y by the guesswork of Clark, Wright, Halliwell and others
who assume to find a divided authorship from assumed divergencies of
style. The result shows the futility of the method. What Shakspere is
assumed not to have written is assigned to Marlowe, Greene, Peele or
Lodge. If style cannot determine between them, what warrant is there for
the conclusion that "Henry VI." is "certainly collaborative"?

The second and third parts of "Henry VI." are the final form of "The
First Part of the Contention between the Houses of York and Lancaster,"
and "The True Tragedy of Richard, Duke of York." Greene, in his savage
attack upon Shakspere, quotes a line which appears in the "Third Part"
and also in "The True Tragedy." His attack proves the sole authorship of
both by the man he maligns, to whom Chettle apologized within a year.

The argument of Knight has been before the critical world for many
years, and its careful arrangement of facts and its logical conclusions
from them, have well-nigh overcome the prejudices of English scholars
who for many years after the appearance of Malone's "Dissertation"
adopted his theory that the two parts of the "Contention" contained
nothing from Shakspere's hand. But because American writers are
constantly seeking reputation for learning by repeating Malone's
argument, it will be useful, in the interest of truth, to state Knight's
answer.

He first takes up Malone's assumption that the two parts of the
"Contention" were not written by the author of the "First Part of Henry
VI.," and proves the identity of authorship by the intimate connection
and unity of action and characterization, and by the identity of manner,
making the three plays one integral whole. In the "First Part of Henry
VI." and in the "First Part of the Contention," Suffolk is the same man,
Margaret the same woman. In both plays, Gloster and Beaufort speak the
same scorn and defiance in the same tongue. The garden scene, with its
red and white roses, is the prologue to the "Contention" and
indissolubly links together the three parts of "Henry VI." as one drama
by the same hand.

Malone's first assumption was therefore without foundation. Even Collier
only claims that "it is _plausibly conjectured_" that Shakspere did
not write the "First Part of Henry VI." but that it is an old play most
likely written about 1589. Who did write it, was before Knight and
Ulrici the theme of endless debate. Hallam was "sometimes inclined to
assign