In another thread JB wrote:

Polonius' speech to Laertes is almost chapter and verse a list of Rules of Comportment that was written for his family by William Cecil, Lord Burghley, one of Queen Elizabeth's most devoted and loyal advisors. And, interestingly enough, the guardian of a troublesome young man named Edward De Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford.

**********

I replied:

I'd be interested to know, JB, why you are so convinced (or believe the weight of evidence supports the idea anyway) that De Vere is the likeliest candidate for Shakespeare authorship.  De Vere died in 1604, and Shakespeare's greatest works like Macbeth and Lear were performed circa 1606, including topical allusions that place them quite firmly after DeVere's death.  Is there a reason why you dismiss this?

Edit: I mean of course there are reasons, I am just interested to know what they are

I wanted to post it here in case you missed it in the other thread - not trying to badger if you don't wish to answer

Now try this one: if Will Shaksper was the author, and did not shuffle off this mortal coil until 1616, why does the dedication of the first publication of the Sonnets, printed in 1609, refer to the author as if he is dead?

If I read you right, JB, you are saying that those topical allusions (e.g. In Macbeth,the porter's speech about equivocation, the references to The Tiger etc.) are later additions?  Interesting. 

I think this is what JB was referring to:

I was introduced to this whole authorship stuff by JB's brief discussion of it
in the Next Men letter column.

*************

Me, too.

For myself, I knew that there was a question,  but even in my undergraduate days never heard of the question referred to with anything other than tongue in cheek until JB brought it up on this board. I haven't looked into it since, and only thought about it today because of his remarks in the Thoughts to live by thread, but am certainly taking the idea more seriously now. 

Edit:1616 posts! A coincidence?  You decide...