Lestrange, _Quovedo_ (1708), talks of spending ‘whole nights at Beste or Ombre with my Lady Pen-Tweezel.’ p. 8 _Isabella, Queen of Spain. Mrs. Lee_. ‘About the year 1670, Mrs. Aldridge, after Mrs. Lee, after Lady Slinsgby’ was ‘entertain’d in the Duke’s House.’ Her husband, John Lee, joined the company at the same time. But whilst his wife became the leading tragedienne of the day, he himself never rose above the most minor and insignificant roles. A woman of superb and Junoesque beauty, haughty mein and imperious manners, Mrs. Mary Lee soon won a prominent place in the theatre. Although effective in comedy, especially in its higher flights, it was as tragedy queen she obtained her greatest triumphs. In December, 1670, she made her debut at Lincoln’s Inn Fields as Olinda, a small part in Mrs. Behn’s maiden effort, _The Forc’d Marriage_, and early the following year acted Daranthe, Chief Commandress of the Amazons, in Edward Howard’s dull drama, _The Women’s Conquest_. A few months later, in April, she played Leticia in Revet’s _The Town Shifts_. In 1672, at Dorset Gardens, she was Aemelia in Arrowsmith’s amusing _The Reformation_; 1673, Mariamne in Settle’s heroic tragedy, _The Empress of Morocco_, a role she acted with such excellence that it gave every token of her future greatness and advanced her to the very front rank. 1674, ahe was Amavanga in Settle’s _The Conquest of China_; Salome, Herod’s sister, in Pordage’s bombastic _Herod and Mariamne_. 1675, Chlotilda, disguised as Nigrello, in Settle’s _Love and Revenge_; Deidamia, Queen of Sparta, in Otway’s first and feeblest tragedy, _Alcibiades_, of which play she also spoke the epilogue. 1676, Roxolana in Settle’s _Ibrahim_, produced in May; and late the same month or very early in June the Queen of Spain in Otway’s magnificent _Don Carlos_, a powerful play which, supported by Betterton as Philip II, Smith as Carlos, Harris as Don John of Austria, and our great tragedienne ‘succeeded much better than either _Venice Preserved_ or _The Orphan_, and was infinitely more applauded and followed for many years.’ In November she played Madam Fickle in D’Urfey’s comedy of the same name; in December Corisca in Settle’s _Pastor Fido_. In 1677 Mrs. Lee’s only rival, Mrs. Marshall, the leading lady of the King’s House, retired.[1] Mrs. Barry’s star was but just faintly rising on the theatrical horizon; and it is noticeable that even when this famous actress was at the height of her great reputation, we still find Mrs. Lee cast for those rôles she made so peculiarly her own, and in which no one could approach her. In February, 1677, she acted Berenice in Otway’s _Titus and Berenice_, a rather tame adaption of Racine. Mrs. Barry is named for the small character of the queen’s confident, Phoenice, and was also Lucia in a farce from Molière, _The Cheats of Scapin_, which followed the drama. Mrs. Lee naturally took no part in this afterpiece, but there is a smart epilogue, ‘spoken by Mrs.