Mr. Greenwood will not, in the matter of books, go beyond Mr.
Halliwell-Phillipps, {52a} "Lilly's Grammar, and a few classical
works chained to the desks of the free schools." Mr. Collins himself
gives but "a few classical books," of which PORTIONS were read. The
chains were in all the free schools, if Mr. Halliwell-Phillipps is
right. The chains, if authentic, do not count as objections.

Here it must be noted that Mr. Greenwood's opinion of Will's
knowledge and attainments is not easily to be ascertained with
precision. He sees, of course, that the pretension of the extreme
Baconians--Will could not even write his name--is absurd. If he
could not write, he could not pass as the author. Mr. Greenwood
"fears that the arguments" (of a most extreme Baconian) "would drive
many wandering sheep back to the Stratfordian fold." {52b}

He has therefore to find a via media, to present, as the pseudo-
author, a Will who possessed neither books nor manuscripts when he
made his Testament; a rustic, bookless Will, speaking a patois, who
could none the less pass himself off as the author. So "I think it
highly probable," says Mr. Greenwood, "that he attended the Grammar
School at Stratford for four or five years, and that, later in life,
after some years in London, he was probably able to 'bumbast out a
line,' and perhaps to pose as 'Poet-Ape who would be thought our
chief.'" {53a} Again, "He had had but little schooling; he had
'small Latin and less Greek'; but he was a good Johannes Factotum, he
could arrange a scene, and, when necessary, 'bumbast out a blank
verse.'" {53b}

But this is almost to abandon Mr. Greenwood's case. Will appears to