18 xii THE FIRST PART or rant, whichever one chooses to call it—i of him, and anything of Marlowe in this p regarded as due to his influence, often apparen early work, or to imitation of him, most natu dramatist who aimed at such successes as th burlaine had recently achieved. M Assuredly, however, Greene had a hand in And if his many excrescences of style were co-operators as the work proceeded, I belie Shakespeare formed the syndicate. Since from adjusting the parallels amongst the aut will proceed at once to lay them out in order. I will venture on here (and I propose to prov elsewhere); it is this: Spenser's influence or date has not received sufficient attention. made use of him wholesale, and Shakespear liarity with him very often. Oddly enough have had less admiration for the greatest of a days of Chaucer. Perhaps "Palin worthie who envied Spenser's "rustick quill" (Colin C Again, 392) was Greene. Even where Spenser Greene, it comes possibly at second hand, so Marlowe or Peele it may be. Such collaboration as appears to have take usual. The hands of Greene and Peele will together both in Selimus and Locrine, while M assisted in the former. The latter is either himself at work in Richard III., and he certa the Contention on which the second part of H Peele again helped largely in Titus Andron with Greene, as Mr. Robertson has shown, and further demonstrated. To Marlowe's short easy to add more work, but excellent critics Crawford find him in evidence in several plays known to be his. Any work by Marlowe in popularity would at this date, however, be at His name was one to conjure with. As Gre tember, 1592, and Marlowe in the June of th (tragedies both unsurpassed in any of their play lute dates and data in limitation of our inquiry. it is seldom worthy play is more easily nt in Shakespeare's ural in an aspiring The author of Tam In the composition. toned down by his eve that Peele and these views arose authors concerned, I One observation ve it later, here or Greene seems to en place was quite be found at wors Marlowe may har: imitated or wa ainly gave help it Henry VI. is built nicus, in company d as could be sti I career it is no like Mr. Charle s other than thos he following year them both, but was dead in 1598. He wrote several plays that are lost besides those we have, and no doubt had a share in much anonymous or otherwise attributed work. He was the author of one of the earliest of the historical plays derived from the chroniclers, Edward the First, wherein however he departs widely from history. To Peele may be credited also a foretaste of a more agreeable and good-natured kind of humour than belongs to any other of the dramatists of the time, saving Shakespeare himself. Marlowe and Greene had none-or so little and of so poor a quality that it is little better than none—especially Greene. The latter also tried his hand at chronicle-playwriting-in James the Fourth of Scotland. But his authorities are unknown. Both of these may have preceded Henry VI. Peele's play almost certainly did. Marlowe's play of this kind, Edward the Second, is of later date, probably his last piece of work. For more about Peele and Marlowe, see Introductions to Parts II. and III. respectively. These remarks pave the way to the consideration and allotment of their shares, and show inherent probability that such joint work would have taken place. We can imagine very easily that Shakespeare was invited to lend a hand to Greene and Peele, and equally easily the idea presents itself that in smoothing away much of Greene's turgidity and iteration as the work progressed the toes of the older dramatist were often trodden upon, that the feeling of rancour increased with the success of "harey VI." and that at length it culminated and found expression in the famous death-bed attack on Shakespeare. In an excellent criticism of an edition of Greene's works by Mr. Greg in The Modern Language Review (April, 1906)—the edition by J. Churton Collins-a review to which my friend, Mr. Francis Woollett, directed my attention-I find some valuable remarks about Greene's play dates. From a passage in the preface to Perimedes (dated 1588), says Mr. Greg, it is evident Greene had been scoffed at on the stage for some failure connected therewith. This failure may be assigned to Alphonsus as being apparently the earliest by Greene we have, following immediately upon Marlowe's Tamburlaine (1587). By con necting a passage referring to the lost Del Groatsworth, with another reference to the the King of Fairies) by Nashe in his Introd (1589), Mr. Greg finds Greene began w when this (or these) were the popular piece so that 1587 is the latest date assignable fo The argument is perhaps strained, perhap legitimate. "Orlando must be after Alph seems to accept a date of 1590 (from Colli Wives' Tale, and he deems it certain that i because there are two passages in commo character Sacrapant is in both, which Green Mr. Greg disagrees with Collins about Selimus, which play the former rightly co (mainly) to Greene-his arguments here a -Greene, under the influence, no doubt, of lamentable thing for Greene's play-writing nevertheless probably true, that George-amoved from his authorship, or at the very doubted as his. James the Fourth is placed ternal evidence shows it to date 1590-1591 elsewhere. Needless to say none of the ab due to Churton Collins. The date of 159 Wives' Tale is unacceptable. It must be e ment from common passages, and the nam work the other way. And it is very doubtf dramatic work by Greene as early as, or at than 1586. Since Greene is most prominently met wit adduce his parallels first. More could be fou ful reading, I have no doubt, and those I means exhaust my collection, as my notes wil I. i. 23. planets of mishap. "Borne undern mishap" (Alphonsus, Grosart, xiii. 391). I. i. 67. cause him once more yield the ghost. V again in Henry VIII. Uncommon in Elizabethan fathers he causd murthered in these warres" (George wrote a sketch of this scene, but it is mainly by Shal 1. ii. 34. skirmish. Often used by Greene. The same applies to massacre above, 1. i. 135. Uncommon words at this time and seldom in Shakespeare. "The skirmish furiously begun, continuing for the space of three houres with great massacre and. bloodshed" (Euphues His Censure, Grosart, vi. 254). For massacre, see note II. ii. 18. But Greene has not the verb "skirmish." It is frequent in Berner's Froissart. 1. ii. 48. your cheer appal'd. Not elsewhere in Shakespeare. Occurs several times in Greene as distinct from appal. "Neither let our presence appale your senses" (Myrrour of Modestie, iii. 18). 1. ii. 72. at first dash. Only here with Shakespeare but a favourite with Greene-"shal Fancie give me the foyle at the first dash?" (Mamillia, ii. 73). And repeated in Alcida, ix. 59. Earlier in Promos and Cassandra by Whetstone. 1. ii. 95. buckle with. Twice again in this play, and in 3 Henry VI. 1. iv. 50. Greene has it: "hasted forward to buckle with Acestes" (Orpharion, xii. 53): "he marvelled how Scilla durst buckle with his great Fortune" (Tritameron, Part II. iii. 131); "buckle with the foe" (Alphonsus, xiii. 393). Shakespeare would know this from Grafton (1543). I. ii. 148. immortalized. Not again in Shakespeare. Earlier in this sense in Greene: "immortalize whom thou wilt with thy toys" (Menaphon, vi. 110). He found it in Spenser. 1. iii. 13. warrantize. Occurs in this sense again only in Sonnet 150. A rare word. Greene has "Pawning his colours for thy warrantize" (Orlando Furioso, xiii. 155). 1. iii. 38. not budge a foot. Greene has "Bouge not a foote to aid Prince Rodomant" (Orlando Furioso, xiii. 155). "I'll not budge an inch" is in Taming of the Shrew. The first three scenes were chiefly written by Greene. But Nashe lent aid in Scene ii. ? I. iv. 74. martial men. Again in Lucrece 200. "nominate himselfe to be a Marshall man" (Greene, Blacke Bookes Messenger, xi. 6). Nashe used this earlier. This scene is by Shakespeare. Nashe seems again to have assisted. Scene v. with its assemblage of natural history metaphors is most near Greene. 1. vi. 22. Rhodope's or Memphis'. "They which came to Memphis thought they had seene nothing unlesse they had viewed the Pyramides built by Rhodope” (Mamillia, Grosart, ii. 270). And again, p. 280. And in The Debate between Follie, and Love, iv. 219: "What made Rhodope builde the Pyramides. but Follie?" And in Planetomachia, v. 104, and elsewhere. Characteristic of Greene. This scene recalls Marlowe a little. Compare the last lines to clear the stage with Tamburlaine, Part I. end of Act III.; and Tamburlaine, Part II. end of 1. i.; end of 1. iii. and end of 11. iii. The classical references may be his. But see under Marlowe. The metre and verse is nearer Marlowe than Shakespeare's earliest stage. b II. i. 4. Court of guard. Compare the positi Greene's Orlando Furioso, xiii. 134, 135. The term Menaphon, vi. 120; Orpharion, xii. 58, etc. II. i. 14. to quittance their deceit. An uncomm Shakespeare. Greene has "to quittance all my i xiii. 140); and "to quittance all thy wrongs" (p. 1 And again in Philomela and elsewhere. II. i. 77. platform (plan). Not again in Shakes mon in Greene. II. ii. 27. dusky vapours. "No duskie vapou shroude" (Never too Late, viii. 68). II. iii. 10. give their censure. Again in 2 Henry A favourite with Greene: "to give a censure of pair Love, iii. 78); and often. II. iii. 41. Captivate (captive). A rare word occurs below, v. iii. 107 again: "the mindes of the s their Captaines bounty" (Euphues His Censure, vi. 2 Up to this Greene has had a share, at least, in Act II.; although his work has been retouched in ii. speare's part below. Scenes iv. and v. I would all speare. III. i. 8. Presumptuous. Outside these three pla it occurs, Shakespeare uses presumptuous only once Ends Well. Greene is very fond of it as suitable to bravado, which shows itself in this scene. Green Fourth and twice in Alphonsus. Compare "Presump thou check thy Lord" (A Looking Glasse for London, and Spenser both use it, and it was far earlier. III. i. 13. Verbatim. Not elsewhere in Shakesp translated Lentulus letter verbatim worde for worde 153). III. i. 15. pestiferous. Only again in All's Well 1 iii. 340. Greene has it several times: "prohibit him f purpose" (Mamillia, ii. 118, and again 186). Dissent favourite with Greene. III. i. 48. to patronage his theft. This verb occu iv. 32; and is not known elsewhere except as a "patronage learning and souldiers" (Euphues to (1587)); "patronage such affections" (ibid. p. 239). G in his epistles to three others of his prose tracts. III. i. 43. lordly sir. "Then lordly sir, whose con (Frier Bacon, xiii. 54). Shakespeare never uses this w plays (I. and II.) excepting once in Lucrece. Probab had an unpleasant sneer in it. Greene and Peele hav Not elsewhere in Sha |