The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-12-13
PLAYS OF DOUBTFUL AUTHORSHIP.
Copyrgh 1900 Seymour Eaton9
THE

tkistA htN4 tti-& ne ilth never iNttG 7 ftlCirS
through, FOR he did not believe that
Shakespeare wrote IL. ''Oh " said Tenny-
son. that won't do. He wrote all the
parts relating 10 the birth and discovery
Of Marina and the recovery Of Thaisa.
! settled that long ago. come upstairs
and III read Il 10 YOU" Upstairs TO the
smoking room they went and Tenuysen
read the genuine part OF "Pericles" with
an occasional triumphant intersection Of
Isn't that Shakespeare What do you
think OF thatT' Furniyal in telling the
story 10 the New Shakespeare Society.
adds. Il need not tell you how ! enjoy
cd the reading. or how quick and sincere
part read was" He afterward found.
when Mr. Fleay printed what he regarded
as Shakespeare's part In the play, that
II was Identical with what Tsnnyson had
read. Ficay had come TO hts conclusions
by the application Of metrical tests and
minute examination OF the construction
and style of the. play. He had looked At
the play as a critic--f from the outside. we
may say-Tennysou as a poet. from the
Inside
Henry VII" Is another play which is
Shakespeare's only IN part. He wrote
about half Of 1t, and John Fletcher wrote
fne other half. Two critics, working indc-
penaenily, divided the play between the
two authors In the same manner assign
ing certain scenes to Fletcher and others
to Shakespeare, on account Of differences
IN the versihcation and diction; and
study OF the dramatic treatment and
Characterization by these and other crit
les led TO precisely the same results. MIR.
James Shedding, who was the first uSha,
TO discuss the question at length, and to
divide the play in this manner afterward
stated that the resemblance to Fletcherss
STYLE In parts ~ the play was pointed out
20 him several yeNrs before by Tennv-
son: aud 1t Is n curious fact that Ralph
Waldo Emerson. In his lecture on Shakes
pcare published IN 1870 before he could
have seen the articles by Spedding ana
iiickson, she other critic who had a..
vided the play, and written several years
before IL was published, also noted the
..t
He says. after referring TO Mainne's dis
cussion OF the double authorship OF
Henry. W.; in Henry VIII I think |
inal rock ON which his tshakespeare's
stratum was laid The first play was
written by a superior thoughtful man
and know well their cadence. See VOL
sey's soloauy and the following scene
with Cromwell, where, instead of the
meter of Shakespeare, whose secret IL
that the thought constructs the tune. so
that reading for the sense win best bring
out the rhythm. here the lines are con-
structed on given tune. and the verse
has even a trace OF pulpit eioquence. hut
the play contains, through all Its length,
unmistakahlc traits OF Shakesoeare's
hand. and some passages are like auto
graphs" The passages which Emerson
ascrihss TO the IMAM with vicious ear
are all among those which Speeding and
others decide 10 be Fletcher's. People
with no error ears too long-may sneer
mt verse tests az they please: but when
poets like Tennyson and Emerson come
90 the same conclusions ~ the meter
monger@ and other critics, we may
safely assume That these CONCLUSIONS arc
probably correct.
As IN the ease OF the plays ALREADY con-
sidefed. various tncoriss concerning the
double authorship oi henry VIII havs
been proposed. some critics think tnht ~
was an instance OF COLLABORATION; bui " -
more probable, as the majority oeieNe,
tnat FLETCHER completed an unhnishtu
play OF Shakespearcs. Three or -FOUR take
the ground that Shakespeare was the sole
author; one tMr. Robert hoyie. in a paper
printed IN the Iransactions 81 the New
Shakespeare Soclety TOT iss"-et argues
that the play was written ny f1etcher ana
Messenger, ana thht snakespeare had
nothing TO do with u. Prof Herford mad
vertently gives the Impression that Boyle
makes Shakespeare and Massinger the au-
thors.
Mr., sidney Lee u inclined 20 ascrib"
Wolseys famous farewcil 70 snake
speare, Dut as powden says. ~ ~ cer~
ialniy f1etchers, and when one mas per-
ceiVed THIS. one perceiVes also that " Was
an error ever TO suppose u written IN
Shakespeare's manner
The TWO Nohle kinsmen. according 20
the title page OF the earliest known edition
Qesil. was written by the venerable wvr-
thies OF their time, Mr.. John Fletcher. Mr..
William Shakespeare, Gent, but y was
nor hnmliten 70 any =, we i sh nos ~
e 49,. .s.... &C., 49,. ss,....s.~h.e