The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-22

growing a bath and healthful remedy
for men diseased" Queen Elizabeth
Is referred to in both sonnets; in 1853
as a maid Of DAMS" and in 154
as the fairest votary." Now add to
this that in the year the sonnets
were, according to Mr.. Pemberton.
written the Queen was at Bath and
Sir Water Raleigh likewise, and Ra-
leigh was Ill there.
! sick withai the help OF Bath desired
And thither hied a sad distempter's
guest.
Admitting all this, and allowing
that these sonnets might have been
addresses Of Raleigh to his Queen,
might he not have gotten Shake
speare to write them for him? Such a
thing as having a man-of-letters
write ones compliments and ad-
dresses was an entirely common prac-
tice in that day.
One Of the most fruitful inquiries
In the book is that OF Poor Yorick."
The g~ravedigger speaks OF him as
the Kings Jester" and says that his
skull had lain in the earth three and
twenty years. Setting 1901 1902 as
n likely date in which the %gravedigger
might have been speaking. we find in
Doran's History of Court Fools that
in 1879. just twenty-three years be-
fore. John Haywood went by the name
OF the kings Jester" Sir William
More introduced him to the King and
he 80 won the Kings favor by his
fancy and gay wit that he was APP
Pointed Jester. although he was never
called the Kings Fool Contem-
porary writings show several mem
tionings OF Haywood the dramatist
that connect him with the court In
such capacity. Wharton says OF Hey
wood lie was beloved and rewarded
by Henry VIII. for his buffooneries."
II would seem that the title Of Kings
Jester" chung To Haywood through the
reigns Of Henry VIII, Edward and
Mary. His death. az one finds in
Thomas Newton's Epilogue to Hey
woods works, tool place between 1877
end 1887. The Dictionary of National
Biography gives the dates OF his birth
and death as 1897 and 1850. Again in
the Dictionary of National Biography
II is stated Of Haywood and Queen
Mary that his p~leasantries were often
acceptable in her privy chamber"
Compare Now get you to my lady's
ohamber-make her laugh at that"
Puttenham in his "Arte Of English
Ioesie" says: "On a time. ut the Duke
of Northumberland's hoard. where
John Haywood was allowed to SIT at
the boards end" ("Where be your
gibes now? your gambols? your songs?
You flashes OF merriment that were
wont TO set the table on Il roar?")
ON the whole. the case made out for
Poor Yorick is excellent.
Two of the most interesting chap
tiers in the book are those on Shake
speare's Period Of Gloom" and
"Shakespeare's Period of Recover ed
Serenity" In these two chapters the
author compares passages from
Ralcigh's notebooks and letters with
passages from the Shakespearian
drama OF that time. and while they
do tally in sense and import the n
tire tone. the language and the spirit
IRE so utterly different hat we won
der hat the writing OF these chap
ters did not convince the author that
he was wrong In his entire surmise.
II is, OF course, striking that the plays
of "Timon" and king Lear" tally
with Rale.gh's downfall and Mac
beul.' Antony and Cleopatra" and
~"Coric.anus" with the latter period,
when Raleigh seems Il have adjusted
Himself to HIS ruined fortunes. But
the world IL fun OF condolences. and
|, needs more than these TO convince
Il critic that "A certain quiet but OBJ
servant and sel~f-contained man OF
Stratford. passionate and gay and ex-
uberant in youth. deep seeing, OF wide
experience and much reading in age.
litter against a fate that made him
live like Il mediocrity while he
thought like a god. is yet the author
Of the works of ShakeSpeare.