The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 12.2078  Friday, 31 August 2001

From:           Hugh Davis <
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Date:           Thursday, 30 Aug 2001 11:12:49 -0400
Subject:        Re: you only ever hear from me when I want a favor

I pass on a query from a former professor of mine, regarding a quotation
from William Butler Yeats:

In 1905 WBY wrote,

"One day, as he [Shakespeare] sat over Holinshed's _History of England_,
he persuaded himself that Richard the Second, with his French culture,
'his too great friendliness to his friends', his beauty of mind, and his
fall before dry, repelling Bolingbroke, would be a good image for an
accustomed mood of fanciful, impracticable lyricism in his own mind."

The quotation is not in _RII_ nor anywhere else in Shakespeare. Nor is
it included in the extracts from Holinshed that are typically printed in
some editions of the play.

So there it is, presumably a phrase lifted from Holinshed, but perhaps
not. I'm honestly not expecting even the SHAKSPEReans to be able to
answer this offhand, but thought it would be worth a shot.

Thanks again,
Steve

Can anyone up here help identify the full passage from which this
quotation
is drawn?  If you want to, please contact me offlist at

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Thank you,

Hugh Davis

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