te about 1617; Oliphant maintains that it
was written about 1607 or 1608, and afterwards revised in 1617 by
Fletcher and Massinger; Professor Thorndike ventures the guess that it
was written in 1607.

"The Maid's Tragedy" he places doubtfully in 1609. It was first
published in 1619 without naming its authors. The only evidence as to
its date is that it was licensed October 31st, 1611.

"Cupid's Revenge" was acted at Court in 1612, and first published in
1615. Professor Thorndike thinks it was an effort to repeat the success
of "Philaster," and therefore assigns it to 1609 or 1610.

"A King and No King" he puts without hesitation in the year 1611, and
this is supported by authority. Professor Thorndike remarks that this is
the only play (of Beaumont and Fletcher), "acted before 1612, the year
of whose production is fixed."

The only reason for referring to "The Woman Hater" is to fix the date of
Beaumont and Fletcher's appearance. There is absolutely no proof that
they were known to literature before that play was licensed by Sir
George Buc on the 20th May, 1607. Yet Professor Thorndike, in spite of
this, assigns "The Woman's Prize," first printed in 1647, and first
acted, so far as the record shows, November 28th, 1633, to the year
1604.

It is to be noted that of the six other plays referred to by Professor
Thorndike, and claimed to have been in existence before the end of 1611,
the dates of all except "A King and No King" are only conjecturally
given.

Compared with these, the chronology of "Cymbeline," "Tempest" and
"Winter's Tale" is reviewed. "Cymbeline," according to Dr. Simon
Forman's Diary, was acted between April 20th, 1610, and May 15th, 1611;
it must therefore have been written before the last named date. Mr.
Fleay fixes the date in 1609, Malone in 1605, and both Chalmers and
Drake substantially agree with Malone. Ulrici assigns the date of
composition to 1609 or 1610.

"The Tempest," according to Professor Thorndike, cannot be dated earlier
than October 13th, 1610, nor later than 1613, and was probably written
and acted late in 1610 or early in 1611. Ulrici agrees with this.

"The Winter's Tale," as appears by Forman's Diary, was acted May 15,
1611. Ulrici says: "It is now a matter of certainty that it must have
been brought upon the stage between August, 1610, and May, 1611." It has
been suggested with some plausibility that this play was an early
production by Shakspere which he remodelled. A pla