title-page of Love's Labour's Lost "bore the name W. Shakespere,"
while in the same year Richard II and Richard III bear "William
Shake-speare," with the hyphen (not without it, as in the two
dedications by the Author). "The name which appears in the body of
the conveyance and of the mortgage bearing" (the actor's) "signature
is 'Shakespeare,' while 'Shackspeare' appears in the will, prepared,
as we must presume, by or under the directions of Francis Collyns,
the Stratford solicitor, who was one of the witnesses thereto" (and
received a legacy of 13 pounds, 6s. 8d.).

Thus, at Stratford even, the name was spelled, in legal papers, as it
is spelled in the two dedications, and in most of the title-pages--
and also is spelled otherwise, as "Shackspeare." In March 1594 the
actor's name is spelled "Shakespeare" in Treasury accounts. The
legal and the literary and Treasury spellings (and conveyances and
mortgages and wills are NOT literature) are Shakespeare, Shackspeare,
Shake-speare, Shakespere--all four are used, but we must regard the
actor as never signing "Shakespeare" in any of these varieties of
spelling--if sign he ever did; at all events he is not known to have
used the A in the last syllable.

I now give the essence of Mr. Greenwood's words {13a} concerning the
nom de plume of the "concealed poet," whoever he was.

"And now a word upon the name 'Shakespeare.' That in this form, and
more especially with a hyphen, Shake-speare, the word makes an
excellent nom de plume is obvious. As old Thomas Fuller remarks, the
name suggests Martial in its warlike sound, 'Hasti-vibrans or Shake-
speare.' It is of course further suggestive of Pallas Minerva, the
goddess of Wisdom, for Pallas also was a spear-shaker (Pallas a'p?'