ABSTRACT
The position of Ben Jonson as a purveyor of entertainments to the Court was made finally secure in January, 1605, when by royal invitation he wrote his first royal mask for the Queen. Therein his erudition was taxed to satisfy an odd persistent fancy that she had to be black as well as comely. Jonson's part in these magnificent but clumsy splendours was played behind the scenes, but they gave him an insight into the disposition of King James which stood him in good stead in cracks with his royal master. Another misadventure was preparing, however, and for a moment it looked as though Jonson had been climbing for a fall. Jonson having shown his loyalty in an attempt to help the government, continued to show it in after years by regular attendance at the parish church. This was a political and not a religious act, for he was not yet an Anglican.
