|
|
ABSTRACT
THE
MARGINALIA OF EDWARD DE VERE'S GENEVA BIBLE: PROVIDENTIAL DISCOVERY,
LITERARY REASONING,
AND HISTORICAL CONSEQUENCE
FEBRUARY 2001
ROGER A. STRITMATTER, B.A., THE EVERGREEN STATE COLLEGE
M.A., NEW SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH
PH.D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AT AMHERST
DIRECTED
BY: PROFESSOR WILLIAM MOEBIUS
AND PROFESSOR JAMES FREEMAN
This dissertation analyzes the findings of a ten year study of the 1568-70 Geneva Bible originally owned and annotated by Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (1550-1604), and now owned by the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C. (Folger shelf mark 1427). This is the first and - presently -- only dissertation in literary studies which pursues with open respect the heretical but probative thesis of John Thomas Looney (1920), B. M. Ward (1928), Charlton Ogburn Jr. (1984) and other "amateur" scholars, which postulates de Vere as the literary mind behind the popular nom de plume "William Shakespeare." The dissertation reviews a selection of the many credible supports for this theory and then considers confirmatory evidence from the annotations of the de Vere Bible, demonstrating the coherence of life, literary precedent, and art, which is the inevitable consequence of the Oxford theory. Appendices offer detailed paleographical analysis, review the history of the authorship question, consider the chronology of the Shakespearean canon, and refute the claim of some critics that the alleged connections between the de Vere Bible and "Shakespeare" are "random."
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION: ON PROVIDENCE, HERMENEUTICS AND HISTORY 1 1. THE OXFORDIAN SYNTHESIS 7 2. MARK HIM WELL 15 3. THE ALMS HE GAVE 23 4. "SECRET INTENTS" 31 5. OXFORD'S LIFE IN THE PLAYS 41 6. SOME CURIOUS MARKS 47 7. STRONG CIRCUMSTANCES 55 8. FIVE TYPES OF EVIDENCE 61 9. A ROSETTA STONE 69 10. RENAISSANCE READING: THE ART AND PRACTICE OF THE LOCI COMMUNES 83 11. THE 'PERFECT PATTERN OF A POET': OXFORD AND THE NEO-PLATONIC IDEAL 89 12. GOD LOOKS ON THE INWARD HEART:
OXFORD'S NEO-PLATONISM AND HIS BIBLE95 13. GOLIATH'S SPEAR 101 14. DAVID, ORPHEUS AND THE PATTERN OF THE POET 109 15. THE ANOINTED KING 117 16. DAMNED IN THE BOOK OF HEAVEN 127 17. PURPOSES MISTOOK 135 18. THOSE THAT HAVE POWER TO HURT 141 19. A MAN MORE SINNED AGAINST THAN SINNING 149 20. SMALLEST THINGS IN MEASURE FOR MEASURE 159 21. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE BODY? 175 22. AN UNWEEDED GARDEN 183 23. HAMLET'S ALETHEIA: THE GOSPEL OF JOHN AS PRETEXT AND SUBTEXT OF HAMLET 189 24. NEEDIE NOTHING TRIMMED IN JOLLITY 201 25. "WILL-I-AM SHAKESPEARE" 209 26. PRECEDENT AND MEANING IN SHAKE-SPEARE'S SONNETS 215 27. THE HUNDREDTH PSALM TO THE TUNE OF
GREENSLEEVES223 28. SPEECH ACTS 231 29. EVeRY WORD 241 30. AS YOU FROM CRIMES WOULD PARDONED BE 247
The complete de Vere Bible Dissertation is available for Sale in the Shakespeare Fellowship Shopping Cart.
Table of Appendices
A. Table of Shakespeare Diagnostics 263 B. Shakespeare Diagnostics Detailed 267 C. Jim McGill's "Statistical Observations Related to the Verses in the De Vere Bible" 303 D. Table of Shakespeare Verses Marked in De Vere Bible 309 E. Control Data Tables: English Writers 317 F. Control Data Tables: French Writers 328 G. Transcript of the Bible Annotations 348 H. Forensic Paleography 433 I. Forensics Report of Ms. Emily Will 471 J. A Note on the Alleged "Randomness" of the de Vere Bible Annotations 473 K. Four Criticisms of the Present Study Refuted 479 L. The Composition Date of The Tempest 485 M. An Abbreviated History of the Authorship Controversy 491 N. A Matter of Style 501 Bibliography 509
Table of Figures
One De Vere Bible Binding 49 Two Close-Up of de Vere Heraldic Boar 50 Three Gheeraedts Portrait of de Vere with Boar 50 Four Folger Invoice for de Vere Bible 50 Five Micah 7.9 underlined 52 Six Psalm 137 with pointing hand 52 Seven Job 32.8 with fleur-de-lys 53 Eight Wisdom 18.21 with marginal note 53 Nine Ecclesiasticus 14.13 with correction & note 54 Ten Romans 6.19-22 55 Eleven Wisdom 18.21 with marginal note 56 Twelve 1st and 2nd order connections 58 Thirteen Numbers 20.7-8 61 Fourteen Ecclesiasticus 28.1-4 62 Fifteen Ecclesiasticus 23.16-19 64 Sixteen Deuteronomy 15.2-14 65 Seventeen I Corinthians 6.18-20 66 Eighteen II Samuel 1.14 66 Nineteen Philippians 2.14-15 67 Twenty Schematic of Shakespeare Bible References 78 Twenty-one Shakespeare Diagnostics 78 Twenty-two Ecclesiasticus 13.1-4 79 Twenty-three Comparison of Diagnostics 80 Twenty-four Summer's Last Will…. Title Page 94 Twenty-five "Homo Microcosmos" 95 Twenty-six I Samuel 16.6-7 97 Twenty-seven II Corinthians 4.16-18 98 Twenty-eight I Corinthians 6.19-21 98 Twenty-nine Note to I Samuel 14.1 101 Thirty Note to II Samuel 16.10 102 Thirty-one II Samuel 21.16-20 102 Thirty-two Thessalonians 5.5-8 106 Thirty-three Wisdom 5.16-20 107 Thirty-four I Samuel 26.12 108 Thirty-five I Samuel 16.23 111 Thirty-six De Vere carrying sword of state 121 Thirty-seven Sonnet 125 122 Thirty-eight Herald Segar's drawing of 1588 procession 123 Thirty-nine Eliza Triumphans 124 Forty Sonnet 109 125 Forty-one Defaced engraving of Erasmus 129 Forty-two Revelations 3.5 130 Forty-three I Kings 2.31 135 Forty-four Wisdom 11.13 136 Forty-five De Vere arms with shield 138 Forty-six Sonnet 94 143 Forty-seven Matthew 5.1-5 143 Forty-eight Wisdom 12.17-19 144 Forty-nine Exodus 3.14 144 Fifty Sonnet 121 144 Fifty-one Ecclesiasticus 10.7-14 145 Fifty-two Ecclesiasticus 20.17 146 Fifty-three Wisdom 2.23-24 150 Fifty-four Romans 7.19-21 151 Fifty-five Sonnet 151 152 Fifty-six Influence of Geneva note on Sonnet 151 152 Fifty-seven II Esdras 8.31-32 153 Fifty-eight Ecclesiasticus 38.15 153 Fifty-nine Ezekiel 18.1-4 153 Sixty Ezekiel 18.20-22 154 Sixty-one Peacham's "Measure for Measure" emblem 165 Sixty-two Title page of Twayne "Measure" essay 166 Sixty-three "Measure" 4.3.122-26 171 Sixty-four Matthew 5.17-18 172 Sixty-five Ezekiel 16.49 176 Sixty-six Revelations 3.20 181 Sixty-seven Hosea 9.7 184 Sixty-eight Hosea 10.12 185 Sixty-nine Wisdom 11.13 187 Seventy Wisdom 3.10 188 Seventy-one Revelations 14.13 189 Seventy-two John 1.1 in Greek, Latin & English 195 Seventy-three John 17.17 in Greek, Latin & English 195 Seventy-four De Vere coat of arms with motto 197 Seventy-five Mark 10.21 202 Seventy-six The "Cross" 202 Seventy-seven Ecclesiasticus 14.13 204 Seventy-eight Hebrews 13.16 206 Seventy-nine Revelations 3.17 207 Eighty Matthew 6.1-4 217 Eighty-one Sonnet 217 Eighty-two Peacham's Emblem on Matt. 6.1-4 218 Eighty-three Note to Genevan Psalm 37 219 Eighty-four Micah 7. 220 Eighty-five Sonnet 72 220 Eighty-six Ecclesiasticus 41.9-12 221 Eighty-seven Sternhold & Hopkins Title Page 223 Eighty-eight Genevan Psalm 18.18-20 225 Eighty-nine Psalm 100 226 Ninety Psalm 67 226 Ninety-one Psalm 30 227 Ninety-two Psalm 100 from STC 2488 228 Ninety-three Psalm 137 229 Ninety-four Psalm 12 230 Ninety-five De Vere Echo Poem c. 1581 232 Ninety-six Wisdom 1.1-12 234 Ninety-seven Ecclesiasticus 14.1 234 Ninety-eight Philippians 2.14-15 235 Ninety-nine II Corinthians 8.10-12 236 One hundred Ecclesiasticus 23.8-13 237 One hundred and one Ecclesiasticus 7.10 237 One hundred and two Ecclesiasticus 11.21-27 239 One hundred and three Sonnet 72 241 One hundred and four Wisdom 1.11 243 One hundred and five Sonnet 76 243 One hundred and six As You Like It 5.113-59 245 One hundred and seven
Bolbeck Crest248 One hundred and eight Isaiah 29.10-12 248 One hundred and nine Isaiah 29.17-19 249 One hundred and ten Droeshout engraving 250 One hundred and eleven Daniel Title page 251 One hundred and twelve Ecclesiasticus 28.1-5 255 One hundred and thirteen Prospero's epilogue 257 One hundred and fourteen History of de Vere Bible 474 One hundred and fifteen Proverbs 22.1 479 One hundred and sixteeen Ecclesiasticus 41.9-12 480 One hundred and seventeen Orthodox Chronology 485 One hundred and eighteen "A Renunciation" 501 One hundred and nineteen "My Mind to Me a Kingdom Is" 502 One hundred and twenty "Vere Os Salustii" …… 503