Flying Leaf

[Joseph Egert]

           GUTMAN: These are facts, historical facts, not schoolbook history, not Mr. Wells's

                           history, but history nevertheless.

                                                                                         (MALTESE FALCON, 1941)

 

Fellow resolutes, attend a tale of two copies and their flying leaf.

 

In his 1988 SQ piece (v.39, p.60, mis-cited in SHAKSPER SHK 17.0187 as RENAISSANCE QUARTERLY) Robert Evans notes three ink epitaphs written in secretary hand on what is now a rear endleaf of Folger First Folio #26, the Amherst copy (Lee #70/ West #84). Dr. Evans transcribes the unreported "Heere Shakespeare lyes" epitaph, sandwiched between the familiar Stratford Holy Trinity chancel monument ("Stay passenger") and gravestone ("Good frend") inscriptions. Shakespearians David Kathman, Terry Ross, and Tom Reedy were quick to seize upon this middle epitaph as early evidence of Shakespeare's posthumous reputation among his countrymen as world-class poet.

 

A century earlier, Ralph N. James, in a Jan 28, 1888 N&Q note (p.62) transcribed three handwritten epitaphs from a First Folio "end fly-leaf"---the middle one, suspiciously similar to the one reported by Evans (see Fig. 1 for both notes). James concludes his Jan 1888 note: "The book [i.e, First Folio] will be sold by Messrs. Christie in the ensuing season." In 1905, Latham Davis used James' middle epitaph transcription, substantially unaltered, as an epigraph for "The Phoenix Analyzed" section (p.249) of his SHAKE-SPEARE ENGLAND'S ULYSSES[...] in an effort to prove Essex the true author of HAMLET (see Fig.2). Davis footnotes this epitaph as being found "On a fly-leaf of a copy of the 1623 Folio, owned by the Messrs. Christie in 1888."

 

The Christie's auction house, as far as I could determine, handled no Shakespeare First Folio sale in 1888 or 1889 other than the March 1888 sale of the Aylesford copy (West #202; Lee #85; Meisei #2) and the June 1888 sale of the William Lee copy (later untraced). Yet I could find no mention of epitaphs in the ads, notices, or auction catalogue entries related to these two First Folio sales, nor to subsequent sales or exhibitions of the Aylesford copy, which currently resides at Meisei University in Japan as Meisei #2.

 

The next independent attestation of the handwritten epitaphs, after the 1888 James note, appears in Sidney Lee's 1902 CENSUS OF EXTANT COPIES, but now describing the Amherst copy (Lee #70; West #84; Folger #26). The entry reads in part: "There are, in 17th century handwriting on blank end-leaf, three epitaphs on Shakespeare, two respectively from the gravestone and monument in Stratford-on-Avon Church, the third being unknown elsewhere."

 

The epitaphs are again noted in Seymour de Ricci's 1906 "Hand-list" of Lord Amherst of Hackney's book and manuscript collection, as the "second copy (Sidney Lee, no. LXX)" of Item #806, which reads in part: "Bound about 1700 in panelled calf. On the fly-leaf at the end are written in an early hand three epitaphs on Shakespeare, one being unknown from any other source."

 

Finally, the Sotheby catalogue for the March 1909 Amherst library auction describes the Lee #70 Folio epitaphs in Lot #851 as follows: "On a fly-leaf at end in this copy are written in a nearly contemporary hand three epitaphs on Shakespeare, one being unknown from any other source." That same year Folger acquired the Amherst copy where it has since found a home along with its epitaph leaf as Folger First Folio #26 (Lee #70; West #84).

 

On June 18, 2007, I examined with my inexpert amateur's eye Folger Folio 26 and its epitaph leaf at the Folger Shakespeare Library in  Washington, DC, kindly assisted by the Folger staff. Inside the Folio's front cover, a pencilled notation, possibly by a dealer, in a cursive hand of late 19th-early 20th C. reads (according to Folger's Curator of Manuscripts, Dr Heather Wolfe):

 

       From MS epitaphs at end in a handwriting of the time about 1625

       "When the last trumpet doth unclose his eyes

         The wittiest poet in the world shall rise!"

 

The epitaphs themselves currently appear on the recto side of the first of two rear non-conjugate loose endleaves, in an early 17th C. secretary hand using a quill pen. The ink's fading to brown is similarly consistent with this date range. So far so good.

 

The handwriting, however, appears tentative and halting in spots to Dr Wolfe, which may argue against its authenticity. Also, the leaf's chain lines are horizontal rather than the expected vertical chain lines of a folio format. While the handwriting may yet be authentic, further investigation is warranted, i.e., comparing it to known forgeries like Collier's, etc.

 

The epitaph leaf shows a distinctive watermark: a two-handled pot or vase with five circlet "flowers" emerging, all topped by a crescent (see Figure 3 drawing). The first letter on the body of the pot is a "P", but the second letter is obscured. I was unable to find an exact match with any watermark in standard references (Briquet; Heawood; Churchill; etc.). Dr Geogianna Ziegler, Folger's Head of Reference, nonetheless believes its resemblance to certain of these watermarks indicates the paper is of 1586-1600 French manufacture. Dr Ziegler could not find this watermark on other Folio 26 leaves from the end and the beginning, a fact related perhaps to the book's rebinding. Similarly, Dr Noriko Sumimoto at Meisei in Japan found no such watermark on any leaf of the Aylesford copy (Meisei #2) now at Meisei (personal communications from Dr Ziegler and Dr Sumimoto).

 

Figure 3 carries my personal transcription (not a facsimile) of all three handwritten leaf epitaphs, as I believe an early 17th C reader might interpret them. I am solely responsible for any errors or deficiencies in the rendering. The erased portion beneath the three appears on the leaf and represents to my view (confirmed by Dr Wolfe) a different later hand's rendering of the "Stay passenger" line, immediately erased after writing--the smudging being indicative of fresh undried ink.

 

Figure 4 represents my transcription (not a facsimile) of the actual Stratford Holy Trinity chancel monument and gravestone inscriptions, based on pre-1974 photos and rubbings.

 

For ease of comparison,  Figure 5  matches each personally transcribed line of the leaf epitaph with its James N&Q twin underneath, and below that, where applicable, with its actual monument or gravestone confrere. It should be obvious by now, I believe Ralph James in 1888, Robert Evans in 1988, and Joseph Egert in 2007, were looking at the same epitaph leaf, and that any discrepancies in James' note derived from his misreading the epitaphs. The leaf appears to have flown from copy to copy, directed by an unseen hand, in an effort, perhaps, to beautify with its inky feathers any Folio up for sale.

 

Despite doubts surrounding its transmission, the middle epitaph itself may still be genuine. If so, who might the author be? Could it be it Ben Jonson (1572-1637), likely sire of the "Stay passenger" monument inscription? Is it John Fletcher (1579-1625), successor to Shakespeare as King's Men lead playwright? Or his cousin Giles Fletcher (1588-1623), who uses the singularly rare phrase "wittiest poet" in his CHRIST'S VICTORIE (1610)? Or the Countess of Pembroke (1561-1621), Mary Sidney Herbert, who uses "doth unclose" in her 1592 poem "Antonius"? Her literary circle included water poet John Taylor (1580-1653), Sir John Davies (1569-1620), Samuel Daniel (1562-1619), and Michael Drayton (1561-1621), who also uses "doth unclose" in "The Third Song" of POLY-OLBION (1622).

 

Perhaps, Shakespeare's likely friend, the writing master and prolific poet John Davies of Hereford (1565-1618), authored the poem shortly after the Bard's death and not long before his own. Is Shakespeare drumming up blueblood business for his friend Davies, when he has Hamlet remark (Act V, Sc 2): "I once did hold it as our statists do,/ A baseness to write fair, and labored much/ How to forget that learning, but sir, now/ It did me yeoman's service."

Brian Vickers, what say ye?

 

Or, is the poem itself the stuff that dreams are made of?

 

        GUTMAN: "Yes, it's the Russian's hand. There's no doubt about it."

 

 

Whose hand?

Joe Egert

 

 

(I wish to thank for their invaluable assistance Anthony James West; Robert Evans; Eric Rasmussen; and the patient staffs at the Bodley Library, British Library, Christie's, Claremont College Library, Johns Hopkins Libraries, Meisei U., Newcastle U. Library, Rarebooks (Quaritch), Sotheby's, and especially the Folger Shakespeare Library.) 

 

 

 

 

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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