A Private Entertainment of the King and Queen on May-Day

James VI and I and Anne of Denmark were May guests at Highgate in 1604

A Private Entertainment of the King and Queen on May-Day, also known as the Penates, was a masque by Ben Jonson performed on 1 May 1604 at the house of Sir William Cornwallis in Highgate. It also called the Highgate Entertainment'. ^[1]

Summary

James VI and I and Anne of Denmark were met at the gate of Cornwallis's house by the Penates or household gods. ^[2] The house was blest by their "double majesty". They walked through the house into the garden to meet Mercury, and hear the song of Aurora, Zephyrus, and Flora, See, see, O see who here is come a Maying! May herself was presented in her bower. ^{[3] [4]}

After dinner, there was a dialogue between Mercury and Pan in the garden. Pan handed out drinks from a fountain of wine. ^{[5] [6]}

The song from the masque, See, see, O see who is here come a-maying!, appears in Martin Peerson's Private Music, or the First Book of Airs and Dialogues (1620). ^[7]

The masque directly alludes to the reputation of Danish people as enthusiastic drinkers and may include references to the custom of "Swearing on the Horns". ^[8]

References

1. Martin Butler, The Stuart Court Masque and Political Culture (Cambridge, 2008), p. 360.
2. James M. Sutton, "Jonson's Genius at Theobalds", Ben Jonson Journal, 7:1 (January 2000), p. 301. doi : 10.3366/bjj.2000.7.1.15
3. John Nichols, Progresses of James the First, 1 (London, 1828), pp. 431–435.
4. William Gifford, The Works of Ben Jonson, 6 (London, 1816), pp. 485–497, edition of the text
5. Martin Wiggins and Catherine Richardson, British Drama, 1533-1642: 1603-1608 (Oxford, 2012), pp. 97–99.
6. John Nichols, Progresses of James the First, 1 (London, 1828), pp. 435–437.
7. Marchette Chute, Ben Jonson of Westminster (London: Robert Hale, 1954), p. 158.
8. Matthew Steggle, "Jonson, Marston, Highgate, Horns", Notes and Queries, 67:3 (2020), pp. 354–358. doi : 10.1093/notesj/gjaa086

External links

• Musicke in the Ayre: See, o see who here comes a-maying, Martin Peerson
• Jan Waterfield, Martin Elliot: Private Musicke, See, O see, who is heere come a maying