P.C.S.S.

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FURTHER NOTES ON THE AUTHORSHIP OF SHAKSPEARE'S HENRY VIII.

The Gentleman's Magazine for the present month contains a letter from
Mr. Spedding, the author of the essay which appeared in the August {307}
number of that magazine on the authorship of _Henry VIII._ After
expressing himself "gratified but not surprised" by the coincidence
between his views and those of Mr. Hickson in "NOTES AND QUERIES" (Vol.
ii., p. 198.), Mr. Spedding proceeds:

"The resemblance of the style, in some parts of the play, to
Fletcher's, was pointed out to me several years ago by Alfred
Tennyson (for I do not know why I should not mention his name);
and long before that, the general distinctions between
Shakspeare's manner and Fletcher's had been admirably explained
by Charles Lamb in his note on the _Two Noble Kinsmen_, and by
Mr. Spalding in his Essay. And in respect to this I had myself
derived additional light, more, perhaps, than I am aware of,
from Mr. Hickson himself, if he be (as I suppose he is) the S.H.
of the _Westminster Review_. But having been thus put upon the
scent and furnished with principles, I followed the inquiry out
by myself, without help or communication. That two independent
inquirers should thus have arrived at the same conclusions upon
so many particulars, must certainly be considered very singular,
except upon one supposition; viz., that the conclusions are
according to reason. Upon that supposition, nothing is more