Ben Johnson was a great English poet and playwright who lived from 1572 untill 1637. Why was he burried in a sitting position?

Kainantu

Jonson ...died in great poverty in a house near the Abbey. One story says that he begged 'eighteen inches of square ground in Westminster Abbey' from King Charles I. Another story says that %91one day, being railed by the Dean of Westminster about being buried in Poets' Corner, the poet is said to have replied 'I am too poor for that and no one will lay out funeral charges upon me. No, sir, six feet long by two feet wide is too much for me: two feet by two feet will do for all I want'. 'You shall have it' said the Dean'. So Jonson was buried standing on his feet in the northern aisle of the Nave and not in Poets' Corner. At this period the design on the Nave floor included several lines of stones measuring eighteen inches square (the rest being in a lozenge pattern), to which Jonson was obviously referring in his conversation with the Dean. The simple inscription 'O Rare Ben Johnson', was said to have been done at the expense of Jack Young who was walking by when the grave was covered and gave the mason eighteen pence to cut it. The inscription has also been ascribed to Sir William D'Avenant, Jonson's successor as Poet Laureate, on whose own gravestone in the Abbey the words 'O Rare...' also appear. Jonson's original stone was moved in the l9th century to the base of the wall opposite the grave to preserve it. His grave is today marked with a small grey lozenge stone, just to the east of the brass to John Hunter. The inscription is the same as on the original stone (although his name is more commonly spelt Jonson... http://westminster-abbey.org/library/burial/jonson.htm Jan 26 03, 4:49 AM

palaceben

Ben Jonson (sic) was buried standing rather than sitting and this was either because he begged of Charles I for 'eighteen inches of square ground in Westminster Abbey' or because 'one day, being railed by the Dean of Westminster about being buried in Poets' Corner, the poet is said to have replied 'I am too poor for that and no one will lay out funeral charges upon me. No, sir, six feet long by two feet wide is too much for me: two feet by two feet will do for all I want'. 'You shall have it' said the Dean'. And then they went and spelled his name wrong on his Headstone! http://westminster-abbey.org/library/burial/jonson.htm Jan 26 03, 4:52 AM