The criticisms of Ben Jonson are too numerous for cataloguing here; among those by eminent Englishmen should be specially mentioned John Dryden's, particularly those in his _Essay on Dramatic Poësy_ (1667-1668; revised 1684), and in the preface to _An Evening's Love, or the Mock Astrologer_ (1668), and A. C. Swinburne's _Study of Ben Jonson_ (1889), in which, however, the significance of the _Discoveries_ is misapprehended. See also F. G. Fleay, _Biographical Chronicle of the English Drama_ (1891), i. 311-387, ii. 1-18; C. H. Herford, "Ben Jonson" (art. in _Dict. Nat. Biog._, vol. xxx., 1802); A. W. Ward, _History of English Dramatic Literature_, 2nd ed. (1899), ii. 296-407; and for a list of early impressions, W. W. Greg, _List of English Plays written before 1643 and printed before 1700_ (Bibliographical Society, 1900), pp. 55-58 and supplement 11-15. An important French work on Ben Jonson, both biographical and critical, and containing, besides many translations of scenes and passages, some valuable appendices, to more than one of which reference has been made above, is Maurice Castelain's _Ben Jonson, l'homme et l'oeuvre_ (1907). Among treatises or essays on particular aspects of his literary work may be mentioned Emil Koeppel's _Quellenstudien zu den Dramen Ben Jonson's_, &c. (1895); the same writer's "Ben Jonson's Wirkung auf zeitgenössische Dramatiker," &c., in _Anglicistische Forschungen_, 20 (1906); F. E. Schelling's _Ben Jonson and the Classical School_ (1898); and as to his masques, A. Soergel, _Die englischen Maskenspiele_ (1882) and J. Schmidt, "Über Ben Jonson's Maskenspiele," in Herrig's _Archiv_, &c., xxvii. 51-91. See also H. Reinsch, "Ben Jonson's Poetik und seine Beziehungen zu Horaz," in _Münchener Beiträge_, 16 (1899). (A. W. W.)
[1] His Christian name of Benjamin was usually abbreviated by himself and his contemporaries; and thus, in accordance with his famous epitaph, it will always continue to be abbreviated.
[2] With Inigo Jones, however, in quarrelling with whom, as Howell reminds Jonson, the poet was virtually quarrelling with his bread and butter, he seems to have found it impossible to live permanently at peace; his satirical _Expostulation_ against the architect was published as late as 1635. Chapman's satire against his old associate, perhaps due to this quarrel, was left unfinished and unpublished.