File:Shakespeare the player, and other papers illustrative of Shakespeare's individuality (1916) (14576587478).jpg

Identifier: shakespeareplaye00carg (find matches)
Title: Shakespeare the player, and other papers illustrative of Shakespeare's individuality
Year: 1916 (1910s)
Authors: Cargill, Alexander
Subjects: Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616
Publisher: London : Constable and company ltd.
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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little more in the matter of penmanshipthan write their names. Even in the highest social circlessignature by cross-mark was by no means an uncommonthing. Judging—if it be fair to do so—from the extantspecimens of his own signature, Shakespeare himself wouldappear to have been but an indifferent penman; and notfor many years after the Shakespearean period could it besaid of the handwriting of men of even outstanding literarygifts that it was, according at any rate to present-daystandards, commensurate or even satisfactory. Obviously,the opportunities for, and aids to, good penmanship somethree centuries ago were alike meagre and inadequate.Indeed, in ordinary communities of people few persons coulduse the quill to much purpose, excepting, perhaps, justicesof the peace and attorneys, or scriveners, and those in theiremployment. Shakespeare has, among other occupationsthat have variously been ascribed to him, been accused ofhaving himself plied the quill as an attorneys apprentice.
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s 3 H 3 03 0 — 4 ~£ pq e ri ? M § H s 4 Si g e s ;§ rH S H ^ X gg 0 g THE MYSTERY OF THE MANUSCRIPTS 123 One has only to glance at his signature (if it be his) to theBlackfriars Estate deeds to give that story its quietus once andfor all. When the Ireland forgeries were being swallowedwholesale by the gullible English public of a century ago,no one thought for a moment of applying so simple a testas this signature—ready to hand as it was—by which thatfoolish youth might more easily have been brought to book forhis audacious knavery.1 Keeping all this in view, therefore,it is not difficult to understand how, in Shakespeares day,the manuscript writings of men even famous among theircontemporaries would be lightly regarded and set asideafter these writings had been printed and circulated in bookor pamphlet form. But in Shakespeares case the greatbody of his writings—namely, the Plays—were not publishedtill some years after his death, so that it is permissibleto suppose that,

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