Event Comment: The last Night of the Company's performing this Season. Account-Book, 3 June: Paid Lewis in full his Salary as Acting Manager #200; 23 June: Received of Their Majesties for this Season #50; 28 June: Paid Hull in lieu of a Benefit #100; 30 June: Paid Harris for his trouble in superintending the Theatre #500; Paid Cooper, printer, #433 9s. Receipts: #227 6s. 6d. (223/5/9; 4/1/6)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; C 5, by John O'Keeffe. Prologue by John Taylor; Epilogue by Matthew Gregory Lewis (London Chronicle, 21 May). Larpent MS 1212 (which lists the following unassigned parts: Old Man, Clerk, Countryman, Boy, Postilion, Waiter, Man); not published]. Receipts: #197 13s. (140.18; 55.11; 1.4)

Event Comment: The Last time of the company's performing this season. [Following deficiencies for this season paid up: Richard Smith, Lewes, Dumay, Condell, Potter, Thomas Smith, Quick, Furkins, Wilkinson, Abbott, Simmonds, Pullen, Stephenson, Asbury, Wilde, Francis, Mrs Griffiths, Claridge, and Sharratt (Account Book). This includes payment of half value of tickets for those who were granted partial benefits on that basis.] Music forfeits at end of season #17 6s. 11d. Neville MS Diary: Went...to see Cymbeline...chiefly to hear Powell speak an occasional prologue. Would not have gone had I known it was only a stale piece of flattery to George. [See The Gentleman's Magazine, 9 July p. 346: "On shutting up the playhouse in Covent Garden at the end of the season, admission into the theatre having been denied to Mr H and R through any other passage but Mr Powell's House, those gentlemen at the head of a large posse on the 17th of last month, [June] made a forcible entry by breaking open a window near the playhouse door in Hart street; after which they expelled by violence Mr Sargeant the Housekeeper, all his family and others; but the acting managers not being inclined to submit to the arbitrary proceedings of their colleagues, immediately applied for redress, where redress was effectually to be had, and this day they were formally expelled by virtue of a warrant from under the hand and seal of the high sherrifs of London and Middlesex, and the old housekeeper, Mr Sargeant, restored to his office of trust, to the great mortification of one of the champions who had been heard to say: That he had now got possession and d--n him if he would not keep it while he had a drop of blood in his body, and while there was one brick upon another belonging to the house."

Event Comment: Benefit for Hull. [Monologue by Thomas Hull (Moral Tales, 1797, I, 5-12).] Receipts: #164 5s. (82.9; 9.1; tickets: 72.15)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Brunton. 1st piece [1st time; T 3, by Mariana Starke, based on La Veuve du Malabar, by Antoine Marin LeMierre. Prologue by William Thomas Fitzgerald. Epilogue by Richard John Hughes Starke (see text)]: With new Scenes and Dresses. And a Procession representing the Ceremonies attending the Sacrifice of an Indian Woman on the Funeral Pile of her deceased Hqsband. 2nd piece: Not acted these 18 years [acted 4 May 1776. Miss E. Brunton was from the Norwich theatre]. Morning Chronicle, 1 Feb. 1791: This Day is published The Widow of Malabar (1s. 6d.). Public Advertiser, 21 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Miss Brunton, No. 35, Gerrard-street, Soho. [The mainpiece is sometimes stated to have been 1st acted at Mrs Crespigny's private@theatre@in@Camberwell, 1790, but "'The Widow of Malabar' was not first produced at Mrs Crespigny's Theatre. The Tragedy performed there is called 'The British Orphan' (also by Mariana Starke)" (Gazetteer, 24 Jan. 1791).] Receipts: #338 13s. (208.7; 2.8; tickets: 127.18)

Event Comment: Benefit for a Fund for the Relief of those who, from their Infirmities, shall be obliged to retire from the Stage. [Prologue by Thomas Hull.] Gazetteer, 19 May: Tickets to be had of Hull, Treasurer to the Institution, No. 31, Bow-street, Covent-Garden. The Fund at Covent Garden Theatre was instituted in the Year 1765, and confirmed by Act of Parliament, 1776. It has been almost entirely supported by the weekly Contributions of the respective Members, and no Application has been made ot the Public towards its Increase for the space of 19 Years. Notwithstanding the utmost Oeconomy has been practised to promote the Advancement of this Fund, the whole capital Sum hitherto amassed is now become so inadequate to the unavoidable annual Disbursements that the Committee hold it incumbent on them to solicit the Patronage and Encouragement of the Public, at the within specified Performance. "The capital of this fund, invested in various stocks, amounted to #27,710 in the year 1824" (Brayley, 14). Receipts: #128 11s. (104.15; 15.16; tickets: 8.0)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; C 5, by Frederick Reynolds. Prologue by Counsellor Moore (Monthly Mirror, Dec. 1798, p. 368). Epilogue by John Taylor (see text)]: With new Scenes and Dresses. "Lewis's Gossamer is one of those characters which no actor could play but himself, because no man has that happy freedom and facility, that fashionable playfulness and spirit, so joyous, free, and unrelaxing, which distinguish all his performances of this nature" (Monthly Mirror, ibid). Morning Chronicle, 8 Mar. 1799: This Day is published Laugh When You Can (2s.). Receipts: #268 10s. (263.17; 4.13)

Event Comment: [The Gentleman who played Hamlet identified by Winston MS 11 (from O. Smith) as Lewis Hallam, from America, brother to Mrs Mattocks.

Event Comment: The United Company. The date of the first performance is not known, but Luttrell's copy of the separately printed Prologue and Epilogue bears the date 12 Nov. 1683 (item 87, Sotheby's sale, 12 June 1939), and the premiere probably occurred shortly before that date. A revised version of the Epilogue, correcting errors, appeared almost immediately after the one first published; it bears Luttrell's date of 14 Nov. 1683. The Epilogue, in the revised version, bears the note: Written by Mr Dryden. The Prologue and both versions of the Epilogue are reprinted in Wiley, Rare Prologues and Epilogues, pp. 183-87. In addition, a song, Awake O Constantine awake, with music by Thomas Farmer, is in The Theater of Music, 1865; it also appeared in A Collection of the Newest and Choicest Songs, 1864 (which bears Luttrell's date, 10 March 1683@4, Bindley Collection, William Andrews Clark@Jr@Library)