The Maid of Honour

The title page of the earliest edition states that the play was acted by Queen Henrietta's Men at the Cockpit Theatre—though that company did not exist under that name prior to 1625.

John Philip Kemble, an admirer of Massinger's dramas, staged an adaptation of the play called Camiola, or The Maid of Honour, at Drury Lane in 1785.

[2][3] The 1632 quarto, published by the bookseller Robert Allot, bore a commendatory poem by Massinger's friend Sir Aston Cockayne, which indicates that the publication of The Maid of Honour followed that of The Emperor of the East in the same year.

Ferdinand and his forces have taken Siena, but now face a vigorous counterattack, led by the general Gonzaga, a member of the Knights of Malta.

Roberto allows Bertoldo to lead a contingent of volunteers to Ferdinand's assistance—as long as it is understood by all concerned that their mission is unofficial and will receive no direct support from the Sicilian monarch.

Her "beauty, youth, and fortune" make her the target of several suitors, including: Signior Sylli, a ridiculously vain "self-lover;" Fulgentio, the corrupt and egomaniacal favourite of the king; Adorni, a retainer of Camiola's late father; and Bertoldo himself.

But then she surprises everyone by rejecting Bertoldo and entering a nunnery; she distributes her fortune to worthy causes and asks Roberto to forgive Fulgentio and restore him to his place.

The play's overt comedy comes from several directions—Signior Sylli most notably, but also Fulgentio, the effete courtiers Antonio and Gasparo, and the soldiers of Gonzaga's army.

[6] It has been argued that a passage in The Maid of Honour served as a source for "The Definition of Love," one of Andrew Marvell's most famous poems.