1676-+Rosenthal



1676: //The London Gazette// and //The Plain Dealer//

**Background**
//The London Gazette// was first published in 1665 under the moniker //The Oxford Gazette//, and is considered by many to be the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United Kingdom, with a new issue published every week. Throughout its publication history, it has covered a variety of topics, ranging from London’s everyday local events (such as crime rates and sales), to major world events (such as battle coverage, world economies, and other international issues). The newspaper’s purpose appears to have been to report only hard-facts and events, while omitting most mentions of the arts, including the theater. This is perhaps an attempt by the journalists to remain as such: pure journalists. In order to do this, they perhaps did not wish to get caught up in opinion based reviews and editorials, unlike other publications of this era, such as //The Observator// or //The Daily Gazetteer//, both of which often contained “soft journalism” articles.

In 1676, its most extensively covered topic was the Franco-Dutch War, which began in 1672 and lasted until 1678. In the year 1676, the war was reaching its climax; London readers were highly interested in receiving news about the progress of the war, which //The London Gazette// enthusiastically provided. Indeed, the majority of //The London Gazette//’s international news for this year was related the Franco-Dutch War, with most other international issue receiving much less coverage (“Melazzo”). To a lesser extent, the //Gazette// covered what was then referred to as “New England”, and what is known today as the United States of America. Exactly 100 years before America declared its independence from Britain, the //Gazette//’s covered a variety of issues relating to the colonies, such as problems receiving supplies, as well as conflicts with the Native Americans (“Falmouth”).

Also, while the //Gazette// occasionally ran advertisements announcing play debuts, nothing was written about William Wycherley’s //The Plain Dealer//. Although arguably one of the Restoration’s finest examples of playwriting, //The London Gazette// did not include any mention of the play. Interestingly, the //Gazette// did mention George Etherege’s play //The Man of Mode//, which premiered the same year as //The Plain Dealer//. Nevertheless, Wycherley’s play is indicative in many ways of the zeitgeist of 17th century London, and of this era’s news publications.

====**Franco-Dutch War**==== As previously mentioned, the main storyline pursued by //The London Gazette// in 1676 was the ongoing conflict between the countries of France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic. This war was started by Louis XIV of France, who sought to add territory to his kingdom, specifically by conquering the Spanish Netherlands. After allying himself with the English in 1670 with the signing of the Treaty of Dover, Louis’s troops and the British navy attacked the Dutch Republic in 1672. The Dutch navy succeeding in defending itself from the attacks, and in 1674, the British signed the Treaty of Westminster, ending the conflict between the British and the Dutch. The war was not over, however; in 1673, Spain and the Holy Roman Emperor allied themselves with the Dutch against France. By the end of 1673, France had retreated from the Dutch Republic. Ultimately, the high cost of the war, coupled with the likely future alliance of England with the Dutch, forced Louis to sign the Treaties of Nijmegen in 1679, thus ending the war (“Dutch War”).

In 1676, //The London Gazette// regularly reported on the various battles during the war, especially the ones concerning the French, as the British were originally allied with them. Indeed, much of the war coverage focused on France’s steadily growing military advantage over the Dutch, although this would still prove to be inadequate to win the war.

**Summary of the Theater Season in 1676**
1676 was a very creative year for the English theater. In addition to George Etherege’s famous comedy //The Man of Mode// premiering on the stage, many other plays debuted in 1676, including John Dryden’s //The Conquest of Granada// by the Spaniards, John Smith’s //The Defeated Widow//, and Thomas Otway’s //Don Carlos, Prince of Spain// (“London Stage”). 1676 was also a good year for Shakespeare revivals, such as the adaptation of //Macbeth// by William Davenant. Furthermore, a group of comedians from France arrived in London in the spring, and the theater in Whitehall accommodated the traveling entertainers’ performances. Despite these accomplishments in the theater world, however, //The London Gazette//, did not devote much thought or print space to plays, and made only a very brief mention of //The Man of Mode// in the local section. Also, 1676 saw major managerial upheavals, with both the Duke’s Company of Dorset Garden and the King’s Company of Drury Lane replacing their managers (“London”). Henry Harris of the Duke’s Company was replaced by William Smith; the King’s Company had such severe internal troubles that the conflicts were only settled when Lord Chamberlain himself hired four new managers. These conflicts were so serious, however, “that the players sought and secured a degree of autonomy, by which they might govern themselves,” (Van Lennep 247). This new level of power marked a great deal of progress in actors’ crusade for more rights and protection. In sum, 1676 was a productive year for the London theater, despite disagreements over managers, and receiving no attention from //The London Gazette//.

**Summary of //The Plain Dealer//**
The last comedy written by William Wycherley, //The Plain Dealer// premiered on December 11 in 1676, and was performed by the King’s Company. As a typical Restoration charactonym, the personality of the titular character, Captain Manly, is indicated by his name. Manly is suspicious of every character except his fiancée, Oliva, and his good friend, Vernish. Manly believes that everyone else has some form of an ulterior motive for being friendly towards him.

After his ship is sunk during a battle with the Dutch, Captain Manly returns to London to purchase another ship. His penchant for being away at sea stems from his desire to disassociate himself from what he perceives as the hypocritical nature of the London courts and social circles. Manly and his lieutenant, Freeman, have a long discussion about whether or not it is better to be successful and hypocritical, or unsuccessful and truthful, with Freeman taking the former position, and Manly the latter. As they are discussing the social morality of the time, a woman called Widow Blackacre comes to see Manly. Blackacre is a morally ambiguous character, but Manly agrees to see her, as she is a family member of Olivia. Blackacre convinces Manly to testify on her behalf in a hearing that is to take place the next day. Meanwhile, Freeman begins courting Blackacre, although not because he feels any real affection for her. He is solely interested in her because he knows she inherited a great deal of money from her late husband. However, her son Jerry, who is the same age as Freeman, strongly objects to this match, arguing that if she marries Freeman, he will gain control of her money, something which she does not want.

Manly had given Olivia control over most of his estate while he was away at sea, and as such, tries to find out where she is upon his return. However, although Olivia had pretended to be a “plain dealer” around Manly, in reality, she spent all of his money and secretly married Manly’s only friend, Vernish, while Manly was away at sea. Manly visits Olivia’s apartment with Freeman and his servant in order to retrieve his jewels and money from her. Manly is shocked when Olivia tells them that she has married, although she does not reveal the identity of her husband. Furthermore, she tells Manly that she cannot give him his valuables back as her husband has them. While this exchange is taking place, Olivia becomes infatuated with Manly’s youthful servant, telling Manly that he can only send the page if Manly wishes to contact her anymore. Manly leaves as Blackacre enters, accompanied by Jerry. Freeman again tries to woo her, but Blackacre rejects him. At this point, Freeman resolves to forgo traditional courting traditions, and instead use legal means to secure her hand, and in turn, her wealth.

The next day, Freeman, Manly, and his servant testify as witnesses in Blackacre’s hearing. During the hearing, Freeman gives Blackacre’s son some money, thus earning his friendship. The son complains to Freeman that his mother never gives him any money, as he is not legally an adult. Here, Freeman sees this as the perfect opportunity to legally obtain Blackacre’s estate. Freeman convinces Jerry that he should make Freeman his legal guardian, which would give him the rights to Blackacre’s money. He promises Jerry that he will give him some money after he is appointed his guardian, and Jerry agrees to give Freeman all of his mother’s legal documents. Meanwhile, Manly, attempting to get revenge on Olivia and her husband (although he does not know who he is at this point), tells his servant to arrange a tête-à-tête with Olivia, which will cuckold her husband. Unbeknownst to Manly, his servant is actually a young woman named Fidelia, who is dressed as a man because she is in love with Manly, and desires to be close to him.

When Manly returns home, Fidelia tells him that she has arranged the meeting with Olivia, but that he should take her place under cover of darkness. Shortly afterward, Blackacre enters, looking for her son and Freeman. They tell her that she has been fooled, as Freeman has all of her legal documents and has become her son’s guardian. However, Blackacre is unafraid to fight dirty, too; she threatens to reveal to the public that Jerry is unable to inherit her late husband’s estate because he was born out of wedlock. That evening, Fidelia goes to Olivia’s apartment with Manly. However, Manly refuses to sleep with Olivia and leaves. When Vernish appears suddenly, Fidelia is trapped, and is thus forced to reveal herself as a woman to avoid Vernish thinking she was trying to cuckold his wife. Vernish then tries to rape Fidelia, but Olivia enters the room, at which point Fidelia flees through the window. Meanwhile, having no desire to become Freeman’s wife and cede control of her money to him, Blackacre agrees to give Jerry an allowance and an stipend to Freeman. As this was his goal all along, Freeman leaves satisfied.

That night, Manly and Fidelia go to Olivia’s house, where Manly and Vernish duel. Manly emerges as the victor, much to the horror and shame of Olivia. She attempts to flee with Manly’s jewels and money, but Manly overcomes her too, and retrieves his possessions. During the fight, Fidelia’s disguise falls out of place, and Manly realizes that she is a woman. He is so taken aback by her loyalty and beauty that he proposes immediately. Fidelia then tells him her true identity, and that she is the heir to a large estate. The new couple then plans to start a new life together in the West Indies.

**Conclusion**
//The London Gazette//’s goal was to provide its readers with an unbiased and professional account of events both at home and abroad. It ran many articles and advertisements that appealed to the local residents, including notices about sales of books, wines, and clothing. Indeed, the majority of the newspaper pertained only to the city of London. However, a glaringly obvious omission is coverage of the theater. Certainly, this was not merely an accidental oversight of the authors, but rather a conscious and deliberate choice on their part. They chose not to endorse what Manly surely would have considered the “hypocritical” falseness of the London social scene, and by extension, the London theater and its activities. However, what the //Gazette// lacked in coverage of the London plays, it more than made up for in its extensive coverage of the Franco-Dutch War, with stories of battles and boats appearing in almost every issue. English society’s satirization in wartime topics is apparent in //The Plain Dealer//, even if //The London Gazette// did not think it was relevant or worthwhile enough to print. In the first act of the play, it is revealed that Manly is returning to London because his boat was sunk by the Dutch. This reference to current events would not have been lost on the audience, who would likely have empathized with Manly for his patriotism and bravery.

In conclusion, although //The London Gazette// did not provide much useful information in regards to the theater world, it indirectly reinforced Wycherley’s subtle connection to the war. By alluding to events that were happening during this time, he was able to create an emotional connection between his characters and the audience, who like Manly, were in the midst of a war. Reading the //Gazette// provides a helpful insight into the original audience’s mindset and how they would have reacted. And, as this is a critical aspect to fully comprehending any Restoration drama, or indeed, any drama, reading //The London Gazette// is important to understanding //The Plain Dealer//.

Works Cited “Dutch War”. //Encyclopedia Britannica//. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2015. 16 June 2015. “Falmouth, December 7.” //London Gazette//. 14-18 Dec 1676: 1. //17th-18th Century Burney Collection Newspapers//. Gale. University of Maryland College Park. Web. 3 July 2015. “Melazzo, April 26.” //London Gazette//. 22-25 May 1676: 1. //17th-18th Century Burney Collection Newspapers//. Gale. University of Maryland College Park. Web. 14 June 2015. “London, Feb. 4.” //London Gazette//. 3-7 Feb 1676: 1. //17th-18th Century Burney Collection Newspapers.// Gale. University of Maryland College Park. Web. 3 July 2015. “London Stage”. //The London Stage, 1660-1800, Part 1, 1660-1700: ‪A Calendar of Plays, Entertainment and Afterpieces Together with Casts, Box-Receipts and Contemporary Comment.// Ed. William Van Lennep. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois UP, 1965. Print. Wycherley, William. //The Plain-Dealer: A Comedy, as it is Acted at the Theatre Royal//. London: T. N. for Iames Magnes and Rich Bentley in Russel Street in Covent-Garden, 1677. //Early English Books Online//. Gale. University of Maryland College Park. Web. 15 June 2015.