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QUERIES.

WHO WROTE SHAKSPEARE'S HENRY VIII.?

I had no sooner read the title of an essay in the current number of the
_Gentleman's Magazine_, "Who wrote Shakspeare's Henry VIII.?" than I
became aware that I had been anticipated in at least the publication of
a discovery I made three or four years ago, but for the making known of
which a favourable opportunity had not occurred. The fact is, that I was
anxious to arrive at a more satisfactory conclusion than has yet
presented itself to me, and a paper on the subject commenced more than
two years ago, I, with this feeling, laid aside. My present object is to
strengthen the argument of the writer in the _Gentleman's Magazine_, by
recording the fact that I, having no communication with him, or
knowledge of him, even of his name, should have arrived at exactly the
same conclusion as his own. That conclusion is (should any of your
readers not have seen the article referred to), that Fletcher has at
least an equal claim with Shakspeare to the authorship of _Henry VIII_.

In the unfinished paper to which I have alluded, having asked how it was
that, with so much to be learned personal to Shakspeare from his works,
our criticism was so limited, and having stated it to be my intention to
confine myself to the simple inquiry, "_What did Shakspeare really
write?_" I continued:

"To those who consider the text as having been settled 'by
authority,' this question may seem superfluous; but, not to
refer to plays of very early date, in connection with which we
could bring forward facts that, we doubt not, would be
considered sufficiently startling; we now state it as our belief
that a great portion of the play of _Henry VIII_.--nay, more
than half, was _not_ written by Shakspeare."

My intention now is not to enter into any argument in support of this
view, but to state the results, which will be shown in the following
extract from my note-book:

_Henry VIII._
Act I. Scene 1. Shakspeare.
" 2. Ditto.
" 3. Fletcher.
" 4. Ditto.
Act II. " 1. Ditto.
" 2. Ditto.
" 3. Shakspeare.
" 4. Ditto.
Act III. " 1. Fletcher.
" 2. Shakspeare, (ending with 'what
appetite you have.')
" 2. Fletcher, (beginning from the
above.)
Act IV