JONSON, BENJAMIN, (or, as his name is commonly ab breviated, BEY) the dramatic poet, was born in the early part of the year 1574. His grandfather was a man of some family and fortune, originally settled at Annandale in Scot land, from which place he removed to Carlisle, and was subsequently taken into the service of Henry VIII. His father, who is believed to have been about the court, suffer ed a long imprisonment under Queen Mary, probably for religion, and was deprived of his estate ; but became after wards (as Wood informs us)" a grave minister of the gos pel." Our poet was a posthumous child, and came into the world about a month after his father's death.
His mother, in somewhat less than two years after the death of her first husband, married a master bricklayer of the name of Fowler. From this step-father, it could hard ly be expected that our poet should have received a liberal education ; hut there was happily a generous friend, (whose name, however, is not recorded,) who sent him at his own expence to Westminster School. At that seminary, Jon son's youthful genius was submitted to the guidance of the illustrious Camden ; and we find him in more than one part of his writings alluding with reverence and affection to the guardian of his favourite studies.
Ali. Gifford, in his memoirs of this poet, supposes that he left Westminster about the age of sixteen, and that he went from thence at once to the university. The person who had hitherto befriended him, procured for him as Au brey informs us, an exhibition at Cambridge ; but whatever might be its value, it was found inadequate to his support, and he was obliged too soon to quit the university, from the inability of his parents to assist him. How long he continued at College cannot be known. Fuller says a few weeks ; biit Mr. Gifford reasonably infers, from the expres sions of obligation which he uses to the members of the university, that his connection with them must have ex tended to a much longer period. It seems undeniable, however, that poverty cut short the term of his education, and that he returned from college to follow the vocation of his father-in-law,--that of a bricklayer. Several stories that have been told by his biographers about the manlier of his leaving this occupation, turn out, when examined, to he perfectly groundless. There is no truth in Fuller's ac
count, of his being found by some gentlemen with the trowel in one hand and Horace in the other, and of his " being nianumized by their bounty," to follow his ingenu ous inclination. Equally absurd is the story of his being tutor to the son of Sir Walter Raleigh, and of his being sent home in a basket whilst asleep with intoxication, by the witty contrivance of young Raleigh,—an anecdote which Mr. Malone himself has been weak enough to re peat. Jonson's own account of his early life is, that he could not endure the occupation of a bricklayer ; and hav ing enlisted as a volunteer in the army, went over to Flan ders.
His stay in the Low Countries did not extend much be yond one campaign; he had, however, an opportunity of signalizing his courage, having (as he told en countered and killed an enemy, whose spoils he carried off in the sight of both armies. From the Low Countries, he returned with the reputation of a brave man, a smattering of Dutch, and an empty purse. He was now about nine teen, and betook himself to the stage for support, at first as an actor, but undoubtedly at no great distance of time as a writer. In the mean time, however, he was involved in a second affair of the sword, which was likely to have termi nated more fatally than the first. Having had a dispute with some person, probably a brother player, he was chal lenged by his antagonist to the field. Jonson killed his opponent in a duel ; hut he was himself severely woundee, and thrown into prison for murder. During his confine ment, he was beset by the artifices of a Popish priest, who persuaded him to embrace the Catholic faith, and it was not till twelve years afterwards, that he was again brought back to the mother church. He was annoyed also, during his imprisonment, by the visits of spies, who must have been employed about him, no doubt, in consequence of his connection with the Romish priest ; as in those days the idea of Popery carried that of conspiracy along with it to the minds of all sound and zealous Protestants. Ile does not appear, however, to have remained long in prison. The prosecution for murder was probably dropt.