224 



j o N s o ;N. 



ted in the list of his plays, is the comedy of Every Man 

 in his Humour. This play had been popular, and had 

 been acted eleven times by Henslowe's company of 

 players, between the 25th of Nov. 1 596, and the 1 Oth 

 of May in the succeeding year. Before this period, 

 however, he must have written for the stage, both alone 

 and with others. The comedy of his youth was success- 

 ful in its first production. The lofty tone of defiance to 

 criticism which the author assumes in the prologue, and 

 his subsequent alterations and high improvements of the 

 piece, are eminently characteristic of Jonson. The 

 prologue breathes all his personal pride, and discloses 

 the energetic ideas of poetry which he early entertain- 

 ed. His changes of the piece announce the still ripen- 

 ing progress of his taste and his patience, to elaborate 

 and finish even what had satisfied the public judgment, 

 though not his own. The scene of Every Man in his 

 Humour, had at first been laid in tjie neighbourhood of 

 Florence, and the characters wpre Italian. Jonson, in 

 altering the piece, made the scene and characters Eng- 

 lish, and rendered the whole effect more congruous 

 and native. The play, thus re-modelled, was acted in 

 1 598 at the Black Friars, and Shakespeare's name stands 

 at the head of the principal performers in it. This pe- 

 riod, the year 1598, is that which the commentators of 

 Shakespeare have fixed upon as the era of Jonson's ac- 

 quaintance with Shakespeare, an acquaintance which, 

 according to their account, commenced with an act of 

 kindness on the part of Shakespeare, which was re- 

 turned with ingratitude by Jonson. Mr. Gilchrist and 

 Mr. Gifford have on this subject answered all the char- 

 ges of ingratitude brought against the memory of Jon- 

 son, with a shew of facts which appears to us to be de- 

 cisive. Ben Jonson was not altogether unknown to 

 the world in 1598, as Mr. Malone has asserted; he 

 was, on the contrary, very well known, and ranked 

 among the most eminent dramatic geniuses of the 

 time. As such a pre-eminent genius, he is expressly 

 mentioned by Meares at this very period. He had not 

 indeed, as his censurers tell us, (at the very time when 

 they describe him as a person altogether unknown,) he 

 had not killed Marlowe the poet in a duel, and he had 

 not been young Raleigh's tutor; but he was well- 

 known already as an able writer for the drama ; and 

 there is not a shadow of proof that he was indebted to 

 Shakespeare, either for his introduction to the players, 

 or for the extension of his popularity. To anticipate 

 something in our account of this eminent man, we 

 conceive the readers of Mr. Gilchrist's and Mr. Gif- 

 ford's respective vindications of him will be left with- 

 out a doubt upon their minds, that the proofs of ma- 

 lice towards Shakespeare, which Jonson's writings are 

 supposed to contain, have been as falsely and gratui- 

 tously assumed as those of Shakespeare's ideal services 

 to Jonson. 



His next piece was entitled, Every Man out of his 

 Humour, which was exceedingly well received. Three 

 distinct notices of Jonson appear in Henslowe, the the- 

 atrical manager's memorandum boo't for the year 1599, 

 which are nearly contemporary with the appearance of 

 this comedy. The sum of 40 shillings was advanced 

 to him and Decker for a play, which they were writing 

 in conjunction ; a like sum for another, in which Chet- 

 tle was joined with them ; and a third sum for a tra- 

 gedy, which he was probably writing alone. None of 

 these are now extant. His Comical Satire (as he en- 

 titles it) of Cynthia's Revels," was acted in 16'00. Its 

 chief objects of ridicule seem to have been the ceremo- 

 nious fopperies of courtiers ; and the offence which it 



excited, we should have expected to have been in that Jonson, 

 quarter ; but the real enemies which it raised up to Bcn - 

 Jonson, were his fellow- labourers for the theatre, Mar- . "~ "Y"" 

 ston and Decker, who conceived tha^the principal per- 

 sonages in the pieces were designed to ridicule them- 

 selves. His angry rivals were concerting a plan of 

 revenge for this injury, how far it was real or imagi- 

 nary we have now no means of ascertaining, when Jon- 

 son anticipated their attack, by bringing out his " Poet- 

 aster." 



This attack upon Decker and Marston was favour- 

 ably received ; and its only disagreeable consequence 

 to the author, was the accidental offence which it gave 

 to some of the military and legal profession, who chose 

 to consider their callings as satirized by the poet. It 

 appears, that from the persecutions of the latter he had 

 some difficulty in getting free. The Satiromastix, in 

 which Decker replied to the Poetaster, was rather an 

 angry than an am'using attack, and though its bitter- 

 ness excited a temporary interest, it cannot be consi- 

 dered as having formed any reverse in the tide of Jon- 

 son's popularity. 



About this time, says his biographer already quoted, 

 Jonson began to acquire that turn for conviviality, for 

 which he was afterwards noted. Sir Walter Raleigh 

 had instituted a meeting of " choice spirits" at the Mer- 

 maid, a celebrated tavern in Friday-street. Of this 

 club, which combined more talent than perhaps ever 

 met together before or since, Jonson was a member, 

 and here for many years he repaired with Shakespeare, 

 Beaumont, Fletcher, Selden, Cotton, Carew, Martin, 

 Donne, and many others, whose names even at this 

 distant period call up a mingled feeling of reverence and 

 respect. Here were Jonson's wit combats with Shake- 

 speare ; and in allusion to those joyous scenes of con- 

 versation, Beaumont breaks out in raptures in his letter 

 to Jonson : 



What things have we seen 



Done at the Mermaid heard words that have been 

 So nimble and so full of subtle flame, 

 As if that every one from whom they came 

 Had meant to put his whole wit in a jest, 



Upon the accession of James, he was one of the ear- 

 liest poets who were employed to grace the public fes- 

 tivities that were exhibited in honour of the new sove- 

 reign, with appropriate compositions. In those time?, 

 the visit of the sovereign to any public corporate body, 

 or to any of his gentry or nobility, was generally re- 

 ceived with an entertainment, in which the pageantry 

 was emblematic, and often accompanied with poetry. 



Even when the sovereign was not present, there was 

 a poetical play of imagination in public festivities, 

 which is altogether unknown to the colder manners of 

 later times. Jonson's reputation stood so high, that 

 few public solemnities were thought perfect without 

 his assistance. For this assistance, it is well known 

 that our poet received periodical sums, not only from 

 public bodies, but from several of the nobility and gen- 

 try. A year seldom passed without some royal pro- 

 gress, and corporate bodies were frequently encouraged 

 to feast their sovereign. As these visits were irregu- 

 lar, and without much previous notice, it became an 

 object of no small importance to have a person always 

 at command, on whose abilities they could rely for an 

 entertainment that should neither disgrace themselves 

 nor their guests. Hence sprung the several pensions 

 which were regularly paid to Jonson, and which may 

 be considered in the light of retaining fees. His pen- 

 sion from the city alone amounted to an hundred no- 



