Oct. 12. 1850.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



307 



number of that magazine on the authorship of 

 Henry VIII. After expressing himself "gratified 

 but not surprised " by the coincidence between 

 his views and those of %i.Y. Hickson in "Notes and 

 Queries" (Vol. ii., p. 198.), Mr. Spedding pro- 

 ceeds : 



" The resemblance of the style, in some parts of the 

 play, to Fletcher's, was pointed out to me several years 

 ago by Alfred Tennyson (for I do not know why I 

 should not mention his name) ; and long before that, 

 the general distinctions between Sbakspeare's manner 

 and Fletcher's had been admirably explained by Charles 

 Lamb in his note on the 3'k)0 Noble Kinsmai, and by 

 Mr. Spalding in his Essay. And in respect to this I had 

 myself derived additional light, more, perhaps, than I 

 am aware of, from Mr. Hickson himself, if he be (as I 

 suppose he is) the S. H. of the Jrcstminster Review. 

 But having been thus put upon the scent and furnished 

 with principles, I followed the inquiry out by myself, 

 without help or communication. That two independent 

 inquirers should thus have arrived at the same conclu- 

 sions upon so many particulars, must certainly be con- 

 sidered very singular, except upon one supposition ; 

 viz., that the conclusions are according to reason. Upon 

 that supposition, nothing is more natural ; and I must 

 confess, for my own part, that I should have been more 

 surprised if the coincidence had been less exact." 



We will borrow one more paragraph from Mr. 

 Spedding's communication (which is distinguished 

 throughout by the liberality of tone of a true 

 scholar), and we doubt not that the wish expressed 

 at its conclusion is one in which our readers join 

 as heartily as ourselves : — 



" I hope, however, that Mr. Hickson may be induced 

 to pursue his own investigation further, ar,d to develop 

 more fully the suggestion which he throws out as to 

 a difference of style discernible in the scenes which he 

 attributes to Shakspeare. If I understand him rightly, 

 he sees traces in this pl."y of the earlier as well as the 

 later hand of both poets. I cannot say that I perceive 

 any indications of this myself, nor, if it be so, can I 

 well make out how it should have come to pass. But 

 I should be glad to hear more about it." 



It will be seen by the following extract from 

 Mr. Emerson's liepresentxitive Men, for which we 

 are indebted to our correspondent A. It., that the 

 subject had attracted the attention of that dis- 

 tinguished writer . — 



" In Tlenry VI IT. I think I see plainly the cropping 

 out of the origin.il rock on which his (Sbakspeare's) 

 own finer stratum was laid. The first play was written 

 by a superior, tlioughtful man, with a vicious ear. I 

 can mark his lines, and know well their cadence. See 

 Wolsey's SoliUxpiy, ami the following scene with 

 Cromwell, where, instead of the nutre of Shakspeare, 

 whose secret is, that the thought constructs the tune, 

 so that reading for the sense will best bring out the 

 riiytliin ; here the lines are constructed on a given tune, 

 and the verse has even a trace of pulpit eloquence. 

 But the play contains, through all iis length, unmis- 

 takcablc traits of Shakspoare's liand ; and some passages, 



as the account of the coronation, are like autographs. 

 What is odd, the compliment to Queen Elizabeth is in 

 the bad rhythm." 



QUEEN ELIZABETH AND Sia HENKY NEVILL. 



IMany years ago I copied the following note from 

 a volume of Berkshire pedijjrees in the British 

 Museum, my reference to which is unluckily lost. 

 " Queen Elizabeth, in her first progress at Maiden- 

 hithe Bridge, being mett by all the Nobility, Kn*«, and 

 Esquires of Berks, they kneeling on both sides of her 

 way, shee alighted at the bridge foot, and walked on 

 foote through the midst, and coming just agaynst Sir 

 Henry Nevill of Billingbear, made a stay, and leyd 

 her glove on his head, saying, ' I am glad to see thee. 

 Brother Henry.' Hee, not pleased with the expression, 

 swore she would make the court believe hee was a 

 bastard, at which shee laughed, and passed on." 



The masquing scene in Henry VIIL, as described 

 by Holinshed, "perhaps furnishes a clue to the 

 Queen's pleasantry, though Shakspeare has omitted 

 the particular incident relating to Sir Henry 

 Nevill. The old chronicler, after giving an ac- 

 count of Wolsey's banquet, and the entrance of a 

 noble troop of strangers in masks, amongst whom 

 he suspected that the king made one, proceeds as 

 follows : — 



" Then the Lord Chamberlain said to the Cardinal, 

 Sir, they confesse that among them there is such a 

 noble personage whom, if your Grace can appointe 

 out ' from the rest, he is content to disclose himself 

 and to accept your place.' Whereupon the Cardinal, 

 taking good advisement among them, at the last quoth 

 he, ' !\ie seemeth the gentleman in the black beard 

 should be even he,' and with that he arose out of his 

 chaire and offered the same to the gentleman in the 

 black beard, with his cap in his hand. The person to 

 whom he offered the chaire was Sir Edward Nevill, a 

 comelie knight, that much more resembled the king's 

 person in that mask tban anie other. The King per- 

 ceiving the Cardinal so deceived, could not forbear 

 laughing, and pulled down his visor and Maister 

 Nevill's too." 



Sir Edward Nevill of Aldington, in Kent, was 

 the second surviving son of George Nevill, Lord 

 Abergavenny, and the lather of Sir Henry Nevill 

 above mentioned,' who laid the foundation-stone 

 and built the body and one wing of Billingbear 

 House, which still belongs to his descendant. Sir 

 Edwai-d Nevill was beheaded for high treason in 

 1538, his likeness to Henry Vlll. not saving hini 

 from the fate which befell so many of that king's 

 unhappy favourites. Bkaybrooke. 



Audley End. 



iBinav ilatt^. 



TI7(fl/«. — Tychscn thinks the stories of whales 

 mistaken lor islands originated in the perplexities 

 of inexperienced sailors when first venturing li'om 



