The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 17.0107  Friday, 3 March 2006

From: 		Elliott Stone <
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Date: 		Thursday, 2 Mar 2006 21:46:36 -0500
Subject: 	Re: Authentication

I have never met Professor Brian Vickers but I feel like a student of 
his. By that I mean that I have worked my way slowly through his edition 
of "Counterfeiting Shakespeare". I find his work immensely satisfying 
and his voluminous notes and details tremendously enlightening and 
informative, especially when they clarify matters of Shakespearean 
attribution, a subject about which I feel woefully deficient. I'm 
extremely grateful to him for having taken on such a challenging task 
and for having executed it so successfully.

I am, however, puzzled by one of his conclusions found in Chapter 11 
page 364 in which he deals with the Elegy by W.S. Dedication "---Just so 
'W.S.' affirms that, in performing 'this last duty of a friend to 
William Peter.

(*1) I am herein but a second to the priviledge of Truth who can warrant 
more in his behalf, than I undertooke to deliver.

The language of the Elegye's dedication, with its denial of ulterior 
motives, mercenary or sycophantic, echoes Ford's dedications in other 
respects."

It would appear to my ear that in fact what' W.S.' is saying is- "That I 
have no intention of telling the Truth"!

If you add to this point, the lack of an author's name, the failure of 
the publisher Thorpe to have his name placed on the publication, the 
lack of any correspondence between the facts set out in the poem and the 
actual life of Peter and the other matters all dealt with by Professor 
Foster in his contra arguments in favor of a private work intended for 
the family and friends of the deceased then you will come to the same 
conclusion that I came to-the Elegye is in fact a satire.

Best,
Elliott H. Stone

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