Silence of Philip Henslowe." "The Silence of Philip Henslowe," Mr.
Greenwood writes, "is a very remarkable phenomenon . . . " It is a
phenomenon precisely as remarkable as the absence of Mr. Greenwood's
name from the accounts of a boot-maker with whom he has never had any
dealings.

"If, however, there was a man in high position, 'a concealed poet,'"
who "took the works of others and rewrote and transformed them,
besides bringing out original plays of his own . . . then it is
natural enough that his name should not appear among those [of the]
for the most part impecunious dramatists to whom Henslowe paid money
for playwriting." {163a} Nothing can be more natural, and, in fact,
the name of Bacon, or Southampton, or James VI, or Sir John Ramsay,
or Sir Walter Raleigh, or Sir Fulke Greville, or any other "man in
high position," does NOT appear in Henslowe's accounts. Nor does the
name of William Shak(&c.). But why should it not appear if Will sold
either his own plays, or those of the noble friend to whom he lent
his name and personality--to Henslowe? Why not?

Then consider the figure, to my mind impossible, of the great
"concealed poet" "of high position," who can "bring out original
plays of his own," and yet "takes the works of others," say of
"sporting Kyd," or of Dekker and Chettle, and such poor devils,--
TAKES them as a Yankee pirate-publisher takes my rhymes,--and
"rewrites and transforms them."

Bacon (or Bungay) CANNOT "take" them without permission of their
legal owners,--Shakspere's or any other company;--of any one, in
short, who, as Ben Jonson says, "buys up reversions of old plays."
How is he to manage these shabby dealings? Apparently he employs