7 JULY 1973, Page 16

Rowse, Shakespeare

Sir: If the Pope holds himself LO be infallible, when speaking ex cathedra. then he should be very careful of what he says. The same applies to Dr Rowse when he lays down the taw on Shakespeare, his works and his times. One always suspects an author or academic who protests too much, and mere reiteration does not establish the truth. If that were the case Dr Rowse would be on a par with the Bellman, and it only takes one or two tiny slips to be discovered and his Snark will rapidly turn into a Boojum, too, with unpleasant results for both of them. R. W. Dyson wonders why Rowse is so pleased to have the approbation of Harold Macmillan and General de Gaulle. Concerning Macmillan I am not sure, Rowse is an arch-absolutist and Macmillan, when Prime Minister, was an arch-pragmatist. But with de Gaulle it is very plain, as they are blood brothers under the skin. Le Shakespeare, c'est molt

Brian Smith Church Street, Paterson, New South Wales, Australia