Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...

(c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) collected his plays and other writings into a book he titled ''The Workes of Benjamin Jonson''. In 1616 it was printed in London in the form of a folio. Second and third editions of his works were published posthumously in 1640 and 1692. These editions of Ben Jonson's works were a crucial development in the publication of English Renaissance drama. The first folio collection, ''The Workes of Benjamin Jonson'', treated stage plays as serious works of literature and stood as a precedent for other play collections that followed—notably the

First Folio ''Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies'' is a collection of plays by William Shakespeare, commonly referred to by modern scholars as the First Folio, published in 1623, about seven years after Shakespeare's death. It is cons ...

Shakespeare's William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

plays in 1623, the first

Beaumont and Fletcher Beaumont and Fletcher were the English dramatists Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, who collaborated in their writing during the reign of James I (1603–25). They became known as a team early in their association, so much so that their joi ...

folio in 1647, and other collections that were important in preserving the dramatic literature of the age.

The first folio, 1616

''The Workes of Benjamin Jonson'', the first Jonson folio of 1616, printed and published by

William Stansby William Stansby (1572–1638) was a London printer and publisher of the Jacobean and Caroline eras, working under his own name from 1610. One of the most prolific printers of his time, Stansby is best remembered for publishing the landmark first ...

and sold through bookseller

Richard Meighen Richard Meighen (died 1641) was a London publisher of the Jacobean and Caroline eras. He is noted for his publications of plays of English Renaissance drama; he published the second Ben Jonson folio of 1640/41, and was a member of the syndicat ...

, contained nine plays all previously published, two works of non-dramatic poetry, thirteen

masques The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A masque ...

, and six "entertainments". *Plays: ** ''

Every Man in His Humour ''Every Man in His Humour'' is a 1598 play by the English playwright Ben Jonson. The play belongs to the subgenre of the " humours comedy," in which each major character is dominated by an over-riding humour or obsession. Performance and pu ...

'' ** ''

Every Man out of His Humour ''Every Man out of His Humour'' is a satirical comedy written by English playwright Ben Jonson, acted in 1599 by the Lord Chamberlain's Men. The play The play is a conceptual sequel to his 1598 comedy ''Every Man in His Humour''. It was much l ...

'' ** ''

Cynthia's Revels ''Cynthia's Revels, or The Fountain of Self-Love'' is a late Elizabethan stage play, a satire written by Ben Jonson. The play was one element in the ''Poetomachia'' or War of the Theatres between Jonson and rival playwrights John Marston and ...

'' ** ''

The Poetaster ''Poetaster'' is a late Elizabethan satirical comedy written by Ben Jonson that was first performed in 1601. The play formed one element in the back-and-forth exchange between Jonson and his rivals John Marston and Thomas Dekker in the so-call ...

'' ** ''

Sejanus His Fall ''Sejanus His Fall'', a 1603 play by Ben Jonson, is a tragedy about Lucius Aelius Sejanus, the favourite of the Roman emperor Tiberius. ''Sejanus His Fall'' was performed at court in 1603, and at the Globe Theatre in 1604. The latter perfor ...

'' ** ''

Volpone ''Volpone'' (, Italian for "sly fox") is a comedy play by English playwright Ben Jonson first produced in 1605–1606, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable. A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains Jonson's most-perfor ...

'' ** '' Epicoene, or the Silent Woman'' ** ''

The Alchemist An alchemist is a person who practices alchemy. Alchemist or Alchemyst may also refer to: Books and stories * ''The Alchemist'' (novel), the translated title of a 1988 allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho * ''The Alchemist'' (play), a play by Be ...

'' ** '' Catiline His Conspiracy'' * Poetry: ** ''Epigrams'' ** ''The Forest'' * Masques: ** ''

The Masque of Blackness ''The Masque of Blackness'' was an early Jacobean era masque, first performed at the Stuart Court in the Banqueting Hall of Whitehall Palace on Twelfth Night, 6 January 1605. It was written by Ben Jonson at the request of Anne of Denmark, the ...

'' ** ''

The Masque of Beauty ''The Masque of Beauty'' was a courtly masque written by Ben Jonson, and performed in London's Whitehall Palace on 10 January 1608. It inaugurated the refurbished banquesting hall of the palace (the predecessor of Inigo Jones' building). It was ...

'' ** ''

Hymenaei ''Hymenaei,'' or ''The Masque of Hymen,'' was a masque written by Ben Jonson for the marriage of Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, and Lady Frances Howard, daughter of the Earl of Suffolk, and performed on their wedding day, 5 January 1606 ...

'' ** ''

The Hue and Cry After Cupid ''The Hue and Cry After Cupid,'' or ''A Hue and Cry After Cupid,'' also ''Lord Haddington's Masque'' or ''The Masque at Lord Haddington's Marriage,'' or even ''The Masque With the Nuptial Songs at the Lord Viscount Haddington's Marriage at Cour ...

'' ** ''

The Masque of Queens ''The Masque of Queens, Celebrated From the House of Fame'' is one of the earlier works in the series of masques that Ben Jonson composed for the House of Stuart in the early 17th century. Performed at Whitehall Palace on 2 February 1609, it mar ...

'' ** ''

The Speeches at Prince Henry's Barriers ''The Speeches at Prince Henry's Barriers'', sometimes called ''The Lady of the Lake,'' is a masque or entertainment written by Ben Jonson in honour of Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, the son and heir of King James I of England. The speeches we ...

'' ** ''

Oberon, the Faery Prince ''Oberon, the Faery Prince'' was a masque written by Ben Jonson, with costumes, sets and stage effects designed by Inigo Jones, and music by Alfonso Ferrabosco and Robert Johnson. ''Oberon'' saw the introduction to English Renaissance theatre ...

'' ** ''

Love Freed from Ignorance and Folly ''Love Freed from Ignorance and Folly'' was a Jacobean era masque, written by Ben Jonson and designed by Inigo Jones, with music by Alfonso Ferrabosco. It was performed on 3 February 1611 at Whitehall Palace, and published in 1616. ''Love Fr ...

'' ** ''

Love Restored ''Love Restored'' was a Jacobean era masque, written by Ben Jonson; it was performed on Twelfth Night, 6 January 1612, and first published in 1616. The Dictionary of National Biography says of the masque, "This vindication of love from wealth i ...

'' ** ''A Challenge at Tilt, at a Marriage'' ** ''The Irish Masque at Court'' ** ''

Mercury Vindicated from the Alchemists ''Mercury Vindicated from the Alchemists at Court'' is a Jacobean-era masque, written by Ben Jonson and designed by Inigo Jones. It was performed at Whitehall Palace on Twelfth Night, 6 January 1615. King James I liked it so much that he ordere ...

'' ** ''

The Golden Age Restored ''The Golden Age Restored'' was a Jacobean era masque, written by Ben Jonson and designed by Inigo Jones; it was performed on 1 January and 6 January 1616, almost certainly at Whitehall Palace. The show Somewhat less is known about this masqu ...

'' * Entertainments: ** '' The King's Entertainment in Passing to His Coronation'' 'The Coronation Triumph''** ''A Panegyre, on the Happy Entrance of James'' ** '' A Particular Entertainment of the Queen and Prince (at Althorp)'' 'The Satyr''** ''A Private Entertainment of the King and Queen (on May-Day)'' 'The Penates''** ''The Entertainment of the Two Kings (of Great Britain and Denmark)'' 'The Hours''** ''An Entertainment of King James and Queen Anne'' The first five of the masques, from ''

'' through ''

'', had been printed previously; as had ''A Panegyre, on the Happy Entrance of James'' and the ''Epigrams''.

The abortive 1631 addition

In 1631 Jonson planned a second volume to be added to the 1616 folio, a collection of later-written works to be published by

Robert Allot Robert Allot (died 1635) was a London bookseller and publisher of the early Caroline era; his shop was at the sign of the black bear in St. Paul's Churchyard. Though he was in business for a relatively short time – the decade from 1625 to 16 ...

. Jonson, however, became dissatisfied with the quality of the printing (by John Beale), and cancelled the project. Three plays were set into type for the projected collection, and printings of those typecasts were circulated—though whether they were sold commercially or distributed privately by Jonson is unclear. The three plays are: * ''

Bartholomew Fair The Bartholomew Fair was one of London's pre-eminent summer charter fairs. A charter for the fair was granted to Rahere by Henry I to fund the Priory of St Bartholomew; and from 1133 to 1855 it took place each year on 24 August within the preci ...

'' * '' The Devil Is an Ass'' * ''

The Staple of News ''The Staple of News'' is an early Caroline era play, a satire by Ben Jonson. The play was first performed in late 1625 by the King's Men at the Blackfriars Theatre, and first published in 1631. Publication ''The Staple of News'' was entere ...

'' Allot died in 1635; in the 1637–39 period, the rights to Jonson's works were involved in a complex legal dispute between

Philip Chetwinde Philip Chetwinde ( fl. 1653–1674) was a seventeenth-century London bookseller and publisher, noted for his publication of the Third Folio of Shakespeare's plays. A rough start Chetwinde was originally a clothworker. Through his 1637 marriag ...

, the second husband of Allot's widow, and stationers Andrew Crooke and John Legatt. Crooke and Legatt believed they owned the rights to the works.

The second folio, 1640/1

Two folio collections of Jonsonian works were issued in 1640-41. The first, printed by Richard Bishop for Andrew Crooke, was a 1640 reprint of the 1616 folio with corrections and emendations; it has sometimes been termed "the second edition of the first folio." The second volume was edited by Jonson's literary executor Sir

Kenelm Digby Sir Kenelm Digby (11 July 1603 – 11 June 1665) was an English courtier and diplomat. He was also a highly reputed natural philosopher, astrologer and known as a leading Roman Catholic intellectual and Blackloist. For his versatility, he is d ...

, and published by

, in co-operation with Chetwinde. That volume contained later works, most of them unpublished or uncollected previously—six plays (including the three printed in 1631), two of them incomplete, and fifteen masques, plus miscellaneous pieces. In the Digby/Meighen volume—identified on its title page as "the Second Volume" of Jonson's works—the varying dates (1631, 1640, 1641) in some of the texts, and what editor William Savage Johnson once called "irregularity in contents and arrangement in different copies," have caused significant confusion. * Plays: ** ''

'' ** '' The Devil Is an Ass'' ** ''

The Magnetic Lady ''The Magnetic Lady, or Humours Reconciled'' is a Caroline-era stage play, the final comedy of Ben Jonson. It was licensed for performance by Sir Henry Herbert, the Master of the Revels, on 12 October 1632, and first published in 1641, in ...

'' ** ''

A Tale of a Tub ''A Tale of a Tub'' was the first major work written by Jonathan Swift, composed between 1694 and 1697 and published in 1704. It is arguably his most difficult satire, and perhaps his best. The ''Tale'' is a prose parody divided into sections o ...

'' ** ''The Sad Shepherd'' (unfinished) ** ''Mortimer: His Fall'' (fragment) * Masques: ** '' Christmas, His Masque'' ** '' A Masque Presented in the House of Lord Hay'' ** ''

The Vision of Delight ''The Vision of Delight'' was a Jacobean era masque written by Ben Jonson. It was most likely performed on Twelfth Night, 6 January 1617 in the Banqueting House at Whitehall Palace, and repeated on 19 January that year. ''The Vision of Delight ...

'' ** ''

Pleasure Reconciled to Virtue ''Pleasure Reconciled to Virtue'' is a Jacobean era masque, written by Ben Jonson and designed by Inigo Jones. It was first performed on Twelfth Night, 6 January 1618, in the Banqueting House at Whitehall Palace. The work's failure on its initi ...

'' ** ''For the Honour of Wales'' ** '' News from the New World Discovered in the Moon'' ** '' A Masque of the Metamorphos'd Gypsies'' ** ''

The Masque of Augurs ''The Masque of Augurs'' was a Jacobean era masque, written by Ben Jonson and designed by Inigo Jones. It was performed, most likely, on Twelfth Night, 6 January 1622. A second performance of the masque, with textual revisions by Jonson, occu ...

'' ** '' Time Vindicated to Himself and to His Honours'' ** ''

Neptune's Triumph for the Return of Albion ''Neptune's Triumph for the Return of Albion'' was a Jacobean era masque, written by Ben Jonson, and designed by Inigo Jones. The masque is notable for the contradictory historical evidence connected with it and the confusion it caused among ge ...

'' ** '' Pan's Anniversary, or The Shepherd's Holiday'' ** ''The Masque of Owls'' ** '' The Fortunate Isles, and Their Union'' ** '' Love's Triumph Through Callipolis'' ** '' Chloridia: Rites to Chloris and Her Nymphs'' ** '' The King's Entertainment at Welbeck'' ** ''

Love's Welcome at Bolsover ''Love's Welcome at Bolsover'' (alternative archaic spelling, ''Balsover'') is the final masque composed by Ben Jonson. It was performed on 30 July 1634, three years before the poet's death, and published in 1641. The masque was not produced by ...

'' * Miscellaneous: ** ''Underwoods'' ** ''Horace, His Art of Poetry'' ** ''The English Grammar'' ** ''Timber, or Discoveries''

The third folio, 1692

The 1692 single-volume third folio was printed by Thomas Hodgkin and published by a syndicate of booksellers—the title page lists H nryHerringman, E. Brewster, T. Bassett, R. Chiswell, M. Wotton, and G. Conyers.Herringman, Brewster, and Chiswell were members of the four-man syndicate that published the Fourth Folio of Shakespeare's plays in 1685. Herringman was one of three stationers who issued the second Beaumont and Fletcher folio in 1679. The third folio added two works to the previous total: the play ''

The New Inn ''The New Inn, or The Light Heart'' is a Caroline era stage play, a comedy by English playwright and poet Ben Jonson. ''The New Inn'' was licensed for performance by Sir Henry Herbert, the Master of the Revels, on 19 January 1629, and acted l ...

,'' and ''Leges Convivales''. Two other works by Jonson were left out of the 17th-century folios but added to later editions: the plays ''

The Case is Altered ''The Case is Altered'' is an early comedy by Ben Jonson. First published in 1609, the play presents a range of problems for scholars attempting to understand its place in Jonson's canon of works. Date and publication The play's title was firs ...

'' and ''

Eastward Ho ''Eastward Hoe'' or ''Eastward Ho!'' is an early Jacobean-era stage play written by George Chapman, Ben Jonson and John Marston. The play was first performed at the Blackfriars Theatre by a company of boy actors known as the Children of t ...

'' (the latter written with Marston and

George Chapman George Chapman (Hitchin, Hertfordshire, – London, 12 May 1634) was an English dramatist, translator and poet. He was a classical scholar whose work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been speculated to be the Rival Poet of Shak ...

Notes

References

* Brady, Jennifer, and W. H. Herendeen, eds. ''Ben Jonson's 1616 Folio.'' Newark, DE, University of Delaware Press, 1991. * Brock, Dewey Howard. ''A Ben Jonson Companion.'' Bloomington, Indiana University Press, 1983. * Harp, Richard, and Stanley Stewart, eds. ''The Cambridge Companion to Ben Jonson.'' Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2000. * Loxley, James. ''The Complete Critical Guide to Ben Jonson.'' London, Routledge, 2002. * Williams, W. P. "Chetwin, Crooke, and the Jonson Folios." ''Studies in Bibliography'' 30 (1977).

External links

Digitized facsimile of Jonson's First Folio, 1616

Watermarks of the 1616 folio
* Digitized Facsimiles of Jonson's second folio, 1640/
Jonson's second folio, 1640/1
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jonson, Ben, folios Bibliography Masques by Ben Jonson Plays by Ben Jonson