The successful career of the piece was checked, as I have said, by the intervention of benefits, and the manager would not allow it to be repeated even for Walker’s and Miss Fenton’s nights, the Macheath and Polly of the opera; but, in order to connect the latter with it, when Miss Fenton issued her bill for The Beaux’s Stratagem, on 29th April, it was headed that it was “for the benefit of Polly.”  An exception was, however, made in favour of John Rich, the brother of the manager, for whose benefit the Beggar’s Opera was played on 26th February, when the receipt was 184l. 15s.  Miss Fenton was allowed a second benefit, on the 4th May, in consequence, we may suppose, of her great claims in connection with the Beggar’s Opera, and then it was performed to a house containing 155l. 4s.  The greatest recorded receipt, in its first season, was on the 13th April, when, for some unexplained cause the audience was so numerous that 198l. 17s. were taken at the doors.

After this date there appears to have been considerable fluctuation in the profits derived from repetitions of the Beggar’s Opera.  On the 5th May, the day after Polly Fenton’s (her real name was Lavinia) second benefit, the proceeds fell to 78l. 14s., the 50th night produced 69l. 12s., and the 51st only 26l. 1s. 6d.  The next night the receipt suddenly rose again to 134l. 13s. 6d., and it continued to range between 53l. and 105l. until the 62nd and last night (19th June), when the sum taken was 98l. 17s. 6d.

Miss Fenton left the stage at the end of the season, to be made Duchess of Bolton, and in the next season her place, as regards the Beggar’s Opera, was taken by Miss Warren, and on 20th September it attracted 75l. 7s.; at the end of November it drew only 23l., yet, on the 11th December, for some reason not stated by the manager, the takings amounted to 112l. 9s. 6d.  On January 1st a new experiment was tried with the opera, for it was represented by children, and the Prince of Wales commanded it on one or more of the eight successive performances it thus underwent.  On 5th May we find Miss Cantrell taking Miss Warren’s character, and in the whole, the Beggar’s Opera was acted more than forty times in its second year, 1728-9, including the performances by “Lilliputians” as well as comedians.  This is, perhaps, as much of its early history as your readers will care about.

DRAMATICUS.

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{180} NOTES UPON CUNNINGHAM’S HANDBOOK FOR LONDON.

Lady Dacre’s Alms-Houses, or Emanuel Hospital.—­“Jan. 8. 1772, died, in Emanual Hospital, Mrs. Wyndymore, cousin of Mary, queen of William III., as well as of Queen Anne.  Strange revolution of fortune, that the cousin of two queens should, for fifty years, by supported by charity.”—­MS. Diary, quoted in Collett’s Relics of Literature, p. 310.