Sons of Ben were followers ofBen Jonson inEnglish poetry anddrama in the first half of the seventeenth century. These men followed Ben Jonson's philosophy and his style of poetry. Unlike Jonson, they were loyal to the king.
Sons of Ben were the dramatists who were overtly and admittedly influenced by Jonson's drama, his most distinctive artistic achievement. Joe Lee Davis listed eleven playwrights in this group:Richard Brome,Thomas Nabbes,Henry Glapthorne,Thomas Killigrew, SirWilliam Davenant,William Cartwright,Shackerley Marmion,Jasper Mayne,Peter Hausted,Thomas Randolph, andWilliam Cavendish.
The term, or the alternative "Tribe of Ben," was a self-description by some of theCavalier poets who admired and were influenced by Jonson's poetry, includingRobert Herrick,Richard Lovelace, SirJohn Suckling, andThomas Carew. Jonson and his followers congregated at London taverns, especially the Apollo Room in theDevil Tavern, near Temple-Bar. Above the mantelpiece in this room Jonson inserted a marble slab engraved with hisLeges Conviviales, or 'Rules of Conviviality'. These were Jonson's rules for the group. Written in Latin, they were modelled on Horace and Martial. Translations were reprinted throughout the following century.
