Event Comment: Ode: Written by Dryden, and set to Music by Handel. Instrumental Performers as 15 Feb., but added: Parkinson, Flack

Event Comment: Account-Book, 29 Mar.: Received from Ashley Oratorio Rent #52 10s. [this amount paid for each of the 11 nights of the oratorio season, being a total of #577 10s.)

Event Comment: 2nd piece [1st time; M. INT 1, by John Rose. Larpent MS 1167; not published]: A Mask, in honour of the approaching Royal Nuptials [the Marriage of Charlotte Augusta, Princess Royal of Great@Britain to Frederick William, Prince of Wurttemberg, on 18 May]. The Musick entirely new by Attwood. The Scenes, Dresses, and Decorations entirely new. Books of the Interlude to be had in the Theatre. Receipts: #254 15s. (166.15.0; 84.6.6; 3.13.6)

Event Comment: Pepys, Diary: So I to White Hall, and there all the evening on the Queen's side; and it being a most summer-like day, and a fine warm evening, the Italians come in a barge under the leads, before the Queen's drawing-room; and so the Queen and ladies went out, and heard them, for almost an hour; and it was indeed very good together; but yet there was but one voice that alone did appear considerable, and that was Seignor Joanni [Giovanni Baptista Draghi?]

Event Comment: The United Company. This performance is on the L. C. list, 5@151, p. 369: ye Q a Box & a Box for ye Maids of Honr double dealer. [See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 352.] Cibber relates an incident which may pertain to this performance, Apology, I, 185-86: Queen Mary having commanded the Double Dealer to be acted, Kynaston happen'd to be so ill that he could not hope to be able next Day to perform his Part of the Lord Touchwood. In this Exigence, the Author, Mr Congreve, advis'd that it might be given to me, if at so short a Warning I would undertake it. The Flattery of being thus distinguish'd by so celebrated an Author, and the Honour to act before a Queen, you may be sure made me blind to whatever Difficulties might attend it. I accepted the Part, and was ready in it before I slept; next Day the Queen was presented at the Play, and was received with a new Prologue from the Author, spoken by Mrs Barry, humbly acknowledging the great Honour done to the Stage....After the Play, Mr Congreve made me the Compliment of saying, That I had not only answer'd, but had exceeded his Expectations, and that he would shew me he was sincere in his saying more of me to the Masters.--He was as good as his Word, and the next Pay-day I found my Sallary of fifteen was then advanced to twenty Shillings a Week

Event Comment: The date of the premiere is not known, but the fact that the opera was advertized in the Post Man, 14-16 Jan. 1696@7, suggests that it was first acted not later than December 1696. As the title page indicates, the work had been intended for presentation before the Court, but the death of Queen Mary prevented its appearance at Court. A Comparison Between the Two Stages (1702), p. 19: Sullen: But to go on, Cynthia and Endymion. Ramble: What a Pox is that? I never heard on't. Sullen: I believe not; 'tis one of Durfey's Toys. Ramble: Durfey's? what again? 'twas just now we parted with him. Sullen: Ay but Sir, you must know this is an Opera--and as he tells us in the Title-page, design'd t be perform'd at court before the late Queen--there's for you; Durfey in his Altitudes--but notwithstanding the vain and conceited Title-page, 'tis good for nothing within: He's the very Antipodes to all the Poets, Antient and Modern: Other Poets treat the Deities civilly, but Mr Durfey makes the Gods Bullies, and Jilts of the chastest Goddesses. Ramble: So, I suppose that was mawl'd, notwithstanding the Honour which he says the Queen intended it. Sullen: 'Twas well for Durfey her late Majesty never saw it; Gad if she had, People wou'd ha' said, it had first been the cause of her Illness, and then of her Death; for 'tis a mortifying Piece o' my Word; Yes, yes,--it was Damn'd

Event Comment: At the Desire of several Ladies of Quality

Event Comment: [In Daily Courant, 23 March, The Recruiting Officer had been advertised for this day.

Event Comment: By the Great Mogul's Company of English Comedians, Newly Imported. [By Henry Fielding.] N.B. Mr Pasquin intending to lay about him with great Impartiality, hopes the Town will all attend, and very civilly give their Neighbours what they find belong to 'em. N.B. The Cloaths are old, but the Jokes intirely new. N.B. All Ladies that intend to be present during the first Run, cannot take Places too early. To prevent any Interruption in the Movement of the Persons in the Drama (some of whom are Machines) no Person whatever can possibly be admitted behind the Scenes. Boxes 4s. Pit 2s. 6d. Gallery 1s

Event Comment: Mainpiece: A reviv'd tragedy not acted these 30 years. [See descriptive account at gf, 28 Oct.

Event Comment: At the Particular desire of several persons of Quality

Event Comment: The play was entered in the Stationers' Register on 26 May 1665. In addition, the Prologue alludes to The Indian Queen (25 Jan. 1663@4): @The Scenes are old, the Habits are the same,@We wore last year, before the Spaniards came.@ Printed with The Indian Emperour was The Connexion of the Indian Emperour to the Indian Queen, which may have been distributed at the theatre, for Bayes, in The Rehearsal, remarks: Besides, Sir, I have printed above a hundred sheets of paper to insinuate the Plot into the Boxes

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. The date of the premiere is not known, but the play was entered in the Stationers' Register, 18 Nov. 1670, and was probably performed not long before that date. Preface: The misfortune it had in having some of the Parts ill and imperfectly performed, as also the laying down of it, the sixth day of its being presented, when the Audience was very near as considerable, as the first day it was Acted, as also an intermission hitherto occasioned by the long absence of some principal Actresses, could not but prejudice the esteem it gain'd

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. list, 5@142, p. 81. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 348. Nell Gwyn also attended this performance; see VanLennep, Nell Gwyn's Playgoing, p. 407. Nell Gwyn's attendance again on Friday 9 June suggests that she attended the premiere. On that assumption, this Calendar lists the probable ten performances which Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 36) alludes to: And all the Parts being admirably Acted, it lasted successively 10 Days; it got more Money than any preceding Modern Tragedy

Event Comment: The United Company. This performance is on the L. C. list, 5@151, p. 369. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 352. This appears to be a substitution for a previously scheduled performance of Amphitryon (Nicoll, p. 352). In L. C. 5@150, p. 74 (Nicoll, p. 357) is an order for a large looking glass to be provided for Sir Courtly Nice at this performance. In addition, there appears to have been a concert in honor of the Queen's birthday. See D'Urfey, Wit and Mirth, I, 62-64: An Ode on the Anniversary of the Queens-Birth. Set to Musick by Mr Henry Purcel, April 30th, 1690

Event Comment: Betterton's Company. The date of the first production is not known, but the Songs were advertised in the Flying Post, 6-8 Dec. 1698, and the play in the London Gazette, 19-22 Dec. 1698; hence, the premiere was certainly not later than early December and was probably not later than November. In fact, on 5 Dec. 1698 Dr. William Aglionby wrote Matthew Prior, referring to Dennis, "a poor poet who has made us a fine entertainment of Rinaldo and Armida" (quoted in The Works of John Dennis, II, 489). In a dialogue written by John Oldmixon (Reflections on the Stage [London, 1699], p. 101) Savage, referring to Rinaldo and Armida, states: I have seen it 3 or 4 times already, but the Musick is so fine, and the Play pleases me so well, that I shall not think it a burthen [to see it again] (in The Works of John Dennis, I, 479). The Musical Entertainments in the Tragedy of Rinaldo and Armida (1699) is reprinted, with an introduction by Herbert Davis, in Theatre Miscellany (Luttrell Society Reprints, No 14, Oxford, 1953), pp. 103-15. One song, Ah queen, ah wretched queen, give o'er, sung by Gouge, is in Mercurius Musicus, 1699; and another, Jolly breeze that comes whistling, sung by Gouge, is in Twelve New Songs, 1699. A Comparison between the Two Stages (1702), p. 22: Critick: At last, (as you say) the old Stagers moulded a piece of Pastry work of their own, and made a kind of Lenten Feast with their Rinaldo and Armida; this surpriz'd not only Drury-lane, but indeed all the Town, no body ever dreaming of an Opera there; 'tis true they had heard of Homer's Illiads in a Nut-shel, and Jack in a Box, and what not?...Sullen: Well, with this Vagary they tug'd a while, and The Jolly-Jolly breeze-came whistling thro'-all the Town, and not a Fop but ran to see the Celebrated Virgin in a Machine; there she shin'd in a full Zodiack, the brightest Constellation there; 'twas a pleasant Reflection all this time to see her scituated among the Bulls, Capricorns, Sagittaries, and yet the Virgo still remain itacta....Critick: But this merry Time lasted not always; every thing has an end, and at length down goes Rinaldo's inchanted Mountain; it sunk as a Mole-hill seen on't: What a severity was this? that the Labour of such a gigantick Poet, nay Critick, shou'd give up the Ghost so soon: The renown'd Author thought himself immortal in that Work, and that the World was to last no longer than his Rinaldo; and tho' he stole every thing from the Italian, yet he said, what the Italian did was but Grub-street to his. See also 5 Jan. 1698@9 for a letter written by Mrs Barry, in part concerning Rinaldo and Armida

Event Comment: Betterton's Company. The date of the premiere is not known, but Dryden, on 14 Dec. 1699, indicated that the run of the play had been completed by that day. A copy in the Folger Shakespeare Library has a notice of its publication. Downes, Roscius Anglicanus, p. 45: Iphigenia a Tragedy, wrote by Mr Dennis, a good Tragedy and well Acted; but answer'd not the Expences they were at in Cloathing it. [In The Life of Mr John Dennis (London, 1734) the author states that Colonel Codrington prevailed on all his friends to take tickets for the dramatist's third night.] Preface, Edition of 1700: And from the first representations I expected all the success that I could reasonably desire. I never in my life at any Play took notice of a more strict attention, or, a more profound silence. And there was something like what happen'd at the Representation of Pacuvius his Tragedy. For upon Orestes discovering his passion to Iphigenia in the fourth Act, there was a general murmur through the Pit, which is what I had never seen before. But after three or four representations, several people, who during that time had wholly abandon'd themselves to the Impression which Nature had made on them, began to study how to be discontented by Art; and repented heartily at having been pleas'd with what Athens and Rome and Paris had been pleas'd before. A Comparison between the Two Stages (1702), p. 23: Critick: I must needs Complement him [Dennis] with the Success of his laborious Iphigenia: Ay, here's a Tragedy with a witness--show a more tragick Poet if you can--'twas a smart Epilogue. But I marvel a Man of Mr Dennis's Penetration wou'd suffer, nay beg his Friend to Burlesque him at that unreasonable rate: But the Author was conscious the Audience might mistake it for a Comedy, and so he gets Colonel C-(he was sure his Word wou'd be taken) to tell 'em it was not a Comedy but a Tragedy: The hint was good and necessary, for o' my word very few knew what to make of it before, tho' there were many Tremendous things in't. [The dialogue continues to examine Dennis' Preface, and Dennis's assertions there concerning his play.

Event Comment: The fifth time of acting it

Event Comment: At the Desire of several Persons of Quality