The Vindicators of Shakespeare
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THE VINDICATORS OF SHAKESPEARE A REPLY TO CRITICS «8> TOGETHER WITH SOME REMARKS ON DR. WALLACE'S "NEW SHAKESPEARE DISCOVERIES." BY G. G. GREENWOOD, M.P. AUTHOR OF " THE SHAKESPEARE PROBLEM RESTATED " " are While these censors 'twould be sin to spare. " While such are critics why should I forbear ? Byron. LONDON : SWEETING and Co. 4 DYERS BUILDINGS HOLBORN BARS E.C. PRINTED BY PAGE AND THOMAS LTD. HOLBORN BARS E.C. TABLE OF CONTENTS. PART I. THE VINDICATORS OF SHAKESPEARE. PAGE THE NINETEENTH CENTURY AND AFTER - - 12 - - - SIR TITTLEBAT TOPLOFTY . 14 - - - THE FOLIO OF 1640 ! 15 " THE INTRODUCTION TO A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S " - - - - - DREAM ! 20 VISOR OF WINCOT - - - - - 22 AUGUSTIN NICOLAS 23 MY COURTEOUS CRITIC - - - -24 LADY SOUTHAMPTON'S ACCOUNT - - 28 " " - THE DEFAMERS OF SHAKESPEARE ! 32 " " " " GENIUS AND ENVIRONMENT - - 37 THE CASE OF BURNS - - - "38 THE CASE OF BUNYAN - - - 41 THE CASE OF PLAUTUS - - - "44 " " " " SHAKSPERE OR SHAKESPEARE - 50 THE FIRST FOLIO - - - 5 2 MANY PENS CONTRIBUTED TO THE FOLIO - 56 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE the burbages and the earl of pembroke - 59 chettle's supposed allusion - - 65 " " the meaning of quality - - 68 " " the parnassus plays - - - 70 " " imaginary stratford references - 73 shakespeare and sport 76 the two stratfordian schools - - 78 lord campbell on shakespeare's law - 80 mrs. stopes on shakspere's aunts and shak- - - spere's law - - 91 miss marie corelli on shakspere's marriage LICENCE ----- 94 CANON BEECHING - - - - * 97 THE CANON OBJECTS TO "AUTHORITY" - 100 " " SHAKSPERE'S SCRIPTS ... 102 " " INSANITARY STRATFORD - - - 104 JONSON'S ODE TO BACON - - - 106 SHAKSPERE AND RICHARD FIELD - - I08 " " PARNASSUS AGAIN .... IIX DAVIES OF HEREFORD - - - - m THE CASE OF TERENCE - - - - 115 SHAKSPERE AND LORD SOUTHAMPTON - - Il6 THE JONSONIAN RIDDLE - - - - Il8 " " WHAT IS A LIE ? - - - - 119 HENSLOWE'S DIARY .... I2 i " " SUFFLAMINANDUS ERAT - - 122 " " THE VERY LATEST OF ORTHODOX BIOGRAPHIES 125 MR. J. M. ROBERTSON ON THE LEARNING OF SHAKESPEARE .... ^2 CRITICS AND REVIEWERS - - - 143 TABLE OF CONTENTS. PART II. A TYPICAL STRATFORDIAN ESSAY. PAGE THE DEER-STEALING STORY - - - 148 THE CRAB-TREE STORY - 153 CHETTLE AGAIN - - - - - 1 54 SHAKSPERE AND THE ENCLOSURE OF THE COMMON FIELDS ----- 156 " " WARWICKSHIRE WORDS AND LOCAL ALLUSIONS 1 62 THE MARRIAGE LICENCE AGAIN - - 1 69 "NON TALI AUXILIO" ... - 170 PART III. DR. WALLACE'S "NEW SHAKESPEARE DISCOVERIES" - - - - 172 " " NOTE ON THE NAME SHAKESPEARE - - I98 ADDENDUM ----- 211 PART I. THE VINDICATORS OF SHAKESPEARE A REPLY TO CRITICS <8> While these are censors 'twould be sin to spare. While such are critics why should I forbear ? —Byron. HAVE been told by an unknown adviser I in the public press, that it is very unwise to answer criticism. But, surely, the application of such a rule must depend both on the nature of the criticism, and the character of the work criticised. A poet, or a novelist, is generally very ill-advised if he attempts a reply to his critics. But where the subject matter is essentially controversial, to remain silent like a lamb before his shearer, is to leave untenable and misleading arguments unanswered, and to give a free hand to misunderstanding and mis- representation. This, in the interest of the controversy itself, and of the object in view, viz., the discovery of truth, I am unwilling to do, nor io VINDICATORS OF SHAKESPEARE am I altogether content to sit patiently in the stocks while certain of the boy-scouts of literature use me as a target for their clods of criticism. " In Jonsonian phrase, I therefore will begin." In June, 1908, I published, through Mr. John " Lane, of The Bodley Head," a book bearing title The Shakespeare Problem Restated, in which I endeavoured to set forth the arguments which seem to me to support the case of those who hold that Shakspere, the Stratford player, was not, in truth and in fact, the author of the plays and poems given to the world under the name of " Shakespeare," while leaving the question of the true authorship absolutely untouched. I pub- lished the work with some anxiety, for, as I wrote in my Preface, I had a shrewd idea of the sort of " treatment which would be meted out to it. The High Priests of Literature will treat it," I said, " with frigid and contemptuous silence. The College of Stratfordian Cardinals will at once put it on the Index. The Grand — or — Inquisitors, Inquisitress ! of the Temple by Avon's sacred stream will decree that it shall be burnt (meta- phorically, at any rate), by the common hangman, ' and The Brilliant Young Man,' who has, perhaps, bestowed half an hour to the subject, and therefore understands it in every detail, will, if he should condescend to notice it at all, see in it VINDICATORS OF SHAKESPEARE n a grand opportunity for once more convulsing the world with his side-splitting original joke about ' gammon of Bacon,' or his famous paradox that ' " There is no Learning but Ignorance.' l I might have added that every Demetrius the silversmith, who makes images for the shrine at Stratford (and their name is Legion), would be ready to " raise the cry, as of old time, our craft is in " danger to be set at naught ! Nevertheless I have been agreeably surprised. The book has met with more success than I had ventured to anticipate, both in this country and the United States. It has received the abuse of those whose abuse I value, and, what is still better, the praise of those whose praise I estimate even more highly than that stimulating abuse. Financially, too, it has done well, and I am happy to be able to ' ' assure those good-natured critics, (if indeed there were more than one), who thought it seemly to prophecy grievous loss to the author, that the work has not only paid its way, but has earned, and is still earning, considerable profit. All which is not a little encouraging to those of the unorthodox faith. " 1 As to The Brilliant Young Man," so conspicuous at the present day, —for truly he does not hide his light under a bushel, —I would refer the reader to an article under this title in the Westminster Gazette, of January 16th, 1904, and in The West- " minster Budget, of January 29th, 1904, signed Digamma." 12 VINDICATORS OF SHAKESPEARE The book has, however, been naturally subjected to much criticism, some of it not a little severe. It is true that the leviathans of literature have, as I anticipated, not condescended to take much notice of it, but have left the battle to the small fry. The Dreadnoughts have remained at their moorings, while the submarines have been despatched to the attack. But the torpedoes which have been launched have proved to be of " " the soft-nosed variety, and, although the hull may have been slightly damaged in places, the threatened ship still rides the waves of controversy. And now, dropping metaphor, I will deal fairly and squarely with that criticism which has mainly prompted this rejoinder. "The Nineteenth Century and After" The Nineteenth Century (March and April, 1909), published two long articles from the pen of Sir " Edward Sullivan, under the title of The Defamers of Shakespeare," directed partly against the late Judge Webb, but in the main, and, indeed, almost entirely, against my humble self, as the author of The Shakespeare Problem Re- stated. Thereupon I tendered a request to the Editor for a like amount of space for a reply. This was not granted to me, but I was graciously allowed one article wherein to answer Sir Edward's VINDICATORS OF SHAKESPEARE. 13 double-barrelled onslaught, and, knowing that the doubter of the Stratfordian faith meets in " " orthodox quarters with rather worse treat- ment than that which was accorded to the religious heretic of old, I trust I was properly thankful for such a concession. This article was given a place in the June number of the Review, under the " title of The Vindicators of Shakespeare." And here, I fondly thought, was an end of the matter so far as the Nineteenth Century was concerned ; but, lo! in the August number there appeared " ' two more Shakespearean articles, one on " " Francis Bacon as a Poet," again by Sir Edward " Sullivan, Bart.," the other A Last Word to Mr. George Greenwood, by the Rev. Canon Beeching." Sir Edward's article, like the scorpion, carried its sting (a very venomous one) in the tail, while the nature of the Canon's paper may be gathered from its title. Now, as this was the first time that the reverend controver- sialist had done me the honour to attack me in The Nineteenth Century, and as, moreover, my " " assailant of the bloody hand had taken the " " opportunity of his article on Francis Bacon to make a vicious stab at me, I humbly conceived it would only be just and in accordance with the ordinary rules of fair-play, in the observance of which British journalism is so honourably distin- 14 VINDICATORS OF SHAKESPEARE guished, that I should be permitted to publish a brief article in self-defence. This, however, the Editor declined to allow. I forbear to comment. I only ask the reader to be so kind as to give his attention to what follows, and to judge for himself. I will deal first with Sir Edward Sullivan. Sir Edward, for some reason which I have so far been unable to appreciate, apparently thinks himself entitled to write in a very superior, " " didactic, de hant en has, or Pomponius Ego style. It is, it would seem, an act of immense condescension on his part to criticise my work at all, and I trust I am duly sensible of the honour done me, though I fear the irreverent have not always taken him quite so seriously as his manner would seem to require.