ABSTRACT
Some time during the summer or autumn of 1605 Ben Jonson wrote Volpone or The Fox. The exact circumstances of his return to the comic stage are not known, but the dedication clearly indicates the mood in which he resumed pride of place among the poets of mirth and satire. The author who retired from comedy in 1601 returned in 1605 even prouder in spirit, but rather more cautious in his contempt of persons. With the production of Volpone in 1605 Jonson entered upon a period of comparative ease and tranquillity. These were the years of maturity, in which Jonson wrote his best plays and passed, with Bartholomew Fair, beyond the summit of his achievement. Jonson grows old gracefully in spirit, though not in frame. For the principal events of his life Jonson is always his own best authority.
