Lloyd
“ Malone points out that the Apologue of Shakespeare's Menenius bears as evident traces of obligations to Camden's Remains concerning Great Britain, &c., as to North's Plutarch. If this be so, it fixes the date of the play at least after 1605, which is in every way probable—more so, I think, than that the coincidences are due to Camden's memory of the play.
It is with regret that I pass from the question of the date of the play with so unsatisfying result, but as matters stand there is no help for it. Not alone the excellence of the play in itself renders it desirable to fix it to a year, but from the subject matter of it there would be great interest and instruction in knowing pre- cisely the current page of contemporary history that was open before the dramatist when he embodied in living action this illustration of the virtues and the vices that are shared and contrasted in the factions of the many and the few.”