The Adventures of Five Hours

The Adventures of Five Hours is in Jacobean and Restoration Plays.

Evelyn's Diary. 23 Dec 1662. I went with Sir George Tuke, to hear the comedians con and repeat his new comedy, "The Adventures of Five Hours", a play whose plot was taken out of the famous Spanish poet, Calderon.

Pepy's Diary. 08 Jan 1663. Dined at home; and there being the famous new play acted the first time to-day, which is called "The Adventures of Five Hours", at the Duke's house, being, they say, made or translated by Colonel Tuke (age 48), I did long to see it; and so made my wife to get her ready, though we were forced to send for a smith, to break open her trunk, her mayde Jane being gone forth with the keys, and so we went; and though early, were forced to sit almost out of sight, at the end of one of the lower forms, so full was the house. And the play, in one word, is the best, for the variety and the most excellent continuance of the plot to the very end, that ever I saw, or think ever shall, and all possible, not only to be done in the time, but in most other respects very admittable, and without one word of ribaldry; and the house, by its frequent plaudits, did show their sufficient approbation.

Pepy's Diary. 17 Jan 1663. Sat till two o'clock and then home to dinner, and Creed with me, and after dinner, to put off my mind's trouble, I took Creed by coach and to the Duke's playhouse, where we did see "The Five Hours" entertainment again, which indeed is a very fine play, though, through my being out of order, it did not seem so good as at first; but I could discern it was not any fault in the play.

Pepy's Diary. 31 May 1663. Home to dinner, and after dinner up and read part of the new play of "The Five Houres' Adventures", which though I have seen it twice; yet I never did admire or understand it enough, it being a play of the greatest plot that ever I expect to see, and of great vigour quite through the whole play, from beginning to the end.

Pepy's Diary. 01 Jun 1663. Begun again to rise betimes by 4 o'clock, and made an end of "The Adventures of Five Hours", and it is a most excellent play.

Pepy's Diary. 20 Jul 1664. I left the lottery, and went to a play, only a piece of it, which was the Duke's house, "Worse and Worse"; just the same manner of play, and writ, I believe, by the same man as "The Adventures of Five Hours" very pleasant it was, and I begin to admire Harris (age 30) more than ever.

Pepy's Diary. 15 Aug 1666. Thence to the Exchequer, but did nothing, they being all gone from their offices; and so to the Old Exchange [Map], where the towne full of the good newes, but I did not stay to tell or hear any, but home, my head akeing and drowsy, and to dinner, and then lay down upon the couch, thinking to get a little rest, but could not. So down the river, reading "The Adventures of Five Hours", which the more I read the more I admire. So down below Greenwich, Kent [Map], but the wind and tide being against us, I back again to Deptford, Kent [Map], and did a little business there, and thence walked to Redriffe [Map]; and so home, and to the office a while.

Pepy's Diary. 17 Aug 1666. Up and betimes with Captain Erwin down by water to Woolwich, Kent [Map], I walking alone from Greenwich, Kent [Map] thither, making an end of the "The Adventures of Five Hours", which when all is done is the best play that ever I read in my life. Being come thither I did some business there and at the Rope Yarde [Map], and had a piece of bride-cake sent me by Mrs. Barbary into the boate after me, she being here at her uncle's, with her husband, Mr. Wood's son, the mast-maker, and mighty nobly married, they say, she was, very fine, and he very rich, a strange fortune for so odd a looked mayde, though her hands and body be good, and nature very good, I think.

Pepy's Diary. 20 Aug 1666. Waked this morning, about six o'clock, with a violent knocking at Sir J. Minnes's (age 67) doore, to call up Mrs. Hammon, crying out that Sir J. Minnes (age 67) is a-dying. He come home ill of an ague on Friday night. I saw him on Saturday, after his fit of the ague, and then was pretty lusty. Which troubles me mightily, for he is a very good, harmless, honest gentleman, though not fit for the business. But I much fear a worse may come, that may be more uneasy to me. Up, and to Deptford, Kent [Map] by water, reading "Othello, Moore of Venice", which I ever heretofore esteemed a mighty good play, but having so lately read "The Adventures of Five Hours", it seems a mean thing.

Pepy's Diary. 27 Jan 1669. Up, and with Sir John Minnes (age 69) in his coach to White Hall, where first we waited on the Lords of the Treasury about finishing the Victualling Contract; and there also I was put to it to make good our letter complaining against my Lord Anglesey's (age 54) failing us in the payment of the moneys assigned us upon the Customs, where Mr. Fenn was, and I know will tell my Lord; but it is no matter, I am over shy already, and therefore must not fear. Then we up to a Committee of the Council for the Navy, about a business of Sir D. Gawden's relating to the Victualling, and thence I by Hackney to the Temple [Map] to the Auditor's man, and with him to a tavern to meet with another under-auditor to advise about the clearing of my Lord Bellasses' (age 54) accounts without injuring myself and perplexing my accounts, and so thence away to my cozen Turner's, where I find Roger Pepys (age 51) come last night to town, and here is his mistress, Mrs. Dickenson, and by and by comes in Mr. Turner, a worthy, sober, serious man-I honour him mightily. And there we dined, having but an ordinary dinner; and so, after dinner, she, and I, and Roger, and his mistress, to the Duke of York's playhouse, and there saw "The Five Hours' Adventure", which hath not been acted a good while before, but once, and is a most excellent play, I must confess. My wife and The. (age 17) come after us, after they had been to buy some things abroad, and so after the play done we to see them home, and then home ourselves, and my wife to read to me, and so to supper and to bed.

Pepy's Diary. 15 Feb 1669. Up, and with Tom to White Hall; and there at a Committee of Tangier, where a great instance of what a man may lose by the neglect of a friend: Povy (age 55) never had such an opportunity of passing his accounts, the Duke of York (age 35) being there, and everybody well disposed, and in expectation of them; but my Lord Ashly (age 47), on whom he relied, and for whose sake this day was pitched on, that he might be sure to be there, among the rest of his friends, staid too long, till the Duke of York (age 35) and the company thought unfit to stay longer and so the day lost, and God knows when he will ever have so good a one again, as long as he lives; and this was the man of the whole company that he hath made the most interest to gain, and now most depended upon him. So up and down the house a while, and then to the plaisterer's, and there saw the figure of my face taken from the mould: and it is most admirably like, and I will have another made, before I take it away, and therefore I away and to the Temple [Map], and thence to my cozen Turner's, where, having the last night been told by her that she had drawn me for her Valentine, I did this day call at the New Exchange, and bought her a pair of green silk stockings and garters and shoe-strings, and two pair of jessimy gloves, all coming to about 28s., and did give them her this noon. At the 'Change [Map], I did at my bookseller's shop accidentally fall into talk with Sir Samuel Tuke about trees, and Mr. Evelyn's (age 48) garden; and I do find him, I think, a little conceited, but a man of very fine discourse as any I ever heard almost, which I was mighty glad of. I dined at my cozen Turner's, and my wife also and her husband there, and after dinner, my wife and I endeavoured to make a visit to Ned Pickering (age 51); but he not at home, nor his lady; and therefore back again, and took up my cozen Turner, and to my cozen Roger's (age 51) lodgings, and there find him pretty well again, and his wife mighty kind and merry, and did make mighty much of us, and I believe he is married to a very good woman. Here was also Bab. and Betty, who have not their clothes yet, and therefore cannot go out, otherwise I would have had them abroad to-morrow; but the poor girls mighty kind to us, and we must skew them kindness also. Here in Suffolk Street lives Moll Davis (age 21); and we did see her coach come for her to her door, a mighty pretty fine coach. Here we staid an hour or two, and then carried Turner home, and there staid and talked a while, and then my wife and I to White Hall; and there, by means of Mr. Cooling, did get into the play, the only one we have seen this winter: it was "The Five Hours' Adventure:" but I sat so far I could not hear well, nor was there any pretty woman that I did see, but my wife, who sat in my Lady Fox's pew1 with her. The house very full; and late before done, so that it was past eleven before we got home. But we were well pleased with seeing it, and so to supper, where it happened that there was no bread in the house, which was an unusual case, and so to bed.

Note 1. We may suppose that pews were by no means common at this time within consecrated walls, from the word being applied indifferently by Pepys to a box in a place of amusement, and two days afterwards to a seat at church. It would appear, from other authorities, that between 1646 and 1660 scarcely any pews had been erected; and Sir C. Wren is known to have objected to their introduction into his London churches. B.