Event Comment: [T$Their Majesties, Prince, Prince William, Princess Royal, the young Princesses, and Duke of Lorrain present. See also Lord Hervey and his Friends, p. 115.

Event Comment: Both pieces By Command. Ladies and Gentlemen who have taken places are desired to send their servants before 3 o'clock. No persons can possibly be admitted behind the scenes or into the Orchestra. Present their Majesties the Duke of York, Prince William Henry, Prince Henry Frederick, and Lady Augusta. [The Winston Theatrical Record lists the customary night's expenses as follows]: @Renters #12 1s.@Barber 5s. 4d.@Music #4 19s. 5d.@Tallow Candles #2 10s.@Wax Candles #1 6s.@Coals 10s.@Lamps #1 12s. 3d.@1 days Billstickers 11s. 6d.@1 days Bills #1 7s.@1 days Advertising 5s.@Wardrobe Bill (a day) #1 7s.@Property Bill (a day) #1 6d.@Extras (for Opera and Rape) #1 6s. 6d.@J. Rich #5 5s.@C. Rich #1@Guards (18) and a Serjeant #1@#36 6s. 5d.@ Extras that night: @Yeomen of His Majesties' guard #1 1s.@Yeomen of Her Majesties' guard #1 1s.@His Majesties' Footmen #1 1s.@Her Majesties' Footmen #1 1s.@Princess of Wales' Attendant #1 1s.@Their Majesties' Coachman 6s.@Total #5 11s.

Event Comment: [This New Comedy (by Mrs Elizabeth Griffith) seems not to have been performed this night, according to the author's Preface to her Edition of 1772. Shuter had been unattentive and absent from many rehearsals]: At length though late [in the season] a day was appointed for the representation, and on that morning Mr Shuter appeared at rehearsal, pretty much in the same state as before, and confessed himself incapable of performing his part, that night. Upon which the play was oblig'd to be further postponed, and handbills were sent about at noon, to advertise town of the disappointment....A further final day was afterwards determined on, but the audience being out of humour at their former disappointment, called Mr Shuter to account for it, on his first appearance; which threw him into such confusion, that he was not able to get the better of it, throughtout the whole performance...in the hurry of his spirits the actor not only forgot his part, the deficiency of which he endeavoured to supply with his own dialect, but also seemed to lose all idea of the character he was to perform; and made the Governor appear in a light which the author never intended: that of a mean, ridiculous buffoon. [Mrs Griffith concluded her preface by relating how her friends stood by the piece, but two or three in the gallery, when it was given out again objected and threw an apple at the chandeliers, which so perturbed the management that the play was withdrawn. She therefore published it by subscription, prefixing the names of about 440 subscribers, persons of the first quality, including James Boswell, Edmund Burke, Col. Burgoyne, the Duke of Devonshire, David Garrick, Mrs Montague, William Richardson, and a host of writers, players, and people of fashion. This list provides a pretty good roster of those who filled the boxes and part of the pit of both theatres at the time.] Paid Younger #2 2s. for the license for A Wife in the Right (Account Book). Receipts: #218 12s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: The death of the Duke of Gloucester on this day apparently closed the theatres for a short time. Andrew Newport, writing on 15 Sept. 1660 to Sir Richard Leveson, stated: The court is in deep mourning and will continue so for 6 weeks (Sutherland MSS., HMC, 5th Report, Appendix, 1876, p. 156), but it is not until 27 Sept. 1660 that Rugg reported: playes are for present forbiden because of the death of the Duke of Gloucester (BM Add. Mss. 10116, folio 90v). The theatres may have opened on Monday 8 Oct. 1660; certainly they were acting by 11 Oct. 1660

Event Comment: Edward Gower to Sir R. Leveson, 20 Nov. 1660: Yesternight the King, Queen, Princess, &c. supped at the Duke of Albemarle's, where they had the Silent Woman acted in the cockpit (HMC, 5th Report, 1876, p. 200). The King's Company. Pepys, Diary, 20 Nov. 1660: This morning I found my Lord in bed late, he having been with the King, Queen, and Princess, at the cockpit all night, where General Monk treated them; and after supper a play, where the King did put a great affront upon John? Singleton's musique, he bidding them stop and bade the French musique play, which, my Lord says, do much outdo all ours. The prologue was printed in 1660: The Prologue to His Majesty at the first Play presented at the cock-pit in Whitehall, Being part of that Noble Entertainment which Their Majesties received Novemb. 19. from his Grace the Duke of Albemarle. [The Prologue has been reprinted by Wiley, Rare Prologues and Epilogues, pp. 11-12. Bodleian Wood 398 has a MS note: By Sir Jo. Denham.

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary, 20 Oct.: Young Killigrew did so commend The Villaine, a new play made by Tom Porter, and acted only on Saturday at the Duke's house, as if there never had been any such play come upon the stage. The same yesterday was told me by Captain Ferrers; and this morning afterwards by Dr Clerke, who saw it. Downes, p. 23: Written by Major Thomas Porter; this Play by its being well perform'd, had Success extremly beyond the Company's Expectation....It Succeeded 10 Days with a full House, to the last. [Downes especially praises Price. The edition of 1663 has a Prologue but no actors' names and no epilogue.

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Duke's house, and there was the house full of company. but whether it was in over-expecting or what, I know not, but I was never less pleased with a play in my life. Though there was good singing and dancing, yet no fancy in the play, but something that made it less contenting was my conscience that I ought not to have gone by my vow, and, besides, my business commanded me elsewhere

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: After dinner with my wife to the Duke's Theatre, and saw the second part of Rhodes, done with the new Roxalana; which do it rather better in all respects for person, voice, and judgment, than the first Roxalana [Mrs Davenport]. Home with great content with my wife, not so well pleased with the company at the house to-day, which was full of citizens, there hardly being a gentleman or woman in the house; a couple of pretty ladies by us that made sport in it, being jostled and crowded by prentices

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Duke's House, where we saw The Villane again; and the more I see it, the more I am offended at my first undervaluing the play, it being very good and pleasant, and yet a true and allowable tragedy. The house was full of citizens, and so the less pleasant, but that I was willing to make an end of my gaddings, and to set to my business for all the year again to-morrow. Here we saw the old Roxalana [Mrs Davenport] in the chief box, in a velvet gown, as the fashion is, and very handsome, at which I was glad

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: Creed and I to my wife again, and...to the Cockpitt, where we saw Claracilla, a poor play, done by the King's house (but neither the King nor Queen were there, but only the Duke and Duchess, who did show some impertinent and, methought, unnaturall dalliances there, before the whole world, such as kissing, and leaning upon one another); but to my very little content, they not acting in any degree like the Duke's people

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: After dinner by water to the Royall Theatre [Bridges St]; but that was so full they told us we could have no room. And so to the Duke's House; and there saw Hamlett done, giving us fresh reason never to think enough of Betterton. Who should come upon the stage but Gosnell, my wife's maid? but neither spoke, danced, nor sung; which I was sorry for. But she becomes the stage very well

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Royall Theatre [Bridges St], but they not acting today, then to the Duke's house, and there saw The Slighted Mayde, wherein Gosnell acted Pyramena, a great part, and did it very well, and I believe will do it better and better, and prove a good actor. The play is not very excellent, but is well acted, and in general the actors, in all particulars, are better than at the other house

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This play apparently was not printed. Pepys, Diary: and then with my wife by coach to the Duke's house, and there saw The German Princess acted, by the woman herself; but never was any thing so well done in earnest, worse performed in jest upon the stage; and indeed the whole play, abating the drollery of him that acts her husband, is very simple, unless here and there a witty sprinkle or two

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. The play apparently was never printed. Downes, Roscius Anglicanus, p. 26: Made out of Spanish, by the Earl of Bristol. Pepys, Diary: Went to a play, only a piece of it, which was at the Duke's house, Worse and Worse; just the same manner of play, and writ, I believe, by the same man as The Adventures of Five Hours; very pleasant it was, and I begin to admire Harris more than ever

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This play was apparently not printed. Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 26): Wrote by Mr Holden. Pepys, Diary: Being called by my wife, we all to a play, The Ghosts, at the Duke's house, but a very simple play

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on His Majesty's bill at the Duke's Company, L. C. 5@139, p. 125: Worse & Worse at court. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 346

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: After dinner I put the women into a coach, and they to the Duke's house, to a play which was acted, "The [....]." It was indifferently done, but was not pleased with the song, Gosnell not singing, but a new wench, that sings naughtily

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: With my wife, to the Duke's house, and there saw Mustapha, a most excellent play for words and design as ever I did see. I had seen it before but forgot it, so it was wholly new to me, which is the pleasure of my not committing these things to my memory

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. It seems likely that this play was acted about this time. Pepys, Diary, 20 Feb.: I heard discourse how Harris of [Duke's] play-house is sick, and everybody commends him, and, above all things, for acting the Cardinall

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: I alone out and to the Duke of York's play-house, where unexpectedly I come to see only the young men and women of the house act; they having liberty to act for their own profit on Wednesdays and Fridays this Lent; and the play they did yesterday, being Wednesday, was so well-taken, that they thought fit to venture it publickly to-day; a play of my Lord Falkland's called The Wedding Night, a kind of tragedy, and some things very good in it, but the whole together, I thought, not so. I confess I was well enough pleased with my seeing it: and the people did do better, without the great actors, than I did expect, but yet far short of what they do when they are there, which I was glad to find the difference of

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: My wife and I to the Duke of York's house, and there saw Love Trickes, or the School of Compliments; a silly play, only Miss Davis?'s dancing in a shepherd's clothes did please us mightily

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 play house, and there saw Mustapha, which, the more I see, the more I like; and is a most admirable poem, and bravely acted; only both Betterton and Harris could not contain from laughing in the midst of a most serious part, from the ridiculous mistake of one of the men upon the stage; which I did not like

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: With Sir W. Pen, my wife, and Mary Batelier to the Duke of York's house, and there saw Heraclius, which is a good play; but they did so spoil it with their laughing, and being all of them out, and with the noise they made within the theatre, that I was ashamed of it, and resolve not to come thither again a good while, believing that this negligence, which I never observed before, proceeds only from their want of company in the pit, that they have no care how they act