for the arrest of ‘Lady Slingsby, Comoedian, and Mrs. Aphaw Behen,’ to answer for their ‘severall Misdemeanours’ and ‘abusive reflections upon Persons of Quality.’ Even if they were actually imprisoned, of which there is no evidence, the detention both of actress and authoress was very brief. On 4 December of the same year, after the union of the two companies, Lady Slingsby created Catherine de’ Medici in Dryden and Lee’s stirring tragedy, _The Duke of Guise_, produced at the Theatre Royal, In 1683 Lady Slingsby had no original part which is recorded, but her genius successfully helped the numerous revivals of older plays that belong to that year. In 1684 she sustained Calphurnia to the Caesar of Cardell Goodman, the Antony of Kynaston, the Brutus and Cassius of Betterton and Smith, the Portia of Mrs. Sarah Cook, in a notable revival of _Julius Caesar_ (4to 1694), marred, however, by stagey alterations said to be the work of Davenant and Dryden two decades before. The same year she played Lucia in _The Factious Citizen;_ Lady Noble in Ravenscroft’s _Dame Dobson_. In August, 1685, Clarinda in D’Urfey’s plagiarism of Fletcher’s _The Sea Voyage_, which he called _A Commonwealth of Women_. Shortly after she appears to have retired from the stage. Dame Mary Slingsby, widow, from St. Mary’s parish, was buried in old St. Pancras graveyard, 1 March, 1694. Careless historians and critics even now continually confuse Mrs. Mary Lee, Lady Slingsby, with Mrs. Elizabeth Leigh, the wife of the celebrated comedian, Antony Leigh. The two actresses must be carefully distinguished. Geneste curiously enough gives a very incomplete list of Lady Slingsby’s roles, a selection only, as he allows; he makes several bad mistakes as to dates, and entirely fails to appreciate the merits and importance of this great actress in the Restoration theatre. These errors have been largely followed, and it is become necessary to insist somewhat strongly upon the fact that Lady Slingsby was one of the leading performers of the day. In a contemporary _Satire on the Players_ (1682-3), which has never been printed, she heads the list of actresses, and Mrs. Barry is vilipended second. The lines run as follows:-- Imprimis Slingsby has the fatal Curse To have a Lady’s honour with a Player’s Purse. Though now she is so plaguy haughty grown | Yet, Gad, my Lady, I a Time have known | When a dull Whiggish Poet wou’d go down. | That Scene’s now changed, but Prithee Dandy Beast Think not thyself an Actress in the least. For sure thy Figure ne’er was seen before, Such Arse-like Breasts, stiff neck, with all thy Store, Are certain Antidotes against a Whore.