The New York herald., 1874-10-11

spectacle minority to Bacon, mat the plays
themselves indicated progressive acquire
ment In knowledge, ana that the produc-
tion OF so many excellent literary offsprings was
IN no wise Incompatible with limited university
education. now wish 10 extend the argument
by general and particular review OF Shake
speares WORKS In their chronological order, as
near as IL can be arrived at by the knowledge and
opinions OF early commen ators THIS review Will
also partly explain the reason for the composite
character OF his works.
"PERIcLRsu
Is one OF the disputed plays The nrst known quarto
edition was published in 1909, under the title,
.sThe late and much admired play called
Pericles'" and pore william shakespeare's name
as author It nad been registered the previous
year. prose tract, founded upon this
drama, was published by George wilkins
in 1908. The incidents are found in the
ancient romance OF "King Apollonius, OF
Tyre.r and also IN prose translation
from the "Gesta Romanorum." This drama has
been thought TO be Shakespeare's first production,
aiterward retouched and revised by him. Dry
den in certain prologue written Ia 1878, says
snakespeare's ow n muse his Pericles first bore.
That it was mainly II not entirely Shakespeare's
composition is internally proved.
HENRY VI, 1sT. ID AND Sd PARTS.
In Henslowe's Diary there is record that "Henry
VIZ was first acted March 3, 1912. This referred
TO the play now styled the First part, OF which
there Is no copy earlier than that OF the folio OF
1928 though the two succeeding parts are extant
in two editions in quarto. That the Second and
Third parts were published without the First is
strong evidence that they were surreputtously
obtained. Mr.. Malone bases as his argument a
dssimilarity OF style and dcton TO prove that the
First part OF Henry vi. was not composed by
Shakespeare, and that the Second and Third
parts were but altered by him from the old play
entitled 1.-THE Contention OF the Two famous
Houses OF Yorke and Lancaster" printed In two
parts In 1594-5 The authorship OF this last named
work is unknown and IT is not improbable that it
was q juvenile production Of Shakespeare. The
historical TRANSACTIONS Of the First part take in
thirty years; the Second part ten years; the Third
sixteen years. In the three parts there is no pre-
else attention to dates, and events are shuffled
backward and forward against the order OF
occurrence.
1.-TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA"
This play bears on Its face the stamp Of youth.
Malone supposes it was written about 1891. 1t was
first printed in the 1923 folio. 1t Is presumed to
be wholly Shakspeare's.
1.-THE COMEDY OF ERRoRsu
was first printed in the 1923 folio. Meres aIludes
to it early as 1898, showing that it was written
prior to that year. The plot was taken from
Plautus' 'Men9chmi," or perhaps from an English
translation thereof Chalmers places the compost
tion In 1891.
CLOVES LABoR's LOsTp
was published IN quarto in 1885, with the follow
ing itle:-"A pleasant comedie called Love's
Labor's Lost. Newly corrected and augmented.
By w. Shakespeare" II stands seventh IN the
folio OF 1923. II founded on any novel, commen-
tators have not been able to discover the Iact
Malone placed the composition OF the comedy in
1891, afterwards IN 1894. DR.. Drake thought 1t
might be safely assigned to the earlier period.
ORCHARD L."
This play was first entered on the stationers
books IN 1897. There we're four quarto editions
published during the life of Shakespeare-viz,
1897, 1898, 1908 and 1915. There was an old play
on the subject OF Richard H.; but Shakespeare
founded mis- drama chleny upon Holhnshed's
'sChronicles,n from which he adopted several pas
sages with notable closeness. The date OF the
composition is placed Dy Malone in 1898 Chalmers
in 1896.
ORCHARD Ill.,
Five quarto copies were published previous to
the one in the first foiio 1t was first entered az
Stationers' Hall in 1897, with the following title,
"The Tragedy OF King Richard the Third; contain
ing his treacherous Plots against his Brother
Nephewes; his tyrannical Usurpation; with the
whole course OF his detesled Lie and most de-
served DEATH" Between the quart0 copies and
the 1923 folio there are many variations OF text.
position at 1898 TO 1885, The action OF the play
comprises fourteen years.
TITUS ANDRoNICUS."
Johnson raises doubt about the authorship OF
this play, asserting that 1t had been exhibited
twenty-five or thirty years before 1914. 1t might
have been 80, and yet be reconstructed by
Shakespeare Its scenes OF baroarity are Ger.
tainly no credit to any author OF taste. few
commentators have discovered q similarity in
style, but incline to think it the style OF . new
beginner and very like Shakespeare's. Anony-
nous copies were published IN 1900 and 1911. The
piece was only published with Shakespeare's
name after his death. In 1898 Meres enumerates
this among five, other tragedies as proof Of
Snakespeare's dramatic power.
"MIDsUMMER NIGHTS DREAM"
The plot OF this play seems to have Deen
Shakespeare's own Those who speak OF the IN
cOngrulty OF Greek characters being mixed up
with English actors should remember that this is
q dream, = and no dream was ever yet consistent
in ITSELF Malone places the date OF the compost.
tiOn In 1884. In l60O there were Two quart0 edi-
rlons.
'lrHE TANNING OF THE sHREw"
stands eleventh in the 1928 f0li0 An anonymous
play. was printed in 1894 (by Pope ascribed to
Shakespeare and BY Malone to George Peele or
Robert Greene) with the same tttle This Shake.
speare rewrote, adopting the order OF the scenes,
but retaining only few lines which he thought
worth preserving the composition seems to be
the anonymous copy was printed
s'ROMEO AND JUIIET.n
From line IN act l., scene l, spoken by the
Nuise-"Tis since the earthquake now eleven
yearsr-the date Of this play has been traced to
1891. In 1897 q qnarto copy was published, and
again in 1899, the latter publication being "newly
corrected, augmented and amended" The story
OF the play had long been extant
'sTHR MERCHANT or VENICE"
The earliest known publication Is that OF two
quarto editions IN 1900, and 1t appears as ninth
play III the 1923 folio. Chalmers places the date Of
the composition IN 1897, Malone In 1893. II has
also been ascribed to an earlier period, and was
believed to have been acted BY the company OF
actors OF whom shakespeare was one, In 1904. The
main incidents in the plot are tradltionary. From
passage IN stephen Gosson's "School Of Abuse"
l579) u appears that play comprehending Its
distinct features had been exhibited, under the
title OF 'srhe Jew, long before Shakespeare CON-
menced writing. Its plot, like Shakespeare's, was
acombnation from the "Pecorne" and the "Gesta
RomanOrumu
''HENRY w., FIRST PART"
Malone places the date OF this composition in
1897 phe year OF Its entry, DR.. Drake year
sooner. Five quarto editions were published
during the authors life. The FIRST quarto bore the
tlte-.'The History OF Henrie the Povrth, with the