Event Comment: See 27 Feb. and 4 March. Pepys, Diary: [Sir W. Coventry] told me the matter of the play [The Rehearsal] that was intended for his abuse, wherein they foolishly and sillily bring in two tables like that which he hath made, with a round hole in the middle, in his closet, to turn himself in; and he is to be in one of them as master, and Sir J. Duncomb in the other, as his man or imitator: and their discourse in those tables, about the disposing of their books and papers, very foolish. But that, that he is offended with, is his being made so contemptible, so that any should dare to make a gentleman a subject for the mirth of the world; and that therefore he had told Tom Killigrew that he should tell his actors, whoever they were, that did offer any thing like representing him, that he would not complain to my Lord Chamberlain, which was too weak, nor get him beaten, as Sir Charles Sidly is said to do, but that he would cause his nose to be cut

Event Comment: On this day the Lord Chamberlain issued an order (L. C. 5@12, p. 252; in Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 252) signifying the King's pleasure that: "ye french Comoedians haue liberty to Act and Play And that noe Persons pr[e]sume to molest or disturbe them in their Acting & playing.

Event Comment: An order of the Lord Chamberlain (5@12, p. 202) dated 1 April 1671, states that the theatres are to be closed because of the death of the Duchess of York on 31 March 1671. See Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 322. It is uncertain how long the theatres were closed, but probably the closure extended for six weeks

Event Comment: According to L. C. 7@1-see Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p.325n--a disagreement within the King's Company resulted in the Lord Chamberlain's directing Michaell Mohun, Charles Hart, Edward Kynnaston, and William Cartwright to manage the company under his supervision

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. That this date is the premiere is conjectured from the order, dated 11 Dec. 1680, forbidding further acting of this play. See L. C. 5@144, p. 28, in Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p.1 on: Whereas I am informed that there is Acted by you a Play called Lucius Junius Brutus..wherein are very Scandalous Expressions & Reflections upon ye Government these are to require you Not to Act ye said Play again. In the Preface to Charles Gildon's The Patriot (1703) it is stated that Lee's play was banned after the third day's Acting, by the Lord Chamberlain Arlington as an anti-monarchical play." As the order is dated 11 Dec. 1680, the drama was probably presented on 8, 9, and 10 Dec. 1680.

Event Comment: Luttrell, A Brief Relation, II, 413: By order of the queen, the lord chamberlain has sent an order to the playhouse prohibiting the acting Mr Dryden s play called the tragedy of Cleomenes, reflecting much on the government. Gentleman's Journal, April 1692 (licensed 13 April): I was in hopes to have given you in this Letter an account of the Acting of Mr Dryden's Cleomenes; it was to have appear'd upon the Stage on Saturday last, and you need not doubt but that the Town was big with Expectation of the performance; but Orders came from Her Majesty to hinder its being Acted; so that none can tell when it shall be play'd

Event Comment: The Lord Chamberlain, L. C. 7@1--see Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 339-hearing that Dogget had left Lincoln's Inn Fields and Verbruggen had left Drury Lane, restated the order against players shifting companies, and ordered that Verbruggen was to stay with Drury Lane until 1 Jan. 1696@7 but that he might enter into agreement with Lincoln's Inn Fields to act there after the close of 1696

Event Comment: Rich's Company. Post Boy, 29 June-1 July 1697: The New Opera will be Acted this day for the benefit of the Undertaker....The new Opera...is acting with great applause. It is licensed by the Lord Chamberlain's Secretary, and the Master of the Revels; and may be had, with all the songs, at A. Roper's, at the Black-boy in Fleet-street, price 1s

Event Comment: Luttrell, A Brief Relation, IV, 674: The lord chamberlain has ordered that no playes be acted for 6 weeks while the mourning [for the Duke of Gloucester] continues

Event Comment: Benefit Corbett. [Luttrell, 21 March, states: "This being Passion week, there was a new opera acted last Monday at the old playhouse, which her majestie being informed of resented the same, and ordered the lord chamberlain to suffer no more till after Easter Sunday" (VI, 29). There is no known advertisement of the performance to which Luttrell refers.

Event Comment: [An order of this date by the Lord Chamberlain restricted the queen's to operas, Drury Lane to plays; the change became effective after 10 Jan. 1708.

Event Comment: Announced but not given. On 6 June the Lord Chamberlain silenced Drury Lane because of its failure to obey an order issued earlier which forbade the deduction of more than #40 from the receipts at a benefit

Event Comment: Steele wrote a Prologue for the opening, but the Lord Chamberlain had already engaged one by Tickell. For Steele's Prologue, see Blanchard, Occasional Verse of Richard Steele, p. 49: for Tickell's, see R. E. Tickell, pp. 231-32. Original Weekly Journal, 27 Sept.: His Majesty beheld the Performance with much Satisfaction. The young Princesses were present, and a very great Concourse of Nobility and Gentry

Event Comment: Benefit Ray and Mrs Moore. On this day a warrant for establishing an Academy of Music was issued. See Lord Chamberlain's Office, 7@3 and 5@157, p. 228

Event Comment: A meeting of the Court of Directors of the Royal Academy of Music initiated arrangements for a new season. For details, see Lord Chamberlain's Office, 7@3, Nicoll, p. 286, and Deutsch, p. 97

Event Comment: For further deliberations of the Court of Directors of the Royal Academy of Music, see Lord Chamberlain's Office, 7@3 or Deutsch, p. 97

Event Comment: For further deliberations of the Royal Academy of Music, see Lord Chamberlain's Office, 7@3 or Deutsch, Handel, p. 97

Event Comment: For the order silencing Cibber, see Blanchard, Correspondence of Richard Steele, p.146

Event Comment: At the Desire of several Persons of Quality. Weekly Journal or Saturday's Post, 30 Jan.: On Saturday Night, after the Actors...had perform'd the Maid's Tragedy, a Proclamation was made upon the Stage from the Duke of Newcastle, Lord Chamberlain, signifying that it was his Majesty's Pleasure to suspend for the present any more Acting at that House

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Robinson. Boxes and Pit by tickets only at half a guinea. Tickets for The Man of Mode taken. [An order of the Lord Chamberlain's Office, 5@157, p. 284, directs the managers not to allow any benefit before those for Mrs Oldfield and Mrs Porter.

Event Comment: By His Royal Highness's Command. Lord Chamberlain's Office, 5@157, p. 287: I do hereby Order and direct that Mr Gay s Pastorall Tragedy be imediately Acted after Mr Hugh's

Event Comment: DDaily Post, 29 May: We are assur'd that there will be no more Plays acted this Season at [dl], and we hear that there was Yesterday no Play acted...as had been advertiz'd for that Day; the Occasion we are inform'd was, that at Midnight on Saturday last several persons arm'd took Possession of the same, by Direction from some of the Patentees, and lock'd up and barricado'd all the Doors and Entrances thereunto, against the whole Company of his Majesty's Comedians, as also against Mr Cibber, Jun. notwithstanding he had paid to one of the Patentees several hundred Pounds for one third Part of the Patent, Cloaths, Scenes, &c. and all Rights and Privileges thereunto annexed, for a certain Term not yet expired. Mr Cibber, Jun. and the rest of the Company of Comedians, and this Morning to wait upon his Grace the Duke of Grafton, Lord Chamberlain of his Majesty's Houshold, with their humble Petition, and the Representation of their Cast, and to beg his Grace's Favour and Protection

Event Comment: For discussion of the Licensing Act, see Craftsman, 4 June, and Common Sense, 4 June. London Evening Post, 4 June: We hear that by the Bill now in the House of Peers against Players of Interludes, &c. all Copies of Plays, Farces, or any Thing wrote in the Dramatick Way, are to lie fourteen Days before his Grace the Lord Chamberlain of his Majesty's Household for the Time being, for his Grace's Perusal and Approbation, before they shall be exhibited on the Stage

Event Comment: Benefit Chapman [who states that he is in danger of losing vision in one eye. Tickets at Chapman's House, the Corner of Bow Street cg.] London Daily Post and General Advertiser, 27 March: Last Week died, after a most tedious and expensive Illness, at Chelsea, Mrs Laguerre, formerly a celebrated Dancer on the Stage. Daily Post, 29 March: During the Rehearsal [on 27 March], of a new Tragedy, written by Mr Thompson, call'd Edward and Eleonora, (which was to have been acted on this Day) he receiv'd, to his great Surprise, a Message from the Lord Chamberlain, absolutely forbidding the acting of the said Play. No Objection having been made to the Whole or any Part of it, we must conclude it was consider'd as immoral or seditious

Event Comment: By Paritular Desire. [The Daily Post, 11 Jan., has an advertisement stating that on 4 Jan. an order arrived from the Lord Chamberlain forbidding the acting of Arminius, then in rehearsal.