Page:Biographical and critical studies by James Thomson ("B.V.").djvu/141

 I BEN JONSON 125 James I. died early in 1625, and in him our poet "lost the most indulgent of masters, and most bene- volent of sovereigns. Charles, indeed, both knew and valued Jonson ; but he was not so competent a judge of literary talents, nor was he, either by nature or habit, so familiar with his servants, or so con- descending to their affairs, as the easy and good- natured James. . . . Two evils were at this time rapidly gaining upon the poet — want and disease. The first he certainly might have warded off, at least for some time, had he been gifted with the slightest portion of economy ; but he was altogether thoughtless and profuse, and his long sickness, therefore, overtook him totally unprovided. From the accession to the death of James, nothing is to be found respecting his necessities — not a complaint, not a murmur; but other times were at hand, and we shall soon hear of peti- tionary poems and supplications for relief. The disease which attacked him about the end of this year was the palsy. He seems to have laboured from his youth under a scorbutic affection (derived, pro- bably, from his parents), which assailed him with in- creasing virulence as his constitution gave way : to this must be added a tendency to dropsy, not the least of his evils." In all likelihood, driven back to the stage by want, he produced this year that very good comedy, " The Staple of News ; " and in the next, 1626, he had so far recovered from the first stroke of the palsy as to be able to compose for the court the antimasque of " The Fortunate Isles, and their Union." In January, 1629, the comedy of " The New Inn; or. The Light Heart" was brought out, and " completely damned," not being heard to the