THE LAST of the Stuarts, Queen Anne, left no direct heir to ascend the throne after her death in 1714. The Elector of Hanover, George I, mounted the English throne in October of the year of Anne's death without any great opposition. His title, though founded upon the principles of the revolution, upon repeated acts of parliament, and the choice of a free nation, was not, however, universally acknowledged. 1 After some changes in ministry, however, punishments dealt out (in direct proportion to the nature of the political struggle that always succeeds a change in power), sacrifices exacted, and tolls taken from those who had ruled before, the Germanic invasion settled down in London with what seemed to many a boorish, garish mode of ruling and living. Drama, a useful barometer of political, economic, and social currents, was directly sensitive to the temperament of the times. In an earlier article, I detailed the support Charles II had given the public and Court theatres, and how important James II was to the theatre's progress. I also observed how important the theatre was to them-for both their entertainment and for their sense of political well-being. With the departure of these two Stuarts a sharp decline came about in the form of Command Performances, particularly, in the reigns of William and Mary and Queen Anne. So painful was the loss of support of royal patronage and attendance that Christopher Rich, Cibber, Vanbrugh, and other proprietors had to resort to other, sometimes unusual, means of supporting the main houses in London of the early eighteenth century. Queen Anne, for example, made no annearance at any of the nublic theatres. Her sunnort was not onlv