Editing Sejanus His Fall (section)

==Allegations of treason==
In the winter of 1618–19 Jonson told his friend [[William Drummond of Hawthornden|William Drummond]] that the [[Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton|Earl of Northampton]] was his "mortal enemy" because Jonson had beaten one of the Earl's servants, and that Northampton had had Jonson called before the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]] on an accusation of "Popery and treason", based on ''Sejanus''.<ref>Chambers, Vol. 3, p. 367.</ref> What led to these accusations is unknown. It might have been something in the text or the performance of the play. Nor is it known exactly when this accusation was made, though it is likely to have been in the early period of James I's reign. However, according to Jonson expert James Loxley, "no action was taken, as far as we know".<ref>James Loxley, ''Complete Critical Guide to Ben Jonson'', Routledge, New York, 2001, p. 25.</ref>

There have been several theories about what may have led to the accusation. One theory is that the fall of Sejanus was thought to mirror that of the [[Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex|Earl of Essex]], who had been executed in 1601. Another writer, [[Samuel Daniel]] was brought before the Privy Council in 1604 because his play ''[[Philotas]]'' was thought "to be a reflection of the dangerous matter of the dead Earl of Essex".<ref>Ian Grant Donaldson, ''Jonson's Magic Houses:Essays in Interpretation'', Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1997, p. 37.</ref> However Philip Ayres has argued that ''Sejanus'' was thought to parallel the 1603 trial of [[Walter Raleigh]], who had been found guilty of conspiring with Spanish Catholics to murder James I in the [[Main Plot]]. This might explain how a play set in ancient Rome was suspected of promoting "Popery".<ref>Philip Ayres, "Jonson, Northampton, and the Treason in Sejanus", Modern Philology, 80 (1983), 356–63</ref> It has also been suggested that the central theme of the play, the dangers of rule by royal favourites, was the problem. In the early years of his reign, 1603–1605, James was especially sensitive to criticism of his supporters, given the several conspiracies against him, culminating in the 1605 [[Gunpowder Plot]].<ref>Evelyn May Albright, ''Dramatic Publication in England, 1580–1640: A Study of Conditions Affecting Content and Form of Drama'', Modern Language Association of America: New York, 1927, p. 146.</ref>