Jonson, Ben
Jonson, Ben Benjamin Jonson ( 1572/3 – 1637 ),dramatist, poet, scholar, and writer of court masques . He was of Border descent, but was born in or near London, the posthumous son of a clergyman. He was educated at Westminster School under Camden . During the early 1590s he worked as a bricklayer in his stepfather's employ, saw military service in Flanders, where he killed an enemy champion in single combat, and joined a strolling company of players for whom he acted the part of Hieronimo in The Spanish Tragedy , a play for which he wrote additional scenes in 1601 – 2 . In 1597 he began to work for Henslowe 's companies as player and playwright, and was imprisoned for his share in The Isle of Dogs, a satire now lost ‘containing very seditious and slandrous matter’ (see Swan Theatre ). In 1598 he killed a fellow actor in a duel, but escaped hanging by pleading benefit of clergy,...
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