Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: After dinner my wife and I to the Duke's playhouse, where we saw the new play acted yesterday, The Feign Innocence, or Sir Martin Marr-all; a play made by my Lord Duke of Newcastle, but, as every body says, corrected by Dryden. It is the most entire piece of mirth, a complete farce from one end to the other, that certainly was ever writ. I never laughed so in all my life. I laughed till my head [ached] all the evening and night with the laughing; and at very good wit therein, not fooling. The house full, and in all things of mighty content to me

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Duke of York's house, all alone, and there saw Sir Martin Marr-all again, though I saw him but two days since, and do find it the most comical play that ever I saw in my life

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: With my Lord Bruncker to the Duke's playhouse (telling my wife so at the 'Change, where I left her), and there saw Sir Martin Marr-all again, which I have now seen three times, and it hath been acted but four times, and still find it a very ingenious play, and full of variety

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Duke of York's playhouse, and there saw a piece of Sir Martin Marall, with great delight, though I have seen it so often

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Duke of York's House, and there went in for nothing into the pit, at the last act, to see Sir Martin Marr-all, and met my wife, who was there, and my brother, and W. Hewer and Willett, and carried them home, still being pleased with the humour of the play, almost above all that ever I saw

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: I after dinner to the Duke of York's playhouse, and there saw Sir Martin Mar-all; which I have seen so often, and yet am mightily pleased with it, and think it mighty witty, and the fullest of proper matter for mirth that ever was writ; and I do clearly see that they do improve in their acting of it. Here a mighty company of citizens, prentices, and others; and it makes me observe, that when I begun first to be able to bestow a play on myself, I do not remember that I saw so many by half of the ordinary prentices and mean people in the pit at 2s. 6d. a-piece as now; I going for several years no higher than the 12d. and then the 18d. places, though I strained hard to go in them when I did: so much the vanity and prodigality of the age is to be observed in this particular

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Duke of York's playhouse, and there saw Sir Martin Marr-all, which, the more I see, the more I like

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Duke of York's house to a play, and saw Sir Martin Marr-all, where the house is full; and though I have seen it, I think, ten times, yet the pleasure I have is yet as great as ever, and is undoubtedly the best comedy ever was wrote

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. list, 5@141, p. 2: Sir Martin Marall. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 347

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. The Loyal Protestant, 20 May 1682: May 18. Yesterday his Excellency the Morocco Embassador was entertain'd at His Royal Highness's Theatre with a Play, called, Sir Timothy Treat all. [See also True Protestant Mercury, 17-20 May 1682; Luttrell, A Brief Relation, I, 187; Wilson, More Theatre Notes from the Newdigate Newsletters," p. 59.

Event Comment: Written by Mr Crown, Author of Sir Courtly Nice

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Written by the late Mr Congreve, London Daily Post and General Advertiser, 2 Oct.: Last Night in the Entertainment of Dr Faustus...when the Machine wherein were Harlequin, the Miller's Wife, the Miller and his the Miller's Man, was got up to the full Extent of its flying, one of the Wires which held up the hind part of the Car broke first, and then the other broke, and the Machine, and all the People in it fell down Upon the Stage; by which unhappy Accident the young Woman who personated the Miller's Wife had her Thigh broke, and her Kneepan shatter'd, and was otherways very much bruised, the Harlequin had his Head bruised, and his Wrist strained; the Miller broke his Arm; and the Miller's Man had his Scull so fractured that his Life in despaired of. Thomas Gray to Horace Walpole, 6 Oct.: Covent Garden has given me a sort of surfeit of Mr Rich and his cleverness, for I was at [cg] when the machine broke t'other night; the house was in amaze for above a minute, and I dare say a great many in the galleries thought it very desterously performed, and that they screamed as naturally as heart could wish, till they found it was no jest, by their calling for surgeons, of whom several luckily happened to be in the pit. I stayed to see the poor creatures brought out of the house, and pity poor Mrs Buchanan not a little, whom I saw put into a chair in such a fright that as she is big with child, I question whether it may not kill her.-Horace Walpole's Correspondence with Thomas Gray, I, 113-14

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Never Acted before. [By James Miller.] Daily Advertiser, 6 March: We hear that Sir John Barnard has offerM a Proposal limiting the Number of Playhouses, and for putting them under the Regulation of Parliament

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; C 5, by Elizabeth Griffith, based on Le Bourru Bienfaisant, by Carlo Goldoni. Author of Prologue unknown; Epilogue by Horace Walpole (Works, 1798, IV, 402-3)]: With new Dresses and Scenes. Receipts: #199 16s. (184.17.0: 14.11.6; 0.7.6)

Event Comment: [Afterpiece in place of Tom Thumb, announced on playbill of 3 Oct.] "Covent Garden Theatre. As personal allusions and party views have been attributed to the dramatic satire, called The Wishes, the author thinks he cannot so effectively disclaim them as by entirely withdrawing the piece" (Unidentified clipping, dated 5 Oct. 1782, The Tale Edition of Horace Walpoles Correspondence, cd. W. S. Lewis, 1955, xxix, 219). Paid Guard for Scene Men from 8 June to 21 Sept., on 9 occasions, approximately #900. Paid Music #7 14s.; properties 9s. [both being an average payment throughout the season per night]. Receipts: #221 8s. 6d. (218/11/0; 2/17/6)

Event Comment: At the Desire of several Persons of Quality. Mainpiece: Written by the late Sir Richard Steele

Event Comment: At the Desire of several Persons of Quality. Mainpiece: Written by the late Sir John Vanbrugh and C. Cibber, Esq; Poet-Laureat. Afterpiece: Intermix'd with Dances and Songs made to Ballad Tunes. Admission: 5s., 3s., 2s., 1s

Event Comment: At the Desire of several Persons of Quality. Mainpiece: Written by the late Sir Richard Steele. At Common Prices