Comus. Masque by John Milton prod. at Ludlow Castle 1634 with mus. by Henry Lawes, who himself took the part of the Attendant Spirit. New mus. was provided for an adapted version of the poem by Thomas Arne in 1738. In 1942, for a ballet in which some of Milton's verse was spoken, Lambert arr. mus. by Purcell. Another ballet, with mus. by Handel and Lawes arr. E. Irving, was prod. 1946. Hugh Wood's Scenes from Comus for sop., ten., and orch. was comp. and f.p. London 1965.

Comus revelry personified; the term comes from Milton's Masque of Comus (1637), in which Comus himself is a pagan god of Milton's invention.