_The noble Lorde & Lady of Huntingdons Entertainement of theire right Noble Mother Alice: Countesse Dowager of Darby the first night of her honors arrivall att the house of Ashby._ The MS. of this Entertainment is preserved at Bridgewater House. Extracts were printed in Halliwell's _Marston_, vol. iii.; but the Entertainment was first printed in full by Dr. Grosart. I have not seen the MS.: it seemed unnecessary to go over the ground again, for Dr. Grosart's transcript was evidently made with great care.[609] "The MS.," he observes, "fills fifteen leaves. The first leaf, which contains the address to the dowager-duchess of Derby, and leaves fourteen and fifteen, which contain the 'Epilogue' (never before printed), are in Marston's own handwriting. The rest of the MS. is in two hands.... Throughout the MS. there are several corrections made in a darker ink, and apparently by Marston himself. On leaf two is a small blank space and the following words by Marston: 'as this lame figure demonstrates'--a sketch being evidently intended. But, spite of the author's supervision, various mistakes of the scribe are left." [609] At the close of his Introduction to Hall's _Satires_, Dr. Grosart corrects a few errors that had crept into his transcript of Marston's Entertainment. These corrections I have silently adopted. TO THE RIGHT NOBLE LADY ALICE, COUNTESS-DOWAGER OF DERBY. MADAM, If my slight Muse may suit your noble merit, My hopes are crown'd, and I shall cheer my spirit; But if my weak quill droops or seems unfit, 'Tis not your want of worth, but mine of wit. The servant of your honour'd virtues, JOHN MARSTON. When her Ladyship approached the Park corner, a full noise of cornets winded; and when she entered into the Park, treble cornets reported one to another, as giving warning of her Honour's nearer approach; when presently her eye was saluted with an antique gate, which suddenly was erected in this form. Upon the gate did hang many silver scrolls with this word in them, _Tantum uni_. Upon the battlements over the gate three gilt shields in diamond-figure, impaled on the top with three coronets purfled with gold, and severally inscribed with silver words; in the first shield, _Venisti tandem_; in the second, _Nostra sera_; in the third, _Et sola voluptas_. Over these, upon a half sphere, stood embossed an antique figure gilt; the slight tower[s] to this gate, which were only raised for show, were set out with battlements, shields, and coronets suitable to the rest. When the Countess came near the gate an old enchantress in crimson velvet, with pale face, black hair, and disliking countenance, affronted her Ladyship, and thus rudely saluted her:--