Psalm 46 by ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare is always suspect. A general overview of the debates around authorship, partial authorship, or non-authorship, reveals that: (a) Francis Bacon wrote Shakespeare's plays, (b) Ben Jonson did, (c) the Earl of Oxford wrote some of them and died shortly after, then the bard (or non-bard) stole the lot, (d) no one knows for sure, and (e) it didn't of importance. Shakespeare's bodily existence is not up for debate. More interestingly, the possibility that he, or the person(s) impersonating him, might have helped refine the King James Version of the Bible is also not hotly debated – that possibility is at the heart of this essay. the King James Version shares a curious synchronicity, which the authors of The Story of English point out: the bard began writing his final play at the same time that the King James Bible was published. Equally important is Shakespeare's success and favor at court in the first decade of the 17th century: "The young actor and playwright quickly caused a sensation with his plays," say the authors - an understatement. A few odd facts should be added: the Authorized Version was published in 1611 and was heavily revised for nine months before publication, so that "it not only reads better, but sounds better." Revision took place primarily in 1610. The committee responsible for revising the initial translation was led by John Bois and Dr. Anthony Downes, who had also coordinated the initial team of 47 translators, give or take a few. Shakespeare was not among the 47 chosen and he is not recognized as one of the reviewers. Nothing other than time and place connects it to the Authorized Version revision - nothing obvious to the naked eye. Shakespeare was recognized as a gifted artist in his time. It was favored by the same court that ordered the Authorized Version. And the particular power of this Bible's prosody certainly lends itself to speculation. And then there's Psalm 46. I first came across the strange nature of Psalm 46 in Anthony Burgess' autobiography, You've Had Your Time. The argument Burgess makes, as an aside about composing a musical about Shakespeare's life, is not meant to be conclusive but is presented as a curiosity..