The Poems of Ben Jonson
Longman Annotated English Poets Series

Ben Jonson, who was with Shakespeare and Marlowe one of three principal playwrights of his age, was also one of its most original and influential poets. Known best for the country house poem ?To Penshurst? and his moving elegy ?On my First Son?, his work inspired the whole generation of seventeenth-century poets who declared themselves the ?Sons of Ben?. This edition brings his three major verse publications, Epigrams (1616), The Forest (1616), and Underwood (1641) together with his large body of uncollected poems to create the largest collection of Jonson?s verse that has been published. It thus gives readers a comprehensive view of the wide range of his achievement, from satirical epigrams through graceful lyrics to tender epitaphs. Though he is often seen as the preeminent English poet of the plain style, Jonson employed a wealth of topical and classical allusion and a compressed syntax which mean his poetry can require as much annotation for the modern reader as that of his friend John Donne. This edition not only provides comprehensive explanation and contextualization aimed at student and non-specialist readers alike, but presents the poems in a modern spelling and punctuation that brings Jonson?s poetry to life.

Chronological Table of Jonson’s Life Abbreviations THE POEMSPOEMS 1597-1616 1 From The Case is Altered 2 From Thomas Palmer, The Sprite of Trees and Herbs 3 From Cynthia’s Revels 4 From Nicholas Breton, Melancholic Humours. 5 An Epistle to a Friend 6 From England’s Parnassus 7 [On Thomas Nashe] 8 From Love’s Martyr 9 Prologue, Songs and Poems from Poetaster 10 Ode 11 A Speech out of Lucan 12 From Hugh Holland, Pancharis 13 B. J. his Panegyre 14 From Thomas Wright, The Passions of the Mind in General 15 From Every Man in His Humour 16 From The Masque of Blackness 17 From Hymenaei: or The Solemnities of Masque and Barriers18 From Volpone 19 From An Entertainment at Theobalds 20 From The Entertainment for the Merchant Taylors Company 21 From The Masque of Beauty 22 From The Haddington Masque 23 From The Masque of Queens 24 From The Entertainment at Britain's Burse 25 Epitaph on Cecilia Bulstrode 26 From John Fletcher, The Faithful Shepherdess27 From Epicene 28 From Oberon, The Fairy Prince 29 From Love Freed from Ignorance and Folly 30 From Coryate’s Crudities 31 From Coryate’s Crambe 32 From Love Restored 33 From Thomas Farnaby’s Juvenal 34 From Thomas Farnaby’s Persius 35 From Thomas Farnaby’s Seneca 36 A Speech presented unto King James at a Tilting 37 From John Stephens, Cynthia’s Revenge 38 To the Most Noble, and Above His Titles, Robert, Earl of Somerset 39 From The Irish Masque at Court 40 From Christopher Brooke, The Ghost of Richard the Third 41 From The Husband 42 From Bartholomew Fair 43 Song from Mercury Vindicated 44 Martial. [Epigram 10.47] 45 From The Golden Age Restored 46 From William Browne, Britannia's Pastorals EPIGRAMS. TO THE GREAT EXAMPLE OF HONOUR AND VIRTUE, THE MOST NOBLE WILLIAM, EARL OF PEMBROKE 1. To the Reader 2 To My Book 3 To My Bookseller 4 To King James 5 On the Union 6 To Alchemists 7 On the New Hot-House 8 On a Robbery 9 To All to Whom I Write 10 To My Lord Ignorant 11 On Something that Walks Somewhere 12 On Lieutenant Shift 13 To Doctor Empiric 14 To William Camden 15 On Court-Worm 16 To Brain-Hardy 17 To the Learned Critic 18 To My Mere English Censurer 19 On Sir Cod the Perfumed 20 To the Same Sir Cod 21 On Reformed Gamester 22 On My First Daughter 23 To John Donne 24 To the Parliament 25 On Sir Voluptuous Beast 26 On the Same Beast 27 On Sir John Roe 28 On Don Surly 29 To Sir Annual Tilter 30 To Person Guilty 31 On Bank the Usurer 32 On Sir John Roe 33 To the Same 34 Of Death 35 To King James 36 To the Ghost of Martial 37 On Cheverel the Lawyer 38 To Person Guilty 39 On Old Colt 40 On Margaret Ratcliffe 41 On Gypsy 42 On Giles and Joan 43 To Robert, Earl of Salisbury 44 On Chuff, Banks the Usurer’s Kinsman 45 On My First Son 46 To Sir Luckless Woo-All 47 To the Same 48 On Mongrel Esquire 49 To Playwright 50 To Sir Cod 51 To King James, Upon the Happy False Rumour of his Death 52 To Censorious Courtling 53 To Old-End Gatherer 54 On Cheverel 55 To Francis Beaumont 56 On Poet-Ape 57 On Bawds and Usurers 58 To Groom Idiot 59 On Spies 60 To William, Lord Monteagle 61 To Fool, or Knave 62 To Fine Lady Would-Be 63 To Robert, Earl of Salisbury 64 To the Same, Upon the Accession of the Treasurership to Him 65 To My Muse 66 To Sir Henry Cary 67 To Thomas, Earl of Suffolk 68 On Playwright 69 To Pertinax Cob 70 To William Roe 71 On Court-Parrot 72 To Courtling 73 To Fine Grand 74 To Thomas, Lord Chancellor Egerton 75 On Lip the Teacher 76 On Lucy, Countess of Bedford 77 To One That Desired Me Not to Name Him 78 To Hornet 79 To Elizabeth, Countess of Rutland 80 Of Life and Death 81 To Prowl the Plagiary 82 On Cashiered Captain Surly 83 To a Friend 84 To Lucy, Countess of Bedford 85 To Sir Henry Goodyere 86 To the Same 87 On Captain Hazard the Cheater 88 On English Monsieur 89 To Edward Alleyn 90 On Mill, My Lady’s Woman 91 To Sir Horace Vere 92 The New Cry 93 To Sir John Radcliffe 94 To Lucy, Countess of Bedford, With Master Donne’s Satires 95 To Sir Henry Savile 96 To John Donne 97 On the New Motion 98 To Sir Thomas Roe 99 To the Same 100 On Playwright 101 Inviting a Friend to Supper 102 To William, Earl of Pembroke 103 To Mary, Lady Wroth 104 To Susan, Countess of Montgomery 105 To Mary, Lady Wroth 106 To Sir Edward Herbert 107 To Captain Hungry 108 To True Soldiers 109 To Sir Henry Neville 110 To Clement Edmondes, On his Caesar’s Commentaries Observed and Translated 111 To the Same, on the Same 112 To a Weak Gamester in Poetry 113 To Sir Thomas Overbury 114 To Mistress Philip Sidney 115 On the Town’s Honest Man 116 To Sir William Jephson 117 On Groin 118 On Gut 119 To Sir Rafe Shelton 120 Epitaph on S. P. a child of Q. Elizabeth’s Chapel 121 To Benjamin Rudyerd 122 To the Same 123 To the Same 124 Epitaph on Elizabeth, L.H. 125 To Sir William Uvedale 126 To his lady, then Mistress Cary 127 To Esmé, Lord Aubigny 128 To William Roe 129 To Mime 130 To Alfonso Ferrabosco, on his Book 131 To the Same 132 To Master Joshua Sylvester 133 On the Famous Voyage THE FOREST 1 Why I Write Not of Love 2 To Penshurst 3 To Sir Robert Wroth 4 To the World: A Farewell for a Gentlewoman, virtuous and noble 5 Song To Celia 6 To the Same 7 Song That Women are but Men’s Shadows 8 To Sickness 9 Song. To Celia 10(a) Proludium 10 ‘And must I sing?’ 11 Epode 12 Epistle To Elizabeth, Countess of Rutland 13 Epistle To Katherine, Lady Aubigny 14 Ode to Sir William Sidney, on his Birthday 15 To Heaven POEMS 1616-1636 47 From Christmas His Masque 48 From The Vision of Delight 49 From Pleasure Reconciled to Virtue 50 From George Chapman, The Georgics of Hesiod. To My Worthy and Honoured Friend Master George Chapman 51.1 To Master Ben Jonson in his Journey By Master Craven. 51.2 This Was Master Ben Jonson’s Answer of the Sudden 52.1 A Grace by Ben Jonson Extempore Before King James 52.2 A Form of a Grace 52.3 Ben Jonson's Grace before King James 53 Charles Cavendish to His Posterity 54 Leges Convivales 55 Verses Over the Door at the Entrance into the Apollo 56 From Pan’s Anniversary, or The Shepherd's Holy-day 57 From A Masque of the Metamorphosed Gypsies 58 From The Masque of Augurs 59 From James Mabbe, The Rogue. On the Author, Work, and Translator 60 From Mr William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies. To the Reader 61 From Mr WilliamShakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies. To the Memory of My Belovèd, The Author Master William Shakespeare And What He Hath Left Us 62 From Neptune’s Triumph for the Return of Albion 63 To the Memory of That Most Honoured Lady Jane, Eldest Daughter to Cuthbert, Lord Ogle, and Countess of Shrewsbury 64 From The Staple of News 65 To My Chosen Friend the Learned Translator of Lucan66 From The Battle of Agincourt.The Vision of Ben Jonson on the Muses of his Friend Michael Drayton 67 [Song. Death and Love Paralleled] 68 From The New Inn 69 The just indignation the author took at the vulgar censure of his Play by some malicious spectators begat this following Ode to Himself 70 Epitaph on Katherine, Lady Ogle 71 From Sir John Beaumont, Bosworth Field. On the Honoured Poems of His Honoured Friend, Sir John Beaumont, Baronet 72 From Edward Filmer, French Court Airs73 From Love's Triumph Through Callipolis 74 From Chloridia. Rites to Chloris and her Nymphs 75 An Expostulation with Inigo Jones 76 To Inigo, Marquis Would-Be: A Corollary 77 To A Friend: An Epigram of Him 78.1 Epigram. To my kind friend Mr Ben: Johnson upon his epigram to the Lord Treasurer 78.2 To My Detractor 79 From The Northern Lass… The Author of this Work, Master Richard Brome 80.1 Mr Gil to Mr Ben: Johnson upon the occasion of his Magnetic Lady 80.2 [An Answer to Alexander Gil] 81 [A Song of Welcome to King Charles] 82 [A Song of the Moon] 83 From The King’s Entertainment at Welbeck 84 FromAlice Sutcliffe, Meditations of Man’s Mortality85 From Joseph Rutter, The Shepherd’s Holiday 86 From Annalia Dubrensia. An Epigram to My Jovial Good Friend Master Robert Dover THE UNDERWOOD 1. Poems of Devotion 1.1 The Sinner’s Sacrificeto the Holy Trinity 1.2 A Hymn to God the Father 1.3 A Hymn on the Nativity of My Saviour 2 A Celebration ofCharis in Ten Lyric Pieces 2.1 His Excuse for Loving 2.2 How He Saw Her 2.3 What He Suffered 2.4 Her Triumph 2.5 His Discourse with Cupid 2.6 Claiming a Second Kiss by Desert 2.7 Begging Another, on Colour of Mending the Former 2.8 Urging Her of a Promise 2.9 Her Man Described by Her OwnDictamen 2.10 Another Lady’s Exception, Present at the Hearing 3 The MusicalStrife, in a Pastoral Dialogue 4 A Song 5 In the Person of Womankind: A SongApologetic 6 Another: In Defence of their Inconstancy: A Song 7 A Nymph’s Passion 8 The Hourglass 9 My Picture Left in Scotland 10 Against Jealousy 11 The Dream 12 An Epitaph on Master Vincent Corbett 13 An Epistle toSir Edward Sackville, Now Earl of Dorset 14 An Epistle to MasterJohn Selden 15 An Epistle to aFriend, to Persuade Him to the Wars 16 An Epitaph on MasterPhilip Gray 17 Epistle To aFriend 18 An Elegy 19 An Elegy 20 A SatiricalShrub 21 A Little Shrub Growing By 22 An Elegy 23 An Ode. To Himself 24 TheMind of the Frontispiece to a Book 25 An Ode to James, Earl of Desmond, Writ in Queen Elizabeth’s Time; since lost, and recovered 26 An Ode (‘High-spirited friend’) 27 An Ode 28 A Sonnet: To the Noble Lady, theLady MaryWroth 29 AFit of Rhyme against Rhyme 30 An Epigram onWilliam, LordBurghley, Lord High Treasurer of England 31 An Epigram: ToThomas,Lord Ellesmere, The Last Term He Sat Chancellor 32 Another to Him33 An Epigram to theCounsellor that pleaded and carried the cause 34 An Epigram. To the Smallpox 35 An Epitaph.OnElizabeth Chute 36 A Song 37 An Epistle to aFriend 38 An Elegy 39 An Elegy 40 An Elegy 41 An Elegy 42 An Elegy 43 An Execration upon Vulcan 44 ASpeech According to Horace 45 An Epistle to MasterArthur Squibb 46 An Epigram onSir Edward Coke, When He Was Lord Chief Justice of England 47 An Epistle Answering to One That Asked to be Sealed of the Tribe of Ben 48 The Dedication ofthe King’s NewCellar: to Bacchus 49 An Epigram on theCourt Pucelle 50 An Epigram: To the Honoured–––– Countess of –––– 51 Lord Bacon’s Birthday 52aA Poem Sent Me by Sir William Burlase 52b My Answer: The Poet to the Painter 53 An Epigram to William, Earl of Newcastle 54 Epistle to MasterArthur Squibb 55 To Master John Burgess 56 Epistle To MyLady Covell 57 To MasterJohn Burgess 58 Epigram, to MyBookseller 59 An Epigram to William, Earl of Newcastle 60 An Epitaph onHenry, Lord La Ware 61 An Epigram 62 An Epigram toKing Charles, for ahundred pounds he sent me in mysickness.1629 63 ToKing Charles andQueen Mary for the Loss of their First-Born: An EpigramConsolatory.1629 64 An Epigram to Our Great and GoodKing Charles, On HisAnniversary Day.1629 65 An Epigram on thePrince’sBirth.1630 66 An Epigram to the Queen, then lying in. 1630 67 An Ode, or Song by all the Muses in Celebration of Her Majesty’s Birthday. 1630 68 An Epigram to the Household. 1630 69 Epigram. To a Friend and Son 70 To the Immortal Memory and Friendship of that Noble Pair, Sir LUCIUS CARY and Sir HENRY MORYSON 71 To the Right Honourable, theLord High Treasurer of England. An EpistleMendicant. 1631 72 To the King on his Birthday. An Epigram Anniversary, November 19, 163273 On the Right Honourable and Virtuous Lord Weston, Lord High Treasurer of England, upon the day he was made Earl of Portland. 17 February 1633 74 To the Right HonourableJerome, Lord Weston: An Odegratulatory, for his return from his embassy, 1633 75 Epithalamion 76 The Humble Petition of Poor Ben to th’ Best ofMonarchs 77 To the Right Honourable, the Lord Treasurer of England: An Epigram 78 An Epigram to MyMuse, the Lady Digby, on Her Husband, Sir Kenelm Digby 79 A New Year’s Gift sung to King Charles.1636 [80, 81 SeeDubia] 82 To My Lord the King, On the Christening His Second Son James 83 An Elegy on the LadyJane Paulet, Marchioness of Winchester 84 Eupheme, or The Fair Fame Left to Posterity Of That Truly Noble Lady, the Lady Venetia Digby 84.1 The Dedication of her cradle 84.2 The Song of Her Descent 84.3 The Picture of the Body 84.4 The Mind 84.8 Her Hopeful Issue 84.9 An Elegy on MyMuse, the truly honoured Lady, the Lady Venetia Digby … Being herᾺΠΟΘΕѠΣΙΣ, or relation to the saints 85 The Praises of a Country Life. Horace, Epode 2 86 Horace, Ode the First. The Fourth Book. To Venus 87 Horace, Odes, Book 3.9, To Lydia Dialogue of Horace and Lydia 88 A Fragment ofPetronius Arbiter Translated 89 Martial, Epigram 8.77 Translated HORACE, OF THE ART OF POETRY DUBIA1 Poems possibly by Jonson: Ode. 2 Poems by other authors included in Underwood

Tom Cain is Emeritus Professor of Early Modern Literature at Newcastle University. He has worked on Ben Jonson for many years but has also written a study of Tolstoy (1977) and edited Nicholas Hilliard’s Art of Limning (1981), an anthology of Jacobean and Caroline Poetry (1981), and several collections of essays on the early modern period. In 2001, he published an edition of the large collection of poems left in manuscript by Robert Herrick’s patron, Mildmay Fane, Earl of Westmorland, and in 2013, with Ruth Connolly, he edited The Complete Poetry of Robert Herrick. He has written essays on Donne and Jonson and edited Jonson’s Poetaster for the Revels Plays (1995) and Sejanus for the Cambridge Works of Ben Jonson. He is currently completing an edition of Ford’s The Lovers Melancholy for the Oxford Complete Works of John Ford, editing a volume of Waugh’s short stories for the Oxford Complete Works of Evelyn Waugh, and writing a biography of John Donne.

Ruth Connolly is Senior Lecturer in Seventeenth-Century Literature at Newcastle University. She has written essays on the circulation of Stuart lyric poetry in manuscript, on early modern women’s writing and intellectual cultures, and on the poetry of Hester Pulter, Richard Lovelace, and Jonson. In 2011 she edited (with Tom Cain) a collection of essays, ‘Lords of Wine and Oile’: Community and Conviviality in the Poetry of Robert Herrick, and with Christopher Burlinson a special issue of Studies in English Literature 1500–1900 (Winter, 2012) on editing Stuart poetry. This was followed in 2013 by an edition with Tom Cain of The Complete Poetry of Robert Herrick, special issues of The Seventeenth Century on Cavalier writing (2018), and (with Naomi McAreavey) of Literature Compass on the literatures of early modern Ireland (2019). She is currently completing a monograph on th