88
NOTES AND QUERIES. 12 s. v. APRIL, 1919.
of Shakespeare to turn to D'avenant for an
example of what revisers are capable of.
Theobald himself revised Shakespeare's
' Richard II.' and Webster's * Duchess of
Malfi.' His version of neither of these plays
is available to me, but those within reach of
the British Museum are in a more favourable
position to test by them Theobald's methods
and merits as a reviser. At the same time, I
may point out that Theobald's work on
neither of these well-known and successful
plays was likely to be one quarter so thorough
as on a play which was absolutely unknown
and which he believed never to have been
staged.
In conclusion, lest any one should so misrepresent me as to assert that I ascribe the play partly to Shakespeare on the strength of a few lines bearing some resem- blance to his style, let mo say that I am not guilty of such folly. One can consider internal evidence as of value only when it is not contradicted by the external, or when, in the case of such contradiction, there is reason to doubt the latter' s genuineness. Here the evidence of style is altogether too slight to afford any firm standing so far as Shakespeare is concerned. The presence of Fletcher is, however, much clearer, and might almost be sufficient in any case to warrant the attribution of part of the play to him. The external evidence confirms this view, and may be held to establish a sound case for Fletcher ; and, as this evidence makes Shakespeare Fletcher's collaborator, it lends probability to the supposition that the other original writer whose work is still visible is our great master-dramatist. In view then of his participation in the original play, every line that bears the impress of his genius or the marks of his style may not unreasonably be set down as his ; and there are a few though unfortunately only a very few such lines left.
E. H. C. OLIPHANT. Melbourne.
CORNISH BIOGRAPHERS.
IT is difficult to estimate the great services to biography and bibliography rendered by three Cornishmen and Londoners: George Clement Boase, Frederic Boase, and William Prideaux Courtney. Each of them devoted a large portion of his life and means to the great work he had undertaken.
I became acquainted with them in the following manner. On the publication of
my * Handbook of Fictitious Names ' in
1868, a copy was placed on the reference
shelves of the Reading-Room at the British
Museum. This place, I should like to
observe, it kept until lately, when it was
turned out I presume because it was too
dirty to remain, as no other works have yet
made it quite useless. When I was first a
reader at the Museum I was greatly in-
terested in a little French book (the earliest
on the subject) by Adrien Baillet, which for
years stood on the top of the same " press "
as mine ; but the ' Handbook ' was on a-
level with the eye. Baillet, with hundreds
of others, was removed into the General
Library some years ago.
Courtney saw the ' Handbook,' and took an opportunity of introducing himself to- me in the Reading-Room. He introduced me to the Boases, and but for that, I feel certain, I should never have known them, as they were so excessively modest and reticent, and kept so much to- themselves, always being at work .from morning till night. They were all three frequently guests at my house, and so were to the end.
From 1868 to their respective deaths I more or less assisted them. Courtney required no assistance from me in com- position, for in that he was facile princeps ; but I read the proof-sheets of his ' Biblio- theca Cornubiensis,' and I am still asked to- do this for * Modern English Biography.' The second volume of Courtney's work I reviewed in ' N. & Q.' on Feb. 9, 1878 (5 S. ix. pp. 118-9) ; curiously, a biographical notice of Cruikshank by H. S. Ashbee also occurs on the latter page, and H. F. Turle was then editor, ,!! three being my personal friends. Turle's early death (from smallpox) is commemorated, on the tablet to his father, on the North Cloister wall of Westminster Abbey.
There are notices of Charles Wm. (of Exeter College) and George Boase in ' Modern English Biography,' vol. iv. We always called the latter "Mr." George, as he was not only older than we were, but looked still older from his white hair. In the preface to 'M.E.B.,' vol. i., 1892, p. 5, F. Boase expresses his thanks to his brothers and W. P. Courtney, and also to R. Bissell Prosser of the Patent Office and to me " for information about inventors and other persons." This has always struck me as being rather obscurely expressed. I, of course, am only represented by the " other persons," for at that time Boase was, I fancy, much more indebted to Prosser, who-
