Event Comment: Benefit Laguerre, Prisoner in the King's Bench. [Tickets of Laguerre at John's Coffee-House, next door the King's-Bench, Southwark. In the London Daily Post and General Advertiser, 22 April, Laguerre expressed his thanks to Giffard for giving him this benefit and added that, it being term-time, he had "by the common Licence of a Day Rule," liberty to act on 23 April.

Event Comment: Benefit Harper and Raftor. [Tickets at Harper's House in Bridges Street. A letter to the Daily Advertiser, 24 April, concerning this benefit, states that Harper is incapacitated with 'a Paralytick Disorder.'

Event Comment: Benefit Harper's Widow. Six rows of the pit railed into the boxes. Rylands MS.: Duke &c. [present]. Garrick Play'd. Daily Advertiser, 7 May, stated that Mrs Harper's benefit on Saturday last because of the warm weather brought scarcely the charges of the theatre. Therefore Garrick made a voluntary offer to perform for her.] Receipts: #240

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Pritchard. Servants will be admitted to keep Places on the stage, which for the better accommodation of the Ladies will be form'd into side boxes. Tickets and places to be had at Mrs Pritchard's, at the Blue Door in Great Queen St., Lincoln's Inn Fields, or of Hobson at the stage door. Numbers of Counterfeit tickets on Benefit nights, having lately been sold in the passages leading to the Theatre, 'tis desired no Persons will buy any there, Care being taken to prevent all tickets so bought from being admitted

Event Comment: Benefit Ryan. At the Desire of several persons of Quality. [The customary notice about counterfeit tickets (see 7 March) is repeated, as it is for all benefit performances this season. It will not be noted farther here.

Event Comment: Benefit Picq, and Sga Domitilla. Tickets deliver'd out for Benefit of a Gentlewoman who has met with Misfortunes, will be taken this day

Event Comment: Benefit Destrade and Reinhold. Tickets deliver'd out by Mrs Louch will be taken. No tickets sold at the door will be admitted. At the Desire of several Ladies of Quality, for the Benefit of Mrs Middlehurst, from Cheshire, whose name is now Louch; Tickets at Mrs Louch's, three Doors above St James Church, Piccadilly [Folger Bill]

Event Comment: Benefit Raftor, Mrs Clive's brother (Winston MS.). Bayes attempted by Mrs Clive, instigated to it by Cibber (as an) act of envy to Garrick, but he missed his aim, for she did it most wretchedly. It was believed she would not have gone through the part. A great house. If she had succeeded she meant to repeat it for her own Benefit. (Winston MS. from Dyer MS.) Mrs Clive did Bayes at the Desire of Several Ladies of Quality. Three rows of the Pit rail'd into the Boxes, where servants may keep places as well as on the stage. To prevent Mistakes in places already taken, it is desir'd that those Gentleman and Ladies, in whose names they are set down, would please to send for Tickets to Hobson at the stage door

Event Comment: Benefit Stevens, Waters, Brook, Hussey. As we could not have our Benefit on Saturday Last, the Company are so kind to pay for us at us at the Theatre Royal in Lincoln's Inn Fields; we humbly hope that our friends will excuse the Disappointment (it not being in our power to avoid it) and favour us on Friday, 3 June, when tickets deliver'd out for the 28th of May for Drury-Lane will be taken this night at Lincolns Inn Fields..-London Daily Post and General Advertiser. This was not acted at dl. Fleetwood refused and they acted at lif, Friday 3 June. Yates, Taswell, Mrs Macklin, Mrs Pritchard, Mrs Hale of cg and Havard Played. N.B. there was an execution on dl at the time.-Winston MS. from Dyer MS

Event Comment: Benefit a Gentleman who has wrote for the Stage. [Since The Prodigal did not achieve a three-night run, Cibber may be giving Odell a benefit tonight.

Event Comment: Benefit Widow and Child of James Miller, the author. As the Play of to-night is entirely for mine and my children's Benefit, and was allotted (by the Manager) for that purpose a considerable time ago, has since been advertis'd in the Publick papers upwards of ten days, and the Boxes chiefly been taken by Ladies of Quality and Distinction, I humbly hope, as Charity and Humanity are my advocates, the Performance will be permitted without interruption. D. Miller.--General Advertiser. To Those who remained in the Pit in Drury Lane Playhouse on Thursday Evening, and were refus'd their money: GENTLEMEN: If you are sensible of the Insults that we receiv'd from the servants of the Manager (after we had remain'd orderly in the House expecting our money for the best part of an hour) being expos'd to the danger of our lives from several sticks, &c being thrown at us from the stage, and from the attack of Soldiers jumping into the Pit with their bayonets fix'd, you'll meet tomorrow several Gentlemen equally injur'd, at the Fountain Tavern in Catherine Street in the Strand, at two o'clock, as well as, Your most humble Servant, J. Johnston.--Daily Advertiser. [Daily Gazetteer contained a letter by Anti-Mimus on the manager's publication of reasons for his late extraordinary measures.

Event Comment: Benefit Jones, Mrs Bland, Mrs Gondou, Miss Ferguson, Miss Morrison (General Advertiser). Benefit Charles Jones, son of the late Jere Jones who formerly kept the Selectation Tavern at Billingsgate (Daily Advertiser)

Event Comment: Benefit Ray, Gray [Constable] and Dunbar [Boxkeeper. See note 29 April.] I hope my diligence as a Constable, in preserving Ladies from the Insults of the Pickpockets... may entitle me to some small Indulgence at my Benefit. James Gray.--Daily Advertiser

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Pritchard. [Receipts: #61 6s., plus #141 8s. from tickets, amounting to a house of #202 14s. without Stage (Account Books, Egerton 2268), i.e., perhaps, without counting income from those invited by Mrs Pritchard to sit on the stage.] Note: The Amphitheatre used on the stage at Benefits will be enclosed and divided into distinct Boxes, with a ceiling and illuminated; in the same manner as those in Front of the House. Ladies are desired to send their servants by Three.--General Advertiser. [House charges were #60.

Event Comment: Benefit LaLauze, who is obliged to change the play advertised for his Benefit on account of the indisposition of a principal performer. Tickets for Don Sebastian will be taken. Receipts: #41 9s. 6d., plus #68 19s. from tickets. Charges #60

Event Comment: Benefit on basis of half value of tickets for 7. Benefit Gwinn, Vanhuyck, Singleton, Driscol, Page [housekeeper]; tickets deliver'd by Palmer and Emmet will be taken. Receipts at door: #10 10s. /For Box Pit Gallery Value Half-Value/Page 63 70 ... #26 5s. #13 2s. 6d./Singleton 9 19 29 #8 #4/Driscol 2 54 60 #14 12s. #7 6s./Gwinn 4 42 56 #12 18s. #6 9s./Verhuyck 1 71 48 #15 14s. #7 17s./Palmer 2 123 105 #29 9s. #14 14s. 6d./Emmett .. 52 44 #12 4s. #6 2s./Totals 81 431 342 #119 2s. #59 11s.

Event Comment: Benefit for Blakes. Tickets and places of Blakes at his house in Cranbourne Alley, Leicester Fields, and of Hobson at the stage door. Les Messieurs & Dames peuvent laisser Diner leurs Domestiques car a quatre Heur sera assez a bonne heur de les Envoyer pour Gardez les places dans les loges. M. Fanfaron (General Advertiser). [The General Advertiser this day also included the first announcement of Mrs Macklin's benefit to be held on 22 April, at which would be perform'd the Lover's Melancholy, "Not acted these Hundred years," together with a new farce (never acted) called The Club of Fortune Hunters. The notice ran again several times, followed by the letters to the author of the General Advertiser noted on 19 and 23 April.] Receipts: #111 (Cross); house charges, #63 (Powel); cash, #58 6s.; tickets, #52 15s. (Clay MS)

Event Comment: Benefit for Pritchard (Treasurer). Tickets delivered for the London Merchant will be taken. On April 12 that play was advertised for this evening--the part of George Barnwell to be performed (by particular desire) by Mrs Pritchard, Millwood by Mrs Furnival, and Lucy by Mrs Clive. Tickets to be had of Pritchard at his House in Duke's late Earl's Court, Bow St., Covent Garden; and of Hobson at the stage door. Tomorrow Lover's Melancholy, and a New Farce call'd The Club of Fortune Hunters for the Benefit of Mrs Macklin. Receipts: #180 (Cross); house charges, #63 (Powel); cash #85 6s. 6d.; tickets, #81 9s. (Clay MS)

Event Comment: Benefit for the Education of a Young Gentleman in Distress. Mainpiece: At the Particular desire of several Ladies of Quality. The Gentleman for whom this Benefit is intended, after having gone thru a scholastic Education, being by a series of Misfortunes too tedious to enumerate, deprived of an academical one, takes this opportunity humbly to submit his case to the publick, and beg their indulgence so far as to enable him to go through his studies at the University

Event Comment: Benefit for Gray, Atkinson, & 4 Doorkeepers (Cross). Benefit for Gray, Jones (Box Office Keeper), Berrisford (Box Keeper), Atkinson (Pit Doorkeeper), and Goodwin. Receipts; #220 (Cross); charges, #63 (Powel)

Event Comment: Benefit for the Sisters of the deceased Author. [Same advertisement for tickets that appeared 17 Jan., with the additional statement: "Tickets given out, mark'd for the Benefit of the deceased Author's sisters, 3rd night, will be receiv'd this day."

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Falkner. We hear that the two young Africans will be at the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden this night, to see the Spanish Fryar, for the Benefit of Miss Falkner. [Page missing from the General Advertiser with the Bill this day.

Event Comment: Benefit for the Author. Thanksgiving for ye Peace-a Jubilee at Renalaugh (Cross). Being the last time of performing the play [Merope] this season. It is oblig'd to be deferr'd till next season on account of the Benefits. Receipts: #140 (Cross); charges, #63 (Powel)

Event Comment: Benefit for Ryan. Income: #51 12s. 6d. in money; #99 15s. in tickets. A Free Benefit. Advanced to Servandoni #5 5s. Receipts: #151 7s. 6d

Event Comment: Benefit for Jones. A Serenata. Books of which may be had at the theatre. To begin at twelve o'clock promptly (General Advertiser). To the Publick: Walking in St James's Park the other day, I followed two young Gentlemen along the Mall, and overheard one of them say to the other, "shall we go and offer sacrifice to the Manes of Milton?" To which the other reply'd "with all my heart." I must own I had some curiosity to know in what this ceremony would consist, and determined to observe them. I accordingly followed them at some distance, into Dodsley the Bookseler's in Pall Mall; where to my great satisfaction I found that this most acceptable sacrifice was only an offering of Charity to the Granddaughter of Milton; who on account of her age, her poverty, and her relation to that great Man, is to have a Benefit at Drury Lane Theatre on Wednesday next. I willingly joined in their devotions, and rejoice with the Publick on their having an opportunity of shewing their gratitude and Veneration to a man whose Genius reflects a lustre on the British Literature, and whose sentiments have added strength to the British liberties; to an author whose works have been the delight of our Fathers, and will be the Admiration of our sons: latest posterity; to an Englishman who is not only the Glory of our Country, but the Honour to Human Nature. This fair Opportunity of paying a respect to his Memory (the last of the kind that can be offered to us, as Mrs Foster is the only surviving branch of his family) must certainly be embraced with Eagerness and pleasure; all who have any pretence to an Elegant Taste, all lovers of Liberty, and every friend of the Muses, will surely crowd to the house on this distinguish'd night, and give at once an instance of the politeness of their manners, and the goodness of their hearts, I am, &c. A Lover of Milton (General Advertiser)