Editing Sejanus His Fall (section)

==Co-author==
Jonson's epistle "To the Readers" in the 1605 quarto states that an unnamed author had "good share" in the version of the play which was performed on the public stage:

<blockquote>Lastly I would inform you that this book, in all numbers, is not the same with that which was acted on the public stage, wherein a second pen had good share; in place of which, I have rather chosen to put weaker (and no doubt less pleasing) of mine own, than to defraud so happy a genius of his right by my loathed usurpation.<ref>{{Harvnb|Ayres|1990|p=52}}.</ref></blockquote>

Jonson's reference to "happy genius" have led some to speculate that William Shakespeare—who acted in the play—was Jonson's co-author on the original version of ''Sejanus'', which has not survived.<ref>Andrew Gurr, ''The Shakespeare Company, 1594–1642'', Cambridge University Press, 15 Apr. 2004, p. 144.</ref> Another candidate for co-authorship is [[George Chapman]], who later wrote a poem praising the play.<ref>Anne Barton, ''Ben Jonson, Dramatist'', Cambridge University Press, 1984, p. 91.</ref> Jonson was certainly collaborating with Chapman in this period, as his next play, ''[[Eastward Ho]]'', was co-written with Chapman and John Marston.