Event Comment: [Letter from Mlle Auguste to the Public stated that Fleetwood had refused to answer her letter, whence she had withdrawn and engaged with Rich, of which fact she appraised Fleetwood who still kept her name on the bills. Her reason for leaving Fleetwood was her having heard that on 4 Dec. he had read a letter on the stage at dl to her discredit. See London Daily Post and General Advertiser.] Receipts: #80

Event Comment: [2nd piece in place of The Orphan; 3rd piece of Blunders at Brighton [i.e. The Irish Mimic], both advertised on playbill of 9 Oct.] "Where [Lewis] absolutely exceeded all expectation, even from spirits like his own, was in the first scene of the fifth act, where he meets with Cacafogo, who has been Cozened, too, and by a woman also (indeed the same woman); the convulsive joy of his laugh, frequently renewed, and invariably compelling the whole audience to a really painful sympathy, was one of the most brilliant exploits of the comedian...[Lewis] had one peculiarity, which was the richest in effect that could be imagined, and was always an addition to the character springing from himself. It might be called an attempt to take advantage of the lingering sparks of gallantry in the aunt, or the mother of sixty, or the ancient maiden whom he had to win, to carry the purposes of those for whom he was interested. He seemed to throw the lady by degrees off her guard, until at length his whole artillery of assault was applied to storm the struggling resistance; and the Mattockses and the Davenports of his attentions sometimes complained of the perpetual motion of his chair, which compelled them to a ludicrous retreat, and kept the spectator in a roar of laughter. In short, whether sitting or standing, he was never for a moment at rest--his figure continued to exhibit a series of undulating lines, which indicated a self-complacency that never tired, and the sparkling humour of his countenance was a signal hung out for enjoyment" (Boaden, Siddons, II, 364-66). Receipts: #365 4s. 6d. (357.6.6; 7.18.0)

Event Comment: Farce hiss'd (Cross). The Confederacy is oblig'd to be deferr'd a few days (playbill). [Goldsmith in The Bee (Vol. 1759, p. 154) comments on the farce: "Too narrow a plan...The poor affecting the manners of the rich might be carried on through one character or two, at the most, with great propriety; but to have almost every personage on the scene almost of the same character, was unartful in the poet to the last degree." He laments the barrenness of incident, but admits one or two scenes are "fine satire and sufficiently humorous...Whatever defects there might be in the composition, there were none in the action; in this the performers shewed more humour than I had fancied them capable of."] Receipts: #160 (Cross)

Event Comment: Receipts: #146 1s. Paid John Rich on account #10 10s.; Lent Mr Buck #5 5s. and paid him for tambourines #1 4s

Event Comment: Benefit for Wilford, Ross (Pit Doorkeepers); Mislebrook, Dimmock, and Trott (Lobby Doorkeepers). Tickets delivered out by Besford, Slater, Clarke, Toten, J. Smith will be taken. Receipts: #29 8s. plus 1!2 value of tickets: @Tickets Wilford Box -@Pit 39@Gallery 45@Value #10 7s.@1!2 Value #5 3s. 6d.@Tickets Ross Box 4@Pit 153@Gallery 60@Value #29 19s.@1!2 Value #14 19s. 6d.@Tickets Mislebrook Box -@Pit 40@Gallery 128@Value #18 16s.@1!2 Value #9 8s. 6d.@Tickets Dymuck Box -@Pit 7@Gallery 41@Value #5 3s.@1!2 Value #2 11s. 6d.@Tickets Trott Box 165@Pit 40@Gallery 11@Value #48 7s.@1!2 Value #20 3s. 4d.@Tickets Besford Box -@Pit 12@Gallery 38@Value #5 12s.@1!2 Value #2 16s.@Tickets Slater Box -@Pit 56@Gallery 81@Value #16 10s.@1!2 Value #8 5s.@Tickets Clarke Box 4@Pit 33@Gallery 52@Value #11 3s.@1!2 Value #5 11s. 6d.@Tickets Toten Box -@Pit 32@Gallery 48@Value #9 12s.@1!2 Value 4 16s.@Tickets Smith Box 1@Pit 25@Gallery 29@Value #6 18s.@1!2 Value #3 9s.@Tickets S. Griffith Box -@Pit 11@Gallery 11@Value #2 18s.@1!2 Value #1 9s.@Tickets Coles Box 9@Pit 45@Gallery 80@Value #17@1!2 Value #8 10s.@Tickets Darby Box -@Pit 150@Gallery 161@Value 38 12s.@1!2 Value #19 6s.@Tickets Clingo Box -@Pit 37@Gallery 39@Value #10 9s.@1!2 Value #5 4s. 6d.@Total Box 187@Pit 681@Gallery 824@Value #231 6s.@1!2 Value #111 12s. 10d.@Money #29 8s.@Total #141 1s.@ Paid Rich on Acct #5

Event Comment: Benefit for a Gentleman under Misfortunes. Receipts: #74 4s. plus #72 17s. from tickets. [Profits to Mr Bull, the gentleman under misfortunes, #63 1s.] Paid Rich on Account #300 (Account Book). Charges: #84 (Account Book)

Event Comment: [Mainpiece in place of The Recruiting Officer, announced on playbill of 12 Oct.] Afterpiece [1st time; P 2(?), by James Messink. Not in Larpent MS; synopsis of action in London Chronicle, 15 Oct.]: The Scenes partly new and partly compiled from Rich's Pantomimes [i.e. The Rape of Proserpine, Perseus and Andromeda, Apollo and Daphne, all three written by Lewis Theobald (Morning Chronicle, 15 Oct.)]. The new Music by Dibdin. The new Scenes painted by Carver

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Rose Didelot. Tickets to be had of Mrs Rose Didelot, No. 8, Haymarket. 2nd ballet: 1st time; composed by J. D'Egville. [In all subsequent performances this was billed as Tarare.] "D'Egville, Laborie, and St.Pierre are excellent dancers and fine manly figures. Laborie possesses more elegance than St. Pierre; but the latter greater animation. D'Egville displays much taste and poetical spirit in the invention of ballets...[which] are far richer in naive situations, and possess a more free poetical spirit than those of Paris" (Goede, 265-66)

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Nell Gwyn attended this performance. See VanLennep, Nell Gwyn's Playgoing, p.408. It is not certain that this was the premiere, but, as the play was licensed for publication on 20 Nov. 1676, the first performance may well have been on this day. A song, Away with the causes of riches and cares, with music by Matthew Lock, is in Catch that Catch Can, No. 64, 1685. Another, Beneath a shady willow, with music by William Turner, is in A New Collection of Songs and Poems...by Thomas D'Urfey, 1683. Edition of 1677: That its only good Fortune was, in being the Subject of the Courts Diversion, where their Noble Clemency and Good Nature were extremely requisite, in covering its defects from the too Censorious; His Majesty, according to His accustomed Royal and Excellent Temper, was pleas'd to descend so far, as to give it a particular Applause, which was seconded by your Grace [The Duke of Ormond]

Event Comment: Christopher Rich's Company. The date of this revival is not certain. Apparently the revival was in preparation before the division of the company, but the publication of the Songs in 1695 confines the production to the period between mid-April and the late autumn. For the opera, see The Works of John Dryden, Vol. VIII: The Plays, edited by John Harrington Smith and Dougald MacMillan (Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1692), pp. 325-30; Moore, Henry Purcell and the Restoration Theatre, Chapter VI;and Purcell's Works, Purcell Society, Vol. XIX. The Songs (1695), the music by Henry Purcell, lists the following pieces and singers: I, Wake, wake, Quivera, sung by Freeman. I, Why shou'd men quarrel, sung by The Boy, with Flutes. Their looks are such that mercy flows, sung by Freeman. II, I come to sing, sung by Freeman. Scorn'd Envy here's nothing, sung by Freeman. Begone, curst Feinds of Hell, sung by Freeman. III, Ah, how happy we are, sung by Freeman and Church. I attempt from Love's sickness to fly, sung by Mrs Cross. IV, They tell us that you mighty powers above, sung by Mrs Cross. In addition, other parts of the opera appeared elsewhere: Act V, a Masque, set by Daniel Purcell, O Bless the Genial Bed with chast delights, in Deliciae Musicae, First Book of the Second Volume, 1696. [The others, since they do not name the performers, are omitted here.

Event Comment: Receipts: #75. [The Rival Queens was advertised for this night, but Rich's Register lists Macbeth.