New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-07-12


Mr. Morgan. starting with the self-evident
proposition that mo man can write in a lam
Euage he has never heard or whose written
form he has never learned" proceeds to init
mate that the dIction, or lingual form, Of the
poem Of Venus and Adonis" was, probably i'm
possible to Shakespeare. at the time when that
poem was written. I'D therefore inclnes to con-
clude that perhaps Shakespeare did not write
st. Shakespeare. born in 1864. is believed. on
satisfactory evidence TO have left Stratford-on-
Avon. his native place. in. or about 15S5-S6.
and repaired to London. and the poem of
Venus and Adonis." published by his fellow
townsman, Richard Field, appeared, in London,
,n 1593-eight or nine years after the young
emigrant from a warwickshire village had es-
tablshed his residence in the capital. Mr..
Morgan maintains. s the basis of his reason
ing. that Shakespeare, reared and imperfectly
schooled In Warwickshire, must have spoken
warwickshire English, and, accordingly. that
warwickshire Englsh,-meaning the dialect to
which Shakespeare was accustomed,-might
naturally be expected TO appear. and ought to
be found. in his poem of Venus and Adonis,"
particularly since, designated by its writer as
'the first heir Of my invention" It was written
sn early life. But Warwickshire dialect. except
81 two words ("tempest," which is Warwick
shire for transform" and "cop." or cope"
which is Wsrwickshire for ito catch'O. does not
appear in the poem. and hence, IN Mr.. Morgan's
mind. doubt is engendered to Shakespeare's
authorship of IL. In the Plays of Shakespeare
MIR Morgan finds specimens Of dialect, War
wtckshire and other. but the poem Of Venus
and Adonis" he finds to be free from dialect and
written in 'courtIy English" in "the style of a
gentleman OF culture."-a style that Shake
speare. Mr.. Morgan believes. could not have
acquired in the interval between his twenty
FIRST or twenty-second and his twenty-ninth
year: and hence 1t is hesitantly concluded that
Shakespeare did not write it. The fact that ii
WIS published the work of Shakespeare, with
his name at the end Of the dedication of 1t to
Southampton. and the further fact that it was
contemporaneously accepted the work of
shakespeage-as usual in these cases of super
duous dEbitation.-go for nothing.
cit appears" says Mr.. Morgan, that there |
are. In this entire poem Of eleven hundred and |
ninety-four verses, scarcely a score Of words to
comprehend which even the most ordinary Eng |
nsh scholars Of to-day would need lexi- |
con" ~It is not, perhaps. too heroic |
or too bizarre to infer that so perfect a poem |
as Venus and Adonis' was. to its form, as |
well as its method and matter considered by its |
author" . "Old DR.. Johnson, after forty |
seven years Of London residence. though he wrote |
poems tragedies, speeches for members of Par |
lament essays. and everything else. including |
dictionaries. to his last day pronounced punch |
poontch and great greet. his tongue brought |
those words from Lichield." e.. If Burns |
was unable, after a metropolitan drill TO lose |
his native patois, is it perfectly likely that |
William Shakespeare. a couple of centuries ear |
lier in English history. could have done it on |
the instant, or even with a days metropolitan |
fraining?" Did Shakespeare write We |
nus and Adonis'? Doubtful, If not i'm |
possible; and yet frankly am unable to con- |
vince myself either way."
Mr.. Morgan has long been known and re- |
spected as a Shakespeare Scholar. and his read |
ers would derive more benefit from his writings |
about Shakespeare than they have hitherto been |
able to do if he could manage TO strike an aver |
age as to what he actually believes on this sub |
5ect First and last while studying and writing |
with the best OF intentions.-the intention to |
ascertain and promugate trutA.-the ingenious |
commentator has advocated almost every view /
Of almost every question in the field Of Shake |
Epearian inquiry,-at time even supporting, |
or inclining to support the nonsensical Bacon |
Theory; pitiful deluson, which now he is I'M
derstood to repudiate Nothing is so easy as |
the manufacture Of difficulties, IN the study of
the Elizabethan dramatic literature. Doubt as |
10 shakespeare's authorship OF his plays and |
poems much resembles indeed, the disease of |
jealousy as described by Shakespeare himself: |
for certainly sit makes the meat II feeds on" !
likelihood. that Shakespeare wrote Venus and |
Adonis' before he left Stratford. to seek his |
fortune in London. There is every probability |
that he wrote II after he had lived for some |
time in the capital and, through playhouse as |
sociations been brought into contact with tai |
ented writers and polished society. With such |
powers Of mind unquestionably he possessed, |
he could have found difficulty lin the course of
nine years.. in augmenting his command Of the |
English language ant correcting the provincial |
asperities If any such existed, of his English |
style The first effort of young provincial adj |
venturer in letters would naturally be to con- |
form to an accepted standard of elegance, and |
such effort is visible in the poem Of Venus |
and Adonis," which, apparently. prompted |
by Lodges "Scillas Metamorphosis" Q5S9), and |
the versifcation OF which is labored and formal: |
that poem, indeed. though it contains fine things,
IS far from being perfect, and it gives but lit |
tie il any indication Of the opulent vigor and |
splendid freedom of Shakespeare's ripper mind |
and larger manner.
Mr.. Morgan, of course ninimizes much /
possible the value of the education, such as 1t |
was, that Shakespeare is believed to have OBJ |
tanned at the grammar school of the Guild, in |
Stratford- THE first English grammar he |
notes, with apparent exultation. was published |
in 1886. when Shakespeare could not |
have been a pupil at Institution of learning. |
and ave % years before the poem Venus and |
Atoms left Mr.. Fields press in PauIs Church |
yard" Shakespeare's schooling doubtless was |
imperfect but it is not questioned that Llys !
Grammar used in the Stratford school. and I
IT is certain that youth well grounded in that |
book would be equipped for writing English |
for Lily's Grammar is compendium of knowl- |
edge. Shakespeare. as his works abundantly |