Key Questions
Is the poem A Funerall Elegye by W.S. by one writer? Yes: analysis of lengthy samples revealed homogeneity.
Can an authentic sample of Shakespeare, his two signed dedications, be shown to be consistent with other samples by him, but to separate from samples by another writer? Yes: all analyses with both Christopher Marlowe and John Ford resulted in separation, visible proof of mixed authorship.
Is the Dedication to the Elegye consistent with Shakespeare's own two dedications to Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece? No. The Dedication
to the
Elegye was clearly distinguishable from Shakespeare's signed dedications.
Is the Dedication to A Funerall Elegye written by the same person who wrote the poem? Cusum analysis has shown that it was distinguishable from the author.
Are samples of John Ford consistent with samples of the Elegye? Yes: they were found to be indistinguishable.
The conclusion, therefore, is that cusum analysis has shown Shakespeare to be extremely unlikely as author of A Funerall Elegye and supports the consensus that John Ford is the likely author (though not of its Dedication).
