University of Virginia Library

British Plays, 1697-1737: Premieres, Datings, Attributions, and Publication Information
by
William J. Burling [*]

Scholarship of early eighteenth-century British drama has long been impeded by a lack of basic information: How many original plays or adaptations actually appeared? What were the premiere dates? And who wrote (or might have written) the numerous anonymous plays? The London Stage, 1660-1800 (1960-68) provided substantial information toward resolving at least some of these questions, but I wish to offer major addenda and corrigenda to The London Stage concernings plays definitely or possibly performed in London between ca. 1697 and 1737. I gathered the information through intensive original research and reexamination of existing secondary sources, some of which have never been explored by theatrical scholars.

The results are extensive. Most welcome is the identification of perhaps as many as fifteen plays and one oratorio not recorded by the editors of The London Stage,[1] more than doubling the number of "lost" plays "found" since 1968.[2] Of these plays, I have uncovered six pieces. Nine plays and an

oratorio I have collected from little-known research efforts by others. Further, I have determined that first mentions of twenty plays currently in The London Stage—which usually denotes premieres or first known performances—are not so indicated therein; I have redated twelve plays and have identified or suggested attributions for forty-five plays; and I have verified the publication of eight performed plays hitherto believed to be unpublished. The findings are arranged in five sections: I. Plays hitherto unknown or believed to be unperformed; II. Unnoted First Performances in The London Stage; III. New Dating Evidence; IV. New Attributions; V. Previously Unknown Publications.

The sources employed for this study are diverse and extensive. Eighteenth-century newspaper advertisements supplied many titles, attributions, and datings. Other information appeared in advertisements in the back matter of some of the several hundred published eighteenth-century play texts which I examined. Memoirs and first-hand accounts were also valuable, particularly John Weaver's little-known The History of Mimes and Pantomimes.[3] Weaver, long the dancing master at Drury Lane, was a knowledgeable insider who has proven to be most informative. I have also found data in the standard play lists from the century, especially those by Whincop and Feales.[4] Among modern sources the most valuable has been the on-line Eighteenth-Century Short Title Catalogue (hereafter ESTC).[5]

Of considerable interest is the emerging importance of musical sources for the identification of theatrical information, particularly the British Union-Catalogue of Early Printed Music (hereafter BUCEM)[6] and Roger Fiske's English Theatre Music in the Eighteenth Century.[7] As Curtis Price and I have shown in independent studies and as this article hopes further to indicate, published sheet music can strongly imply or establish the existence of many ephemeral theatrical entertainments which were not published in their own right and which can be known from no other source. And the identities of the singers named often can aid in establishing a tentative date of premiere or performance, due to the superb biographical information now available for cross-reference purposes. Further, each entry is keyed to the appropriate volume and page of The London Stage (hereafter often given as LS).

I. Plays Hitherto Unknown or Believed to be Unperformed

Amalasont, Queen of the Goths, or Vice Destroys Itself (By John Hughes, ca. 1697-1700, Drury Lane; unpublished)

Amalasont is listed as unperformed by all sources, but the BUCEM (II, 855) gives two songs composed by Daniel Purcell which imply late seventeenth-or early eighteenth-century performance: (1) "Hence ye curst infernal train. A song in the tragedy call'd Amalasont, Queen of the Goths . . . Sung by Mrs Lindsey" (London: Tho. Cross, ca. 1700); (2) "In a grove's forsaken shade. A song in the tragedy call'd Amalasont . . . Sung by Mrs. Erwin" (London: Tho. Cross, ca. 1697). The editors of The Biographical Dictionary state that Mrs Erwin sang "In a grove's foresaken shade" and indicate that no performances

of Amalasont are known, but they do not mention Mrs Lindsey's song. Mrs Erwin's earliest presence on the stage is known from her inclusion in the Drury Lane roster for the season of 1695-96; she disappears until 1699-1700, then reappearing at Drury Lane; no roles are known for her after 1700.[8]

The possibility that not only one but two songs from an unproduced play were performed publicly and published with mention of the originating play's title is remote. Virtually all theatre music publication relied upon public knowledge of and possible interest in the play itself.

The Lyers (Anonymous, ca. 1701?, venue unknown)

Found in a notice on the last page of The Czar of Muscovy (published 1701), this play was printed or said to be printed by Bernard Lintott. Its relationship if any to Mistaken Beauty, or The Lyer (1685) is unclear, and no copy has yet been located.

The Tavern Bilkers (Anonymous, 1702, Drury Lane; unpublished)

This pantomime and its date are given by Weaver and are also noted by Allardyce Nicoll.[9]

In an attempt to confirm Weaver's titles and datings, I have checked the extant issues of the London Daily Courant (the only newspaper containing theatrical notices for this period) to no direct avail. But some clues imply that Drury Lane did not necessarily list afterpieces by title. See, for example, the notices for 2 and 9 January 1717 which describe an afterpiece as "A Mimick-Night-Scene after the Italian Manner," which may well be Weaver's Perseus and Andromeda (1716-17).

The Happy Mistakes: or Self-Ruin, Self-Preservation (By Peter A. Motteux, ca. 1703; unpublished)

This play is listed but not discussed in Robert N. Cunningham's biography of Motteux.[10] I have found no mention of the play in any source, and Cunningham does not say where he came across the play title. The Happy Mistakes may possibly be a ghost; I thus attribute this play to Motteux only on a "doubtful" status.

The Rival Brothers; or, A Fatal Secret (Anonymous, 1704, Lincoln's Inn Fields)

Long available in the Readex microcard series and not unknown in major research libraries, The Rival Brothers is also to be found in many contemporary notices and was published (London: Printed and Sold by Ben. Bragg, 1704).[11] The exact premiere date remains unknown. Further identification derives from a song, "In vain malicious fate. A song in the Fatal Secret . . . sung by Mrs Willis & exactly engrav'd by Tho. Cross," BUCEM (I, 307). Very likely Theobald's play of similar title (The Fatal Secret—4 April 1733, Covent Garden) is not the source of this song: Mrs Willis is known to have performed only at Drury Lane during the season of 1732-33. "In vain malicious fate" does not appear in the printed copies of either play.

The Mountebank; or, The Humours of the Fair (By Peter A. Motteux? 18 January? 1705, Drury Lane)

This play was published with Motteux's Farewel Folly (London: James Round, 1707). As Farewel Folly premiered circa 18 January 1705 at Drury Lane (LS 2.i.85), The Mountebank, if staged at all, may well have appeared on the same program. I cannot determine if this musical interlude is related to The Mountebank; or, The Country Lass (unpublished, 21 December 1715, Lincoln's Inn Fields).

Perseus and Andromeda (By John Weaver, 1716-17, Drury Lane)

Weaver claims credit for this unpublished pantomime and provides the date in his History of Mimes. The play is briefly noted Fiske (p. 91) and is apparently related to the later Perseus and Andromeda fad of the 1720s and 30s. See discussion below of Perseus and Andromeda in Part IV.

Cupid and Bacchus (By John Weaver, 1719, Drury Lane)

This unpublished pantomime is dated and listed by Weaver as his own composition in The History of Mimes.

The South-Sea Director (By John Rich, 1720, Lincoln's Inn Fields; unpublished)

The title and date of this new pantomime are listed in Weaver, who attributes this entertainment to "Lun," i.e., John Rich.

Love and Wine (Anonymous, ca. 1720-22?, Lincoln's Inn Fields; unpublished)

This piece is suggested by a song, "Wine's a mistress gay and easy," sung by Richard Leveridge "in the entertainment of Love and Wine," and noted in BUCEM, II, 630. Leveridge sang only for John Rich (at Lincoln's Inn Fields and after 1732 at Covent Garden) from 1714 until his retirement in 1751. Thus a play of identical title listed by Nicoll for 1754 (III.334) cannot be the play from which "Wine's a mistress" derives.[12]

The Savage; or, The Force of Nature (By James Miller, ca. early 1737, Drury Lane; unpublished)

A notice in William Havard's King Charles (1737) states that The Savage; or, The Force of Nature, a comic afterpiece, was performed at Drury Lane and was written "by the Author of the Universal Passion,"[13] i.e., the Universal Passion being a contemporary play by James Miller (1706-1744). Miller's first play is currently believed to be The Humours of Oxford (9 January 1730, Drury Lane), and he achieved his reputation entirely after 1730. The Universal Passion appeared 28 February 1737 and King Charles on 1 March. I have not located a copy; therefore, this play cannot be positively verified.

An anonymous play entitled The Savage appeared at Lincoln's Inn Fields on 27 February 1727; no evidence exists to suggest that this is the play by Miller.

Robin Hood (1730, Lee and Harper's Great Theatrical Booth, Bartholomew Fair)

This ballad opera, found in the William Andrews Clark Library, was "Printed for J. Watts and sold by J. Roberts," 1730. The title page supplies the venue and date.

Ridotto al Fresco (By Theophilus Cibber, June 1732, Drury Lane)

This afterpiece, written by Theophilus Cibber, is known by a publication announcement in the Gentleman's Magazine, June 1732 (London: J. Roberts), although the only published copy I have seen is "Printed for the Benefit of Richard Cross the Prompter and Sold at the Theatre. 1733." The London Stage (3.i.283) lists and indexes Ridotto al Fresco as the sub-title of T. Cibber's The Harlot's Progress (31 March 1733), but the 1733 text shows that the "Ridotto" section as probably performed in 1732 is simply tacked onto the mainpiece (a theatrical representation of Hogarth's famous print series) and is not dramatically connected to The Harlot's Progress (nor is "the Masque of the Judgement of Paris," also listed in the concluding performance directions). A song entitled a "grand Comic Ballad" in the "Ridotto" is named in the script, but the lyrics are not provided as was done for the songs in the Harlot's Progress section of the text; perhaps either the publisher or Cibber himself decided that the song need not be reprinted.

The Triumphs of Love and Hymen (By Edward Phillips, ca. early 1734?, unstaged?)

Probably yet another of the many musical entertainments written in honor of the royal nuptials between Princess Anne, Princess Royal, and the Prince of Orange (15 March 1734), this unpublished masque is alluded to in The Dramatick Sessions (1734).[14] As was the case with the similarly celebratory Aurora's Nuptials (1734), this masque was most likely never staged, although newspaper runs listing theatrical advertisements are incomplete for this season. Performance, if any, almost certainly would have taken place at Covent Garden or Lincoln's Inn Fields: Phillips was John Rich's musical director for these theatres.

The Whim; or, The Miser's Retreat (ca. 1734, Goodman's Fields)

The title page of this play, published by J. Watts (London, 1734), states "As it is Performed at the / New Theatre in Goodman's-Fields." This anonymous ballad opera (termed "A Farce" on the title page) is found in the Readex collection (from a copy in the New York Public Library) and is discussed by Edmond M. Gagey.[15]

Jeptha (By Maurice Greene [composer], ca. 1-12 April 1737, King's Theatre)

This unpublished oratorio is identified by Otto Deutsch.[16] An exact performance date is not known because newspapers containing theatrical advertisements for this two-week period are not extant, but Greene's piece was apparently presented during Lent in April 1737. Although G. F. Händel prepared

an oratorio of identical title in 1757, he had no hand in this 1737 production.

II. Unnoted First Performances in The London Stage

Two principal difficulties exist when one searches The London Stage for play premieres: (1) the first mention of a play may not be the premiere, as exemplified by Susanna Centlivre's The Gamester (1705), for which the first listing is actually the twelfth night of performance; and (2) the first mention of a play may be a premiere but is not so indicated in the London Stage comments. Resolution of some of these problems constitutes the subject matter of this section. Although any user tracking down a specific play in The London Stage may ultimately be able to identify and sort out these inadvertences on the part of the London Stage editors, I present this information as a courtesy, and whenever possible, add new information in an attempt to establish premiere dates.

Platonick Love; or, The Innocent Mistake (Anonymous, ca. 1703?)

The known performance of this play is for 24 November 1718 (LS 2.ii. 516) but is advertised as "Not Acted these Fifteen Years," implying a possible 1703 or earlier premiere. No other play of this title is known, and the title sufficiently differs from Davenant's earlier The Platonic Lovers (1635) to suggest that the 1703 play is not a revival of the 1635 piece. The play is apparently unpublished, and no other information is currently available.

The Maid in the Mill (Anonymous, 27 July 1704, Lincoln's Inn Fields; LS 2.i.73)

This new three-act farce version derives from the original Fletcher and Rowley five-act mainpiece (licensed 1623). The new version, which went unpublished, is advertised in the Daily Courant (27 July 1704) as "a Comedy call'd, The Maid in the Mill. Being made into a farce of three Acts."

The Unfortunate Couple (Anonymous, 17 August 1704, Lincoln's Inn Fields)

The title of this unpublished play is identical to that of one act of P. A. Motteux's The Novelty (May 1697), itself derived from Edward Filmer's The Unnatural Brother (January 1697). The play was advertised (as recorded in LS 2.1.73) as "Not Acted these Six Years," indicating that this performance of 17 August 1704 represents the first known separate performance of the tragedy. The Unfortunate Couple is thus very likely either an adaptation or alteration of one act of Motteux's play.

Mock Pompey (31 July 1706, Queen's Theatre)

This anonymous, unpublished piece is advertised as "A Burlesque Farce" (LS 2.i.127).

Titus Manlius (4 April 1717, King's)

The premiere of this little-known opera is explicitly advertised in the

Daily Courant of 4 April 1717 (and for several days earlier) but is not so indicated in The London Stage (2.i.444) and is not recorded in Alfred Lowenberg.[17] The opera is mentioned but not discussed by Deutsch, p. 74; publication was concurrent with the premiere (London: J. Tonson, 1717).

The Jealous Doctor (By John Rich, 29 April 1717, Lincoln's Inn Fields)

This is an unpublished pantomime (LS 2.i.448).

Harlequin Executed (By John Rich, 10 May 1717, Lincoln's Inn Fields)

The details surrounding this unpublished piece are somewhat muddled, but Weaver identifies it as a pantomime by "Lun," i.e., John Rich. The London Stage (2.i.428) first records performance as a dance entitled "Italian Mimick Scene between a Scaramouch, Harlequin, Country Farmer, His Wife, and others" (26 December 1716, Lincoln's Inn Fields); the piece was next presented, again as a dance, as "Harlequin Executed; or, The Farmer Disappointed" on 29 December 1716 (LS 2.i.428). The increasingly popular diversion finally became a full-fledged afterpiece as noted on 10 May 1717 (LS 2.i.449). I have assigned the "official" premiere to 10 May 1717 on the grounds that this is the first time that the piece is given full billing status in newspaper advertisements as an afterpiece. This piece indicates the difficulty of establishing genre designations during the early eighteenth century, a problem noted by The London Stage (2.i.cxix).

The Unlucky Lover; or, The Merry London Cuckolds (18 July 1717, Drury Lane)

This anonymous, unpublished play, apparently a comedy, is advertised in the Daily Courant for 18 July 1717 as "carefully revis'd," implying an earlier premiere (LS 2.i.457). Any possible relationship to Ravenscroft's The London Cuckolds is unknown.

Harlequin Turn'd Judge (By John Weaver, 5 December 1717, Drury Lane; LS 2.i.472)

This pantomime went unpublished.

The Stage Coach (27 February 1731, Goodman's Fields; LS 3.i.119)

This anonymous musical adaptation of Farquhar's afterpiece comedy is advertised in the Daily Post for 27 February 1731 as a new ballad opera. No contemporary published London edition of the adaptation is known, but the NUC lists "The Stage-Coach; opera. As it is acted . . . in Drury Lane" as published in Dublin, 1761.[18]

The Throwsters Opera (2 June 1731, Goodman's Fields; LS 3.i.144)

This unpublished play is advertised in the Daily Post for 2 June 1731 as "a New Pantomime Entertainment," thus distinguishing it from The Merry Throwster (8 March 1731, Goodman's Fields; LS 3.i.121).

The What D'Ye Call It (Anonymous, 11 August 1731, Drury Lane)

This adaptation is advertised as a new ballad opera in a puff in the Daily Post for 2 August 1731: "We hear The What d'ye Call it? written by Mr. Gay,

is made into a Ballad-Opera, and is now in Rehearsal at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane." The piece duly appeared on 11 August 1731 (LS 3.i.150) and was advertised as "A Tragi-Comi-Pastoral-Farcical Ballad-Opera. Intermix'd with a Variety of new Songs made to old Ballad-Tunes and Country-Dances." Although no published edition contemporary with 1731 production is known, a piece entitled The what is it? A tragic-comic-pastoral-musical entertainment was published in London by W. Kemmish in 1789, which may represent a later publication of the 1731 ballad opera.

The Humours of Billingsgate (Anonymous, 12 November 1731, Drury Lane; LS 3.i.168)

Two details suggest that this unpublished play is probably not related to Lacy Ryan's similarly titled The Cobler's Opera; or, The Humours of Billingsgate (26 April 1731, Lincoln's Inn Fields): (1) the change of venue suggests that The Humours of Billingsgate is an entirely different piece, although perhaps a parody or sequel of Ryan's play; (2) the two patent theatres at Drury Lane and Lincoln's Inn Fields drew the line at pirating shows from each other but did not hesitate to steal plays from the unlicensed companies at the Little Haymarket Theatre (as in the case of The Beggar's Wedding (1729), simultaneously pirated by Drury Lane as Phebe). We may also note in passing that The Cobler's Opera, a popular afterpiece, was always advertised under its main rather than subtitle.

The Judgement of Paris (By John Weaver, 6 February 1733, Drury Lane; LS 3.i.269)

This dramatick pantomime, with music by Seedo, is based on William Congreve's masque of identical title (1701). The play was advertised in the Daily Post of 6 February 1733 as "a New Pantomime Entertainment." The attributions may be found on the title page of the printed edition (London: J. Tonson, 1733).

This entertainment is not to be confused with another and earlier new piece (anonymous) with the same title as presented at Lincoln's Inn Fields on 6 May 1731 and advertised as a "New Pastoral Ballad Opera."

The Imaginary Cuckolds (Anonymous, 11 April 1733, Drury Lane; LS 3.i.286)

An adaptation of Molière's Le Cocu Imaginaire, this afterpiece ran for four performances. Nothing is known concerning the identity of the adaptor, and the piece was apparently not published.

King and No King; or, The Polish Squabble (Anonymous, 1 November 1733, Goodman's Fields; LS 3.i.332)

Gagey remarks that this unpublished play was either a farce or a ballad opera afterpiece (p. 185).

Harlequin Restor'd, or, Taste a la Mode (By Richard Charke, 12 January 1736, Drury Lane; LS 3.i.543)

Loosely based on The Country Revels (1732) but not the same as the play

of a similar title for 7 October 1735, this unpublished, new entertainment featured music by Thomas Arne. See BUCEM, I, 448; Fiske, p. 161.

The Beggar's Pantomime (By Henry Woodward, 7 December 1736, Lincoln's Inn Fields; LS 3.ii.621)

This is a new ballad opera. See Gagey, pp. 169, 242. Publication took place in London (C. Corbett and W. Warner, 1736).

The Mirrour (Anonymous, 26 January 1737, Little Haymarket; LS 3.ii.633)

Virtually nothing is known concerning this unpublished "Dramatick Satire."

The Mob in Despair (Anonymous, 26 January 1737, Little Haymarket; LS 3.ii.633)

No information has appeared concerning publication or attribution of this farce afterpiece.

III. New Dating Evidence

Dating plays performed before the advent of regular newspaper advertisements is difficult and tricky. Two methods however, provide researchers with new possibilities. The first derives from the fact that plays were routinely published only after performance. As Judith Milhous and Robert D. Hume have shown,[19] the time between premiere and publication during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuies was usually a month; thus, while we cannot be precise as to day, we can approximate the month. The second method, similar to Milhous and Hume's, is based on the publication of music from a play, rather than the play proper. During 1695-1720, for example, John Walsh, an established musical publisher, published songs typically within two to four weeks after the premiere.[20] Other musical publishers followed a similar pattern. Caution must be employed in deriving dates from collections, however, as they could be composites of songs from much earlier plays.

Xerxes (By Colley Cibber, March-April 1699, Lincoln's Inn Fields)

A small item of Colley Cibber material in the Folger Library (MS y.d. 23 [188a]) in a late-seventeenth hand states, "Xerxes, as it is acted at the New Theatre. Cibber publ. Tr. Apr. 28. 1699."[21] Therefore, extrapolating on the basis of Milhous and Hume's theory, the play probably received its first performance in late March or early April 1699 rather than in mid-February 1699, as currently conjectured in The London Stage (1.508), although a February premiere (or earlier) is not out of the question.

The Mad Lover (Anonymous, February-March 1701, Lincoln's Inn Fields)

No information was available to Curtis Price (1977) to suggest a firm date for the premiere of this unpublished, early eighteenth-century "operatic" adaptation (which is not listed in The London Stage) of Fletcher's original

(1617). Lucyle Hook's research reveals, however, that eight of the songs were published by Henry Playford in the January-February 1701 issue of Mercurius Musicus,[22] and I have seen them advertised for publication by John Walsh in the Post-Boy for 27-29 March 1701. These publications thus indicate a premiere of December 1700 or possibly earlier. One other piece of evidence supports such dating: Acis and Galatea, a masque within The Mad Lover, was published in 1701 (London: R. Parker and H. Newman).

A Cure for Jealousie (By John Corye, ca. April 1701, Lincoln's Inn Fields)

This play is listed in The London Stage (1.520) as having premiered in 1699, but publication (London: Richard Harrison, 1701) is now known to have taken place by at least 27 May 1701 as evidenced by a publication notice in the Post-Man of that date. Although a 1699 premiere is not entirely ruled out, the 1701 publication in that case would be unusually late; the more plausible date of premiere is usually closer to the date of publication.[23]

The Comical Gallant (By John Dennis, ca. late 1701, Drury Lane)

Dennis' play is assigned by The London Stage to May 1702 (2.i.19), but Paisible's airs for this comedy were advertised in the Post-Boy for 11-13 December 1701, pushing the date of premiere back at least to early December and possibly even earlier. The play was published (London: A Baldwin) by 19 May 1702 according to The London Stage entry.

Vestal Virgin (By Sir Robert Howard, ca. 1692-1702)

Not known to have been performed after 1664,[24] the play was republished as part of Sir Robert Howard's Five New Plays in 1692, and the music is listed in a Walsh catalogue for 1703 (Smith, p. 43), suggesting a revival sometime between 1692 and 1702 not currently known. This evidence is only suggestive; Walsh's catalogue was a compilation. Still, performance records for the 1690s and early 1700s are so meager that the possibility of a revival is not ruled out.

Edward III (By William Mountfort?, ca. 1702)

The last known performance is 1691,[25] but the airs in the play were published in Harmonia Anglicana for 1702 suggesting a revival during that year. Cf., Fiske, p. 592.

The Patriot (By Charles Gildon, ca. November 1702, Drury Lane)

Gildon's play is currently assigned by The London Stage (2.i.29) to December 1702, but the airs in the play were advertised in the Post-Man for 28 November-1 December 1702, indicating a premiere in late October or early November 1702. The LS entry states that the play was published (London: William Davis and George Strahan) by 18 December 1702.

Acis and Galatea (By John Eccles and P. A. Motteux, ca. 1703-05?, Drury Lane)

This musical afterpiece is a section of an early eighteenth-century adaptation of Fletcher's The Mad Lover (1617; see discussion above). The 1701 edition

of Acis and Galatea (London: R. Parker and H. Newman)[26] apparently led Winton Dean (p. 153) to conclude that the play had received separate performance that year; the first LS date, however, is 11 December 1702 (2.i.29). The confusion over the origins of this play is resolved by Hook's Introduction to her Augustan Reprint facsimile edition of Acis and Galatea; she establishes that earliest performance of the masque (within The Mad Lover) took place ca. November or December 1700 (p. v). When the afterpiece began to be played alone is currently not known, but performances may well have started not long after the newly adapted The Mad Lover was dropped from the repertory (after 1702?).

The Gamester (By Susanna Centlivre, ca. January 1705, Lincoln's Inn Fields)

The earliest verified date for Centlivre's comedy is for the twelfth performance: 22 February 1705 (LS 2.i.88). The music, however, was advertised in the Post-Man for 30 January-1 February 1705, and the play itself was published 9 February 1705, as announced in the Daily Courant for that date (London: William Turner and William Davis). Both publication dates suggest a premiere in late December 1704 or early January 1705.

The Siege of Troy (Anonymous, Fall 1707 or earlier?, Bartholomew Fair)

This play has been known previously only by a performance of 5 September 1715 (LS 2.i.365), but a copy of the printed text in the Huntington Library dated 1707 (London: B. Bragg) announces performance at "Mrs Mywn's Booth" at Bartholomew Fair. Further, printed comments in the 1707 copy state that it is reset from yet an earlier (currently unlocated) edition dating from 1703.

The ESTC attributes this play to Elkanah Settle, indicating that it is an adaptation of Settle's The Virgin Prophetess (Drury Lane, 12 May 1701). Comparison of the two plays, however, reveals no similarity.[27]

The Richmond Heiress (By Thomas Durfey, ca. 1708, Drury Lane)

Two related pieces of evidence suggest a 1708 revival of this Durfey comedy (1693). Songs from the play as sung by Pack and Mrs Hudson were published ca. 1708 (see BUCEM, II, 889-890); and The London Stage entry (2.i.317) for a revival of this play on 2 March 1714 records the advertisement as stating "Not Acted these Six Years." Thus the play very likely was revived sometime during 1708, probably either between January and May or in October or November, the two segments of the year during which new plays and revivals most often appeared.

The Disappointment (By Henry Carey, ca. 1732, Little Haymarket)

This play has hitherto been known only by a unique performance at the York Buildings, 8 July 1734 (LS 3.i.405). The title page of the printed edition (London: S. Slow, 1732, in the Readex collection), however, states that it was performed earlier at the Little Haymarket Theatre. (See below, Part IV, for discussion of attribution.)

IV. New Attribution Evidence

The Beau Defeated (ca. mid-March 1700, Lincoln's Inn Fields; LS 1.526)

Nicoll (II.349) and the editors of the Annals assign this comedy to Mary Pix.[28] "Whincop," however, attributes the play to one "Barker" (p. 169). The play was published anonymously (London, 1700?).

The Gentleman-Cully (August 1701, Drury Lane)

The London Stage (2.i.12) and many other sources give Charles Johnson as the author of this comedy, but a convincing case is made against Johnson's authorship by Maurice Shudofsky, Modern Language Notes, 55 (1940), 396-400. The play was published (London: A. Bettesworth & R. Wellington, 1702).

The Stolen Heiress (31 December 1702, Lincoln's Inn Fields)

Susanna Centlivre is identified as the author in The London Stage (2.i.30), but Tom Brown states in "A Criticism on Modern Plays, being a Continuation of Mr. Congreve's Essay upon Comedy, in a Letter to Mr. Dennis" (volume IV in Works [1707-09]), "For no sooner was Swansen hang'd for stealing an Heiress, but out sends Mrs. Pix a play call'd The Stolen Heiress stolen from an old play call'd The Heiress" (237).[29] The published edition (London: William Turner and John Nutt), advertised in the Post-Boy for 16 January 1703, provides no clues.

A Woman Will Have Her Will (24 February 1713, Drury Lane)

The author is unknown (see LS 2.i.296), and the play is apparently unpublished. The music as composed by John Eccles did see print. See BUCEM, I, 310.

The Bulls and Bears (2 December 1715, Drury Lane; LS 2.i.379)

Evidence from Breval's The Confederates (1717) and the anonymous The Stage-Pretenders (1720) strongly suggests that this unpublished afterpiece is by Colley Cibber.[30]

The Loves of Mars and Venus (2 March 1717, Drury Lane; LS 2.i.439)

John Weaver states in The History of Mimes that this piece is his own. The pantomime was published (London: W Mears and J. Browne, 1717).

The Jealous Doctor (29 April 1717, Lincoln's Inn Fields; LS 2.i.448)

"Lun," i.e., John Rich, is the author identified by Weaver. The piece went unpublished.

Harlequin Executed (10 May 1717, Lincoln's Inn Fields; LS 2.i.449)

Weaver also assigns this unpublished pantomime to "Lun," i.e., John Rich.

Harlequin Turn'd Judge (5 December 1717, Drury Lane; LS 2.ii.472)

John Weaver states in his History that this pantomime is his own. Nicoll asserts 1717 publication (II.374), but I have been unable to locate a copy.

Amadis (24 January 1718, Lincoln's Inn Fields; LS 2.ii.480)

This is another unpublished pantomime by "Lun," i.e., John Rich, according to Weaver. Christopher Rich, however, may have coauthored the piece: the Daily Courant for 7 February 1718 advertises that evening's performance as an author's benefit; and "Rich's Register" (as reported in LS 2.ii.481) for this date lists John and Christopher Rich as the recipients of the benefit.

The Lady's Triumph (22 March 1718, Lincoln's Inn Fields; LS 2.ii.488)

The title page states that "E. S." is the author, whom Nicoll (II, 354) identifies as likely being Elkanah Settle. The play was published (London: J. Browne and W. Harvey) as advertised in the Daily Courant for 16 May 1718.

No Fools Like Wits (10 January 1721, Lincoln's Inn Fields; LS 2.ii.608)

Presently assumed to be an alteration of Thomas Wright's The Female Virtuosos (May, 1693),[31] this play, according to Whincop, was actually a new adaptation done by John Gay (p. 185). The play's twisted publication history is yet to be sorted out.

The Escapes of Harlequin (10 January 1722, Drury Lane; LS 2.ii.657)

John Thurmond is identified by Weaver as the author of this unpublished pantomime.

Jupiter and Europa; or, The Intrigues of Harlequin (23 March 1723, Lincoln's Inn Fields; LS 2.ii.715)

"Lun," i.e., John Rich, is the author identified by Weaver. J. E. Galliard, Cobston, and Richard Leveridge were the composers. See BUCEM, I, 201; Fiske, p. 79. The pantomime is apparently unpublished.

It Should Have Come Sooner (30 July 1723, Drury Lane; LS 2.ii.731)

Mentioned by Francis Hawling as his own in his Preface to The Impertinent Lovers (1723). Cf., Nicoll, II, 335. This play was not published.

The Union of the Three Sister Arts (22 November 1723, Lincoln's Inn Fields; LS 2.ii.745)

J. C. Pepusch was the composer. The play text was unpublished, but the music saw print. See BUCEM, II, 768.

Harlequin Doctor Faustus (26 November 1723, Drury Lane; LS 2.ii.746)

John Thurmond has long been known as the author, but Fiske's evidence (p. 75) now shows that Barton Booth was a co-author and Henry Carey the composer. The play was published (London: W. Chetwood, 1723).

The Necromancer; or, Harlequin Doctor Faustus (20 December 1723, Lincoln's Inn Fields; LS 2.ii.751)

"Lun," i.e., John Rich, is identified as the author by Weaver. The music as composed by J. E. Galliard was published (see BUCEM, I, 288), and an "Exact Description" of the pantomime appeared in 1724 (London: T. Payne).

Harlequin Sheppard (28 November 1724, Drury Lane; LS 2.ii.797)

Fiske (pp. 75, 90) identifies Henry Carey as the probable composer. The pantomime was published (London: J. Roberts and J. Dodd, 1724).

Harlequin a Sorcerer: With the Loves of Pluto and Proserpine (21 January 1725, Lincoln's Inn Fields)

Fiske suggests J. E. Galliard as the composer (p. 75). The LS entry (2.ii. 806) attributes the pantomime to Lewis Theobald, but Weaver states the play is by "Lun," i.e., John Rich. The piece was published in 1725 (London: T. Wood).

Apollo and Daphne; or, Harlequin Mercury (20 February 1725, Drury Lane; LS 2.ii.810-11)

The edition of 1725 (London: J. Dodd) states that John Thurmond is the author, Richard Jones and Henry Carey the composers.

Apollo and Daphne; or, The Burgo-Master Trick'd (14 January 1726, Lincoln's Inn Fields; LS 2.ii.850)

Fiske (p. 75) identifies Lewis Theobald as the author and J .E. Galliard as composer. The pantomime was published (London: T. Wood, 1726).

The Miser; or, Wagner and Abericock (30 December 1726, Drury Lane)

John Thurmond is noted as the author in the LS entry (2.ii.900), but Fiske (p. 75) identifies Richard Jones as the composer. Publication took place in 1727 (London: W. Trott).

The Rape of Proserpine (13 February 1727, Lincoln's Inn Fields)

Conflicting attributions: The London Stage (2.ii.908) gives Lewis Theobald, but Weaver states "Lun," i.e., John Rich, was the author. Fiske (p. 75) states that J. E. Galliard composed the music. Published in 1727 (London: T. Wood).

The Provok'd Husband (10 January 1728, Drury Lane; LS 2.ii.954)

The authors have long been known as Sir John Vanbrugh and Colley Cibber, but we now know that Henry Carey was the composer, according to music published as listed in BUCEM, II, 164. The play was published by J. Watts (London, 1728).

Penelope (8 May 1728, Little Haymarket; LS 2.ii.975)

John Mottley was the author, as given in the LS entry (2.11.975). Thomas Cooke is now known as the composer as identified in BUCEM, II, 768. This "dramatic opera" was published (London: Tho. Green, 1728).

The Quaker's Opera (24 August 1728, Bartholomew Fair; LS 2.ii.985)

This ballad opera is attributed to Thomas Walker by Whincop (p. 299); cf., Nicoll, II, 363. The piece was published (London: Printed for J. W. and sold by J. Roberts, A. Dodd, and E. Nutt and E. Smith, 1728).

Perseus and Andromeda (15 November 1728, Drury Lane; LS 2.ii.998)

Fiske states "The managers . . . reengaged Weaver to revise what he had

created, without notable success, in 1717. In fact Weaver revised only the 'grotesque scenes,' leaving the serious ones to 'Mons. Roger'" (p. 91). The title page of the published text confirms Fiske's attribution assignments (London: W. Trott, 1728).

Love in a Riddle (7 January 1729, Drury Lane; LS 2.ii.1006)

Fiske (p. 597) suggests Henry Carey as the composer of this "pastoral" authored by Colley Cibber. Publication by J. Watts (London, 1729).

Damon and Phillida (16 August 1729, Little Haymarket; LS 2.ii.1042[32])

Henry Carey was possibly responsible for this adaptation of Cibber's Love in a Riddle. See Burling, "New Light on the Colley Cibber Canon," PQ, 67 (1988), 121-122. This afterpiece was published (London: J. Watts, 1729).

The Clown's Stratagem (18 May 1730, Drury Lane; LS 3.i.61)

An advertisement in the Daily Post states that this play is "Written by the Author of the Contrivances," i.e., Henry Carey. It went unpublished.

Wat Tyler and Jack Straw (20 August 1730, Bartholomew Fair; LS 3.i.74) or Wat Tyler; or the State Menders (19 January 1733, Drury Lane; LS 3.i.265)

Sir Robert Henley is named as the author of Wat Tyler in The Dramatick Sessions (1734), p. 6. Whether this ascription refers to Wat Tyler and Jack Straw or to Wat Tyler; or the State Menders is unknown. Neither play was published.

Cephalus and Procris (28 October 1730, Drury Lane)

Roger is the author given in the LS entry (3.i.88), but BUCEM (I, 163) now gives us Henry Carey as the composer. Publication by J. Watts (London, 1733).

The Devil of a Duke (17 August 1732, Drury Lane)

Robert Drury is given as the author in the LS entry (3.i.226), but Seedo is now identified as the composer according to a notice on the last page of The Fancy'd Queen (1733). This afterpiece was published (London: Charles Corbett and John Torbuck, 1732).

A Wife Well Manag'd; or, Cuckoldom Prevent'd (17 August 1732, Totten-ham Court; LS 3.i.227)

This unpublished play is attributed to Henry Carey by Whincop (p. 185), but the title suggests that it may be a revival of Susanna Centlivre's farce, A Wife Well Manag'd, presented at the Little Haymarket 2 March 1724 but published in 1715 (London: S. Keimer).

The Disappointment (1732, Little Haymarket)

"John Randall," is a pseudonym for Henry Carey. See F. T. Wood, "The Disappointment," Review of English Studies, 5 (1929), 66-69. Earliest performance given in LS (3.i.405) as 8 July 1734, but see discussion above in

Part III for redating to 1732. The play was published by S. Slow (London, 1732).

The Judgment of Paris; or, The Triumph of Beauty (6 February 1733, Drury Lane; LS 3.i.269)

John Weaver was the author and Seedo the composer as stated on the title page of the printed edition (London: J. Tonson, 1733). See further discussion above in Part II, "Unnoted First Performances."

The Stage-Mutineers (27 July 1733, Covent Garden; LS 3.i.310)

This play was written by Edward Phillips, who is given as the author in a list appended to Marivoux's La Paysan Parvenu (1735) as cited by Gagey (pp. 168, 234 n7). The play was published by R. Wellington (London, 1733).

Seramis (30 October 1733, King's; LS 3.i.331)

Deustch (p. 335) established that the libretto was by Pietro Metastasio with recitatives by G. F. Händel. Most of the music for this pasticcio was composed by Antonio Vivaldi. This opera was apparently unpublished.

The Happy Nuptials (12 November 1733, Goodman's Fields; LS 3.i.336)

Henry Carey was the composer, but the identity of the librettist remains unknown. This play was extensively revised and revived as Brittania, or, The Royal Lovers (11 February 1734, Goodman's Fields). See BUCEM, I, 163; Fiske, p. 173. This musical entertainment was published (London: Printed by H. W., 1733).[33]

Cupid and Psyche (4 February 1734, Drury Lane; LS 3.i.365)

The author is unknown, but the music was composed by J. F. Lampe. See BUCEM, II, 591; Fiske, pp. 160-61. This pantomime was published (London: J. Watts, 1734).

Squire Basinghall (23 July 1735, Lincoln's Inn Fields; LS 3.i.502)

This unpublished afterpiece was advertised as "Written by the Author of the Comedy" on the same bill, i.e., The Stage-Mutineers, the mainpiece with which it appeared. Thus the author would be Edward Phillips. (See discussion above for The Stage-Mutineers.)

The Royal Chace (23 January 1736, Drury Lane; LS 3.i.546)

J. E. Galliard was the composer according to BUCEM, II, 905. This "dramatic entertainment" was published by T. Wood (London, 1736).

The Beggar's Pantomime (6 December 1736, Lincoln's Inn Fields)

The London Stage (3.ii.621) does not indicate that this pantomime is the work of "Lun, Jr," i.e., Henry Woodward, as noted by Gagey (pp. 169, 242) and so listed in the NUC. Publication by C. Corbett and W. Warner (London, 1736).

Hymen's Triumph (1 February 1737, Lincoln's Inn Fields; LS 3.ii.635)

Fiske (p. 91) lists Richard Jones as the composer (author unknown). This afterpiece was apparently unpublished.

V. Previously Unknown Publications

In the course of preparing my A Catalogue of New Plays and Entertainments on the London Stage, 1700-1737, I have been attempting to establish whether or not each of the one thousand or so plays which premiered during the period was published. The following short list represents the fruits of that systematic effort. Possible publication for each piece was determined by checking the ESTC (late 1988) and numerous bibliographies. I have noted the location of only the copy I examined (when seen) for each entry.

Dorinda (10 December 1712, Queen's; LS 2.i.290)

Copy at the Folger Shakespeare Library. London: J. Gardyner, 1712.

Wenceslaus (14 March 1717, King's; LS 2.i.441)

Copy at the William Andrews Clark Library. London: J. Tonson, 1717.

Titus Manlius (4 April 1717, King's; LS 2.i.444)

Copy at the William Andrews Clark Library. London: J. Tonson, 1717.

Two Harlequins [Les Deux Harlequins] (10 December 1718, Lincoln's Inn Fields; LS 2.ii.519)

Copy at the Henry E. Huntington Library. London: Printed for W. Chetwood and W. Mears, and sold by J. Roberts, 1718.

The Royal Captives (27 March 1729, Little Haymarket; LS 2.ii.1022)

Advertised as published in the Daily Post for this date, but no copy yet located. Publisher given as E. Say.

The Coquet's Surrender (15 May 1732, Little Haymarket; LS 3.i.219)

Copy at the British Library (not seen). Advertised in the Daily Journal for 25 May 1732. London: E. Rayner, 1732.

The Disappointment (1732, Little Haymarket)

Reproduced in the Readex Microprint Series, "Three Centuries of English and American Drama," from a copy in the Harvard Library (not seen); I have examined the Huntington Library copy. London: S. Slow, 1732. First performance given in LS (3.i.405) as 8 July 1734, but I have redated the earliest performance of this play to 1732. See discussion above in Part III.

The Beggar's Pantomime (6 December 1736, Lincoln's Inn Fields; LS 3.ii.621)

Copy at the William Andrews Clark Library. Publication notice in the London Daily Post and General Advertiser for 15 December 1736. London: Printed for C. Corbett . . . and W. Warner, 1732.

Notes