The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Ben Jonson

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Letter 13, to Thomas Bond (1613)

 Letter 13, to Thomas Bond

Sir,

I am bold, out of my trust in your friendship, to request your help to the furthering

this gentleman’s suit (the bearer’s), with My Lord’s favour: who, of my knowledge,

is a most honest man, and worthy of a much better fortune than that he sues for.

What it is, he himself will best acquaint you with, and the circumstances that 5

should persuade to it: to which, I pray you, give credit in all, for I know his

modesty will not utter anything subject to suspicion. You bind me to you to

be ever thankful; and they are not the least courtesies, that make more than one

beholden. Let him find, I pray you, that I have credit with you, by your undertaking

what you can for him cheerfully, and I will take care you shall not repent you: if 10

it be anything to hold

Your poor  unprofitable lover,

Ben Jonson

To my honoured and virtuous friend, Mr Thomas Bond, secretary to My honoured

Lord, the Lord Chancellor of England. 15

Letter 13 Folger MS.V.a.321, fol. 64v. Thomas Bond served as secretary to Thomas Egerton (1540–1617), Baron Ellesmere, who was James’s Lord Chancellor from July 1603 to 1617. H&S sought to connect the present letter with Jonson’s poetic intercession to Ellesmere on behalf of a ‘poor man’ in Und. 31 and 32 in 1617, ‘the last term he sat Chancellor’. Braunmuller (1983, 445–6) more plausibly argues for an earlier dating, linking this letter with the preceding one from Jonson to Pembroke’s secretary, John Leech (Letter 12 and headnote). Ellesmere had been named in Sutton’s will of 1611 as a governor of Charterhouse. Jonson is again pulling strings on behalf of Ferryman, or (possibly) some other aspirant for office. The letter was probably written sometime between 1 July 1613, when Sutton’s will was officially confirmed by Ellesmere as Lord Chancellor, and the third meeting of governors on 13 November 1613 (Davies, 1922, 213, 352; Marsh and Crisp, 1913, Intro.). [Editor: Ian Donaldson]
12 unprofitable Cf. Und. 56.8.