The Masque of Owls at Kenilworth
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The Masque of Owls at Kenilworth was written by Ben Jonson and performed at Kenilworth Castle on 19 August 1624 for Prince Charles.[1]
On 19 August 1624, King James was at Whichnor for dinner with Henry Griffiths of Burton Agnes, and then went to Tamworth, while Prince Charles was at Kenilworth with Sir Robert Carey. The Prince's dinner involved artichokes, ducks, and a barrell of sturgeon, after which he was entertained by an interlude, The Masque of Owls.[2]
The masque opens with the ghost of Captain Cox riding a hobby horse.[3] His speech alludes to previous entertainments at Kenilworth for Elizabeth I, including The Princely Pleasures.[4] He had found a nest of six owls, formerly men. The first owl was a London tobacconist, the second a cheesemonger. The third owl was dressed in Coventry blue, and had lost his living as spinner of embroidery thread, and so on. The fifth owl, a language teacher, had pinned his hopes on the Spanish Match.[5]
