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):