Masque of Beauty 10

British Library, Stowe MS 169, fols. 247v-248

Letter from Dudley Carleton to 'My uery goode Lord', 13th January 1607/8, in a folio volume of the miscellaneous diplomatic papers of Sir Thomas Edmondes .


[fol. 247v]
The Christmas sports at Court were concluded with the Quenes maske on Sonday last, which I heare not much commended in comparison of others that haue gon before either for fashion or inuention. yet the new banquetting house helpt somewhat more for the shew of it, and the riches in Iewelles was extraordinarie, when one Lady and that vnder a Baronness was sayde to be furnished with better then 100m. li. and the Lady Arbella went beyond her and the Queen came not behinde. many of owr gallantes to the number of 100 and vpward amongst which were Sir Horacio Vere, Sir John Hollis
[fol. 248r]
Sir William Slingsby, Sir William Constable, S i r Wigmore and more of that ranke pressing through the king es bedchamber for passage were there lockt vp by my Lord Chamberlain betwixt two dores. and amongst the rest a Danish Lord who had bin stayed here a long time purposely to see the Quenes maske and to carrie the report of it into his cuntry was there in safe custody, and saw no more then yf he had bin in Denmarke.