of the famous actor, Edward Alleyn. From entries in 'Henslowe's
Diary', a species of theatrical account book which has been handed
down to us, we know that Jonson was connected with the Admiral's
men; for he borrowed £4 of Henslowe, July 28, 1597, paying back 3s.
9d. on the same day on account of his "share" (in what is not
altogether clear); while later, on December 3, of the same year,
Henslowe advanced 20s. to him "upon a book which he showed the plot
unto the company which he promised to deliver unto the company at
Christmas next." In the next August Jonson was in collaboration
with Chettle and Porter in a play called "Hot Anger Soon Cold."
All this points to an association with Henslowe of some duration,
as no mere tyro would be thus paid in advance upon mere promise.
From allusions in Dekker's play, "Satiromastix," it appears that
Jonson, like Shakespeare, began life as an actor, and that he
"ambled in a leather pitch by a play-wagon" taking at one time the
part of Hieronimo in Kyd's famous play, "The Spanish Tragedy." By
the beginning of 1598, Jonson, though still in needy circumstances,
had begun to receive recognition. Francis Meres--well known for
his "Comparative Discourse of our English Poets with the Greek,
Latin, and Italian Poets," printed in 1598, and for his mention
therein of a dozen plays of Shakespeare by title--accords to Ben
Jonson a place as one of "our best in tragedy," a matter of some
surprise, as no known tragedy of Jonson from so early a date has
come down to us. That Jonson was at work on tragedy, however, is
proved by the entries in Henslowe of at least three tragedies, now
lost, in which he had a hand. These are "Page of Plymouth," "King
Robert II. of Scotland," and "Richard Crookback." But all of these
came later, on his return to Henslowe, and range from August 1599
to June 1602.