Event Comment: By Command of Their Majesties. Mrs Davies Miss Tittup--La! La! King sent a letter to $Sheridan desiring to be off his Engagement--all made up at night. Mattocks came and told me that Lacy had sold Half his Share of the Patent to Mr Langford (The Auctioneer) and Captain Thomson (Authour of the Syrens &c.). I acquainted Sheridan of it--he had not heard it before (Hopkins Diary). Receipts: #267 6s

Event Comment: Benefit for Jefferson, Phebe, Dennison, and Morris (Cross); for Jefferson, Dennison, Mrs Toogood, Miss Hippisley (Public Advertiser). [Cross's Phebe seems to refer to Miss Hippisley who played the part in As You Like It.] Receipts: #104 (Cross)

Event Comment: Betterton's Company. The date of the first performance is not certain, but the evidence points toward this day. On Thursday 19 Nov. 1696, Robert Jennens reported that the two pieces had been acted four or five days together. If that day saw the fifth performance, the premiere probably occurred on 14 Nov. 1696. The Single Songs and Dialogue in Mars and Venus, set by John Eccles (Acts I and II) and Godfrey Finger (Act III), was published separately in 1697. The pieces for whom a performer is indicated are as follows: Prologue. The first Song Sung by Mrs Hudson, set by Finger: Come all, with moving songs [it is reproduced opposite page 300 in Wiley, Rare Prologues and Epilogues]. Love alone can here alarm me, sung by Mrs Ayloffe. Scorn tho' Beauty frowns to tremble, sung by Mrs Hudson. To double the sports, sung by Mrs Ayloffe. To treble the pleasures with regular measures, sung by Mrs Ayloffe. To meet her, May, the Queen of Love comes here, set by John Eccles and sung by Mrs Hudson. See Vulcan, Jealousie, Jealousie appears, set by Finger and sung by Mrs Hudson. Yield, no, no, sung by Mrs Bracegirdle and Bowman. Gildon, English Dramatick Poets, p. 115: This Play met with extraordinary Success having the Advantage of the excellent Musick of The Loves of Mars and Venus perform'd with it. Downes, Roscius Anglicanus, pp. 44-45: The Anatomist, or Sham Doctor, had prosperous Success, and remains a living Play to this Day; 'twas done by Mr Ravenscroft. A Comparison Between the Two Stages (1702), p. 20: I remember the success of that was owing to the Musick

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Benefit for Mrs Greville and Williams. Mainpiece: Not acted these 5 years. Tickets delivered for the 17th of December will be admitted. Tickets and places to be had of Williams at Mr Spoke's, Tottenham Court; Mr White, Auctioneer, Queen street, Westminster; Messrs Ellis and Scott, Old Bond-street; Mr Hewitt, New Bond-street; Mr Cowcieroy, Great Russell-street, Bloomsbury; and at the Excise Office Coffee-House, Old Bond-street

Event Comment: Paid Mr Jefferson per Mr Johnston, per Mr G. G's order #10 (Treasurer's Book). Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Receipts: #131 9s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 3 years. [See 7 Oct. 1768.] Mr Clinch made his first appearance in the part of Alexander tolerable figure & Voice a Little too much upon the Brogue, he is very wild & Aukward-but was receiv'd with Applause (Hopkins Diary). [Macmillan note from Kemble differs slightly.] Paid Dr Arne as per order #31 8s.; Mr Stacie for drawing leases, #3 3s. Tallow chandler's first bill #29 13s. 3d.; Mr Jefferson on note, #200 (Treasurer's Book). [Reviewer for Town and Country Magazine more favorable to Clinck's performance than is Hopkins.] Receipts: #149 19s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Jefferson. Mainpiece: Not played in 12 Years. [See 16 May 1760.] Paid half year's cleansing & Lighting to Lady Day Last for St Martin's #10 2s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #116. Charges: #64 4s. Profit to Jefferson: #51 16s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Jefferson. Mainpiece: Not acted for 3 years. [See 6 March 1770.] Receipts: #108 1s. Charges: #57 5s. Profit to Jefferson: #51 16s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Jefferson. Paid Pipe & Tabor 2 nights (6th inst. incl.) #1 1s. Receipts: #153 8s. 6d. Charges: #68 1s. Profits to Jefferson: #85 7s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

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: Benefit Mrs Walter and Mrs Pelling. Mainpiece: Written by the late Mr Congreve. [Tickets of Mrs Walter at Mr Hook's, Carpenter, in Stanhope Street; of Mrs Pelling at Mr Dagley's, Silversmith, near Castle Tavern, DL.]

Event Comment: At the particular Desire of several Persons of Quality. Mainpiece: Written by Mr Wycherley. Daily Advertiser, 24 Jan.: We hear from [dl] that upon Mr Philips's making a publick Acknowledgment of his late Errors, the Characters of Harlequin are to be distributed between him and Mr Lun, junior

Event Comment: This Musical Interlude call'd The Election was Written by Mr Andrews & Set by Mr Barthelemon it is a Local piece & met wth great Applause (Hopkins Diary). What nauseous potions will not music wash down the throat of the public (Biographia Dramatica). [Interlude reviewed in the Westminster Magazine, Oct.: We shall dismiss this musical trifle by observing, that if the writer was serious, he has been ridiciulous: if he meant to be jocose, he should have it upon some expedient to discover his intention.--The Member chanting his patriotic promises was highly laughable. It was preceded by a lively overture of Mr Barthelemon's, who composed the rest of the music; in which, however, we observed no peculiar novelty.'] Receipts: #137 15s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; P 2 (?), by James Wild. MS: Larpent 1000]: The greatest part entirely new, with a few Select Scenes from the most approv'd Compositions. With new Scenery, Machinery, Dresses and Decorations. The Dresses entirely new. The new Music composed by Shield, the rest selected from Harington, Dr Arne, Eley, Reeve, Pepusch, Galliard, George Ware, Hook, &c. The Scenery and Machinery entirely new painted by Richards, Hodgins, Walmsley, Lupino, Pugh, Phillips and Malton. The Dances entirely new, composed by Byrn. Account-Book, 23 Apr. 1795: Paid James Wild in full for Dr Faustus #40. European Magazine, Jan. 1794, p. 49: Dr Faustus has afforded entertainment to three if not four generations. It was first produced at Drury-lane in 1723, by Mr Thurmond, a dancing-master, and was afterwards succeeded at Lincoln's inn-fields, in the same year, by Mr Rich's more splendid performance [entitled The Necromancer; or, Harlequin Doctor Faustus], which received improvement at different revivals of it. At the latter end of 1766 [at Covent Garden] Mr Woodward made some alterations, and it was revived with great success. It is again brought forward with applause, and recalls to the remembrance of those who formerly saw it with delight, the recollection of the most enchanting period of life. The opening scene of Tartarus . . . was first introduced in the speaking pantomime of The Mirror [at Covent Garden, 30 Nov. 1779). Receipts: #352 13s. 6d. (324/13/6; 28/0/0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Taswell, Bransby, and 7 more Tickets [for Jefferson, Vernon, Miss Young, Hayes, Petit, Miss Rousselet, Mrs Valcour]. Tickets deliver'd for The Inconstant will be taken. Afterpiece: By Desire. Receipts: #220 (Cross)

Event Comment: MMr Jefferson played Buckingham for the first Time, as a tryal, and is engaged for the next season. --Pretty well (Hopkins MS Notes)

Event Comment: Benefit for Jefferson. Moody's benefit deferred until 3 May (playbill)

Event Comment: Benefit for Jefferson

Event Comment: Rich's Company. The date of the first production is not known, but A Comparison between the Two Stages (1702) (pp. 21-23) implies that this work preceded Rinaldo and Armida (performed at lif probably in November 1698). The Island Princess was not published until 1699 (the Masque being advertised in the Post Boy, 7-9 Feb. 1698@9, and the Opera in the Flying Post, 7-9 March 1698@9). A Comparison between the Two Stages (1702), pp. 21-22: Sullen: The old House have a Bawble offer'd 'em, made out of Fletcher's Island Princess, sometime after alter'd by Mr Tate, and now erected into an Opera by Motteux: The Actors labour at this like so many Galley Slaves at an Oar, they call in the Fiddle, the Voice, the Painter, and the Carpenter to help 'em; and what neither the Poet nor the Player cou'd do, the Mechanick must do for him:...but as I was saying-the Opera now possesses the Stage, and after a hard struggle, at length it prevail'd, and something more than Charges came in every Night: The Quality, who are always Lovers of good Musick, flock hither, and by almost a total revolt from the other House, give this new Life, and set it in some eminency above the New; this was a sad mortification to the old Stagers in Lincolns-Inn-fields. For a poem, The Confederates; or the first Happy Day of the Island Princess, see Poem on Affairs of State, 1703, II, 248-50

Event Comment: The United Company. The date of the first performance is not known, but the latest likely date is early summer, for it was licensed for publication on 14 Aug. 1685. if it did not appear before the death of Charles II, July 1685 is a likely date, as May was occupied with Sir Courtly Nice and June with Albion and Albanius. Dedication, Edition of 1685: [The Scenes] had no better Success on the Stage, was for this Reason: The principal Part (on which the Diversion depended) was, by Accident, disappointed of Mr Nokes's Performance, for whom it was design'd and only proper. A song, How great are the blessings of government made, set by Henry Purcell, is in The Musical Companion, The Second Book, 1686

Event Comment: [By George Farquhar. Premiere.] On Monday Night a Rencounter happen'd on the Stage...between Mr Fielding and Mr Goodyar, in which the former was Wounded

Event Comment: Benefit Arne. Mainpiece: Written by the late Mr Farquhar. Afterpiece: Written by Mr Carey. N.B. There is a select Band of Musick engaged for this Night

Event Comment: Benefit the Author. Tickets as before. Regulus publish'd. As it is acted by his Majesties Servants at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, by Mr Havard, Author of King Charles the First. Inter omnes suos laudabiles & Virtutum insignibus illustres Viros, non preferunt Romani meliorem; quem neque Felicitas corruperit, nam in tanta Victoria, mansit pauperrimus; Nec Infelicitas fregerit, nam ad tanta Exitia revertit intrepidus. (St. Aust. de Regulo. Lib I. de Civitat. Dei.) Printed for H. Woodfall, Jr. in Little Britain, by Paul Vaillant facing Southampton Street in the Strand. J. Watts and B. Dodd also advertised King Charles the First, an Historical Tragedy, written in imitation of Shakespear, and Scanderbeg, a Tragedy. Both written by Mr Havard, author of Regulus