12, p. 17; Bartholomew fayre at the Theatre. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 343

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This play is on the L. C. list 5@139, p. 125. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 346. Gervase Jaquis to the Earl of Huntington, 7 May: Upon monday last the Duchesse of Newcastl's play was Acted in the theater in Lincolns Inne field the King and the Grandees of the Court being present and soe was her grace and the Duke her husband (Hastings MS., Ha 7657, Huntington Library)

Event Comment: The King's Company. This performance is on the L. C. list, 5@139, p. 129, and 5@12, p. 17. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 343

Event Comment: The King's Company. This performance is on L. C. lists 5@139, p. 129, and 5@12, p. 17, adds: King here. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 344

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on L. C. list, 5@139, p. 125. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 346. Pepys, Diary: But, Lord! how it went against my heart to go away from the very door of the Duke's play-house, and my Lady Castlemayne's coach, and many great coaches there, to see The Siege of Rhodes. I was very near making a forfait, but I did command myself

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the King's house, where I did give 18d., and saw the two last acts of The Goblins, a play I could not make any thing of by these two acts, but here Knipp spied me out of the tiring-room, and come to the pit door, and I out to her, and kissed her, she only coming to see me, being in a country-dress, she and others having, it seemed, had a country-dance in the play, but she no other part; so we parted, and I into the pit again till it was done. The house full

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: My wife and I and Sir W. Pen to the King's playhouse, and there saw The Mayden Queene, which, though I have often seen, yet pleases me infinitely, it being impossible, I think, ever to have the Queen's part, which is very good and passionate, and Florimel's part, which is the most comicall that ever was made for woman, ever done better than they two are by young Marshall and Nelly

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: My wife and I to the Duke of York's house, and there saw Love Trickes, or the School of Compliments; a silly play, only Miss Davis?'s dancing in a shepherd's clothes did please us mightily

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: Sir W. Pen and I to the King's house, and there saw The Committee, which I went to with some prejudice, not liking it before, but I do now find it a very good play, and a great deal of good invention in it; but Lacy's part is so well performed that it would set off anything

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the King's playhouse, and there saw The Country Captain, which is a very ordinary play. Methinks I had no pleasure therein at all

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary [After going to lif] went to the King's, and there saw The Merry Wives of Windsor: which did not please me at all, in no part of it

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: After dinner my wife and I to the Duke's playhouse, where we saw the new play acted yesterday, The Feign Innocence, or Sir Martin Marr-all; a play made by my Lord Duke of Newcastle, but, as every body says, corrected by Dryden. It is the most entire piece of mirth, a complete farce from one end to the other, that certainly was ever writ. I never laughed so in all my life. I laughed till my head [ached] all the evening and night with the laughing; and at very good wit therein, not fooling. The house full, and in all things of mighty content to me