Event Comment: Benefit for Farley, Mrs Chapman & Mrs Mills. 1st piece: Not acted these 3 years. 2nd piece [1st time; M. INT 1]. 3rd piece: With Alterations and Additions. Not acted these 20 years [acted 29 Oct. 1781.] Receipts: #313 12s. 6d. (95.13.0; 3.1.6; tickets: 214.18.0)

Event Comment: By Command of his Royal Highness. Written by the late Sir John Vanbrugh. Daily Journal, 2 Dec.: We hear that the Tragedy of Junius Brutus is not to be acted a second Time for the benefit of the Author, till after the Meeting of Parliament

Event Comment: Written by Sir John Vanbrugh. At the Particular Desire of several Persons of Quality

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: And my wife, and by coach to the King's playhouse, and meeting Creed took him up, and there saw The Scornfull Lady well acted; Doll Common [Mrs Corey] doing Abigail most excellently, and Knipp the widow very well, and will be an excellent actor, I think. In other parts the play not so well done as used to be, by the old actors. Anon to White Hall by coach, thinking to have seen a play there to-night, but found it a mistake, so back again

Event Comment: [[By William Congreve. Premiere.] Congreve wrote on 26 March: I wished particularly for you on Friday last, when Eccles his music for the prize was performed in Dorset Garden, and universally admired. Mr Finger's is to be to-morrow; and Russel and Weldon's follow in their turn....The number of performers, besides the verse-singers, was 85. The front of the stage was all built into a concave with deal boards; all which was faced with tin, to increase and throw forwards the sound. It was all hung with sconces of wax-candles, besides the common branches of lights usual in the playhouses. The boxes and pit were all thrown into one; so that all sat in common; and the whole was crammed with beauties and beaux, not one scrub being admitted. The place where formerly the music used to play, between the pit and the stage, was turned into White's chocolate-housev....Our friend Venus performed to a miracle; so did Mrs Hodgson Juno. Mrs Boman was not quite so well approved in Pallas.-Congreve to Keally, in Congreve, I, 71-72

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Shireburn and Miss Brett. Mainpiece: Alter'd from Shakespear by Mr Betterton

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Porter. By Their Majesties' Command. Pit and Front Boxes put together at 5s. [For an account of this performance, see Lord Hervey and his Friends, pp. 156-57. Mrs Theophilus Cibber died on this day.

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Butler. Tickets at Mrs Butler's House in Leicester Fields

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Horton

Event Comment: Mainpiece written by Beaumont and Fletcher. Benefit Mrs Woffington. Not acted in 10 years. Servants admitted to keep places on stage

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Clive. Mainpiece written by Beaumont and Fletcher, never acted there. Servants allow'd to keep places on the stage which will be form'd into front and side boxes, and so commodiously enclos'd as to prevent the Ladies from taking cold. Ladies send servants by three. Tickets of Mrs Clive at her House in Great Queen Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, and of Hobson at the stage door

Event Comment: Benefit for Driscol, Banks, Barnard, Miss Davis, and Trott (Lobby Doorkeeper). Tickets deliver'd by Mlle Huette, Mrs Hanmeuze, Mrs Griffith will be taken. Tomorrow the Fair Penitent and on Friday Romeo and Juliet, being the last time of the Company's performing this season

Event Comment: Places for Boxes to be taken at the stage door of the theatre. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. First Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. To begin exactly at 6 o'clock. [Customary notices repeated throughout the season.] Mr W. Giffard and Mrs Bland from the Theatre in Dublin, are arrived in London, and will shortly make their appearance at Covent Garden (General Advertiser 14 Sept.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Bellamy. Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Tickets delivered for The Humorous Lieutenant will be taken. Receipts: #113 5s. Charges #63. Income from Tickets #152 5s. (boxes 339; pit 364; gallery 129). Profit to Mrs Bellamy #202 10s. [Her daily salary was #2 2s.; on this night she cleared more than 4 months' wages at 24 acting days per month.] Two New Renters came in: Solomon Paul Juliot and Francis Wilson at 1 share each. Rec'd of Benj. Read for 6 Box tickets for the 2nd inst. #1 10s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: [R+Rich's Register lists The English Merchant.] Paid Blandford (tallow chandler) #49 8s. 10d. Paid George Garrick for use of the managers #15 15s.; Paid French on account #20; Advanced to Granier on note #4 2s. 10d.; to Keen on note #4 4s. Rec'd stopages 16s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). Sylas Neville (Neville MS Diary): With difficulty got into the Pit at Drury Lane, where I stood at the side so jambed up that I could not read the newspaper I carried: But I saw the play very well. It was Rule a Wife and Have a Wife, with the Farce of the Devil to Pay. Duke by Havard, Cacafago by Love, very well. Copper Capt. by Palmer, pretty well. Old woman pretty well by Mrs Baddeley, Astifania by Mrs Pritchard excellently, tho she is too old for the first part of this character. Leon inimitably by Garrick. I think he shows a good deal of Abel drugger, [both published and unpublished portions of the Neville Diary.] Receipts: #261 15s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Yates. Pit and Boxes laid together where servants will be allowed to keep places. Those Ladies and Gentlemen who have taken places in the Pit, are humbly desired to come as early as posible, for their own conveniency, and to prevent trouble in getting to their seats. Charges #66 5s. Balance to Mrs Yates #39 18s., plus income from 713 Box & Pit seats (laid together for price purposes) #178 5s. Paid Miss Atkinson and Miss Pope for walking 12 nights in Man & Wife; 26 Nights in Harlequin's Jubilee; 12 Nights in Timanthes #6 5s. each. Paid Mrs Warwell for walking 12 nights in Man & Wife #1 10s.; Paid Miss Lawrence and Mrs Bates 5s. each for walking 2 nights in Harlequin's Jubilee (Account Book). Receipts: #106 3s

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Ward. Mainpiece: Not acted these 4 Years. [See 18 Nov. 1766.] Charges #64 5s. Balance to Mrs Ward #67 18s. plus #28 13s. from Tickets (Box 33; Pit 84; Gallery 78) (Account Book). Receipts: #132 3s

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Bulkley. Charges #69 1s. 6d. Profit to Mrs Bulkley #78 13s., plus #100 3s. from tickets (BoX 241; Pit 200; Gallery 99) (Account Book). Receipts: #147 14s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Abington. Part of Pit laid into Boxes. Send Servants by 4 o'clock. Paid 4 days salary list #348 5s.; Tallow chandler's 7th bill, #24 12s. 6d.; Mr Davies's draft on Managers #37 (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #268 5s. Charges: #65 1s. Profits to Mrs Abington: #203 4s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Waldron and Mrs Greville. Farce (in 2 Acts) Never performed before, and for that night only. This Farce was written by Mr Waldron-Some Applause (Hopkins Diary). [MacMillan's note from Kemble differs slightly in wording.] Paid Mr Wegg's rent half year to Lady Day last #57; Duke of Bedford ditto #164 2s. 10d.; One yrs Paving, Cleansing & Lighting to ditto #39 7s. 6d.; Mr Moody for Mr Philips #13 13s.; St Martin's Charity School, 1 year, 1774 #2 2s. (Treasurer's Book). [The Westminster Magazine for May gives the following cast for the farce: Reuben-$Waldron; Blunt-$Moody; Sharp-$Dodd; Flimsy-$LeMash; Joseph-$Burton; Mrs Reuben-$Mrs Davies; Betty-$Miss Platt. It then bluntly tells the plot and concludes: "The whole is beneath criticism."

Event Comment: By Desire. Benefit for Miss Abrams (who perform'd the Little Gipsey). Tickets deliver'd for The Maid of the Mill, and by Mr Norris and Mrs Veal will be taken. Rec'd Stopages #11 9s. 6d. Paid salary list #621 16s. 6d.; Mr Gardner (By Order) one night #5 5s. Receipts: #78 16s. Charges: #70 5s. 6d. Profits to Miss Abrahams: #8 10s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)