932f IH497 (uho CD cn o Q if .3^ wT .\^^ Peduatcd, by kuni permission . to Hf.nry Ihv!.\G. Esij. LONDON DAVID STOTT. 370. OXFORD STREET, W DEDICATED, BY KIND PERMISSION, TO HENRY IRVING, ESQ. ¥ 500 copies only of this edition have been printed, of '-a'/iieh 2^0 arc ordered for America. WHO WROTE "SHAKESPEARE"? "Ave. tlHie's the riili.' ^ LINES ON THE PORTRAIT OF Sbakespeare Prefixed 05 frontispiece to tf^e Sirst €bitioii of Iiis IPorks in 5olio, 1(625. Co tf)e iAfatier, ci^is 5^91^^*^' ^^?^t ^h^^ h^^''^ ^^^^^ v^^^t 3t was for gentle Sl^akespeare cut ; tDt^erein tl|e (Brauer I^aD a strife IDitl^ XTature, to out^boo tl^e life : (Df conlb l]e but l^aue brarune I|is r>Dit 2ls vodl in brasse, as be I^atl] l]it ^is face; tl]e print moulb tl|en surpasse 2111, tl|at tjpas euer porit in brasse, But, since be cannot, 2^eaber, looke Hot on bis picture, but I]is Booke. B. /. ,/ ,\'.M .; Hhiii ; liike him for all in all, I JmII Hot look upon his like u^uiii." M^^Jx^y^ 0/^V^7'^'^ II ho wro/e ' Shakspcrc ' :' croaked a raven. 'Aye, who wrote ' Shakespeare ' f~~U'ko but he The world renowned /—from sea to sea. From shore to shore — Bard of the I-ree — Sweet Avon's ' VVi/l/' " Who Wrote Shakespeare " Aye, there 's the rub " WILLIAM HENDERSON WITH PEN AND INK SKETCHES BY CHARLES LYALL LONDON DAVID STOTT, 370, OXFORD STREET, \V MDCCCLXXXVII ^ ^ WHO WROTE "SHAKESPEARE"? ■ Who wrote ' Shikspur ' ? " " Eoz ! ' ' Who the dickens is Boz ? " ' Wliv, tliat all of a tirisf fellow !" CANTER THE FIRST. Dedicated to " The sect whose creed is ' honest doubt.' " " Who wrote ' Shakspere ' ? " croaked a raven, Perched upon the shrine of Avon : Answering echoes rang, "'tis graven Here for evermore." Mr. Faithful. " Aye, who wrote ' Shakespeare ' ! — who but lie The world renowned ! — from sea to sea, From shore to shore — Bard of the Free — Sweet Avon's ' Will ! ' " mr22S7 14 W/io wrote " Shakespeare " ? Mr. Doubtful. " Nay, nay, my friend, thou art mistaken, 'Twas Lord Verul'am, known as Bacon ! He for the author now is taken Who wrote ' Shakspere.' " Faith. " Who wrote ' Shakespeare ' ? Say you Bacon '{ Leave of thy senses hast thou taken ? Thou rasher of the rashest, waken ! Nor idly dream. " Deranged, good sir, must be thy mind ! — He who, though ' wisest, brightest shined,' Was yet the ' meanest of mankind ! ' He write ' ShakesjDeare ! ' "By J. O. H.-R, F.B.S. !* You 've found a cipher, yet confess, All ciphers are ye none the less Who 've found out ' nowt.' " * The noble efforts of Mr. J. O. Halliwell-Phillipps to preserve all that appertains to Avon's Bard, have eariiod for him the gratitude of the whole civilized world. "Xay, niiji, my friend, tkou art mistaken. Twos Liird r.^rul'am. kttirwn as Bacon ' He for tlw author ni-'.i- is taken II 'ho wrote ' .Shaisfere. W/iO itrote ''Shakespeare'' ? 17 Doubt. " Stop, stop, good sir, not quite so fast. We know ! — we 're learned, and can cast Much light upon the tangled past, The 'Shakspear' skein." " ' All negative our proof ^ ' Quite so I Hence it is difficult to show This showman up, who seemed to know More than a Bacon : " For Bacon's prose, we must admit, Is not quite like what Shakspare writ, Nor can we say Baconian wit Was like to his : " All that we freely would admit. In solemn judgment v/hen we sit ; But where is yoiw proof? not a bit Is positive ! 18 JF/io wrote " Shakespeare " ? " Aye, who wrote ' Shakspere ' ? there 's the rub Was 't he who oft in Falcon ' pub ' With common sots would drink and grub, Or play at ' Shovel ' ? " Then fall at eve, 'neath crab-tree's shade, In search of gravity, 'tis said. Or crabs — no matter ! — and there stayed Till cocks did crow : " Was 't he who trespassed after deer In Lucy's park of Charlcote near ? And bridles held, when forced to steer For London town ? " Was 't he whose Ijatin was but ' small 1 ' Whose Greek was ' less,' or none at all ? Had lie the wit to crib or scrawl What ' Shakspere ' writ ? ''At/e, there's the rubr 19 " The Grammar School was one in common For son of butclier, son of yeoman ; Who'll prove this 'greenhorn,' poacher, showman, Was there at all ? '" The English boy, with sharpest tool, Must cut his name on board at school, To prove that he is learned — no fool, But man of letters ! " Now where did ' Will,' at Grammar School, Cut name on board, or desk, or stool. To prove that he was not a fool ? — It can't be shown ! " Faith. " Pooh ! any fool can cut his name ! Our Shakespeare made his mark, earned fame. And left us an Immortal Name Carved on the Globe ! 20 Who icrote " ShakesjMare " / " ' What's in a name ? ' — why, ' nowt ' to those Vain carpers who as wise men pose : Much learning makes them mad 1 — o'erthrows What sense they had. " ' What's in a name ? ' — the EngUsh tongue Was born again when Shakesj^eare sung ! The world has with the praises rung Of Avon's Bard ! " Doubt. " What say you ? ' Kobbie Burns got fou. With Tam O' Shanter and such crew : In taverns oft would toddy brew, Till hours grew late ! ' " And that ' the learned " Sam " wrote plays, Yet oft did grunt the tavern's praise— With poets, wits, there spent his days. Nor deemed it low ! ' ' Tht English boy, with sharpest titol, Must cut his naint on botini at school. To provt thnt he is learned — no fool. But man of letters! 'Now where did ' Will ' at Grammar School Cut r.ame on board, or desk, or stool, To prove that he was not a fool f — // can't be skcnun I " mo icrofc '' Shahcspcarc'' ? 23 " But Kobbie wrote not for the stage, And Samuel, tliough prodigious sage, 01' prose and verse wrote many a i)age, Yet was no poet 1 " Faith. " Sir Walter Scott wrote prose and verse ; His works, 'tis needless to rehearse, Have oft been played, and you can scarce Deny the fact." Doubt. " True, but Sir Walter was no sot, No patron he of ale-house pot : The Mighty Minstrel was a Scot Who ne'er got fou ! " Faith. " Pooh, pooh ! the bard, the Great Unknown, At Ambrose's was right well known. And yet that tavern since has grown A classic place ! " 24 Who wrote " Shakespeare " ? Doubt. " Of MS.—' copy '—not a bit Exists to prove Shakespeare had wit To wi'ite all that a ' Shakspere' writ : If so where is 't ? " 'Tis proved he could not wiite his name ! ' Shake/ ' Shak,' ' spear,' 'spere'* were all the same To this unlearned bore whom fame Would rank as Bacon ! *' Yet this is he for whom you claim A world's applause — immortal fame ! — • He really cannot be the same Who wrote ' Shakspere ! ' * An industrious searcher has discovered forty-two different spellings of the name of the " Bard of Avon," as follows :— Chacsper, Schakespeire, Shackespeyre, Shackespear, Shackesper, Sliackespere, Shaekspear, Sliaekspeare, Shaekspeer, Shacksper, Shackspere, Shackspire, Shagspere, Shakespear, Shakespeare, Shakes- peere, Shakespere, Shakesphear, Shakespheare, Shakespurre, Shakispere, Shaks- pear, Shakspeare, Shakspeer, Shaksper, Shakspere, Shakspeyr, Shakspire, Shaky- sper, Shakyspere, Shaxbeer, Shaxber, Shaxberd, Shaxbere, Shaxespere, Sliaxpeare, Shaxper, Shaxpere, Shaxspeare, Sheakspear, Sheakspeare, Shexpere. ''Aye, there's the riihr 25 " The thino- 's absurd ! an actor rare He might have been beyond compare ; And yet, seai'ch where you will, is there A scrap of proof" " That he above Old Adam rose. Or Hamlet's Ghost — such parts as those — When he the buskin donned and hose On his own stage ? " Who saw hmi born ? the where, the Avhen, Are all beyond our mortal ken : The house, the room, the ' but,' the ' ben,'* Are mere conjecture ! " Who saw him born '\ the day or night Who'll prove, when iirst he saw the light : No evidence have we the wight Was born at all ! ' " A but and a lieti " (Scottice), the apartments of a two-i-oomed cotlaKe. 26 Who wrote " Shakesjjeare ? " " No proof have we that flea or fly Ere jumped or flew who saw him die, Give up the ghost, or pipe his eye, When he did die I " Who saw him die ? where 's bedstead, bed, The ' best,' on which was cut life's thread ! Were they consumed as he sped To unknown bourne ? " The ' second-best ' he left, we know, To Anne, his wife, his love to show ! But where and when — how did he go ? We want to know. " Mysterious all— bii'th, marriage, death, — The ' curse '* left with his latest breath : Whence came he ? — how left he this earth ? Who can unfold ? " Good frend for lesvs sake forbeare. To digg the dvst eiicloased lieare : Bleste be the man that spares tlies stones, And cvrst be he that moves my bones." . . " Search whfre ytm "Will, IS thert A scrap of proof ■ That he above Old Adam rose, Or Hamlet's Ghost — such parts as those — When he the busk tit donned and hose On his tni'n stage t" JFho icrofe " Shakespeare " ? 29 " Had he, like Faust, a power at hand Which no one human could withstand ? — Wealth — knowledge — all ! at his command ? It mio'ht be so ! " Who knows ? perchance a cloven foot He had ! — no proof have we, to boot ; A tail 'neath where he sat might shoot ! — Played he the de'il ^ " Faith. Round Bacon nestles quite a litter Of dryasdusts, the old, the bitter, Each carping, crazy, critic critter For Bedlam fit. They'll show you " parallels" absurd. Concordance clear as milk in curd, In diet ion an/ every Avord That Shakespeare writ Oft are they pilgrims at the shrine Of Bacon ? No ! Our " Bard Divine," They needs must gather still round thine At Avonside ! 30 TF7io u-rote " ShaTicspea7'e " ? With all their theories and clatter, Where Bacon lived and died ? — no matter ! The much loved name they would bespatter Is like a spell I 'Tis passing strange, they frequent stray Where Avon sweetly wends its way ! — To Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway They still must cling ! Ye gods ! " what fools these mortals be ! " At Shakespeare's shrine they bend the knee, Yet vainly strive to prove that he Was but a fraud. Let crack-brained pedants say their say. His name, his works, will live for aye. When croakers all have passed away To nameless graves. The sect whose creed is " honest doubt," Tradition — all things sacred — scout ! They '11 prove that Shakespeare, without doubt, No mother had I " Aye, there '*■ the rub:' 31 The doughty doubter hath-a-wan Of })rovmg Anne was, h\ck-a-day ! Not Shakespeare's spouse, but other clay Than Shottery ! The doubter s epita})h should be : — ■ " That rare sense — common sense — lacked he — " His bonnet ever held a bee. Or a ' mare's nest ! ' " He '11 prove that Shakespeare was a ghost, Or clown, who ne'er could learning boast ! That, " all in all," he was at most A raw -chaw- Bacon ! He '11 prove that New Place was not old. That Gastrell, shepherd of the fold. Would an' he could a tale unfold ! — He could, no doubt ! He '11 show foundations old and new ; The parson this, not that, o'erthrew — Precisely ! — that's just what we knew. He razed '''NEW PLACE." 32 Who wrote " S/takespeare " ? '' Oh, not at all ! " says Honest Doubt, ' ' All va in tradition we must scout, " We ve found the old foundations out Of Shakspare's home." And yet it may be clearly shown The venerable base of stone. For ages hid and overgrown, Proves the reverse. Faith may presume, but yet would know If Shakespeare, when he left " the show," Did to the largest mansion go In Stratford Town ? For so 'tis said. But Doubt would trace In smallest, oldest house, " Neiv Place ! " He '11 have to try and prove his case Some other way. all in all. ' he was at most A raw-chatv- i:<7i-on .' TFTio wrote " Shakespeare " ? 35 It is not clear that old is new, And that the smaller of the two Was once the largest house " on view " In Stratford Town. But Doubt can show a builder s bill To prove that *' the (jveat house " of " Will " Was by an earlier Vandal still Than Francis razed. It was much pulled about, we know, But further light they '11 have to throw On these old stones before they show Their proof is clear. Of builder's bills we 've seen a few — Just let them your old house *' renew," They '11 say it is " as good as new " When they have done ! New Place was possibly " restored '' — " Recovered" ! yet not lost nor "floored," Till Gastrell, Goth of Goths abhorred, Demolished all. 36 Who wrote " Shal-espeare " ? When, through the ravages of time, To ruin crumbles stone and lime. Then " restoration " is no crime. But watch it well. 'Twere better that our fanes decay Through age, than be " improved " away For State j^rotection let us pray, To guard them all. To dryasdusts we dare to say. The parson Avas a bird of prey ! We find but skeletons to-day Where he had been. Evanishing 'mid ruin's rack, He left no shadow on his track, But Lyall dips his quill, and back He comes ane\\ s^"^ C!)f Bfb. Jfrancid (g>aStrflI, H'Aa, " ««n$ epc0, 0an« tastt, mm rtjcrptfting:,' <;