, 1874-12-13
wH0 WROTE SHAKESPEARE

& 1.,lf d;scredited Us M old story.
4 Wno WROTE SHAXsPEARE7
!; ~ AUTHORSHIP OF SHAKESPEARE. By th
= ~ NArHAIIEL uoLAEs.
!, e. e. 4tskr2u,n, Lcaaon. Sept Is, 1856.
= ttsrnr,,t Hccaztte, London August, 1874.
! rha controversy over the works published IN
: ..tta nano Of William Shakespeare has broke,
: ~ .frezh in England, and has been faintl
!. s.~cbt orer again in this country. yTo hayt
/; s.ered sbovo the names OF one book and twt
il t.-.l+s which may bo said. between them, to ex
!: ,.,;. The subject.
! 5he,e hsve been several claimants OF the
! rc, Of this authorship. but there are only twe
,,r-Niliam Shakespeare. au uneducated man
! = ,riudiferen: poet Gf We temporarily exclude
! ~ Glars from the list Of his worlzs), an actor Of
,..oed-rate parts, shrewd manager, jolly
j I'D fellow and Francis Bacon. Lord Verulan,
| ,r.a Of profound learning, an Indifferent poet
! irr.ss tbe plays we're his), writer OF masques,
i ,t!equenser OF tneatres, a cou1tloT, and man
! The world
lse argument for Shakespeare is simple one.
rs.e tha habit OF actors at that time to arrange
dlElays and write new ones, and common fame
.u;bctes to this particular actor the rearrange-
rst md tho composition OF the natchleEs series
dramas which ''have become, as it we're. the
ri spine OF modern literature" This argu-
reat grows IN force when VIC recollect that COM
IN tk.ne in this case springs from the recollec-
tr. Of contemporaries, and the publication Of
re ot the plays during Shakspeare's life and
rdsr his name. We shall, however, see
rzoa hereafter to doubt both these
naeube1ed that it is On precisely this ground
ut we believe any man to bo the author Of the
hpb attributed to him. It is because they are
rt1buted to him. How else do We know that
ecker penned the Ecclesiastical Po1ity, and
f1.aigno prattlcd through his gossiping es-
NJ? Il it were not for the tremendous erray
Etsets against Shakspeare's claim, the one feet
hi the claim has been go long accepted would
1t Investigation. For Shakespeare, then, We
hH this prina .fdcie proof.
!9inst Shakespeare We have series Of argu-
zj4 The real author OF the p1ays Vas man
dmns11mmate learning, especially in the Law.
Ebp Wordsworth says, in his book on sssbak-
f:a.E'5 ESQ OF the Eible," that Shakspeare's
tnhs show more knowledge Of the Bible than
,1;PsArs in all the books OF all the best authors
{. England, except, OF course, thoso who
t.,s written On professedly theological
subjects. Dr. J. C.. Buckniu declares, in
bi. 4Aedical knowledge Of Shakespeare"
tt1t tts great dtamatist's medical skill
.ta 70 profound thxt he must have
s.1ded the healing art for years. The
tathats Command Of law has always excited
Eest sstonEshn1eut. Lord Campbell says that
is kH-phrases ere always used accurately, aud
lids: ''4here is nothing so dangerous rs for
&c not Of tho craft to tampe1 with our free
sssonr::." So impressed WAS the Chief-J Justice !
h shskeleares facila command OF the most |
1acult laT-tcrus, that he declared such knowl- t
e::se to be impossible unlesa the poet had !
Fens sone years in an attorneys Office.
u: Grant. Whito sayB: "Legal phrases
1T from his pen as part Of his vocabulary
ID parcel OF his thought" Many similar state
'sats might be quoted. nIr. II. L. Rushton
atlshsd in London, in 1885, book, s.Shak-
peste Lawyer" the title OF which tells its
Sfe Tho unknown author OF the plays drew
iay Of them from Greek, Latin, French or
alan SOURCES Some Of the orisinals had been
i
'ts Of tho plays are to be found in Lu-
n: sophocles, Euripides, Plaso, Ovid,
'g1' Horace, Seneca, Tacitus, Ciothio,
ocaecio, Belleforest and = dozen 9th
foreign wrlters. In 4 number OF
Is, the ideas must have been tnken from
original Greek, Latin, Italinn, OF French. It
S1oent taat theman Who wrote "shakspe.ro"
q person Of consunmate learning. We have
reason to think that Shakespeare himself was
person. and We have every reaaon to think | ,
WIS not. He lef. the Strattord Grspmc-- !
soa At II, and ras married at Is. He could | ,
70 aad no private tuition at home, for neither |
h1s parents could write. His Devastating
apsde, his 1laison with Anne Hathegsy.
I his reputation at home when he
n u London, Seem to ahow that he epent his |
IAN idle ard sometimes dissolute enjoyment. {
eau readily credit him with the extended {
oxedse Of the Blbls which Wordsworth e1- {
: On the ground that public opinion forced {
" 20 to church during the whole OF his life !
H1a1losd- Ibis, however, is the extent Of ]
sa1abls concession. Il he had served in an
CpeEs Office, some deeds or wills witnessed | c
LIN would almost Certainly be e1tant but !
gent se.Ech has failed to find one. It has been t.
Essted TINT he picked up his legal voca abnlary II
@endlnS the courts at Westminster; but Y
'scta negative this: The earliest plays, Z
ven inst after be reached London, show as | I
- knowledge OF the Law as the later ones; O.
hsain, suits for real property were then a
4s'sn7eiy rare, and no amount Of attend | S.
eonsd hare given Shakespeare the convey fl
. = ]aEgon which the unknown author uses oi
saeaty. Lord Campbell says: "While q
sasss and dramatists ate constantly max oi
O's9akes as to the 1sw Of marriage, OF oi
:, IND OF Inheritance, to shakspcare's Inv, st
Ea1s as he propounds it, there can neither be | il
olsef' nor bill Of exceptions, nor writ of m
:. :. 1t has been suggested that Shakespeare vi
- u aa7e got medical knowledge from his SON. sp
~ .'Dr. Hall ; but, unfortunately for this te
'l1es's' -. tue knowledge in question was dis po
~ =. time when the future Mrs. Hall was ''
'aan ~ years old, and when her husband, Tc
supposed not to lave been much older th
fae, could scarcely have succeeded as 3 | p1.
- ol medicine. Ben Jonson's little Latin !
81 dleek forbid tho belief that Shakespeare nj n;
4a'e drawn upon tho untranslated claascs
y sa'nor OF the play did end we have no ,io
- 40 t11nk TINT he was acquainted with :
french or Italian. So tremendous is tho 49,
:l"aey between Shakespeare the man and s,s
r ,tsare the author tl,at Schlegel declares A.
'4e 10 accepted story of Lis life must be ia r.
s.aouioa5 etory,-a blind and e1rravagant IL,
So'e1'dge. diecoursing on the game topic, t;c;
are ne to hare miracles in sport -. ~