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spirit, his penetrating sagacity, and his accurate knowledge of the state of Ireland at that time. Even at the present day, they are regarded and quoted as high authorities on the legal and political history of the Irish nation. In his domestic relations this eminent man peculiarly unhappy. He was married to a daughter of Lord Dudley, by whom he had a family. His son turned out an idiot, and one of his daughters exhibited symptoms of insanity. "A volume of her ravings," says Campbell, "was published in 1649, for which the revolutionary government sent her to the Tower, and to Bethlehem Hospital." On his return from Ireland in 1615, he again became a member of the House of Commons, and was appointed Lord Chief Justice of England, but died of apoplexy on the 7th of December, 1626, in his fifty-seventh year, before the ceremony of installation had been performed. The inscription on his monument in the Church of St. Martin in the Fields, in London, where he was interred, is not an exaggerated tribute to his talents and virtues. "He was a man of fine genius and uncommon eloquence, and an excellent writer both in prose and in verse. He tempered the severity of the lawyer by the elegance of his manners, and the accomplishments of polite literature. He was a faithful advocate, and an incorrupt judge; and equally remarkable for his contempt of superstition, and his attachment to sincere and genuine piety."

The principal poem of Sir John Davies, and the most remarkable for the dignity and importance of the subject, as well as for the commanding ability displayed in its composition, is that on the "Immortality of the Soul." It is a series of philosophical arguments, solid in thought and unanswerable in reasoning, to establish the great and consoling truth of man's immortality. In estimating its merits as a poetical composition, it has received the warmest praise from the highest critical authorities. Southey observes that Sir John Davies "wrote in numbers, which for precision and clearness, felicity and strength, have never been passed." It is a sufficient proof of Sir John Davies' powerful and comprehensive intellect," observes

"" that he

Willmott, in his "Lives of the Sacred Poets," was the author of our first and noblest didactic poem, of the most sagacious political treatise upon the state of Ireland which had hitherto appeared, and of the earliest report of cases in the Irish law courts, during the four hundred years of English domination.”

The following just and striking estimate of the genius displayed in Sir John Davies' best poetical performance is from the same able pen::- "While Shakspeare was peopling the stage with picturesque pageantry; and Spenser, in the zenith of his reputation, was irradiating the intellectual atmosphere with the sunshine of his beautiful imagination, Davies struck into a path in which he had no forerunner, and cannot be said to have had any successor. Having in the poem of the 'Orchestra' displayed a playful melody of diction, and shown his acquaintance with all the graces of style, he produced a poem, which, to the highest dignity of conception, united the stateliest harmony of expression. With a fancy nourished by extensive observation of works and men, he employs it only to light up the chain of his reasoning, and to render more completely manifest the mechanism of the argument."

Campbell, with less enthusiasm, but with his accustomed discrimination, thus speaks of Sir John Davies' character as a poet :- "He carried abstract reasoning into verse with an acuteness and felicity which have seldom been equalled. The generality of his stanzas exhibit hard arguments interwoven with the pliant materials of fancy so closely, that we may compare them to a texture of cloth and metallic threads, which is cold and stiff, while it is splendidly crimson. There is this difference, however, between Davies and the commonly styled metaphysical poets, that he argues like a hard thinker, and they like madmen." A few brief extracts from the philosophical poem, to which the foregoing critical judgments refer, will be found under their proper division in our poetical Selections. Chalmers's "Lives of the Poets," and Aikin's "General Biography," may be referred to for a more detailed account of this distinguished character.

BEN JONSON.

BORN, 1574; DIED, 1637.

Here lies Jonson with the rest
Of the poets, but the best.

Reader, would'st thou more have known!

Ask his story, not the stone;

That will speak, what this can't tell

Of his glory, so farewell!

O! rare Ben Jonson!

Epitaph by Robert Herrick.

Line inscribed on his Tomb.

"THERE are periods," says Schlegel, the eminent German critic, "when the human mind makes all at once gigantic strides in an art previously almost unknown, as if, during its long sleep, it had been collecting strength for such an effort. The age of Elizabeth was in England such an epoch for dramatic poetry. This Queen, during her long reign, witnessed the first infantine attempts of the English theatre, and its most masterly productions. Shakspeare had a lively feeling of this general and rapid development of qualities not before called into exercise." Among the few dramatic poets, who obtained great distinction as the contemporaries and competitors of Shakspeare, are Ben Jonson, Beaumont and Fletcher, and Massinger—

Those shining stars, that run

Their glorious course round Shakspeare's golden sun.

Some critics have assigned to Jonson the rank of being next to his great master, the bard of Avon, whilst others have considered him superior to Shakspeare in solidity of genius and extensive learning.

This celebrated writer was the posthumous son of a Clergyman, who had been persecuted on account of his religious opinions. He was born at Westminster, in 1574, ten years after Shakspeare, about a month after his father's decease. He received his early educaation at the grammar school in that part of London, and was placed under Camden, one of the most learned men and skilful teachers of his day. Jonson's mother having married a second time, and to a person following the

trade of a bricklayer, young Ben was taken from school by his stepfather, and employed to assist him in his humble occupation. One of his biographers states that he was seen working with his father, and that Sir Walter Raleigh, hearing of the circumstance, took an interest in the young man's welfare, and sent him to the Continent as a companion or tutor to his son. Being dissatisfied with an employment repugnant to his taste and feelings, he entered the military service as a volunteer, and fought against the Spaniards in the Netherlands. It is recorded of him that, whilst in the army, he evinced great bravery, and on one occasion killed an enemy in single combat. On his return to England, after a single campaign, he relinquished the military profession; and being without the means of support, turned his attention to literary pursuits.

With the view of preparing himself for the laborious work of an author, and of completing his education, Jonson entered St. John's College, Cambridge, but was unable to remain long in the University for want of funds. He then determined to try his fortune on the stage, having married, about the same period, at the early age of twenty. He joined a party of strolling players, and made his first appearance in London at an obscure theatre, called the "Green Curtain," near Shoreditch. His failure as an actor induced him to enter upon a new career as a writer of plays, some of which fell into the hands of Shakspeare, who encouraged Jonson to persevere in dramatic composition. Soon after his appearance before the public as an actor, he quarrelled with one of his brother performers, with whom he fought a duel. Jonson killed his antagonist, and he was himself severely wounded. He was imprisoned, and narrowly escaped with his life. During his incarceration he changed his religion, and became a Roman Catholic, but returned to the Protestant Church after the space of twelve years. His motives for the first change have been impugned; but there is no reason to suppose that he was influenced by unworthy considerations.

D

Jonson adopted the practice of writing a piece every year, and "Every Man in his Humour" was his first and most successful attempt at dramatic composition. It was performed with applause in 1596; and Shakspeare is said to have taken a part in the performance of the play. For several successive years he produced a number of tragedies and comedies, which have handed down his name to posterity as one of the most illustrious writers of his class. Of these, we have space only to enumerate the most celebrated. In 1599 followed "Every Man out of his Humour," a satirical comedy of great severity and wit, but which was well received. His next piece was "Cynthia's Revels," inferior in talent to its predecessors. It was performed in 1600, and succeeded by the "Poetaster"-a production which became unpopular on account of its offensive personalities. Jonson made another effort in the comic line, and produced the "Satiro Mustix," written in ridicule both of himself, and his previous work, the "Poetaster." He next attempted tragedy; and "Sejanus" and "Catiline," both plays founded on Roman story, came forth to delight the lovers of theatrical representations. "Volpene, or the Fox," and the " Alchymist," were considered the most eminent of his productions, and both of these were performed with extraordinary success. In 1609 appeared the "Silent Woman," a comedy of sterling merit. Jonson's time was not wholly engrossed in composing for the stage. Among his miscellaneous productions are a "Commentary on Aristotle's Poetics," an "English Grammar," a 'Journey into Scotland," and a life of Henry V. One of his dramatic compositions, a comedy called "Eastwood Hoe," alleged to be a satire on the Scottish nation, was considered so offensive, that he was a second time committed to prison, and narrowly escaped being put in the pillory. This offensive production was written conjointly with two other dramatists, Chapman and Marston. Referring to this transaction, the writer of Jonson's life in Chambers's "Cyclopedia," observes, that the unfortunate culprits were not tried; and when Ben was set at liberty, he gave an entertainment to his friends

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