Possible parallel between All's Well and Microcosmos

 I noticed an interesting possible parallel between the Sonnet to Henry Neville and a passage from All's Well that Ends Well. The Sonnet appeared in the 1603 Microcosmos by John Davies of Hereford. Here it is:

The first two lines read: 

There was a Time when, ah, that so there was,

Why not there is? There is and was a Time,

Compare to this passage from All's Well that Ends Well:

This young gentlewoman had a father,—O, that 'had'! how sad a passage 'tis! (1.1.17)

There is a great deal of other research suggesting that the author of the works of Shakespeare read and was influenced by Microcosmos. See, for instance, "Shakespeare's Sonnet cxi and John Davies of Hereford's "Microcosmos" (1603)" (JSTOR).

    Brian Vickers in his 2007 book Shakespeare, A Lover’s Complaint, and John Davies of Hereford, suggests that Shakespeare “knew, and referred to” the work of John Davies of Hereford. Specifically, he suggests that this famous dialog in Macbeth:

Porter: Faith Sir, we were carousing until the second Cock: and drink, Sir, is a great provoker of three things.

Macduff: What three things does drink especially provoke?

Porter: Marry, Sir, nose-painting, sleep, and urine. (2.3.24-8)

Is derived from this description in Microcosmos:

Drink hath three; offices, The first assists

Concoction, for in it is boil'd the meat: 

The next, to mix the food the first digests: 

The Last, to bring it to the Livers heat

Much more on this to come, but just wanted to share this possible parallel.

The Greek Inscription on Henry Neville's Portrait: Solved!

Before leaving for France as ambassador in early 1599, Henry Neville had his portrait painted by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger:

The top left of the portrait has astronomical symbols and some Greek writing:

An anonymous scholar, expert in this field, has graciously provided an explanation of the symbol and the Greek text:

The Greek, "Absolutely without prosthaphaeresis"; the latter term is used here to mean the astronomical "correction" between mean and true position. And the diagram shows the sun at apogee and perigee, depicting accurately the alternative epicycle solar model of Ptolemy, at which points the true position of the sun (the picture of the sun) and the mean position of the sun (the center of the epicycle) coincide, as seen from the center or along the line of apsides (also shown in the diagram) -- so that there is no correction, or prosthaphaeresis. 

Neville is clearly using this astronomical fact as an emblem of his directness and trustworthiness -- that there is no "correction" needed between his apparent and true self. A clever conceit!

I believe Neville here is creating a clever version of his family motto: "ne vile velis". This Latin motto is usually translated as "do nothing base or dishonorable" or  "nothing distasteful or vulgar". This Greek text, along with the astronomical symbols, seem to imply something very similar.

During their tour of Europe, Henry Neville and his tutor Henry Savile met with Paul Wittich, one of the people who developed the mathematical technique of prosthaphaeresis. Tycho Brahe also made heavy use of this method; there is a great deal of scholarship connecting the Danish Brahe with certain aspects of Hamlet. The inscription, however, emphasizes the word as used in Ptolemaic astronomy, rather than the word's use to describe the mathematical method.

Francis Windebank's First Folio?

There's a lot of excitement on Twitter. David McInnis posted an inscription from the First Folio at the State Library of New South Wales. The entire First Folio is digitized here and here. At the end of Hamlet is inscribed "Elizabeth Windebank Her Book" and at the end of Antony and Cleopatra is inscribed "The vnworthest of your seruants Tho: Hurst". Here are the full images:

Thomas Windebank was a close friend of Henry Neville and lived very close to Billingbear. There are many extant letters from Neville to Windebank, and two from his wife Anne Neville while her husband was imprisoned in the Tower.

Thomas Windebank's son Francis Windebank had many literary associates, including John Florio and John Suckling. Suckling's portrait actually shows him holding a First Folio:

Francis's son Thomas (1612–1669) had a son Francis (1656–1719). And Francis was married to a woman named Elizabeth Parkhurst (1666–1730). Here is the marriage license:

Was Elizabeth Parkhurst the "Elizabeth Windebank" of the First Folio? Here is a copy of Francis (1656–1719) will mentioning his wife Elizabeth Windebank:

Here is Elizabeth's will transcribed.

Could the book originally have belonged to her husband's grandfather, Francis Windebank? 

The First Folio also has some writing in secretary hand adding in Troilus and Cressida to the list of plays. Might be possible to try to match this:

This could possibly be the Thomas Hurst (Dissertation by Professor Jennine Hurl-Eamon):

Here is another possible Thomas Hurst who was murdered in 1695:

John Moare Esq ; of the Parish of St. Martins in the Fields , was Indicted for murdering one Thomas Hurst Gent. on the 21st of July last, with a Sword value 5s. and giving him one mortal Wound of the breadth of one Inch, and of the depth of Six Inches in his Breast near to his Right Pap, of which he instantly died . The Prisoner and the deceased were drinking together at the Blue Posts in the Haymarket, till about Two a Clock in the morning, and words were heard to arise between them, and the Prisoner bid him pay his Reckoning, and go his Ways. 

(There is another interesting outside possibility. John Parkhurst was another close friend of Henry Neville's. Parkhurst accompanied Neville to France as his chaplain and Neville installed him at Shellingford. So the First Folio could have descended from the Parkhurst family  to Elizabeth -- but Parkhurst was a pretty common name.)

Much more to come on this, I will update this post with more details.

1666–1730

Henry Neville's Birthdate Settled?

Henry Neville's birthdate has been an open and unsettled question for a long time. Many Neville researchers have looked into this issue. I think we finally have enough evidence to say confidently that Henry Neville was born around April 11, 1563 (Easter Sunday). I will summarize all of the evidence here. If you are aware of more evidence, please let me know!

Henry Neville's Baptism

Henry Neville's baptism was registered at St Ann Blackfriars church on May 20, 1564. This information alone might suggest that he was likely born in May 1564. 

However, as we will show below, he was likely born a year earlier. Note that Henry Neville was likely one of Queen Elizabeth's godchildren; see this list:

Henry Neville's Entry to Merton College, Oxford

There is a record of Henry Neville entering Merton College, Oxford on 20 December 1577 at age 15. That would suggest he was born in 1561/2. 

Henry Neville's Age at Death

Henry Neville died on July 10, 1615. His friend James Whitelocke recorded in his diary at the time that Henry Neville was 52 years old. This suggests a possible birthdate of 1562/3.

Portrait Evidence

Before leaving for France as ambassador, Henry Neville appears to have sat for a portrait with Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger. The portrait is dated 1599 and says he was 36 years old. 

The Answer: Thomas Gresham's Chancery Inquisition Post Mortem

Henry Neville's mother's uncle, Thomas Gresham, left him and his father some property. So Henry Neville's age is listed in the inquisition taken after Gresham's death. Specifically: "The said Henry Nevell was on the 21st March last past of the age of 16 years 11 months and 10 days and is now living."

In other words, on March 21, 1580, Henry Neville was 16 years 11 months and 10 days old. So, if you subtract 16  years, 11 months, and 10 days from March 21, 1580, you get April 11, 1563.

The Confirmation: His Mother's Funeral Certificate

Henry Neville's mother, Elizabeth Gresham, died on November 12, 1573. Her funeral certificate lists the ages of her children at her death and lists Henry as being 10 years and a half. That is perfectly consistent with his birthdate being April 11, 1563.

Conclusion

It is still an open question why Henry Neville was baptized so late. It could be related to his being Queen Elizabeth's godson or there could be some other reason. Please let me know if you have any insight on this issue!

Is Jaques in As You Like It based on Henry Cuffe?

The Jaques character in As You Like It might be based on Henry Cuffe. Cuffe was a protégé of Henry Savile at Oxford and became Regius Professor of Greek. He then went on to be a secretary to the Earl of Essex. Cuffe participated in the Essex Rebellion and was hanged on 13 March 1601.

Henry Cuffe and Henry Neville

Cuffe was a close friend with Henry Neville. You can read Henry Neville's confession for details on how Cuffe tried to involve him in the Essex Rebellion.  At his execution, Cuffe asked for Neville's forgiveness and wrote this in his will:

I pray him [Henry Neville] to accept from his poor distressed friend, whose exceeding grief it is, that he hath by his late master's command been an occasion of his trouble; which I pray him most heartily to forgive me.

Henry Cuffe's The Differences of the Ages of Man's Life 

As You Like It was likely written in 1599/1600. Henry Cuffe's book, The Differences of the Ages of Man's Life, was published posthumously in 1607 with the date 1600 on the title page. You can read a transcription of the book or examine a digital facsimile:

Shakespeare scholars have long noted the connection between Jaques' speech on the seven ages of man and the themes in Cuffe's book. Henry Neville would almost certainly have read Cuffe's book in manuscript, and he could have referenced it when writing As You Like It.

Though discussion of the ages of man was a common topic from Aristotle onward, Jaques' speech has many parallels with Cuffe's book:

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms;
Then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin'd,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well sav'd, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion;
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans every thing. (As You Like It, 2.7)

Here is Cuffe; the parallels are obvious:

So have we seven several parts of our life, comprising our Pubertatem and adolescentiam,
Accordingly whereto the Astrologers have assigned to every of them their peculiar predominant Planet: our Infant age is allotted to the Moon's mild and moist dominion, cherishing us with her sweet influence which she hath especially upon moist bodies: our Boy-hood, Mercury hath charge over, inclining us to sportfulness, talk, and learning: Venus guides our blossoming lustful age: our youthful prime, by the Sun's lively operation is lifted up from base delights, to a loftier and more man like resolution and liveliness. Mars the stern god of war, hath the precincts of his dominion limited within compass of our man-age, adding courage to our livelihood, and whetting our otherwise dull spirits, unto a more ventrous boldness in quarrelling combats: Old age from Jupiter receiveth gravity and staidness: Decrepit crooked age, from the angry aspect of dry Saturn, sucketh the poisonous infirmities of crazy sickness and wayward pettishness: and this is briefly the summary explication of the differences of mans ages, and the causes of this distinction, together with those properties which the Astrologians mystically and darkly have propounded, as proper and peculiar to every and all of them.

The book overall is very impractical and philosophical in nature. It aligns very well with the Jaques character: as he is described by other characters and as he speaks in the play. 

Jaques' Greek Invocation

Jaques describes this song of his as a "Greek invocation, to call fools into a circle", perhaps a reference to Cuffe, who was a Greek professor:

JAQUES  Thus it goes:

   If it do come to pass

   That any man turn ass,

   Leaving his wealth and ease

   A stubborn will to please,

Ducdame, ducdame, ducdame.

      Here shall he see

      Gross fools as he,

An if he will come to me.

AMIENS  What's that "ducdame"?

JAQUES  'Tis a Greek invocation to call fools into a

circle. I'll go sleep if I can. If I cannot, I'll rail

against all the first-born of Egypt. (As You Like It, 2.5)

Jaques' Melancholy Pessimism

Jaques takes a very pessimistic, melancholy attitude. (note that the reference to Atalanta is a figure in Greek mythology):

You have a nimble wit; I think 'twas made of Atalanta's heels. Will you sit down with me? and we two will rail against our mistress the world, and all our misery. (As You Like It, 3.2)

It is a melancholy of mine own, compounded of many simples, extracted from many objects, and, indeed, the sundry contemplation of my travels; in which my often rumination wraps me in a most humorous sadness. As You Like It, 3.2)

 Compare with this from Cuffe's book:

We will come to the most pertinent comparison of man with man in this kind, if first we shall only remember what was Plinies opinion of the shortening our lives, namely, that God herein did greatly gratify us, by cutting off these days of misery: agreeable to which, Silemus being demanded what was the greatest happiness and good that God could doe a man, made answer, Never to be borne; and the next unto that, to die quickly.

Compare to King Lear:

When we are born, we cry that we are come
To this great stage of fools. (King Lear, 4.6)

 Cuffe and Cartomancy

There is another very interesting possible connection between Cuffe and Shakespeare. This 1620 book by John Melton, The Astrologaster, tells a story of how Cuffe consulted someone who did divinations via cards and foretold his death. You can read the full book here or examine a digital facsimile here:

Here is a transcription (modernized spelling):

There was another Wizard (as it was reported to me by a learned and rare Scholar, as we were discoursing about Astrology) that some twenty years before his death told Cuffe our Countryman, and a most excellent Grecian, that he should come to an untimely end: at which, Cuffe laughed, and in a scoffing manner entreated the Astrologer to shew him in what manner he should come to his end: who condescended to him, and calling for Cards, entreated Cuffe to draw out of the Pack three, which pleased him; who did so, and drew three Knaves: who (by the Wizards direction) laid them on the Table again with their faces downwards, and then told him, if he desired to see the sum of his bad fortunes reckoned up, to take up those Cards one after the other, and look on the inside of them, and he should be truly resolved of his future fortunes. Cuffe did as he was prescribed, and first took up the first Card, and looking on it, he saw the true portraiture of himself Cape a Pe, having men compassing him about with Bills and Halberds: then he took up the second Card, and there saw the Judge that sat upon him: at last, he took up the last Card, & saw Tyborne, the place of his Execution, & the Hangman, at which he then laughed heartily; but many years after, being condemned for Treason, he remembered the fatal Prediction of the Wizard, & before his death revealed it to some of his friends. If this be true, it was more then Astrology, and no better then flat Sorcery or Conjuring, which is devilish.

Melton's earlier book references Hamlet directly, so it's possible Melton was in the same social circles as the author of the works of Shakespeare. Much more to come on this! 

Part 8: Henry Neville and Henry Savile Annotations in Roman Antiquities

I have acquired a new, higher resolution image of this annotation by Henry Neville in the 1546 copy of Roman Antiquities by Dionysius of Halicarnassus. This annotation was discovered by John Casson and is from a private collection held at Audley End:

Here is a translation of the Latin: "Ancus Martius and Tarquinius Collatinus are omitted here, who reigned for 62 years. When these are added, the entire count of years will square". This annotation relates directly to Rape of Lucrece and Coriolanus.  I have a blog post that goes into detail demonstrating that this annotation is indeed in Henry Neville's handwriting. You can a digital facsimile of another copy of the same book here. 

John Casson also noted this reference to Lucius Tarquinius Superbus. It is in the same 1546 book and also relates directly to Lucrece. The Argument from Rape of Lucrece begins: "Lucius Tarquinius, for his excessive pride surnamed Superbus". This annotation was written by Henry Savile who had very distinctive handwriting. I have a blog post that goes into detail on Henry Savile's handwriting with many examples you can compare. Page 185 (digital facsimile):

Of course, Henry Savile was Henry Neville's tutor at Merton College, Oxford and they travelled together in Europe for several years.

This identification of Henry Savile's handwriting in the same book offers further confirmation of Henry Neville's annotation. Not only does the handwriting match Henry Neville's, not only is the book originally from Billingbear where Henry Neville lived, in addition his tutor's handwriting is in the book.

Here is another annotation of the same book on Page 9 (digital facsimile), clearly Henry Savile's handwriting:

Here are the close-up images:

Here is page 11  with Henry Savile's handwriting (digital facsimile):

Here is page 255 with Henry Savile's handwriting (digital facsimile):

Marston's "What You Will" and Shakespeare

The connection between What You Will and Shakespeare's Twelfth Night is well-established. They were both written around the same time (likely in 1600), and Twelfth Night is actually subtitled "What You Will"; it's the only Shakespeare play with a subtitle:

In addition, in February 1602 Twelfth Night was performed at the Middle Temple, where Marston was a member, according to this diary entry by John Manningham:

In 1607, publisher Thomas Thorpe teamed up with printer George Eld to publish John Marston's play What You Will. Two years later they published Shakespeare's Sonnets. 

My Shakespeare Affinity Test detects an extremely strong intertextual relationship between What You Will and the works of Shakespeare. In fact, it scores higher on my test than many Shakespeare plays (marked below in orange, #18):

What does this mean? What You Will has many words in it that appear in other Shakespeare plays but aren't that common in the entire database of 500+  plays. This is a completely objective test and it really singles out What You Will as unusually Shakespeare-like. The play is relatively short and very "dense" in the sense that there a very large number of unique words compared to the length of the play.

What is going on here? I believe this is due, in part, to Marston consciously and purposely using some unusual words from Shakespeare. That is what the Shakespeare Affinity Test is counting, after all: the number of unusual words in a play that occur in First Folio plays. There is also likely some influence going the other way; Shakespeare adopting some of Marston's words later on. And the two authors were likely pulling from common sources as well.

Examining the Whole Play

To get a better sense of what might be going on, I have reproduced the modern-spelling version of What You Will from EarlyPrint.org (under their CC license), and I have marked in red the "hits" from the Shakespeare Affinity Test. I have also marked in dark blue some sections that specifically seem to reference Shakespeare.

Note, just because a word is marked in red doesn't mean it is a borrowing from Shakespeare or vice versa. In some cases Marston and Shakespeare are just both using an uncommon word, and in some cases there is likely an intertextual connection. The threshold for "unusual" is completely arbitrary, and I could produce a version of this with more or fewer words marked in red just by changing that threshold. In other words, don't over-interpret a word being in red.

If you read through this, you will note that the Quadratus character seems to be satirizing Shakespeare. Here is one of the most interesting examples, where Quadratus specifically quotes Shakespeare "a horse a horse my kingdom for a horse". He also says this "Away Idolater, why you Don Kynsayder" which is a jab at Marston himself:

Quadratus.
signior Laverdure, by the heart of an honest man, this jebusite, this confusion to him, this worse than I dare to name, abuseth thee most incomprehensibly; is this your protest of most obsequious vassalage, protest to strain your utmost sum, your most—
Lam.
So Phoebus warm my brain, I'll rhyme thee dead,
Look for the Satire, if all the sour juice
Of a tart brain, can souse thy estimate,
I'll pickle thee.
Quadratus.
Ha he mount Chirall on the wings of fame.
A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse,Image 010-a eeboLook thee I speak play scraps. Bydet I'll down
Sing, sing, or stay we'll quaff or any thing
Rivo, Saint Mark, let's talk as loss as air
Unwind youths colours, display ourselves
So that you envy-starved Cur may yelp 

And spend his chaps at our fantasticness.
Sym.
O Lord Quadratus.
Quadratus.
Away Idolater, why you Don Kynsayder
Thou Canker eaten rusty cur, thou snaffleTo freer spirits.
Thinkest thou a libertine, am ungiu'd breast
scorns not the shackles of thy envious clogs
You will traduce us unto public scorn.

And this very interesting reference to Sonnets:

Quadratus.Light Angels, prithee leave them, withdraw a little and hear a Sonnet prithee, hear a Sonnet.

Quadratus also says "Rivo" several times, for instance:

Qua.
Feed and be fat my fair Calipolis,
Rivo here's good juice, fresh Burrage boy?

The above quote is also a reference to Henry IV, Part II:

Then feed and be fat, my fair Calipolis.
Come, give's some sack.

And "Rivo" likely comes from Henry IV, Part I:

I prithee, call in Falstaff: I'll play Percy, and
that damned brawn shall play Dame Mortimer his
wife. 'Rivo!' says the drunkard. Call in ribs, call in tallow.

And another character comments on Quadratus using this word:

there's my chub my Epicure Quadratus, that rubs his guts, claps his paunch & cries Rivo, entertaining my ears perpetually with a most strong discourse of the praise of bottle ale & red Herrings

Who is Quadratus Satirizing?

The character of Quadratus is a bit of an enigma.  In the play, he says this about himself: "I am fat and therefore faithful". He is also described, as we saw above, as an "Epicure...that rubs his guts, claps his paunch & cries Rivo". One wonders what fat individual might have been the true target for Marston's satire. Much more to come on this.

[Originally I reproduced the whole play here, if you actually want that just contact me.]