XI. Authorship of the Plays-Their Publication in 4to.-Folio of 1623-Shakespeare's Name no Evidence of Authorship XII. Authorship of the Plays, continued-Cha- racter to be expected of the Author- XIV. Authorship of the Plays, continued-Shake- speare's Personal Character-Aubrey MSS. -Manningham's Diary-Ward's MSS.- The Bidford Sippers-Groatsworth of Wit'-Return from Parnassus No. 3- 'Pierce Penniless' 'Ratsie's Ghost' Use of 'Richard II.' by Lord Essex-Lord XVI. Authorship of the Plays, continued-The "two more" suggested by Greene-Samuel Daniel, 'Romeo and Juliet'-Thomas XVII. Authorship of the Plays, continued-George Chapman-Macbeth' and the 'Tempest'. 211 XVIII. Authorship of the Plays, continued-Francis XX. Authorship of the Plays, continued-Francis Bacon, the Reviser, continued-The Re- production of his Personal Experience 253 XXI. Shakespeare's Poems-The Sonnets by An- thony and Francis Bacon and their Friends 269 XXII. Shakespeare's Poems-Venus and Adonis ' APPENDICES. III. List of Plays and Players prefixed to the Folio OUR ENGLISH HOMER; OR, SHAKESPEARE HISTORICALLY CONSIDERED. CHAPTER I. STATE OF ENGLISH LITERATURE WHEN Classical learning-Euphuism-Tone of thought-The New Philosophy-Poor scholars. THE re-enlightenment of Europe, after the long reign of ignorance in the Middle Ages, was still in an early stage when Shakespeare's plays made their appearance. It had begun with the invention of printing in the middle of the 15th century; and it was greatly accelerated by the overthrow of the Lower Empire a century later (1543), when the treasures of Greek literature, especially the works of Aristotle, were carried into the West by the fugitives from Constantinople. But it was not until the Reformation had set men's minds free, that any B real progress was made in enlightening the people of England. And, even then, it was no more than a dawning. Thus Dr. Johnson justly says that— The English nation, in the time of Shakespeare, was yet struggling to emerge from barbarity. The philology of Italy had been transplanted hither in the reign of Henry VIII., and the learned languages had been successfully cultivated by Lily, Linacre and More, by Pole, Cheke and Gardiner, and afterwards by Smith, Clerke, Haddon and Ascham. Greek was now taught to boys in the principal schools; and those who united elegance with learning, read with great diligence the Italian and Spanish poets. But literature was yet confined to professed scholars or to men and women of high rank. The public was gross and dark; and to be able to read and write was an accomplishment still valued for its rarity. (Preface to Shakespeare's Plays, pp. xlix-l.) But the literature then in vogue aimed only at reproducing the learning of the ancients, as it had come down to modern times. There was no notion of bettering the instruction. So each writer chose his favourite author and dressed him in English, endeavouring on other occasions to make him the model of his own style. Thus Richard Carew, writing in 1595, says― Whatever grace any other language carrieth is lively represented in ours. Will you have Plato's vein? Read Sir Thomas Smith; the Ionics? Sir Thomas More; Cicero's? Ascham; Varro? Chaucer; Demosthenes? Sir |