He duly chronicles, however, a visit to Killigrew's theatre on the following 3rd January, when he saw the comedy of "The Beggar's Bush" performed; "it being very well done, and was the first time that ever I saw women come upon the stage." He had seen the same play in the previous November, when it was represented by male performers only.

But even after the introduction of actresses the heroines of the stage were still occasionally impersonated by men.

Thus in January, 1661, Pepys saw Kynaston appear in "The Silent Woman," and pronounced the young actor "the prettiest woman in the whole house." As Cibber states, the stage "could not be so suddenly supplied with women but that there was still a necessity to put the handsomest young men into petticoats." Strange to say, the name of the actress who played Desdemona under Killigrew's management in 1660 has not been discovered.

Who, then, was the first English actress, assuming that she was the Desdemona of the Vere Street Theatre?
She must be looked for in Killigrew's company.
His "leading lady" was Mrs.Ann Marshall, of whom Pepys makes frequent mention, who is known to have obtained distinction alike in tragedy and in comedy, and to have personated such characters as the heroine of Beaumont and Fletcher's "Scornful Lady," Roxana in "Alexander the Great," Calphurnia in "Julius Caesar," Evadne in "The Maid's Tragedy," and so on; there is no record, however, of her having appeared in the part of Desdemona.

Indeed, this part is not invariably assumed by "leading ladies;" it has occasionally devolved upon the _seconda donna_ of the company.