Event Comment: Benefit Signiora Margherita Durastanti. And particular Care will be taken to place Benches on the Stage for the Accommodation of the Company. N.B. Whereas the Benefit for Signiora Durastanti is Part of her Contract, the Directors of the Royal Academy of Musick resolve not to make use of the Liberty of the House for that Night. [This benefit brought her nearly a thousand pounds.-Deutsch, Handel, p. 160.

Event Comment: Benefit Carlo Broschi Farinello. With several Alterations and Additions. Pit and Boxes, Places on the Stage, at Half a Guinea. N.B. Signor Farinello humbly hopes, that the Subscribers will not make use of their Tickets on this Occasion. The Stage will be in the same Manner as in the Assembly with a great Number of Benches. Mrs Pendarves to Mrs Granville, 15 March: Tonight is Farinelli's benefit; all the polite world will flock there, and go at four o'clock, for fear they should not be time enough. I don't love mobbing, and so I shall leave them to themselves. Daily Advertiser, 13 March: 'Tis expected that Signor Farinelli will have the greatest Appearance on Saturday that has been known. We hear that a Contrivance will be made to accommodate 2000 People. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has been pleas'd to give him 200 Guineas, the Spanish Ambassador 100, the Emperor's Ambassador 50, his Grace the Duke of Leeds 50, the Countess of Portmore 50, Lord Burlington 50, his Grace the Duke of Richmond 50, the Hon. Col. Paget 30, Lady Rich 20, and most of the other Nobility 50, 30 or 20 Guineas each; so that 'tis believ'd his Benefit will be worth to him upwards of 2000l

Event Comment: Benefit for Sga Passerini. [From charges and countercharges published in great length in the Public Advertiser, it appears that Sga Frasi had earlier arranged to produce Samson at the King's on this night for her benefit. Learning that the subscribers to the opera season could enter on their own tickets on this night she decided to change nights to avoid any losses, only to find that her singers were engaged at one theatre or another on other nights. Meanwhile, Signor Passerini got permission to have this night scheduled at King's for his wife's benefit, and Sga Frasi lost out all around. Passerini asserted that the charge for renting the Great Room, Dean St. Soho was 5 guineas for a night.

Event Comment: Benefit for Clinch. Doors opened at half past 5. Play to begin at Half an Hour after 6. [Afterpiece written by Sheridan for Clinch, traditionally in gratitude for his saving The Rivals from damnation. (See Thomas Moore's Life of Sheridan [London, 1825], I, 148). The Westminster Magazine for May adds to cast: Irish Corporal-Fox; Soldiers-$Davies, $Wewitzer, Chaplin, and reviews the piece briefly: St Patrick's day is replete with broad humor, homely jests, and extravagant caricature. The language in general shewed the author a man of honour and observation; the situations were whimsical and produced that mirth which the audience in the Prologue were invited to partake of....The jests were occasionally too low and vulgar, and his scene too extravagantly absurd. The main drift of the Prologue was to tell the Audience that a fine Spring impeded the theatrical harvest; and that at this season the benefits of Nature were the greatest enemies to the Performer's Benefits."

Event Comment: Mr Skeete reported that John Honeycott, the master of the charity school at Clerkenwell, had yesterday [6 Feb.], with the children of the above school, publickly acted the play called Timon of Athens, and by Tickets signed by himself had invited several people to it (Minutes of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, in Secretan, pp. 129-30)

Event Comment: For the Entertainment of Tomo Chachi [and others, as at LIF, 20 Aug.]. 6 P.M. Admission: 5s., 3s., 2s., 1s

Event Comment: Mr Colman's Night for the Alterations of Elfrida and Comus, & for the New Occasional Prelude (Account Book). Receipts: #254 15s. 6d

Event Comment: Mr Gallini Respectfully informs the Nobility, Subscribers, and Gentry that he sent a person to Paris on Monday last to engage the best capital Female Dancer that can be got; and if a good Man Dancer is to be procured, he is very ready to engage him, as he shall be happy to do every thing in his power to please the public and will spare no pains or expense for that purpose [see 7 Feb.] Didelot having had the misfortune to hurt his leg the first dance on Saturday last is unable to appear for some days

Event Comment: "Mr T. has performed in the Norwich Company. [He] did not appear to us to possess a single requisite for the profession of an actor...We observed that the characters of Lenox and Rosse were doubled [i.e. combined]-a resource, at all times, disreputable to the theatre and to the manager" (Monthly Mirror, Dec. 1798, pp. 369-70). Receipts: #299 15s. 6d. (293.8.6; 6.7.0)

Event Comment: Mr Ridgeway, York-street, St. James's Square, having purchased the Copy of Pizarro, begs leave respectfully to inform the Public that this Drama is now in the Press, and will be published on Saturday next at twelve o'Clock. Receipts: #357 13s. 6d. (327.7.0; 30.3.6; 0.3.0)

Event Comment: Mr Ridgeway [see 26 June]...begs leave to inform the Public that on account of the great and unexpected demand the publication [of Pizarro] is unavoidably deferred till Monday next at twelve o'Clock. Receipts: #395 8s. 6d. (360.12.6; 34.1.0; 0.15.0)

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Lindsey. [In Daily Courant, 17 March, The Committee as a benefit for Miss Santlow had been announced for this day, but later deferred to Tuesday 25.

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Cross. At the Desire of several Ladies of Quality. [See also Tatler, 30 April. Genest, II, 418, lists this as a benefit for Cross.

Event Comment: Benefit the Author. [In the Preface to the 1709 edition D'Urfey thanks Rich for allowing him to be the first to raise the admission prices for his benefit.

Event Comment: Benefit Cave Underhill the old Comedian. At the Desire of several Persons of Quality. [In Tatler, 26 May, Underhill had announced his benefit, stating that he had losses to the value of nearly #2,500. See also Tatler, 31 May.

Event Comment: Benefit Penkethman and Powell. Mainpiece: Written by the famous Authors Beaumont and Powell. Mainpiece: Written by the famous Authors Beaumont and Fletcher. Note, Tho' it be a Benefit Night, the Subscribers' Tickets will pass. It being Positively the last time of Acting at Greenwich this Season

Event Comment: Benefit Nicolino. With New Scenes and Cloaths, particularly the Scene with the Fountain. Pit and Boxes half a guinea. Stage Boxes 15s. Gallery 4s. At 6 p.m. Weekly Packet, 25 June: Signior Nicolini's Quail-Pipe continues to lug the Nobility and Gentry by the Ears, who have gone very far on his last Benefit-Night, towards equipping him for another purchase at Venice, he having already built a stately Edifice there, near the Rialto, upon which is written in Characters of Gold, Villa Britannica, as a Testimony that Scaliger's Saying, that we are Hospitibus Feri, is a downright Untruth, and falsly imputed to our Nation

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Knight. At the particular Desire of several Ladies of Quality. Receipts: money #27 17s. 6d. and tickets #23 13s. The Epilogue was printed in Weekly Journal or British Gazetteer, 7 April, with a note: The Author of the following Epilogue would never have thought of publishing such a Trifle, but to let the Town see that scandalous Piece (as some were pleas'd to call it) not fit to be spoken. Mrs Knight's Zeal to the Government (which she has always express'd at the Worst of Times) cannot be enough applauded....It was wrote with no other Design than to do her some Service on her Benefit-Day; but has had indeed a quite contrary Effect, and kept back that Part of her Audience whose Money is as good as other Peoples, tho' their Principles (as being Tories) are the worst in the World

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Santlow. Pit and Boxes together by Seal'd Tickets at 5s. By His Majesty's Command. Tickets for Mrs Santlow's benefit for The Rehearsal and Sir Courtly Nice taken at this play

Event Comment: Benefit Penkethman, to make up the Deficiency of his last Year's Benefit. At the particular Desire of several Ladies of Quality

Event Comment: Benefit the Author of afterpiece [Daily Courant]. Benefit J. and Ch. Rich [Rich's Register]. At the Desire of several Persons of Quality. Receipts: money #71 3s.; tickets #26