Event Comment: See Boswell (Restoration Court Stage, p. 280), who identifies the company as the King's Company. Evelyn, Diary: Saw the Young Admiral acted coram Rege &c

Event Comment: The King's Company. This is the first known performance of the comedy, but it may not be the premiere. Evelyn, Diary: At night saw acted the Committe, a ridiculous play of Sir R. Howards where that Mimic Lacy acted the Irish-footeman to admiration: a very Satyrus or Roscius. Downes, Roscius Anglicanus, p. 16: @For his Just Acting, all gave him due Praise,@His Part in the Cheats, Jony Thump, Teg and Bayes,@In these Four Excelling; The Court gave him the Bays.

Event Comment: Sir Samuel Tuke's The Adventures of Five Hours was probably intended to have its first performance on this day. The edition of 1663 reads: The Prologue Enters with a Play-Bill in his hands, and Reads, This day being the 15th of December, shall be Acted a New Play, never Plai'd before, call'd The Adventures of Five Hours. [On the other hand, Evelyn, on 23 Dec. 1662, saw a rehearsal of the comedy, and Pepys, 8 Jan.1662@3, refers to a performance on that day as the first one.

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Evelyn, Diary: I saw acted the Law against Lovers

Event Comment: See also 15 Dec. 1662. Evelyn, Diary: I went with Sir S. Tuke to heare the Comedians con, & repeate his new Comedy, the Adventures of 5 houres: a play whose plot was taken out of the famous Spanish Poet Calderon

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. See also 15 and 23 Dec. 1662. Pepys, Diary: There being the famous new play acted the first time to-day, which is called The Adventures of Five Hours, at the Duke's house, being, they say, made or translated by Colonel Tuke, I did long to see it; and so made my wife to get her ready, though we were forced to send for a smith, to break open her trunk...and though early, were forced to sit almost out of sight, at the end of one of the lower forms, so full was the house. And the play, in one word, is the best, for the variety and the most excellent continuance of the plot to the very end, that ever I saw, or think ever shall, and all possible, not only to be done in the time, but in most other respects very admittable, and without one word of ribaldry; and the house, by its frequent plaudits, did show their sufficient approbation. Evelyn, Diary: I went to see Sir S: Tuke (my kinsmans) Comedy acted at the Dukes Theater, which so universaly tooke as it was acted for some weekes every day, & was belived would be worth the Comedians 4 or 5000 pounds: Indeede the plot was incomparable but the language stiffe & formall. Downes (pp 22-23): Wrote by the Earl of Bristol, and Sir Samuel Tuke: This Play being Cloath'd so Excellently Fine in proper Habits, and Acted so justly well....It took Successively 13 Days together, no other Play Intervening. Lady Anglesey to her husband, 10 Jan. 1663: Lord Bristol has made a play which is much commended (CSPD 1663-64, p. 8)

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. The date of the first performance is not known. As Evelyn saw it on 27 April, it seems likely that it was first performed before Easter (April 10). It was not licensed for printing until 8 July 1664. Preface to edition of 1664: I Cou'd not have wish'd my self more fortunate than I have been in the success of this Poem:...The Acting of it has lost me no Reputation. Downes, Roscius Anglicanus, p. 25: @Sir Nich'las, Sir Fred'rick, Widow and Dufoy, Were not by any so well done, Mafoy.@ The clean and well performance of this Comedy, got the Company more Reputation and profit than any preceding Comedy; the Company taking in a months time at it #1000

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Evelyn, Diary: Saw a facecious Comedy Cald Love in a Tub

Event Comment: Although 3 April may not be the first performance of this play, the fact that Pepys saw it on 3 April and Evelyn attended it on 6 April suggests that it was given on this day also

Event Comment: The Duke's Company, presumably. Evelyn, Diary: This night was acted my Lord Brahals Tragedy cal'd Mustapha before their Majesties &c: at Court: at which I was present, very seldom at any time, going to the publique Theaters, for Women now (& never 'til now) permitted to appeare & act, which inflaming severall young noble-men & gallants, became their whores, & to some their Wives, wittnesse the Earle of Oxford, Sir R. Howard, Pr. Rupert, the E. of Dorset, & another greater person than any of these, who fell into their snares, to the reproch of their noble families, & ruine both of body & Soule: I was invited to see this Tragedie, exceedingly well writ, by my Lord Chamberlain, though in my mind, I did not approve of any such passe time, in a season of such Judgements & Calamitie. Pepys, Diary: Here my Lord Bruncker proffered to carry me and my wife into a play at court to-night, and to lend me his coach home, which tempted me much; but I shall not do it

Event Comment: [The King's Company. Evelyn, Diary: Saw the Virgin Queene a play written by Mr Dryden &c. [Possibly the run of this play continued, for Pepys saw it again on 25 March and there are no certain performances of other plays at the King's Theatre. If Secret Love was acted without interruption, except for the customary non-acting days in Lent, it was probably given on 16, 18, 19, 21, and 23 March.

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the King's playhouse, and there, the pit being full, sat in a box above, and saw Catiline's Conspiracy, yesterday being the first day: a play of much good sense and words to read, but that do appear the worst upon the stage, I mean, the least diverting, that ever I saw any, though most fine in clothes; and a fine scene of the Senate, and of a fight, that ever I saw in my life. But the play is only to be read, and therefore home, with no pleasure at all, but only in sitting next to Betty Hall, that did belong to this house, and was Sir Philip Howard's mistress, a mighty pretty wench. Evelyn, Diary: I went to see the old play Cataline acted, having ben now forgotten 40 years almost

Event Comment: The King's Company. Evelyn, Diary, 9 Feb.: & next day was acted there the famous Play, cald the Siege of Granada two days acted successively: there were indeede very glorious scenes & perspectives, the work of Mr Robert? Streeter

Event Comment: The King's Company. Evelyn, Diary, 9 Feb. 1670@1, suggests that Part I was given on Friday 10 and Part II on Saturday 11 Feb. 1670@1

Event Comment: The City Mercury, No. 7, 23 Dec. 1675, advertises puppetry like that seen by Evelyn on 23 Sept. 1673

Event Comment: For additional comment upon the Italian singer called Ciface, see Evelyn, Diary, 19 April 1687

Event Comment: Luttrell, A Brief Relation, II, 565, 15 Sept. 1692: Last Tuesday the lord mayor sent his officersito cry downe the faire, the actors of the drolls having presumed to act the earthquake in Jamaica with scenes, and to make a droll of it. Evelyn, Diary, 15 Sept. 1692: This, of Jamaica, being prophanely & Ludicrously represented in a peppet play or some such lewd pass-time in the Faire at Southwarke, caused the Queene to put-downe & abolish that idle & vicious mock-shew

Event Comment: In L. C. 5@139, p. 373, is a list of plays allowed to the Duke's Company: The Poetaster [by Ben Jonson]. Cupids Reuenge [by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher. See 17 Aug. 1668]. Timon of Athens [by William Shakespeare]. Troyolus and Grisseida [by William Shakespeare]. Three parts of H. ye 6 [by William Shakespeare]. The honest mans fortune [by John Fletcher and others]. Woemen pleas'd [by John Fletcher]. Witt at Seuerall Weapons [by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher]. The Woemen Hater or The hungry Courtier [by Francis Beaumont]. All fooles [by George Chapman]. Birons Conspiracy [by George Chapman]. Broken heart [by John Ford]. Bird in a Cage [by James Shirley]. Chabot Admirall of ffranse [by James Shirley, with George Chapman]. ffaithful Shepherd [possibly Guarini's Il Pastor Fido]. Herod and Antipater [by Gervase Markham with William Sampson]. Humor out of breath [by John Day]. Jealous Louers [by Thomas Randolph]. Loues Melancholy [Lover's Melancholy, by John Ford]. Muliasses the Turke [by John Mason]. Queene of Arragon [by William Habington]. Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois [by George Chapman]. Revenge for Honor [or The Parricide, by Henry Glapthorne]

Event Comment: Know all men by these presents, that Colley Cibber, Esq; of the Parish of St/James's in the County of Middlesex, for and in consideration of the sum of Eighty Pounds of lawful Mony of Great Britain to him in hand paid by John Watts of London, Stationer, he the said Colley Cibber, Esq; hath bargained, sold and assigned, and set over, and by these presents doth bargain, sell, assign and set over all that the full and sole right and title, of, in and to the copy of a Tragedy, intitled, Papal Tyranny in the Reign of King John, written by the said Colley Cibber, Esq; to have and to hold the said copy of the said tragedy unto the said John Watts, his heirs and assigns for ever, notwithstanding any act or law to the contrary: In witness whereof the said Colley Cibber, Esq; hath hereunto sett his hand and seal this twentieth day of February, 1744/5. [Signed] C. Cibber. [Witnesses] James Webster, John Mark Bimson. [Original Document in Folger Shakespeare Library, validated by three Sixpence stamps, and Cibber's seal. Case No. 993 among Cibber documents.

Event Comment: The King's Company. This performance is on the L. C. list, 5@141, p. 359. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 346. There is no certainty that this performance is the premiere, but as the play was licensed for printing on 9 Jan. 1676@7, this performance may well be the first one. Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, pp.9-10) lists the same cast except for the ommission of Letice. It is not certain which Mrs Knight played Letice. Possibly it was Frances Maria Knight (see Wilson, All the King's Ladies, where she is tentatively listed for that role), but the presence of Mrs Ursula Knight on an undated L. C. list, 3@24, with the date of her swearing into the company given as 12 March 1676@7, it is quite likely that she played this role. (I owe this reference to Ursula Knight to Professor John Harold Wilson.) John Dennis: And when upon the first representations of the Plain Dealer, the Town, as The Authour has often told me, appeard Doubtful what Judgment to Form of it; the foremention'd gentlemen [The Duke of Buckingham, Earl of Rochester, Earl of Dorset, Earl of Mulgrave, Savil, Buckly, Sir John Denham, Waller] by their loud aprobation of it, gave it both a sudden and a lasting reputation (Defense and Defects of Dramatick Poetry, 1725, in The Works of John Dennis, ed. Hooker, II, 277)

Event Comment: Paid John Doe and John Claridge 12s. 6d. each for performing 5 nights in the Ass [in Mother Shipton] to the 2nd inst. Paid John Smith 12s. 6d. for performing in the Hog in the same. Paid Younger for writing parts as per bill #7 4s. 10d. (Account Book). [N.B. The three Johns receiv'd 2s. 6d. each for making up in the ass and hog each night Mother Shipton was played for the rest of the season. No further notation will be transcribed of this payment.] Receipts: #152 8s. (Account Book)