Marcantonio de Dominis in "The staple of Newes" by Ben Johnson (1573?-1637)

Abstract

After giving an introduction by placing M. A. de Dominis within the framework of his time, political and literary as well as religious situation, the author describes his connections with the English. It was Sir Dudley Carleton and not Sir Henry Wotton, the poet, who organized de Dominis’ escape from Venice to London. By producing correspondence written by de Dominis himself or his contemporaries, the author proves his interest for the English literature of that time written in the Latin language as he was unable to read it in English. Although Archbishop of Spalato was represented more completely in the play A Game at Chesse written by Th. Middleton, his full name was heard on the English stage in Ben Jonson’s play The Staple of Newes. The naming of the Archbishop of Spalato was only one of many news but, all the same, the news is of special interest because it is the only news we have about the theatre and a very rare one about domestic matters. Ben Jonson shows disdain for the play A Game at Chesse (and indirectly for its author). The King’s men who played it are mentioned and especially the actor who played the role of Fat Bishop (The Archbishop of Spalato) and the fact that he had died. Immediately after the news about the Archbishop of Spalato we have the news about »Gundomar«, but with no connection with the Archbishop of Spalato, which is of special interest. The author tries to analyze Ben Jonson’s attitude towards the Archbishop of Spalato, the reasons of it and also his attitude towards Gondomar by comparing both of them. The fact that the Archbishop of Spalato was sitting together with King James I at the masque written by Ben Jonson »The News from the New World Discovered in the Moon«, that he praised a poem written by an Englishman, proves that he took an active part in the cultural life of the English Court at the time. The fact that he was taken as an outstanding figure in the plot of Th. Middleton’s play and the fact that he was mentioned by his full name (Archbishop of Spalato) in Ben Jonson’s play proves also that de Dominis has left traces not only in the English Church history, the political history but also in the literary history of England of that time. Much later de Dominis will be represented in Croatian literature, but in both cases he was misunderstood for the same reasons: ignorance, religious fanaticism, political necessity of the moment, although he wanted only to reconcile all churches of the world and all peoples in order that they might live without any fear or prosecution.