''For the Honour of Wales'' was a

masque The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A masq ...

written by

Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...

and first performed on 17 February 1618. It was written in honour of Charles Stuart, Prince of Wales. Jonson's previous work, ''Pleasure Reconciled to Virtue'', had been written to celebrate Charles's investiture as

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

in 1616, but the prince's father, King

James I of England James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

, had made no secret of the fact that he found it tedious. Jonson responded with this more entertaining work, which included comic scenes featuring stereotypical Welshmen. He drew on

William Camden William Camden (2 May 1551 – 9 November 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of ''Britannia'', the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and the ''Ann ...

's ''Britannia'' for his source material, as he had done for earlier works. A 1618 bill for yellow masque costumes for Mr Carre, Mr Abercromby, and Mr Auchmouty, each costing £55, relates to this performance. In the masque, the surnames of these courtiers were attributed fictitious Welsh etymologies.''HMC 7th Report: Lord Sackville'' (London, 1879), p. 260.

References

External links

Renaissance Forum
{{Ben Jonson 1618 plays