Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: With my wife and girle to the King's house, and there saw The Mad Couple, which is but an ordinary play; but only Nell's and Hart's mad parts are most excellently done, but especially her's: which makes it a miracle to me to think how ill she do any serious part, as the other day [26 Dec.], just like a fool or changeling; and, in a mad part, do beyond all imitation almost. It pleased us mightily to see the natural affection of a poor woman, the mother of one of the children brought on the stage: the child crying, she by force got upon the stage, and took up her child and carried it away off of the stage from Hart. Many fine faces here today

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 the Theatre. The second list adds: King here. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 344

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: [After looking in at the Nursery and at lif] and Henry the Fourth at the King's house; but, not finding them, not liking either of the plays, I took my coach again

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: With my wife and Deb. to the King's houae, to see Aglaura, which hath been always mightily cried up and so I went with mighty expectation, but do find nothing extraordinary in it at all, and but hardly good in any degree

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: I to the King's playhouse, to fetch my wife, and there saw the best part of The Mayden Queene, which, the more I see, the more I love, and think one of the best plays I ever saw, and is certainly the best acted of any thing ever the House did, and particularly Becke Marshall, to admiration

Event Comment: The King's Company. This is a Friday in Lent, when frequently the playhouses did not act. Pepys, Diary: To the King's playhouse, and there saw a piece of Love in a Maze, a dull, silly play, I think: and after the play, home with W. Pen and his son Lowther, whom we met there

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: [Sir W. Pen] and I to the King's house, and there, in one of the upper boxes, saw Flora's Vagarys, which is a very silly play; and the more, I being out of humour, being at a play without my wife

Event Comment: The King's Company. For this cast, see John Harold Wilson, Notes and Queries, 21 Feb. 1948, pp. 71-72. Pepys, Diary: My wide and Deb. to the King's House, to see The Virgin Martyr, the first time it hath been acted a great while: and it is mighty pleasant; not that the play is worth much, but it is finely acted by Becke Marshal. But that which did please me beyond any thing 1n the whole world was the wind-musique when the angel comes down, which is so sweet that it ravished me, and indeed, in a word, did wrap up my soul so that it made me really sick, just as I have formerly been when in love with my wife

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the King's house, and there saw part of The Discontented Colonel, but could take no great pleasure in it, because of our coming in in the middle of it

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the King's playhouse, and there saw The Spanish Gypsys, the second time of acting, and the first that I saw it. A very silly play, only great variety of dances, and those most excellently done, especially one part by one Hanes [Jo. Haynes], only lately come thither from the Nursery, an understanding fellow, but yet, they say, hath spent #1,000 a-year before he come thither

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: With my wife to the King's playhouse to see The Storme, which we did, but without much pleasure, it being but a mean play compared with The Tempest, at the Duke of York's house, though Knepp did act her part of grief very well

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Downes (p. 30): This Comedy in general was very well Perform'd. Pepys, Diary: I alone to the Duke of York's house, to see the new play, called The Man is the Master, where the house was, it being not above one o'clock, very full. But my wife and Deb. being there before, with Mrs Pierce and Corbet and Betty Turner, whom my Wife carried with her, they made me room; and there I sat, it costing me 8s. upon them in oranges, at 6d. apiece. By and by the King come; and we sat just under him, so that I durst not turn my back all the play. The play is a translation out of French, and the plot Spanish, but not anything extraordinary at all in it, though translated by Sir W. Davenant, and so I found the King and his company did think meanly of it, though there was here and there something Pretty: but the most of the mirth was sorry, poor stuffe, of eating of sack posset and slabbering themselves, and mirth fit for clownes; the prologue but poor, and the epilogue little in it but the extraordinariness of it, it being sung by Harris and another in the form of a ballet

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: All alone to the King's house, and there sat in an upper box, to hide myself, and saw The Black Prince, a very good play; but only the fancy, most of it, the same as in the rest of my Lord Orrery's plays; but the dance very stately; but it was pretty to see how coming after dinner and with no company with me to talk to, and at a play that I had seen, and went to now not for curiosity but only idleness, I did fall asleep the former part of the play, but afterward did mind it and like it very well

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the King's playhouse, into a corner of the 18d. box, and there saw The Maid's Tragedy, a good play. Coach 1s.: play and oranges, 2s

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: With Brouncker, to the King's house, and saw The Surprizall, where base singing, only Knepp, who come, after her song in the clouds, to me in the pit, and there, oranges, 2s

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the King's playhouse, 1s., and to the play of the Duke of Lerma, 2s. 6d., and oranges, 1s

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the King's play-house, and there saw a piece of Beggar's Bush, which I have not seen some years

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the King's playhouse, and there saw most of The Cardinall, a good play

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the King's house, and there did see Love in a Maze, wherein very good mirth of Lacy, the clown, and Wintersell, the country-knight, his master

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the King's playhouse, and there saw The Surprizall: and a disorder in the pit by its raining in, from the cupola at top, it being a very foul day, and cold

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Although Downes refers to the play's being acted "12 Days together" [see below], these were not consecutive, as Pepys saw another play at lif on 7 May. Pepys, Diary: To the Duke of York's playhouse, at a little past twelve, to get a good place in the pit, against the new play, and there setting a poor man to keep my Place, I out...and so back again, where I find the house quite full. But I had my place, and by and by the King comes and the Duke of York; and then the play begins, called The Sullen Lovers; or, The Impertinents, having many good humours in it, but the play tedious, and no design at all in it. But a little boy, for a farce, do dance Polichinelli, the best that ever anything was done in the world, by all men's report: most pleased with that, beyond anything in the world, and much beyond all the play. Thence to the King's house to see Knepp, but the play done. Downes (p. 29): This Comedy being Admirably Acted:...This Play had wonderful Success, being Acted 12 Days together

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: I back to the King's playhouse, and there saw The Virgin Martyr, and heard the musick that I like so well

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: [Sir W. Pen] and I into the King's house, and there The Mayd's Tragedy, a good play, but Knepp not there

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: I carried [Mercer and Mrs Gayet] to the King's house...and there saw The Country Captain, a very dull play, that did give us no content, and besides, little company there, which made it very unpleasing

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: I to the King's house, and there saw the last act of The Committee, thinking to have seen Knepp there, but she did not act