[The following records are taken from documents or books in the Lord Chamberlain's department of the Public Record Office. As not all of these are of equal importance, I have condensed a few; actual wording is indicated by inverted commas. Hitherto extracts have been given only from two books in this collection (L.C. 7/1 and L.C. 5/138), first by R. W. Lowe in his Life of Betterton and later by E. Thaler in Shakespeare to Sheridan. These books, however, are by no means the most important, the highly interesting play-lists not starting till a date covered by other warrant volumes.]

LISTS OF PLAYS PERFORMED BEFORE ROYALTY.

Plays given by the T.R. Company.

(a) Warrant dated Aug. 29, 1668, for plays acted from Dec. 10, 1666 to July 31, 1668 (L.C. 5/139, p. 129), and similar warrants (L.C. 5/12, p. 17) carrying on list of performances to May 6, 1669. (In these lists I have condensed the long entries of payments which usually take the form “20: 00: 00,” and have added the £ marks.)

“His Mate…hath had presented before him those following Comoedies & Tragoedies at Court and at the Theatre Royall.