Posted to Clark Holloway

Apparently Hunter's thesis hasn't had much examination, so I wouldn't go to far in accepting its conclusion: i.e. that the Heminge & Condell, the retired actors, edited selected plays in the Folio. But anything's possible, i guess. In a recent post to Hardy Cook's listserve, he offers to send copies of his articles to anyone who asks (which i did). But for the sake of argument, assuming H&C edited those plays...who edited the rest? Not Jonson? Not Bacon? Who? Informed speculation is encouraged.

Who edited the First Folio?

Clark Holloway posted a helpful message on this topic attempting to support the claim that Heminge and Condell edited the First Folio . . . here. He referrred me to a post of his from June 3, which didn't really add anything, but it got me to searching for other discussions on the topic, including my own.

The author of the article Clark is referring to, William B. Hunter, posted a message to Hardy Cook's Shaksper listserve . . . here, but didn't get much response, so

Hunter posted a follow-up message, offering to email copies of his articles on request, provided the requester indicates how he or she views the thesis (positively, negatively, or indifferently).

I'd have to say I view it skeptically, but look forward to reading it.

Grum watch

My old nemesis Bob Grumman has reared his ugly head, metaphorically speaking. You can read his post . . . here.

Darby does HLAS

Darby Mitchell's corker of a theory was introduced to the gang at HLAS today . . . here. The big problem I have with it is that Boyle's prose is so crude. I wonder if anyone else will point this out...I suppose a writer as great as Shakespeare (i.e. Marlowe) could fabricate the diary of crude man of affairs, though, but why?

Other evidence that should keep the cork in Darby's champaign is the portrait of Boyle. Roberta Ballantine mentions a big difference between Boyle's portrait while he was at King's School Canterbury, and the one pictured here. Perhaps Darby has some thoughts on these matters. I'll ask her.

Marlowe in the news

Sarasota Herald Tribune newspaper editor Mike Pollick left a message to say that he was still working on the feature story about Roberta Ballantine and the Marlovian theory and had a few more questions.

When Berta met Darby, 2

Roberta Ballantine purchased Darby Mitchell's novel, Miranda's Litel Booke and just started reading it--and loves it. "Deserves to be a best seller," she says. From what I've read of it, I agree. Roberta wonders if Darby knows that Kit was acting as an agent for Essex in Ireland in 1598. I didn't know that myself.

Somethin' for Grumman

I told my buddy Bob Grumman that I would write a blog about him because he responded to one of my queries with a query of his own. . . Bob and I have bit of a history together. . .It got to the point where I had to ask him--rather rudely--to stay out of my threads, because he would always muck them up (it seemed). But to give the devil his due, Bob is an inventive thinker and indefatigable poster, and he's learned a few things since those days. I even videotaped an interview with him for a documentary I was making a couple years ago. In it, he discusses his interest in Shakespeare authorship, and admits to being the bete noir of his mental construct, a "rigidnik"! I should make a little .mpeg of it and post it--if he keeps calling other people in the HLAS newsgroup "insane." ;-)

Cryptogrammaton

Somebody named "Daryll Walker" from England (possibly a pseudonym for Paul Crowley) writes to HLAS about a book he read recently Cryptogrammaton the eBook by SeanAlonzo, in which, says Walker, the author gives a strong argument that [the First Folio] was written by a collective edited by Francis Bacon, and contributed to by various members, most notably Edward De Vere, Edmund Spenser, Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Phillip Sydney, John Lyly, Robert Greene, Thomas Kyd, George Peele, Francis Beaumont, William John Donne, John Fletcher, Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe and Francis Bacon, because (says Walker):

1. All of the above poets were Rosicrucians
2. They collaborated on other works together
3. All of their lives criss-crossed the same 100 year span. [in fact, they flourished IN THE SAME FIVE DECADES: 80's, 90's, 00's, 10's, 20's]
4. Plus, ...many of them had not only totally similar writing styles, but they seemed to all share the same philosophical view points. With this many poets and thinkers (concludes Walker) there was sure to be philosophical disagreements, but in their collective works you find very little disagreement.

Indeed, it is likely that a group of writers was involved in the writing and publication of the First Folio, but NOT in the authorship of the two narrative poems by which "William Shakespeare" made his name during the years 1593-1598, when his name appeared in print as a playwright.

Does Darryl Walker think a group of poets wrote Rape of Lucrece? I asked him by reply post this morning.

Meanwhile, if you're feeling a blossoming interest in the subject, there are interesting essays to read about Bacon, the Rosicrucian and "Shakespeare and the Rosicrucians".

Open Directory

I sent the Marlowe Lives! site URL to the OD for listing. I trust they will find it worthy of inclusion.

When Berta met Darby

Two women touched by genius and an elegant writing touch are meeting each other for the first time via the internet. I mean Roberta Ballantine, whose knowledge of the Elizabethan underworld rivals Charles Nicholls', and Darby Mitchell, who believes that Kit was not a spy at all. Another issue that comes up is the portrait of Boyle used by Ms. Mitchell. Ballantine points to one used in Ingram's book that gives an entirely different picture. I'll try to obtain photos of the different portraits.

Bacon beckons

Although Elizabeth Weir, appears to be busy researching her hero's claim to fame as the author of Venus & Adonis and Rape of Lucrece (see this post)...Christian Lancia gamely tried to to offer reasons why the greatest scientific mind of his generation could not also be the greatest poet ...in answer to my query . . . here.

Meanwhile, Art Neuendorffer at HLAS has been posting up a storm about Francis Bacon, lately. Art is a master of gathering sifting and collating esoteric facts and trivia about historical figures, especially in the 16th-17th centuries from the internet and shaping them (i use the term loosely) into lengthy posts such as this one.one about Sir Francis.