academie: Masqued vs. Masked

[Oxford, David]

>> p.s."Masqued" is not exactly the proper description...either 
>> one hosts a "Masque", which is a very complicated, 
>> (rehearsed) theatrical affair, or one has a "masked" ball, 
>> which involves people wearing masks and dancing.

After checking around a little to verify, it seems that "masque" is a fairly
widely-used variant spelling of "mask" (the thing you wear), used synonymously
and having no relation to a "Masque" (the performance).  Likewise, "masqued" and
"masked" are also used synonymously, but more often in British or Australian
English than American.  And interestingly, "Mask" also seems to be a valid
variant spelling of the performance-meaning "Masque", although you don't often
see it.  

Or so it appears. :)

Bryan