Page:Biographical and critical studies by James Thomson ("B.V.").djvu/107

 3EN JONSON 91 now as the epilogue at the presentation before the Queen, who was one of the first encouragers of the youthful poet : " Three distinct notices of Jonson appear in Mr. Henslowe's memorandum-book for the year 1599. The sum of forty shillings was advanced to him and Decker, for a play which they were writing in conjunction ; a like sum for another, in which Chettle was joined with them ; and a third sum of twenty shillings for a tragedy ('The Scotts Tragedy') which he was probably writing alone. None of these are now extant, but ' Cynthia's Revels,' on which he was at this time employed, was lyought out in the following year." When one reads of such small advances, even allowing for the greater value of money at that time, one understands why some of the dramatists were so exceedingly prolific ; for a man could not have sustained life on slow, careful, play-writing, unless eked out by acting or a share in a theatre ; and one agrees with GifFord that Jonson must have written much more than has come down to us with his name, and mended many plays, in order to support his family. It is true that he was assisted by patrons, such as the Lord Aubigny already mentioned, and the Earl of Pembroke, who, as he told Drummond, every first day of the new year sent him ;i^2o to buy books ; it is also true that Drummond reports : " Sundry tymes he hath devoured his bookes, i.e., sold them for necessity P And also: "He dissuaded me from Poetrie, for that she had beggered him, when he might have been a rich lawer, physitian or marchant." " Cynthia's Revels : a Comical Satire," was first pri- vately acted by the children (all boys) of the Queen's