Event Comment: The United Company. Newdigate newsletters, 4 March 1685@6: This day a new play called The Devil of a Wife was Acted with great Applause at that formerly called the Ds Playhouse (Wilson, Theatre Notes from the Newdigate Newsletters, p. 82). See also 6 March 1685@6

Event Comment: The United Company. The date of the first performance is not known, but the play was licensed 6 April 1687 in the Stationers' Register, 24 May 1687. The play was probably given first in March, as the Prologue refers to the speaking head, which was mentioned in the Newdigate newsletters (Folger Shakespeare Library), 26 March 1687: A Country man haveing invented a head & soe contrived it that whatever language or tune you speak in the Mouth of it it Repeated distinctly and Audibly. [I owe this reference to Professor John Harold Wilson]

Event Comment: Benefit for Brett. Public Advertiser, 27 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Brett, No. 7, Catherine-street, Strand. [In mainpiece the playbill retains Booth as Peachum, but "Moody in the absence of Wilson [sic] played Peachum" (Public Advertiser, 3 May).] Receipts: #248 13s. (148/12; tickets: 100/1) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Wilson. Mainpiece: Not acted these 3 years. 3rd piece: Written by D. Garrick, Esq., with Additions. 4th piece [1st time; MF 2, by Charles Stuart]: The Overture and Music chiefly new, by Gehot, and Shield, who composed the music to The Flitch of Bacon. Public Advertiser, 3 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Wilson, No. 2, Henrietta-street, Covent Garden. Ibid, 29 Apr. 1779: This Day is published The Cobler of Castlebury (1s.)

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. The date of the first production is uncertain. The fact that the Epilogue suggests that it followed Settle's The Female Prelate is not a factor in the dating, as the Newdigate newsletters--see Wilson, Theatre Notes from the Newdigate Newsletters, p. 80--show that Settle's play was first acted on 31 May 1680, whereas Caesar Borgia was entered in the Term Catalogues, November 1679. Although the reference in the Epilogue to burning the Pope's Effigies" has been argued as referring to the Pope-burning procession of 17 Nov. 1679, the references in the Epilogue to Father Lewis, who was tried and convicted at York, 28 March 1679, suggest that it was written before his execution, 27 Aug. 1679. Hence the play may have been acted first some time in the late spring or the summer. A song, Blush not redder than the Morning, with music by Thomas Farmer, is in Choice Ayres and Songs, The Third Book, 1681

Event Comment: The King's Company. This play was acted at Oxford on 19 March 1680@1 before Charles II (see True Protestant Mercury, 19-23 March 1680@1; Wilson, Theatre Notes from the Newdigate Newsletters, p. 80; and Smith's Protestant Intelligence, 24-28 March 1681). The play may have been given first in London; if not, it probably was not acted there until after Easter, 3 April 1681. The company also performed The Plain Dealer in Oxford on 21 March 1680@1 (Smith's Protestant Intelligence, 24-28 March 1681)

Event Comment: Benefit for Shade, Cameron, Woollams, Wood, Wilson, Dangerfield, Irish, Edwards, Griffiths, Nix, Wooldridge, Panchaud & Cole [box-keepers]. [This was Dodd's last appearance on the stage.] "Dodd was one of the most perfect actors that I have ever seen. He was the fopling of the drama rather than the age. I mean by this, that his own times rarely shewed us anything so highly charged with the vanity of personal exhibition. He was, to be sure, the prince of pink heels, and the soul of empty eminence. As he tottered rather than walked down the stage, in all the protuberance of endless muslin and lace in his cravats and frills, he reminded you of the jutting motion of the pigeon. He took his snuff, or his bergamot, with a delight so beyond all grosser enjoyments that he left you no doubt whatever of the superior happiness of a coxcomb" (Boaden, Kemble, I, 55). Receipts: #580 17s. 6d. (25.17.0; 37.3.6; 11.0.0; tickets: 503.4.0; odd money: 3.13.0) (charge: #211 17s. 6d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Wilson. Public Advertiser, 1 May: Tickets to be had of Mrs Wilson, No. 13, King-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #196 4s. 6d. (30.13.0; 22.10.6; 1.5.0; tickets: 141.16.0) (charge: #106 6s. 11d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Wilson. Mainpiece: Never acted there. Interlude [1st time; INT 1, author unknown. Larpent MS 433; synopsis of plot in London Chronicle, 5 May]. Public Advertiser, 17 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Wilson at his House in Tavistock-street, Bedford-square. Receipts: #187 1s. (87.8; tickets: 99.13) (charge: #67 5s.)

Event Comment: [In mainpiece the playbill retains Wilson, but "Last night the Audience of Covent Garden Theatre were detained above Half an Hour waiting for Wilson, who never appeared to play his character in Duplicity. At last an apology was made for his absence, and his Brother was permitted to read his part" (Morning Chronicle, 29 Dec.).] Receipts: #220 4s. (215/0; 5/4)

Event Comment: [In afterpiece the playbill assigns Serjeant Drill to Staunton, but on the Kemble playbill a MS annotation substitutes Wilson.] Afterpiece: To conclude with a Perspective Representation of the Camp at Cox-Heath [see 15 Oct. 1778. This was included in both subsequent performances]. Receipts: #110 12s. (70/17; 37/0; 0/5; tickets not come in: 2/10)

Event Comment: Benefit for Wilson. [2nd piece: 1st acted at the hay, 10 Aug. 1784, as A Peep into Elysium.] Oracle, 6 Aug.: Tickets to be had of Wilson, Park-lane, Church-lane, Chelsea

Event Comment: Benefit for Wilson. Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. By the Author of the Duenna. Acted but once this season. Tickets deliver'd for the Lady's Last Stake will be Admitted. x Doors open half past 5. To begin at half past 6 o'clock

Event Comment: Benefit for Wilson. Public Advertiser, 21 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Wilson at the Tilt-yard Coffee-house, Horse Guards. Receipts: #167 8s. 6d. [60.15.6; tickets: 106.13.0) (charge: #64 10s.)

Event Comment: [In mainpiece the playbill assigns Lord Lumbcrcourt to Wilson, but "Lee Lewes was the substitute for Wilson, and far indeed better than the man he appeared for" (Public Advertiser, 31 Jan.).] Afterpiece [1st time; P 2, by John O'KeerFe]: The Music composed by Shield. The Scenery designed by Richards and Carver, and executed by them, Hodgins, and others. The 1st Part of this Pantomime is an Alteration of the Last New One [Friar Bacon (see 23 Dec. 1783)], and the 2nd Part entirely new and never before exhibited. Nothing under Full Price will be taken. "If Macklin once loses the Catch Word he is gone irretrievably." At the end of the 3rd act, at half price, some apprentices coming into the pit talked so loudly that "Macklin stopped; he lost himself. ... He came to the Side of the Stage, and stooping down to the Talkers, said, 'Gentlemen, I must beg you to be silent; my Hearing and Recollection are not so perfect as they were; I cannot proceed for your Talking'" (Public Advertiser, 5 Feb.). Receipts: #286 14s. (282/15; 3/19)

Event Comment: "The great powers of Mrs Jordan cannot be better displayed than in the wonderful contrast of her Country Girl and Viola. In one all archness and vivacity; in the other serious, gentle, tender and sentimental" (Public Advertiser, 16 Nov.). [In afterpiece the playbill retains Parsons as Sir Anthony Halfwit, but on the Kemble playbill his name is deleted and a MS annotation substitutes Wilson's. "Parsons was taken suddenly ill & J. Wilson read his part" (MS annotation on British Museum playbill, in Harris, 11).] Receipts: #108 12s. (79/11/0; 28/13/6; 0/7/6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Wilson and Williames [who is named in the Account-Book, but not on the playbill]. [The monologue refers to a criminal, Rynwick Williams, popularly known as "The Monster," who with a knife had recently attacked many women on the streets of London (see An Authentic Account of the Barbarities..(S. Bladon, 1790); World, 5 May, et seq.).] Gazetteer, 1 and 6 May : Tickets to be had of Williames and Mrs Wilson, No. 19, Great Piazza, Covent-garden. Receipts: #225 5s. (40.13; 21.14; 2.16; tickets: 160.2) (charge: #108 2s. 3d.)

Event Comment: [2nd piece in place of The Child of Nature, advertised on playbill of 17 Dec. In 3rd piece the playbill retains Wilson, but "Owing to the indisposition of Wilson, Powel supplied his place in The Divertisement" (World, 19 Dec.).] Receipts: #129 10s. 6d. (121.16.0; 7.14.6)

Event Comment: [2nd piece in place of The Child of Nature, advertised on playbill of 17 Dec. In 3rd piece the playbill retains Wilson, but "Owing to the indisposition of Wilson, Powel supplied his place in The Divertisement" (World, 19 Dec.).] Receipts: #129 10s. 6d. (121.16.0; 7.14.6)

Event Comment: Newdigate newsletters (Folger Shakespeare Library), 22 Oct. 1687: There are to be 5 Pageants on the Ld Mayors day one representing Liberty by a Beautifull young Lady attended with Riches Plenty and ffreedom &c. (transcribed by Professor John Harold Wilson). Luttrell (A Brief Relation, I, 418): The 29th was the anniversary of the lord mayors show, the new one, sir John Shorter, now entring on his office; the shew was splendid and the entertainment great, according to custome: his majestie, with the prince of Denmark, did the citty the honour to dine with them at Guildhall, as also the nobility, foreign ministers, amongst which was the popes nuncio (who was invited particularly by some of the aldermen): the streets were new gravell'd all that morning on one side of the way, from Charing-crosse to the citty, for his majesties passage. His majestie was well satisfied with the whole entertainment. The Duke of Beaufort to the Duchess, 29 Oct. 1687 [a summary, apparently]: Has just come from the greatest entertainment he ever saw at a Lord Mayor's feast in the city, and the best ordered, though there was the greatest concourse there and in the streets that was ever known, and the greatest acclamations, all through the city as the King passed. The Queen did not dare venture, remembering that the Bristol entertainment had put her out of order, but all the nobility in town, and the foreign ministers were there. The Pope's Nuncio in particular was invited by the Lord Mayor and nobly entertained (HMC, 12th Report, Appendix, Beaufort MSS., Part IX, pp. 90-91)

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Littlejohn. As 27 Nov. 1738. Tickets of Mrs Littlejohn, at Mr Wilson's, David Street, near Grosvenor Square

Event Comment: Benefit for Kear, Keen and Watkins. Tickets deliver'd by Mr Wilson will be admitted

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Wilson. At the particular Desire of several Gentlemen and Ladies. At the New Theatre on Wind-mill Hill. Pit and Boxes laid together by Desire at 2s. each

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Brown. Mainpiece: Not acted these 2 years. Midas [announced on playbill ff 24 Apr.] cannot be performed on account of Wilson's sudden illness. Tickets delivered for Love Finds the Way will be admitted, that Opera being unavoidably postponed on account of Mrs Farrell's Indisposition. Public Advertiser, 3 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Miss Brown, No. 10, Bow-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #150 18s. 6d. (89.17.6; tickets: 61.1.0) (charge: #67 7s. 6d.)