Was Signed : William Shakespeare

Capitals

Initials : …. T(I) …. F …. W …. F …. A …. W …. D …. T …. A …. W ….. I ….. T …. W
value …….. 19 (9) 6 …. 21 …. 6 ….. 1 ….. 21 …. 4 …. 19 1 ….. 21 …. 9 …. 19 21
counting .. 19 28 34 55 61 62 83 .. 87 .. 106 .107 . 128 .. 137.. 156 . 177 .
or …………. 19 …  …. 254652 5. 53 …. 74 .. 7897 . 98119 .. 128 . 147 . 168 .. ..

 

A total of 177 happens to correspond with ‘William Shakespeare’, and three subtotals in the reduced sequence are hits on Bardian signatures as well. If only there was a way to rule out chance as the source of at least that impressive looking ‘177’. In that case we would have irrefutable evidence that Q1 is an authorized copy. As things stand now, we only have Q1’s formal denial that 177 is more than a chance hit. This because its twelve lines reverse the signature, and place it between brackets. And in the process it defines the subtotals on the respective lines nine as evident chance hits by means of inconsistent positioning :

Initials : …. T (I) …. F …. W …. F …. A …. W …. (T A). I …. T …. W
value …….. 19 (9) 6 …. 21 …. 6 ….. 1 ….. 21…. (19 1) 9 19 …. 21
counting .. 19 28 34 55 61 62 83 .. 102  103 ..112 . 131 .. 152 .
or …………. 19 …  – …. 254652 5. 53 …. 74….….. 83 . 102 . 123

It takes some awareness of the reversions in this scheme, to recognize that each single one of these chance hits is deliberately marked with a line initial. Or that the ‘Will’ on the F-line is joined with a ‘Shakspere’ in the subtotals from the opposite direction (followed by a ‘W’ Shakespeare’ on the other F-line).

The random capitals happen to reverse the pattern. In Q2 they produce blanks only. But in Q1 their overall score is marked by an initial. The very initial even, that combines with the line initial that marks the hit on 177 to a signature in its own right.

Q2
random …. (V …. S) …. P …. P …. S
value …….. (20 .. 18) .. 151518
counting … 2038 .. 5368 .. 86
or………….. ( – …. – ) .. 1530 .. 48

Q1
random …. (V …. S) …. L (F…. P) …. P …. S
value …….. (20 . 18)11 .. ( 6 .. 15)1518
counting … 20 .. 3849 .. 55 .. 7085 .. 103
org ……….. ( –– )11 .. ( – .. ) ..  26 .. 44

It is worth mentioning that accepting the signature as intentional, leaves us with not a single chance hit in either sequence. A statistical anomaly that borders at the impossible. By which means Q1 once more denies intention.

It takes some awareness of the difference between sequences, to recognize the ‘W’ that these quartos write on ‘S’. Or the ‘Q’ that is involved.