The ''Masque at Ashby Castle'' or ''Entertainment at Ashby'' was written by John Marston for

Henry Hastings, 5th Earl of Huntingdon Henry Hastings, 5th Earl of Huntingdon (24 April 1586 – 14 November 1643), was a prominent English nobleman and literary patron in England during the first half of the seventeenth century. Life He was born at Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicesters ...

and

Elizabeth Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon Elizabeth Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon (6 January 1588 – 20 January 1633), formerly Lady Elizabeth Stanley, was an English noblewoman and writer who was third in line of succession to the English throne. She was the wife of Henry Hastings ...

performed at

Ashby de la Zouch Castle Ashby de la Zouch Castle is a ruined fortification in the town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, England. The castle was built by William, Lord Hastings, a favourite of Edward IV, after 1473, accompanied by the creation of a park. Const ...

for

Alice Spencer, Countess of Derby Alice Spencer, Countess of Derby (4 May 1559 – 23 January 1637) was an English noblewoman from the Spencer family and noted patron of the arts. Poet Edmund Spenser represented her as "Amaryllis" in his eclogue ''Colin Clouts Come Home Againe' ...

in August 1607. Ashb de la Zouch Castle main hall as seen from the tower

Elements of the masque and entertainment at Ashby can be related to Alice, Countess of Derby's own

Harefield Entertainment The Harefield Entertainment included hospitality and performances for Elizabeth I of England in August 1602. Several copies of the performance script survive, along with original manuscript accounts of the Queen's host which seems to have been manip ...

for

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

in 1602. At Ashby the masque celebrated the alleged transformative powers of the patron's mother-in-law.

Welcome

The entertainment consisted of a welcome for the Countess of Derby, followed by a masque. The castle was decorated with flags and the appearance of the gatehouse was enhanced. The countess was met at the gate by Merimna, an old enchantress dressed in crimson velvet, with a pale face and black hair, who declared she should not pass where Saturn, Lord of Sadness, held court. Saturn came out of the castle, and banished Mirimna, as the countess' "fair presence" forced him relent. The "all happy-making dame" was allowed to enter the castle. As the party entered the castle the enchantress Merimna reappeared in white at top of the stairs, saying how she and her company had been transformed by the countess' eyes. She presented the Countess with an embroidered waistcoat.

Masque

Next there was a masque of four knights and four gentlemen.

Cynthia Cynthia is a feminine given name of Greek origin: , , "from Mount Cynthus" on Delos island. The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the 1600s. There are various spellings for this name, and it can be abbreviated to Cindy, Cyndi, Cyndy, ...

, the moon, riding in her chariot on a cloud was revealed in the Great Chamber, and there was a dialogue between her and

Ariadne Ariadne (; grc-gre, Ἀριάδνη; la, Ariadne) was a Cretan princess in Greek mythology. She was mostly associated with mazes and labyrinths because of her involvement in the myths of the Minotaur and Theseus. She is best known for having ...

, who was seated on a cloud. The clouds moved up and down the height of great chamber, as Ariadne ascended to speak to Cynthia. After a song, a curtain was drawn to reveal the eight male masquers in a woodland setting. Their costumes resembled classical armour, like Roman

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

. There was a song, ''Audacious Night'' inviting the audience to dance. : Audacious night make bold the lip : Now all court chaster pleasure : Whilst to Apollo's harp you trip : And tread the gracious measure : Now meet, now break, then feign a warlike sally : So Cynthia sports, and so the gods may dally During this song, the male masquers presented their shields, and took ladies from the audience to dance with them. The eight masquers at

Hampton Court Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chief ...

in ''

The Masque of Indian and China Knights ''The Masque of Indian and China Knights'' was performed at Hampton Court in Richmond, England on 1 January 1604. The masque was not published, and no text survives. It was described in a letter written by Dudley Carleton. The historian Leeds B ...

'' had similarly presented shields before inviting ladies to dance. At some point in the festivities, verses by William Skipwith were addressed to, or recited by 14 women; Lady Derby; Lady Huntingdon; Lady Hunsdon; Elizabeth, Jane, Lady Berkeley; Margaret, Lady Stanhope; Lady Compton; Bridget, Lady Feilding; Mrs Gresley; Susanna, Mrs Gresley; Dorothy, Mrs Pakington; Mrs K. Fisher; Mrs Sacheverell; Mrs M. Fisher; Mrs Davers; Mrs Egerton. The verses are part of lottery, a gift giving ceremony, like that at Harefield in 1602. As the Countess of Derby left Ashby, there was an

eclogue An eclogue is a poem in a classical style on a pastoral subject. Poems in the genre are sometimes also called bucolics. Overview The form of the word ''eclogue'' in contemporary English developed from Middle English , which came from Latin , whi ...

between a nymph and shepherd, and

Niobe In Greek mythology, Niobe (; grc-gre, Νιόβη ) was a daughter of Tantalus and of either Dione, the most frequently cited, or of Eurythemista or Euryanassa, the wife of Amphion and the sister of Pelops and Broteas. Her father was the ru ...

met her in the park and gave her a cabinet.John Nichols, ''Progresses of James the First'', vol. 2 (London, 1828), p. 146.

References

External links

Martin Butler: Editing the Entertainment at Ashby
{{DEFAULTSORT:Masque at Ashby Castle 1607 plays English Renaissance plays Plays by John Marston 1607 in England Masques Ashby-de-la-Zouch