Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-06-08

the Globe theater--of which Ben JON
son, by the way, makes no mention
would have given him greater profits
only during the last six years of his
life. and we know only that he sold
his share to three other partners.
How he became comparatively
wealthy man as early in his career as
1597-when he was only 3S-rcmains
mystery. The credulity and lack of
scientific research displayed by the
supporters of the Stratford myth is
shown by the persistency with which
they quote the fable 10 account for 1t
that Lord Southampton once gave him
$1,000. These experts seem 10 be un-
acquainted with the original text of
Rowe's biography which contains this
story. 1t is evident from that that
Rowe himself doubted its authenticity
He mentions II, as he says only be-
cause he had heard that Davenant told
it. Davenant was an inVeterate liar
Apparently his concoction of the story
was based on the allusion made by the
braggart Falstaf in the play to a
thousand pounds which Prince Hal
owed him.
WAS A HORSE BOY.
''rhe supposition that the Stratrord
actor was on terms of intimate friend
ship with Southampton is pure imag-
ination. 1t is founded on nothing more
substantial than the dedication of
Venus and Adonis' and Lucretia' to
this nobleman. This was i'm 1888, be-
fore Shacksper had appeared on the
stage. The date usually assigned for
that event is 1894 and even that is
dubious. In 1898 he must have been
IL we trust Rowe. n horse-boyi the
easy, familiar style of these dodica-
tions is such as might be naturally as
sumed by one nobleman addressing an
other. Il is not at all the form which,
following the custom Of that time, an
obscure author would adopt in ad-
dressing a titled patron.
THAT the Stratford actor was a
friend and partisan of Essex Is another
fable. 1t originated In the allusion 70
Essex in the prologue To Henry "
and the notorious fact that Richard
IL In its first revolutionary form, was
performed for the benefit Of the con-
spirators before the outbreak az the
Essex riot. Nor would man IN
Shacksper's circumstances ways
cautious and businoss-liko where
money was involvcd-have nsked OF
fcndng his gracious queen by the ter
rble yelled attack ON Lord Leicester
I'm Hamlet (Which cmhodles inc Sc,
cret family tragedy Of the house or
ESSEX and the gloritication of Soulh-
tasteful 10 the queen-in Much 400
About Nothing
THE RUTLAND THEORY.
But all these things become easily
eXplicable on my theory that tho i.a'
of Rutland was the author OF the pay
and poems. Rutland was the bosom
friend OF southampton and the step
son-in-law Of Essex. The Rutlhu y
theory accounts, too, for the ntlma,'
knowledge OF court secrets revealed ill
vciIed form in Midsummer Nlghi
Drcam'-I. eicestor's ambiguous double
courtship OF the queen and the doWageI
countess of Essex.
Southampton was certainly not me
intimate friend and patron OF lho
stratf0rd moneY-lendor. Shhcksptl \
renl bosom friend, ms we learn from
Rowe was the usurer Combe. me
wrctehed verses he wrote for Connie
opItaph, which are quoted by Rowe,
and his own miserable epitaph az
suatford. testified as his own produ'-
ton by the sexton Dowdull, are the
only northumberland evidence we
poasess of his literary pursuits. HIS
last win and testament contains no
alusion to literary property OF any
kind. The citizens of Stratford knew
him only as "a business man, TheF
told Vicar Ward that he had mo arr
at all" But was SO Indifferent "a el-
ucatlon that his own children could
moi even write their names. He wrote
so poor a hand himself that II seems
Impossible. Judging by the ave auto
graphs in existence, that he could
have written manuscript of any length
Ben Jonson never saw the manuscripts
OF the plays for he says he heard
from actors they were written without
Continued on page eighteen)