“To Penshurst” is a country-house poem by Ben Jonson addressed to Robert Sidney, Jonson’s patron. During the early modern period, many poets and artists were supported by a patron, who paid them in exchange for custom works addressed to that person. Sidney was well-known as a member of the literary community, with his older brother, Philip Sidney, being one of the period’s foremost poets (Philip Sidney’s niece Mary Wroth was another important poet). Robert Sidney’s involvement with the literary community likely made him an especially appealing patron, perhaps explaining why “To Penshurst” feels so genuine.
The poem favorably contrasts Robert Sidney’s estate against the flashier new homes being built by many of his contemporaries. During the early modern period, the aristocracy was in decline, as it became more profitable to accrue monetary wealth through the relatively new capitalist system, rather than merely living off one’s land holdings. This undermined traditional forms of hierarchy, as well as the old patronage system from which Jonson benefitted (many poets relied on book sales rather than patronage to support themselves).
In “To Penshurst,” Jonson praises Sidney’s role as an aristocrat whose family home was built hundreds of years ago, and who follows traditional expectations for aristocratic hospitality. He emphasizes the relationships that make Sidney’s place in Penshurst more authentic than those of wealthy men with elaborate estates. What Penshurst lacks in fine architecture, it makes up for in the quality of its land and its place in the community.
