(Vol. iii., p. 139.)
The scene in _Antony and Cleopatra_ contains two expressions which are in
_Henry VIII._--
"Learn this, Silius."
"Learn this, brother."--_Hen. VIII._
"The Captain's captain."
"To be her Mistress' mistress, the Queen's queen."--_Hen. VIII._
The first of these passages is in a scene in _Henry VIII._, which MR.
HICKSON gives to Fletcher (and of which, by-the-bye, it may be observed,
that, like the scene in _Antony and Cleopatra_, it has nothing to do with
the business of the play). The other is in a scene which he gives to
Shakspeare.
But, perhaps, there may be doubts whether rightly. I am exceedingly
ignorant in Fletcher; but here is a form of expression which occurs twice
in the scene, which, I believe, is more conformable to the practice of
Fletcher:--
"_A_ heed was in his countenance."
"And force them with _a_ constancy."
There is very great stiffness in the versification: one instance is quite
extraordinary:
"Yet I know her for
A spleeny Lutheran; and not wholesome to
Our cause, that she should lie i' the bosom of
Our hard rul'd king."
There is great stiffness and tameness in the matter in many places.
Lastly, what MR. HICKSON hopes he has taken off Shakspeare's shoulders, the
compliments to the Queen and the King, is brought in here most forcedly:--
"She (_i.e._ A. Boleyn) is a gallant creature, and complete
In mind and feature. I persuade me, from her
Will fall some blessings to this land, which shall
In it be memoriz'd."
But there is also the general question, whether, either upon _a priori_
probability, or inferences derived from particular passages, we are bound
to suppose that the two authors wrote scene by scene. Shakspeare might
surely be allowed to touch up scenes, of which the mass might be written by
Fletcher.
As to the dates, MR. COLLIER is persuaded that _Henry VIII._ was written in
the winter of 1603-4. The accession of James was in March, 1603. MR.
COLLIER thinks that the compliments to Queen Elizabeth were not written in
her lifetime. He thinks that, even in the last year of her long reign, no
one would have ventured to call her an "aged princess," though merely as a
way of saying that she would have a long reign; and he says, there is not
the slightest evidence that the compliment to King James was an
interpolation. But surely it is strong evidence that if there is no
interpolation, this passage--
"As when
The bird of wonder dies, the maiden phoenix,"
afterwards--
"When Heav'n shall call her from this cloud of darkness,"
and then, after disposing of the King--
"She shall be to the happiness of England
An aged princess . . .
. . . . . .
Would I had known no more--but she must die;
She must--the saints must have her yet a virgin," &c.
{191} would be ridiculous. All that can be said is, that either way it is
partly ridiculous to make it a matter of prophecy and lamentation that a
human being must, sometime or other, die.
But it is very difficult to conceive that the compliments to Elizabeth
should have been written after her death.
Fletcher, born in 1579, did not, in Mr. Dyce's opinion, bring out anything
singly or jointly with Beaumont till 1606 or 1607.
The irrelevant scenes, like that of Ventidius, are introduced with two
objects--one to gain time, the other for the sake of naturalness: of the
latter of which there are two instances in _Macbeth_; one where the King
talks of the swallows' nests: the other, relating to the English king
touching for the evil, seems remarkably suited to the mind of Shakspeare.