Event Comment: Benefit Hippisley. At the Particular Desire of several Ladies of Quality. Afterpiece: a new Comic Scene. Receipts: money #43 13s. 6d.; tickets #103

Event Comment: Benefit Laguerre and Mrs Laguerre. Mainpiece: Written by the late Sir John Vanbrugh. Afterpiece: [By John Hippisley.] Being the Farce of the Country-Wake, alter'd after the Manner of The Beggar's Opera. N.B. Printed Books...are to be had at the Theatre under the Title of Flora, an Opera. Receipts: money #29 10s. 6d.; tickets #84 9s

Event Comment: Benefit Hippisley. Afterpiece: A New Farce of Two Acts. Written by Mr Hippisley. Receipts: money #71 17s.; tickets #140 7s

Event Comment: With proper scenes, Machines, &c. [This is the Dryden-Davenant version.] Paid G. Garrick balance of his bill #6 13s.; Christmas Box to ye Beadle 3s. 6d.; Mr Norton 5 chorus #1 5s.; Xmas Jury #1 1s.; Mr Madden for an Embroidered Coat and a velvet suit of Cloaths #12 (Treasurer's Book). [This month was published A Dissertation on Comedy (by John Hippisley, Jr) in which the Rise and Progress of that Species of the Drama is particularly considered and deduced from the earliest to the present age. By a Student of Oxford. Printed for T. Lowndes (Gentleman's Magazine, Register of Books). The "Student of Oxford" seems to have been a Garrick apologist in the extreme: "But whatever reason there may have been formerly for this complaint [the immorality of the stage] since Mr Garrick's management the Stage is become the school of manners and morality: Ribaldry and Profaneness are no longer tolerated, Sense and Nature exert their influence; Pantomime daily declines, Dancers are but little encouraged; the Burletta performs to empty benches, and the British can now vie with the Athenian Drama when in its severest state of purity" (p. 15). Also, from the same source, Reflections on that Species of Dramatic Writing which it improperly call'd Serious Comedy: from the French of M Maillet du Boulley.] Receipts: #120 (Cross); #126 3s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit Chapman. Mainpiece: Written by the late Sir John Vanbrugh. N.B. The afore-nam'd Gentlemen attempt those Characters for their own Diversion (as other Gentlemen have done before 'em) and Mr Chapman's Profit only

Event Comment: Benefit Chapman. Mainpiece: Written by the late Sir John Vanbrugh. N.B. The afore-nam'd Gentlemen attempt those Characters for their own Diversion (as other Gentlemen have done before 'em) and Mr Chapman's Profit only

Event Comment: Betterton's Company. The date of the premiere is not known. The Dedication to the play, written in Rome, is dated 20 Aug. 1695 N.S., and advertisement of the play in the London Gazette, No 3200, 9-13 July 1696, represent the limits on its production. In a letter, dated (probably) November 1695, Dryden refers to the forthcoming appearance of his son's play, and on 26 May 1696 he negotiates with Tonson for its publication (Letters of John Dryden, pp. 79, 82). Probably the play appeared early in 1696, and certainly not much later than April 1696. John Barnard, The Dates of Six Dryden Letters, Philological Quarterly, XLII (1963), 400-401, believes that Dryden's letter was written ca. 26 May 1695 and that the play was probably acted in late 1695

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Written by the late Sir John Vanbrugh

Event Comment: [By John Thurmond, Dancing Master.] The Scenes, Machines, Cloaths, &c. entirely New. The Scenes painted by Messieurs Tillemans, Eberlin, Devoto, and Dominic

Event Comment: Mainpiece: As 25 Feb. Afterpiece: [By John Thurmond.

Event Comment: Benefit Roger, the Pierot, who composed the Entertainment. Mainpiece: Written by the late Sir John Vanbrugh

Event Comment: Written by the late Sir John Vanbrugh

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Heron. Mainpiece: Written by Sir John Vanbrugh

Event Comment: Benefit the Author of the Afterpiece: A new Ballad Opera. [By John Breval.] Receipts: money #60 0s. 6d.; tickets #43 8s

Event Comment: The United Company. This performance is on the L. C. list, 5@149, p. 368: The Queene a Box, and a Box for the Maids Honor at Don Sebastian King of Portugal. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 352. There is no certainly that this is the first performance. The play was entered in the Stationers' Register, 15 Dec. 1689. See also Charles E. Ward, The Life of John Dryden (Chapel Hill, N. C., 1961), pp. 242-46. Preface, Edition of 1690: I am...to acknowledge, with all manner of gratitude, their civility; who were pleas'd to endure it with so much patience....Above twelve hundred lines have been cut off from this tragedy since it was first deliver'd to the actors. They were indeed so judiciously lopt by Mr Betterton, to whose care and excellent action I am equall y oblig'd, that the connexion of the story was not lost. Does a cryptic remark by Huygens, 3 Dec. 1689 OS, refer to this play: Dat dat geklap met de handen in comedie, onlanxgebeurt, als er gesproken wierd van een Coning, die wederom quam in sign rijck, van seer quade consequentie was. Dat voorseker de Con. too mercifull was, en dat er mosten exempelen gestatueert werden (Journal van Constantijn Huygens, Dutch Historical Society Transactions, New Series, XXIII [Utrecht, 18-212)

Event Comment: [By John Gay.] Never Acted before

Event Comment: Afterpiece: [By John Gay.] Never Acted before

Event Comment: At the Desire of several Persons of Quality. Mainpiece: Written by Shakespear, and since revis'd with several Alterations. Admission: 5s., 3s., 2s. Benefit John and Christopher Rich. Receipts. #61 8s