to put the unwary student off
his guard, "in the commission of the peace for Middlesex, has shown us
a letter dated in the year 1600, which he assures us has been in the
possession of his family, by the mother's side, for a long series of
years, and which bears all the marks of antiquity." The superscription
was interpreted to run: "For Master Henrie Marle, livynge at the sygne
of the rose by the palace."

There follows at length the paper of which the family of the
honourable and veracious gentleman "in the commission of the peace for
Middlesex" had become possessed "by the mother's side." The words were
these:--

"FRIENDE MARLE,

"I must desyre that my syster hyr watche, and the cookerie
booke you promysed, may be sent by the man. I never longed
for thy company more than last night; we were all very
merrye at the Globe, when Ned Alleyn did not scruple to
affyrme pleasantely to thy friend Will, that he had stolen
his speech about the qualityes of an actor's excellencye, in
_Hamlet_ hys tragedye, from conversations manyfold which had
passed between them, and opinyons given by Allen touchinge
the subject. Shakespeare did not take this talke in good
sorte; but Jonson put an end to the stryfe with wittielie
saying: 'This affaire needeth no contentione; you stole it
from Ned, no doubt; do not marvel; have you not seen him act
tymes out of number?'

"Believe me most syncerelie,

"Harrie,

"Thyne,

"G. PEEL."

The text of this strangely-spelt, strangely-worded epistle, with its
puny efforts at a jest, was succeeded by a suggestion that "G. Peel,"
the alleged signatory, could be none other than George Peele, the
dramatist, who achieved reputation in Shakespeare's early days, and
was an industrious collector of anecdotes.

Thus the impish Steevens baited his hook. The sport which followed
must have exceeded his expectations. Any one familiar with the bare
outline of Elizabethan literary history should have perceived that a
trap had been set. The letter was assigned to the year 1600.
Shakespeare's play of _Hamlet_, to the performance of which it
unconcernedly refers, was not produced before 1602; at that date
George Peele had lain full four years in his grave. Peele could never
have passed the portals of the theatre called the "Globe"; for it was
not built until 1599. No historic tavern of the name is known. The
surname of th