Event Comment: Edition of 1697: Mr Dryden's Ode In Honour of St Cecilia's Day, Perform'd at Stationers-Hall, on Monday, November 22, 1697. [See Dryden's letter, 3 Sept. 1697.] The music was by Jeremiah Clark. See also 9 and 16 Dec. 1697

Event Comment: London Gazette, No 3346, 2-6 Dec. 1697: The Song Composed by Mr Jeremiah Clark, and Sung on St Cecilia's day will be performed on Thursday next, at Mr Hickford's Dancing-School in Panton-street, or in James-street over against the Tennis Court, just by the blue Posts, there being a door out of each street to the Room; and for the benefit of the said Mr Clark and Mr Le Riche, late Stewards of the said Feast, the Musick begins at 8. [See 22 Nov. 1697.

Event Comment: London Gazette, No 3348, 9-13 Dec. 1697: The Song which was Sung on St Cecilia's Day will be performed in York-Buildings, on Thursday next being the 16th Instant, with an Addition of a new Pastoral on the Peace, Composed by Mr Jeremiah Clark, and for the Benefit of Mr La Riche only. The Musick begins at Eight. [See 22 Nov. 1697 and 9 Dec. 1697.

Event Comment: Rich's Company. Post Boy, 13-15 Jan. 1697@8: 'Tis said that this day will be Acted, at the Theatre in Dorset Garden, the Opera called Prophetess or Dioclesian, at the request of a Nobleman; they will not tell us who, but we presume for the Entertainment of a very great Foreigner. Luttrell, A Brief Relation, III, 332: He [the Czar of Muscovy] is this night at the Playhouse incognito to see the Prophetesse acted

Event Comment: Post Boy, No. 453, 29-31 March 1698: This day, being the 31st of March, at the Request of several Persons of Quality, will be performed in York Buildings, a French Consort, by some of the best Voices lately come from France

Event Comment: Rich's Company was apparently suspended because of its action in allowing John Powell, who had been involved in an altercation with Colonel Stanhope and Charles Davenant, to act before making satisfaction for the incident. See Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 368, and Cibber, Apology, II, 20n. The suspension lasted but a day; on 19 May 1698 Powell was forbidden to be received at either Drury Lane or Dorset Garden

Event Comment: Rich's Company. Post Boy, 14-17 May 1698: This Day will be Acted the last new Tragedy, call'd Phaeton, or the Fatal Divorce. For the Benefit of the Author, and for the Entertainment of several French Persons of Quality

Event Comment: Rich's Company. Post Boy, 31 May-2 June 1698: London, June 2nd. This Day, at the Theatre in Drury-Lane, will be Acted a Play, called, The Plain-Dealer, upon a very charitable Account, the Profits of the Play being given for the Release of a distressed Gentleman from Prison: And the chief Part is acted by Capt. Griffin, formerly a famous Actor, and lately Captain of a Company of Foot in His Majesty's Service, through the Wars in Ireland

Event Comment: Post Boy, No 482, 4-7 June 1698: At York Buildings this Day, being the 7th of June, will be performed an Entertainment of New Musick, Vocal and Instrumental, Mr Pate, Mr Leveridge, Mr Freeman, Mr Bowen, and all the best Masters perform their Parts. Composed by Mr Daniel Purcell for his Benefit

Event Comment: Rich's Company. Post Boy, No 494, 2-5 July 1698: This Day is Acted the Tempest, at the Kings Playhouse in Drury-Lane, for the Entertainment of a Foreign Prince, who, we are positively inform'd, is the Prince of Parma in Person

Event Comment: Rich's Company. Post Boy, No 496, 7-9 July 1698: This day is acted Oroonoko, at the King's Playhouse, for the particular Entertainment of some Persons of the highest Quality, with the Italian Shades, as they were perform'd with great Applause, before their Excellencies the Russian and Morocco Ambassadors, in the Reign of King Charles II. And an Entertainment after the manner of the Carnaval at Rome. With several Grotesque Dances

Event Comment: Post Boy, No. 507, 2-4 Aug. 1698: In the Walks of the New Wells in Richmond, on Monday next, the 8th of August, will be Perform'd an Extraordinary Entertainment of Instrumental Music, with Trumpets, Kettle-Drums, Hautboys, Flutes and Violins, after the manner of the Entertainments lately perform'd in the Queen's Garden at Somerset-House; Price of coming in 1s. To begin before 7 a clock in the Evening because the Performance must end by Day-light. The Musick of the Wells will attend to play Dances

Event Comment: Post Man, No 515, 15-17 Sept. 1698: At Mr Barnes's and Mr Appleby's Booth in the Coachyard near St Georges Church, Southwark, during the space of 14 days, is to be seen the most famous Rope Dancers of Europe, viz. the English, High German, Dutch, and Morocco Companies, who perform strange and wonderful things on the Rope, the German Maiden outdoing all Men and Women, that ever danc'd before her, both for high leaping and fine Dancing, and whatever has been done by any person on the Ground, as side, upright, cross or back Capers, is performed by her on the Dancing Rope, and rises to that prodigious height, as will startle all that see her

Event Comment: Rich's Company. The date of the first production is not known, but A Comparison between the Two Stages (1702) (pp. 21-23) implies that this work preceded Rinaldo and Armida (performed at lif probably in November 1698). The Island Princess was not published until 1699 (the Masque being advertised in the Post Boy, 7-9 Feb. 1698@9, and the Opera in the Flying Post, 7-9 March 1698@9). A Comparison between the Two Stages (1702), pp. 21-22: Sullen: The old House have a Bawble offer'd 'em, made out of Fletcher's Island Princess, sometime after alter'd by Mr Tate, and now erected into an Opera by Motteux: The Actors labour at this like so many Galley Slaves at an Oar, they call in the Fiddle, the Voice, the Painter, and the Carpenter to help 'em; and what neither the Poet nor the Player cou'd do, the Mechanick must do for him:...but as I was saying-the Opera now possesses the Stage, and after a hard struggle, at length it prevail'd, and something more than Charges came in every Night: The Quality, who are always Lovers of good Musick, flock hither, and by almost a total revolt from the other House, give this new Life, and set it in some eminency above the New; this was a sad mortification to the old Stagers in Lincolns-Inn-fields. For a poem, The Confederates; or the first Happy Day of the Island Princess, see Poem on Affairs of State, 1703, II, 248-50

Event Comment: London Gazette, No 3444, 10-14 Nov. 1698: The Anniversary Feast of the Society of Gentlemen, Lovers of Musick, will be kept at Stationers-hall on St Cecilia's Day, being Tuesday the 22d Instant. According to a notice for a later concert (see 4 Jan. 1698@9) the music on this occasion was composed by Daniel Purcell

Event Comment: Betterton's Company. John Dryden to Mrs Steward, 4 March 1698@9: This Day is playd a reviv'd Comedy of Mr Congreve's called the Double Dealer, which was never very takeing; in the play bill was printed, Written by Mr Congreve; with Severall Expressions omitted: What kind of Expressions those were you may easily ghess; if you have seen the Monday's Gazette, wherein is the King s Order, for the reformation of the Stage: but the printing an Authours name, in a Play bill, is a new manner of proceeding, at least in England (Letters of John Dryden, 112-13)

Event Comment: Betterton's Company. This performance is known by a letter of John Dryden to Mrs Steward, 7 Nov. 1699: There is this day to be acted a New tragedy, made by Mr Hopkins, & as I believe in rhime. He has formerly written a play in verse calld Boadicea, which you fair Ladyes likd: & is a poet who writes good verse without knowing how, or why; I mean he writes naturally well, without art or learning, or good sence (The Letters of John Dryden, p. 124). The Dedication to the play is dated 1 Nov. 1699, but the play was not advertised until, apparently, in the Post Man, 17-20 Feb. 1699@1700

Event Comment: London Gazette, No. 3549, 13-16 Nov. 1699. The Anniversary of the Society of Gentlemen, Lovers of Musick, will be kept at Stationers-hall on Wednesday next the 22d Instant, being St. Cecilia's Day

Event Comment: Luttrell, A Brief Relation, IV, 586: This day the strong Kentish man was shewn at the play house in Dorset Garden, where he drew against a horse, and lifted 20 hundred weight: the boxes 10s. apeice, and the pit 5s. [Other accounts are in a newsletter in the Burney Collection (British Museum) and in the Post Man, 25-28 Nov. 1699.

Event Comment: Betterton's Company. The date of the premiere is not known, but Dryden, on 14 Dec. 1699, indicated that the run of the play had been completed by that day. A copy in the Folger Shakespeare Library has a notice of its publication. Downes, Roscius Anglicanus, p. 45: Iphigenia a Tragedy, wrote by Mr Dennis, a good Tragedy and well Acted; but answer'd not the Expences they were at in Cloathing it. [In The Life of Mr John Dennis (London, 1734) the author states that Colonel Codrington prevailed on all his friends to take tickets for the dramatist's third night.] Preface, Edition of 1700: And from the first representations I expected all the success that I could reasonably desire. I never in my life at any Play took notice of a more strict attention, or, a more profound silence. And there was something like what happen'd at the Representation of Pacuvius his Tragedy. For upon Orestes discovering his passion to Iphigenia in the fourth Act, there was a general murmur through the Pit, which is what I had never seen before. But after three or four representations, several people, who during that time had wholly abandon'd themselves to the Impression which Nature had made on them, began to study how to be discontented by Art; and repented heartily at having been pleas'd with what Athens and Rome and Paris had been pleas'd before. A Comparison between the Two Stages (1702), p. 23: Critick: I must needs Complement him [Dennis] with the Success of his laborious Iphigenia: Ay, here's a Tragedy with a witness--show a more tragick Poet if you can--'twas a smart Epilogue. But I marvel a Man of Mr Dennis's Penetration wou'd suffer, nay beg his Friend to Burlesque him at that unreasonable rate: But the Author was conscious the Audience might mistake it for a Comedy, and so he gets Colonel C-(he was sure his Word wou'd be taken) to tell 'em it was not a Comedy but a Tragedy: The hint was good and necessary, for o' my word very few knew what to make of it before, tho' there were many Tremendous things in't. [The dialogue continues to examine Dennis' Preface, and Dennis's assertions there concerning his play.

Event Comment: Rich's Company. The date of the premiere is not knwon, but the Dedication is dated February 1699@1700, the play was entered in the Term Catalogues in February 1699@1700, and advertised in the Flying Post, 16 March 1699@1700. The latest likely date for the first production is January 1700, but the play may have appeared in late December as a rival to lif's production of I Henry IV early in January 1700. Cibber, Apology, I, 275: But the Master of the Revels, who then licens'd all Plays for the Stage, assisted this Reformation [of the morality of the stage] with a more zealous Severity than ever. He would strike out whole Scenes of a vicious or immoral Character, tho' it were visibly shewn to be reform'd or punish'd; a severe Instance of this kind falling upon my self may be an Excuse for my relating it: When Richard the Third (as I alter'd it from Shakespear) came from his Hands to the Stage, he expung'd the whole first Act without sparing a Line of it. This extraordinary Stroke of a Sic volo occasion'd my applying to him for the small Indulgence of a Speech or two, that the other four Acts might limp on with a little less Absurdity! no! he had no leisure to consider what might be separately inoffensive. [Cibber continues with an explanation of the censor's argument for cutting the act.] Preface to Cibber's Ximena, 1719: Richard the Third, which I alter'd from Shakespear, did not raise me Five Pounds on Third Day

Event Comment: On this day James Brydges attended an unnamed play at this theatre (Huntington MS St 26)

Event Comment: Betterton's Company. This performance was probably the first day of this revival, for Matthew Prior wrote to Abraham Stanyan, 8 Jan. 1699@1700: To-morrow night Betterton acts Falstaff, and to encourage that poor house the Kit Katters have taken one side-box and the Knights of the Toast have taken the other (HMC, Bath MSS. [London, 1908], III, 394). See also 28 Jan. 1699@1700. The play was advertised in the London Gazette, No. 3601, 13-16 May 1700, and the title page states: Reviv'd, with Alterations. Written Originally by Mr Shakespear

Event Comment: Alice Hatton, writing on (possibly) 20 Jan. 1699@1700: I was last night (with Lady Longuevil and Lady Arundel) at ye Princess's, and Lady Long: was so kind to offer to carry me to ye Oppera to day with her and Lady Portland; but I was so unfortunate as to be engaged to go to Lady Denbighs to see ye famous Mrs Binges dance, or else I should have bin glad to have waited on Lady Long: tho I had seen it before and think it very silly. Mr Abel is to have a fine musicke meeting to morrow, and ye tickets are guineas a piece, wch is a little to much for me to throw away; so I shall not be there, and I find so many yt can afford it better of my mind, yt I fancy, if he had lower rates, he would have got more (Hatton Correspondence, Camden Society, XXIII [1878], 245). It is difficult to assign a proper date to this letter. It is unlikely that it was written on Saturday 20 Jan., as Abell was not likely to offer a concert on Sunday at which admission would be charged. It is possible that the opera referred to is The Grove, which is known to have been performed on 19 Feb. 1700, but the fact that this opera was unsuccessful makes it unlikely that it had its premiere in mid-January and was played again in mid-February. Perhaps the letter should be dated mid-February

Event Comment: Betterton's Company. The date of the first performance is not known, but Lucyle Hook, James Brydges Drops in at the Theatre, Huntington Library Bulletin, VIII (1945), 309, speculates that James Brydges' attendance at lif this day may have been prompted by his seeing this new play, as he stayed longer than he often did at a theatrical performance. The comedy was certainly acted before 12 March 1699@1700. James Brydges, Diary: I went to ye play in Lincolns inn fields, where I met Sr G. Coply, who set me down after it was ended (Huntington MS St 26). Downes, Roscius Anglicanus, p. 45: The Way of the World, a Comdey wrote by Mr Congreve, twas curiously Acted; Madam Bracegirdle performance her Part so exactly and just, gain'd the Applause of Court and City; but being too Keen a Satyr, had not the Success the Company Expected