The San Francisco call., 1899-11-23

been shown that the title page forms part
Of the first sheet OF the book and that
the paper on which it is printed Is iden-
teal with that used for the rest OF the
play.
In the folio the play was evidently
printed. from a manuscript copy which
had been used by the actors in learning
their parts. The name "Sincklo" appears
in the first scene of the introduction as
the prefix to a speech OF one OF the play
ers: "I think twas Soto that your honor
means" Sincklo. Sinklo or Sinkler. as the
name is variously spelled. was an actor
of the time. who played In other OF Shake
speare's dramas. Again, in The Shrew."
ILL., l. the servant who enters IS called "a
messenger" in the folio. and the prefix in
his speech is "Nicke," which probably
stands for Nicholas Tooley. one OF the
actors in Shakespeare's company, list OF
which is given in the Introductory pages
OF the folio.
The play is not mentioned in Francis
Meres' famous list Of twelve plays OF
Shakespeare in 1898. but those who believe
that IL was written several years earlier
lay stress on the fact that Meres affects
a pedantic parallelism OF numbers" and.
while giving just six comedies and six
tragedies, might not include all the COM
edies then I'm existence. Craik and Hertz
berg get over the difficulty by assuming
that THE Shrew'' is the Loves Labor
Won" mentioned by Meres, but the critics
generally believe that play TO have been
an early form of "Alls Well That Ends
Well"
Suffice 1t here to say that the critics
differ widely as TO the date OF The
Shrew." Drake. Knight and Delius put II
I'm 1894 Malone (after first making 10 1906
in 1896 Chalmers 1888, Collier (whOm Grant
White is inclined TO follow l60l-O3, Fleay
.r.af1 = and Tls.rtr r1e.r.
''about 1851" The internal evidence seems
10 me 10 favor a date not later than 1897
and certainly not more than year or so
earlier.
"The Tanning of the shrew."
In 1894 play was published anony-
mously under the title Of "A Pleasant
Conceited Historic. Called the Tanning OF
q Shrew," which has been "sundry times
acted by the Right Honorable the Earle
OF Pembrook his servants" II was print
ed al London by Peter Short and sold
by Cuthbert Burble, at his shop at the
Royale Exchange" a second edition was
issued in 1896 and a third in 1901.
or the first Q59D edition only one copy
is known TO be I'm existence. IL is in the
library OF the Duke Of Devonshire. who
paid Eg7 for II In 1884 OF the 1886 edition
also but one copy is extant, In the library
OF Lord Francis Egerton. OF the third
edition three copies survive. one OF which
belongs 10 the Duke of Devonshire. Ghe
first edition was reprinted by Stevens in
and again in "Shakespeare's Library
(second edition. 1870; also In Halllwell 5
great folio edition OF Shakespeare ClS53-65)
and the "Rankside" edition CSSN).
Who wrote this play? A few critics
have thought that Shakespeare was the
author-or one OF the authors. for 10 has
some marks OF a mixed composition-but
this seems TO me very improbable. one
writer saws that the resemblance between
portions of IL and the later play prove
that the two must have come from the
same hand; but they prove simply that
Shakespeare did not trouble himself 20
rewrite those parts Of the original. but
left them pretty much as he found them.
The theory that Shakespeare wrote the
old play has been ably defended by 4 r
| FREY i'm the Introduction 70 the Bank
side' edition OF the play. He lays some
stress on the fact that Sly is the name OF
the tinker in the earlier induction as in
the later: and both Christopher Sly and
Stephen SLY are proved by ancient rec
/ ords TO have been Stratford names IN the
poets day. But Stephen sly is found only
| in Shakespeare's play tnd. ?, 81. and the
sole evidence that the earlier tinker was
| called Christopher is his referring TO HIM
self as Don Christie Vary" once when he
is under the delusion that he IS n lord
Even If he was a Christopher Sly II may
| be a mere coincidence. as Sly was NOT
an uncommon name elsewhere I'm Eng
! land. The other Warwickshire illusions
to Wincot. Barton-on-the-Heath etc :
are not found in the old play.
If Shakespeare wrote the old play n is
strange that in revising IL he changed the
names OF all the characters except Lrota
(which he ItalianIzed into Katherina) and
Sly. The latter he very likely retained he
cause II was a Stratford name The sceno
OF the old play is In Athens, but in the
later one 1t is changed TO Padua. Shaka-
speare was In the habit sof making these
changes in names and localities when
dealing with the work Of other men las,
for instance. Lodges novel OF "Rosa,
lynde' in "As You Like IT, except I'm his
torical or quasi-historical plays; but