1889. The poet Swinburne is one of the very few, since the days of Raleigh and Sidney, to come from the aristocracy. He was also well-known for his sexual proclivities and debauched lifestyle. Of his many collections of verse, the first book of Poems and Ballads is the most important, containing many of his best (and some of his most sensational) poems. This volume is one of Swinburne's literary criticisms, focusing on Ben Jonson, seventeenth century dramatist, poet, and wit. Contents: Comedies, Tragedies and Masques; Miscellaneous Works; and Discoveries. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.