that he was pitifully jealous of plagiarism from his works. The following references to the practise are worth quoting.

Epigram LVI:—

Poor Poet-Ape, that would be thought our chief,
Whose works are e'en the frippery of writ,
From brokage is become so bold a thief,
As we, the robbed, leave rage and pity it.
At first he made low shifts, would pick and glean,
Buy a reversion of old plays; now grown
To a little wealth, and credit in the scene,
He takes up all, makes each man's wit his own:
And told of this he slights it.

Chalmers and Gifford believe this to refer to Shakspere. It is not inappropriate; and if we are reminded of Shakspere, the epigram becomes significantly suggestive of the difference in the temperament of the two dramatists. Shakspere would have smiled at the charge. He never accused anybody of plagiarizing him.

Epigram C., On Playwright:—

Five of my jests, then stolen, passed him a play.

In the prolog to Epicoene, he tells us that the jokes that are cracked over tables at ordinaries are stolen from his plays:

Nor is it only while you keep your seat
Here that his feast will last; but you shall eat
A week at ordinaries on his broken meat.

Other references to the topic may easily be found in his writings.1

DICTION.

Diction was an important consideration with Jonson. In his address to the readers of Sejanus he gives the following as requisite qualities of a tragedy:

truth of argument, dignity of persons, gravity and height of elocution, fulness and frequency of sentence.

Cynth. Rev., Prol.:—

his poesy; which, he knows, affords

Words above action.

2

Naturalness of speech is always to be aimed at; the bombast of Tamburlaine is intolerable.

Disc. (III. 400a):

1 Cf. I., 39b; 58ab; 89a; 146b; 165ab; 257b; 365b; III., 251b, 480.

2 Cf. also extracts from The Case and E. H. in h. H., under Plot.

The true artificer will not run away from nature as he were afraid of her; or depart from life and the likeness of truth; but speak to the capacity of his hearers. And though his language differ from the vulgar somewhat, it shall not fly from all humanity, with the Tamerlanes and TamerChams of the late age, which had nothing in them but the scenical strutting and furious vociferation, to warrant them to the ignorant gapers.

Disc. (III. 397b) :—

But now nothing is good that is natural; right and natural language seems to have least of the wit in it; that which is writhed and tortured is counted the more exquisite as if no face were fair that were not powdered or painted? no beauty to be had but in wresting and writhing our own tongue? Nothing is fashionable till it be deformed; and this is writing like a gentleman. All must be affected and preposterous as our gallant's clothes.

Dr. Grossmann thinks this an attack on Euphuism. Perhaps it is. In order to be certain we should have to know the date when the passage was written. Not all the linguistic fashions prevalent during Jonson's life were Euphuism. In Every Man out of his Humor, however, he has two flings at that institution.

II. 1. (I. 88b):—

Fast. She does observe as pure a phrase, and use as choice figures in her ordinary conferences, as any be in the Arcadia. Carlo. Or rather in Greene's works, whence she may steal with more security.

V. 7. (I. 137b):—

Fallace.

O, Master Brisk, as 'tis

in Euphues, "Hard is the choice," etc.

He objected to the use of outlandish words. Cynth. Rev., II. 1. (I. 162b):—

Cupid. She is like one of your ignorant poetasters of time, who, when they have got acquainted with a strange word, never rest till they have wrung it in, though it loosen the whole fabric of their sense.

Poetaster, V. 1. (I. 261a) :—–

Virgil. You must not hunt for wild outlandish terms,

To stuff out a peculiar dialect;

But let your matter run before your words.
And if at any time you chance to meet
Some Gallo-Belgic phrase, you shall not
straight

Rack your poor verse to give it entertain

ment,

But let it pass; and do not think yourself
Much damnified, if you do leave it out,
When nor your understanding, nor the

sense

Could well receive it.

REFINEMENT.

Like so many of his contemporaries Jonson disclaimed all complicity with indecency. Cynth. Rev., Induction:

It is in the general behalf of this fair society here that I am to speak, at least the more judicious part of it, which seems much distasted with the immodest and obscene writing of many in their plays.

Fox, Dedication (I. 334):

For my particular, I can, and from a most clear conscience, affirm, that I have ever trembled to think toward the least profaneness; have lothed the use of such fowl and unwashed bawdry, as is now made the food of the scene.

Epigram XLIX., (III. 235a) :—

Playwright me reads, and still my verses damns,
He says I want the tongue of epigrams;
I have no salt, no bawdry he doth mean;
For witty, in his language, is obscene.

METRICS.

On this topic there are a number of pas

sages worth quoting.

World in the Moon (III. 136b) :—

Chronicler. Is he a man's poet or a woman's poet, I pray you?