Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/701

 JONESBORO JONSON 681 contest. His political opinions were declared in several essays, as his " Inquiry into the Legal Mode of Suppressing Riots," " Plan of a Na- tional Defence," and "Principles of Govern- ment;" and he produced in 1781 a more elab- orate work on the "Law of Bailments," which alone, according to Judge Story, would have given him "a name unrivalled in the com- mon law for philosophical accuracy, elegant learning, and finished analysis." He resumed his oriental studies to produce a translation of the "Moallakat, or Seven Arabian Poems which were suspended in the Temple at Mecca" (1783). In 1783 he was married, knighted, and, through the influence of Lord Ashburton, appointed a judge of the supreme court of judicature at Fort William in Bengal. One of his first acts after his arrival was the founding of the Asiatic society of Bengal, or "society for inquiring into the history and antiquities, the arts, sciences, and literature of Asia." He was the first president of this body, and con- tributed to the first four volumes of its " Asi- atic Researches" numerous treatises of great importance. He undertook to make a digest of Hindoo and Mohammedan laws, similar to the codification of Greek and Roman law ef- fected by Justinian. This task he did not live to complete, and it was finished under the su- perintendence of Mr. Colebrooke. He trans- lated and published in 1794 the ordinances of Manu, the foundation of Hindoo jurisprudence. He also translated the Sakontala, or " The Fa- tal Ring," an Indian drama by Kalidasa ; the Hitopadesa, the original of the famous fables of Bidpay ; the tales and fables of Nizami ; and portions of the Ramayana and the Vedas. He had decided to return to England, when he died suddenly. He was familiar with 27 languages. No predecessor had equalled his attainments in Sanskrit, Arabic, and Persian. A collected edition of his works was pub- lished in 6 vols. in 1799 ; a life by Lord Teign- mouth was added in 1804 ; and the whole was reprinted in 1807, in 13 vols. JONESBORO, a village, capital of Clayton co., Georgia, on the Macon and Western railroad, 20 m. S. of Atlanta; pop. in 1870, 531. An important battle was fought here, Aug. 31, 1864. Sherman, then besieging Atlanta, de- spatched a force under Howard to seize the railroad near Jonesboro, an operation which if successful would compel the evacuation of At- lanta. Hoed, the confederate commander, sent a force under Hardee to oppose this attempt. Howard occupied an intrenched position in which he was attacked by Hardee. After a severe action of two hours, the confederates withdrew. Their loss, as officially given by Hood, was 1,400 killed and wounded ; the Union force, being attacked in their intrench- ments, suffered much less. As the immediate consequence of this action, Atlanta was evacu- ated by the confederates in the night of Sept. 1. jSjiKOPISG. I. A S. province or Ian of Sweden, bordering on Ostergothland, Kalmar, Kronoberg, Halland, and Elfsborg ; area, 4,298 sq. m. ; pop. in 1872, 181,788. It is traversed by several mountains, and is watered by the rivers Nissa and Em and by Lake Wetter. It is well cultivated and wooded, and abounds in minerals, particularly iron, which is largely exported, together with corn, cattle, butter, cheese, pitch, and tar. Hemp, flax, and pota- toes are also extensively raised. II. A town, capital of the Ian, situated on a tongue of land at the S. end of Lake Wetter, 175 m. S. W. of Stockholm; pop. in 1872, 11,751. The low situation requires embankments against inun- dations. It is well built, and has a fine parish church, ruins of an old castle, a governor's residence, a superior court, and a theatre. The harbor in the adjoining Munk lake has in- creased in importance through the opening of the Gota canal. The trade is chiefly in corn, iron, and wood ; famous lucifer matches are made here, and much used in France and Eng- land. In the vicinity are mineral springs, sum- mer resorts, and villas. It is one of the prin- cipal stations on the southern railroad, and is connected by steamers with Stockholm. JONSON, Benjamin, commonly called BEN, an English dramatist, born in Westminster in 1573 or 1574, died Aug. 6, 1637. He was the posthu- mous son of a clergyman, and during his child- hood his mother was married a second time, according to tradition, to a master bricklayer named Fowler. Ben was educated at West- minster school under the tuition of Camden, and subsequently followed the calling of his stepfather, whom he assisted in building part of Lincoln's Inn. Finding this occupation not to his taste, he enlisted in the army, and served a campaign in Flanders. Returning to Eng- land, he is said to have entered himself at St. John's college, Cambridge. About the age of 20 he went upon the stage, but met with little success as an actor, and also engaged in dramatic composition. In 1596 appeared his " Comedy of Humors," which was recast and brought out at the Globe theatre in 1598 under the title of " Every Man in his Humor." Shake- speare, who is said to have aided in the compo- sition of the play, was one of the performers. About the same time he was imprisoned for killing Gabriel Spenser, an actor, in a duel, and during his confinement was converted to the Roman Catholic faith, although he subse- quently became again a Protestant. "Every Man in his Humor" was succeeded in 1599 by " Every Man out of his Humor," a less able performance, in which the " euphuism " so fashionable at that time is ridiculed; "Cyn- thia's Revels" (1600); the "Poetaster" (1602), which involved the author in a quarrel with Decker, who retaliated upon him in " Satyro- mastix ;" and " Sejanus," a tragedy (1603), in which Shakespeare is said to have taken his farewell of the stage as an actor. Shortly af- ter the accession of James I., Jonson, in con- junction with Chapman and Marston, wrote the comedy of "Eastward Hoe," containing