Three of the four songs from the 1607 entertainment survive in the Hatfield Papers (JnB 574.8; Cecil Papers, 144/267, 144/273, 140/114) in a scribal copy, probably either one of the copies produced at the time, or a version derived from one of those copies. As part of the lavish entertainment the Merchant Taylors’ Company paid fifteen shillings to Jonson’s man for writing out ‘copies of the speech and songes’ (Masque Archive, Merch. Taylors’ Ent., 1); however, no exemplar of the speech, probably eighteen lines of verse, has survived (Heaton, 2010, 158-9). These were to be distributed to the courtiers present, who included Robert Cecil among their number.

The copyist has produced a neat, tidy copy without elaborate headings or decorative elements. The most interesting feature lies in the use of expensive Italian paper, either the same as or similar to that employed by Jonson in the period between 1605 and 1610 (Bland, 1998a, 159; Heaton, 2010,, 159). Heaton notes that each song is copied onto a separate bifolium made from a folded sheet (298 x 394mm), rather than being copied onto a single bifolium which could easily have accommodated the speech and all four songs. It suggests an expansive gesture by the Merchant Taylors’ company.

The songs have been previously transcribed by David Lockie in HMC 9, Salisbury (Cecil) Manuscripts, 19.490-2, and in Heaton, 2010, 149-50, 152-3, 155-6. Heaton also provides a detailed discussion of the commissioning of the texts.