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The Times Literary Supplement, 1509 (1 Jan 1931) 12

Sir, – I am gratified that so distinguished a scholar as Mr. Oliphant should express approval of my article on Cyril Tourneur in your issue of November 13. 1 To the points he raises I should like to reply as briefly as possible.

I am sorry if Mr. Oliphant thinks that I attach excessive importance to the chronology of the Stationers’ Register. I am by no means one of those who consider these records decisive. My point is really this: in the absence of any really cogent evidence to the contrary I submit that the evidence of the Stationers’ Register must be treated with respect. As I made clear in the article, I was once convinced that The Atheist’s Tragedywas earlier than The Revenger’s Tragedy; and I tried to present the considerations which now leave me with an open mind. Mr. Oliphant does not himself offer any strong reasons for believing that The Revenger’s Tragedyis the later play, and indeed, as he does not believe they are by the same author, he is not in a position to do so.

But I confess I cannot see why Mr. Oliphant should raise this point at all or why he should question the Stationers’ Register in this context, inasmuch as he maintains his faith that The Revenger’s Tragedywas written by Middleton. 2 He says, “. . . would anyone dream for a moment of connecting the play with Tourneur but for the slight shred of external evidence in his favour?” 3

If there were any considerable body of dramatic work definitely agreed upon to be Tourneur’s, and if this body of work was closely similar to The Atheist’s Tragedyand equally diverse from The Revenger’s Tragedy, the shred of evidence would be very slight indeed. But, as things are, I cannot help feeling that Mr. Oliphant has concentrated his attention more on the difference between the two plays attributed to Tourneur than on the difference between The Revenger’s Tragedyand those tragedies which we are sure were written by Middleton. We know more about Middleton than we do about Tourneur; and I submit that the differences between The Revenger’s Tragedyand the whole of Middleton’s work in tragedy are more significant than the differences between the two plays attributed to Tourneur. 4

I am, Sir, yours,    your reviewer

Published By:   Faber & Faber logo    Johns Hopkins University Press

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