Elizabeth Vernon, he suggested a new argument (see Sonnet 38),
wherein is no such thing as a _new_ argument, by the way; and that then
the poet begins to write love-poems in the person of his friend. This
continues up to the year 1603, when the earl of Southampton was released
from prison, the dramatic sonnets being interspersed with personal ones.
These dramatic sonnets also include sonnets written for Elizabeth Vernon
of and to Penelope Lady Rich, of whom she is supposed to be jealous;
sonnets from Southampton to herself upon the lovers' quarrel, and the
desperate flirtation of Elizabeth Vernon to punish her lover (which Mr.
Massey says ensued upon this jealousy); together with various other
sonnets between them, and upon the earl's varying fortunes, his
marriage, imprisonment, etc., which make up the first series. The second
series are love-poems written for William Herbert, and addressed to Lady
Rich, who is supposed by Mr. Massey to be the "black beauty" (or
brunette) of the closing sonnets, although it is well known that Lady
Rich was a golden blonde, with nothing dark about her but her black
eyes. To make out this complicated story, Mr. Massey arranges the
Sonnets in groups to suit his fancy, baptizes them as he chooses, and
does not scruple to vilify the fair name of man or woman in order to
make out his argument and to defend the spotless purity of Shakespeare's
moral character.

_Shakespeare's Autobiographical Poems_, by Charles Armitage Brown
(1838), is the book which more than all others on the subject seems to
have excited Mr. Massey's indignation, chiefly because it is the leading
advocate of "the personal theory"--that is, the autobiographical and
non-dramatic character of the poems. This implies an acceptance of the
statement clearly made in the Sonnets of Shakespeare's infidelity to his
wife; and this Mr. Massey pronounces an outrageous and unwarranted
slander. But in order to leave the name of Shakespeare pure from any
stain of mortal imperfection, Mr. Massey arranges a dramatic intention
for the Sonnets which involves, with more or less of light or evil
conduct, no less than four other names--the earl of Southampton and
Elizabeth Vernon (daughter of Sir John Vernon), whom he afterward
married; William Herbert, earl of Pembroke, and Lady Rich, for whom Mr.
Massey finds no words too abusive, and whom he considers the "worser
spirit" of the later Sonnets. The history of this lady is sufficiently
well kno