伦敦的莎士比亚，剽窃者？

莎士比亚如果不去伦敦而在斯特拉特福德混日子，也许那小镇上会多一个整日在雅芳河边晒太阳排遣时光的臭皮匠，后来搞大邻村一个老姑娘的肚子，便自认倒霉娶她进门，养一群儿女。再后来，到了现代，保不准子孙后代戴着祖传手艺的皮手套，在河边的泰迪熊店流连忘返。这样的人生与那个在黑修士剧场与环球剧场叱咤风云的人生不具可比性，也不能说谁好谁孬，唯一的差别是，在风浪中前进的沙子被推至时光的岸边，而其他那些都沉入水底，不明不显了。
多一些历史故事后人来借鉴也好消遣也好获得生命的认同与延续感也好，总是不错的。比如剧作家莎士比亚就会比臭皮匠莎士比亚更有“历史价值”。1586年左右他去的大都会，1592年成为公众人物，其中怎么与戏剧结缘的始末已无从考据，从后来的成就看，或许有人慧眼识珠，培养了这样一颗演作俱佳的新星。人一旦得了威风就容易招来恶毒的舌头，“those puppits, I meane, that speake from our mouths, those anticks garnisht in our colours. Yes, trust them not, for there is an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his Tygers heart wrapt in a Players hide, supposes he is as well able to bumbast out a blanke verse as the best of you; and being an absolute Johannes Factotum, is in his owne conceit the only Shake-scene in a countrie. O that I might intreate your rare wits to be imployed in more profitable courses, and let those apes imitate your past excellence, and never more acquaint them with your admired inventions! I know the best husband of you all will never prove an usurer, and the kindest of them all will never proove a kinde nurse; yet, whilst you may,seeke you better maisters, for it is pittie men of such rare wits should be subject to the pleasures of such rude groomes.”这段饱含忿忿不平，出言狠毒的评论出自Robert Greene之口，格林老兄也是个拿笔杆的，骂人也挺有两下子，什么用别人羽毛装饰起来的乌鸦，什么东施效颦猢狲状，什么演员皮恶虎心，什么Shake-scene的双关，甚至连拉丁文Johannes Factotum也用上了，放到今日，也许人们只能吐槽两句bastard, sonofbitch之类。这文章若当时放到报章杂志上，博一个义正言辞的美名还好，偏要命的是，格林老兄这只是私底下发泄不满，死后被朋友付梓印刷，几百年后还被莎学家翻出来，落一个非明人且做暗事的是非，实在可怜。最终这些都只能用来反面衬托莎士比亚的光辉岁月，证实他在舞台前后的风光。
上面那段出现在名叫Greenes Groats-worth of Wit的小册子里，由Henry Chettle出版，这书不仅得罪了莎士比亚，还有马娄，Chettle后来专门在他自己同年出版的Kind-Harts Dreame前言中替二人申辩："With neither of them that take offence was I acquainted, and with one of them I care not if I never be. The other, whome at that time I did not so much spare as since I wish I had, for that as I have moderated the heate of living writers, and might have usde my owne discretion,---especially in such a case, the Author beeing dead,---that I did not, I am so sory, as if the originally fault had beene my fault, because myselfe have seene his demeanor no lesse civill, that he exelent in the quality he professes: Besides, divers of worship have reported his uprightnes of dealing, which argues his honesty, and his facetious grace in writing, that aprroves his art." 这副敢做不敢当，转而拍马溜须的丑态，不知格林见了，会不会从坟墓中爬起来讨个公道。另一方面，看来莎马二人都到了不可得罪的地步，尤其是莎翁，Chettle没有指名道姓那个个性纯良风华绝代的the other是谁，从quality一词当时释义（演员职业）来看，无疑是说莎士比亚了。对于马娄，好歹Chettle还有胆子说不在乎认不认识。
这一切还都是1592年的破事儿，而莎士比亚真正的飞黄腾达也许要从1593年的《维纳斯与阿东尼斯》说起。