Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from A New and General Biographical Dictionary, Vol. 9 of 15: Containing an Historical and Critical Account of the Lives and Writings of the Most Eminent Persons in Every Nation; Particularly the British and Irish; From the Earliest Accounts of Time to the Present Period
The firfi play Jonfon printed was the comedy, intituled, . Every Man in his Humour; after which he produced a play regularly every year for fome years fucce?ively: and in 1600 he made his court, in a noble manner, to queen Eliza beth, whom he complimented under the allgo'rical perfonaoc bf the goddefs Cynthia, in his Cynthia's Revels, which was added that year by the children of the queen's chapel [f]. He feems to have been a competitor for the poetic crown at this time lime, in his next piece, The Poetafler, which was reprefented by the fame performers in 1601, he ridicules his rival Decker, under the, character of (frifpinus. He was taxed alfo with particular re?ections in it on fome profe?'ors of the law, and fome military men, wh0'were well known at: that time. The popular clamours againfl him upon this occa iion ran very high and to thefe he replied, in Vindication of himfelf, by an apologetical dialogue, which was once (poken upon the fiage, and which he annexed, on the'publication of his works, to the end of this play but Decker was bent upon revenge, and refolved, if poffible, to conquer Jonfon at his own weapons. In this fpirit he ete a'play immediately after, intituled, Satyromaftix, or, The untrufiing the hu mourous Poet; in which Jonfon is introduced under the character of Horace Junior. The enemies of Jonfon indultri co?y gave out, that all he more was produced with extreme labour, and that he was not lefs than a year about every play. This objection, had it been true, was really no difgrace to him the bell: authors know by eitperieiice, that what appears to be the molt natural and eafy writing is frequently the effect of {tudy and the clofeft application. But their defign was to infinuate, that Jonfon had no parts and a poor imagination to which he retorted in the prologue to his f'volpone, or, The Fox and thence we learn, that the whole play finifhed by him in five weeks.
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