It would take me too far from my purpose to discuss the authorship of _The Two Noble Kinsmen_ in detail, interesting as the problem is, but as many critics have assigned the “un-Fletcherian” parts of the play to Massinger, I have, as in duty bound, read the play carefully several times. There is very little trace of his style, or method, or metre. The only passage which reads to me like Massinger is assigned by Boyle to Fletcher.(324) Mr. Dugdale Sykes, in an acute article,(325) has produced some parallels between Massinger and _The Two Noble Kinsmen_; but though one or two of them are striking, they do not prove his case when they are looked at in connexion with the context. Take, for example: 3RD QUEEN. He that will all the treasure know o’ th’ earth Must know the centre too.(326) Mr. Sykes compares these lines in _The Parliament of Love_: CLEREMOND. And I should gild my misery with false comforts, If I compared it with an Indian slave’s, That with incessant labour to search out Some unknown mine, dives almost to the centre.(327) On this passage I make two remarks: first, such similarity of thought as is found here may be due to imitation or unconscious reminiscence of _The Two Noble Kinsmen_. A man who constantly repeats himself is surely the sort of person who would delight to borrow thoughts and phrases from other writers, and to imitate whole scenes and incidents. Are we to suppose that Massinger confined his studies to Shakspere? Secondly, let us judge the passage as a whole; it runs thus: He that will all the treasure know o’ th’ earth Must know the centre too; he that will fish For my least minnow, let him lead his line To catch one at my heart. Anything more unlike Massinger than this fishing for minnows cannot be imagined. Take again the parallel,(328) “which alone should be conclusive of Massinger’s authorship”: PIRITHOUS. Though I know His ocean needs not my poor drops, yet they Must yield their tribute there. My precious maid, Those best affections, that the heavens infuse In their best temper’d pieces, keep enthroned In your dear heart.(329) In _Believe as You List_ we have: Though I know The ocean of your apprehensions needs not The rivulet of my poor cautions, yet, Bold from my long experience, I presume, etc.(330) Though the similarity of thought and expression in the first three lines is manifest, the archaic simplicity of the first passage differs greatly from the mature flow of the second.