is shakespeare dead-第8章

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rd　Penzance；　Mr。　Grant　White；　and　other　lawyers；　who　have　expressed　their　opinion　on　the　matter　of　Shakespeare's　legal　acquirements。

Here　it　may；　perhaps；　be　worth　while　to　quote　again　from　Lord　Penzance's　book　as　to　the　suggestion　that　Shakespeare　had　somehow　or　other　managed　〃to　acquire　a　perfect　familiarity　with　legal　principles；　and　an　accurate　and　ready　use　of　the　technical　terms　and　phrases；　not　only　of　the　conveyancer's　office；　but　of　the　pleader's　chambers　and　the　courts　at　Westminster。〃　　This；　as　Lord　Penzance　points　out；　〃would　require　nothing　short　of　employment　in　some　career　involving　CONSTANT　CONTACT　with　legal　questions　and　general　legal　work。〃　　But　〃in　what　portion　of　Shakespeare's　career　would　it　be　possible　to　point　out　that　time　could　be　found　for　the　interposition　of　a　legal　employment　in　the　chambers　or　offices　of　practising　lawyers？　。　。　。　It　is　beyond　doubt　that　at　an　early　period　he　was　called　upon　to　abandon　his　attendance　at　school　and　assist　his　father；　and　was　soon　after；　at　the　age　of　sixteen；　bound　apprentice　to　a　trade。　　While　under　the　obligation　of　this　bond　he　could　not　have　pursued　any　other　employment。　　Then　he　leaves　Stratford　and　comes　to　London。　　He　has　to　provide　himself　with　the　means　of　a　livelihood；　and　this　he　did　in　some　capacity　at　the　theatre。　　No　one　doubts　that。　　The　holding　of　horses　is　scouted　by　many；　and　perhaps　with　justice；　as　being　unlikely　and　certainly　unproved；　but　whatever　the　nature　of　his　employment　was　at　the　theatre；　there　is　hardly　room　for　the　belief　that　it　could　have　been　other　than　continuous；　for　his　progress　there　was　so　rapid。　Ere　long　he　had　been　taken　into　the　company　as　an　actor；　and　was　soon　spoken　of　as　a　'Johannes　Factotum。'　　His　rapid　accumulation　of　wealth　speaks　volumes　for　the　constancy　and　activity　of　his　services。　　One　fails　to　see　when　there　could　be　a　break　in　the　current　of　his　life　at　this　period　of　it；　giving　room　or　opportunity　for　legal　or　indeed　any　other　employment。　　'In　1589；'　says　Knight；　'we　have　undeniable　evidence　that　he　had　not　only　a　casual　engagement；　was　not　only　a　salaried　servant；　as　many　players　were；　but　was　a　shareholder　in　the　company　of　the　Queen's　players　with　other　shareholders　below　him　on　the　list。'　　This　（1589）　would　be　within　two　years　after　his　arrival　in　London；　which　is　placed　by　White　and　Halliwell…Phillipps　about　the　year　1587。　　The　difficulty　in　supposing　that；　starting　with　a　state　of　ignorance　in　1587；　when　he　is　supposed　to　have　come　to　London；　he　was　induced　to　enter　upon　a　course　of　most　extended　study　and　mental　culture；　is　almost　insuperable。　　Still　it　was　physically　possible；　provided　always　that　he　could　have　had　access　to　the　needful　books。　　But　this　legal　training　seems　to　me　to　stand　on　a　different　footing。　　It　is　not　only　unaccountable　and　incredible；　but　it　is　actually　negatived　by　the　known　facts　of　his　career。〃　　Lord　Penzance　then　refers　to　the　fact　that　〃by　1592　（according　to　the　best　authority；　Mr。　Grant　White）　several　of　the　plays　had　been　written。　　The　Comedy　of　Errors　in　1589；　Love's　Labour's　Lost　in　1589；　Two　Gentlemen　of　Verona　in　1589　or　1590；　and　so　forth；　and　then　asks；　〃with　this　catalogue　of　dramatic　work　on　hand　。　。　。　was　it　possible　that　he　could　have　taken　a　leading　part　in　the　management　and　conduct　of　two　theatres；　and　if　Mr。　Phillipps　is　to　be　relied　upon；　taken　his　share　in　the　performances　of　the　provincial　tours　of　his　companyand　at　the　same　time　devoted　himself　to　the　study　of　the　law　in　all　its　branches　so　efficiently　as　to　make　himself　complete　master　of　its　principles　and　practice；　and　saturate　his　mind　with　all　its　most　technical　terms？〃

I　have　cited　this　passage　from　Lord　Penzance's　book；　because　it　lay　before　me；　and　I　had　already　quoted　from　it　on　the　matter　of　Shakespeare's　legal　knowledge；　but　other　writers　have　still　better　set　forth　the　insuperable　difficulties；　as　they　seem　to　me；　which　beset　the　idea　that　Shakespeare　might　have　found　time　in　some　unknown　period　of　early　life；　amid　multifarious　other　occupations；　for　the　study　of　classics；　literature　and　law；　to　say　nothing　of　languages　and　a　few　other　matters。　　Lord　Penzance　further　asks　his　readers：　　〃Did　you　ever　meet　with　or　hear　of　an　instance　in　which　a　young　man　in　this　country　gave　himself　up　to　legal　studies　and　engaged　in　legal　employments；　which　is　the　only　way　of　becoming　familiar　with　the　technicalities　of　practice；　unless　with　the　view　of　practicing　in　that　profession？　　I　do　not　believe　that　it　would　be　easy；　or　indeed　possible；　to　produce　an　instance　in　which　the　law　has　been　seriously　studied　in　all　its　branches；　except　as　a　qualification　for　practice　in　the　legal　profession。〃


This　testimony　is　so　strong；　so　direct；　so　authoritative；　and　so　uncheapened；　unwatered　by　guesses；　and　surmises；　and　maybe…so's；　and　might…have…beens；　and　could…have…beens；　and　must…have…beens；　and　the　rest　of　that　ton　of　plaster　of　paris　out　of　which　the　biographers　have　built　the　colossal　brontosaur　which　goes　by　the　Stratford　actor's　name；　that　it　quite　convinces　me　that　the　man　who　wrote　Shakespeare's　Works　knew　all　about　law　and　lawyers。　　Also；　that　that　man　could　not　have　been　the　Stratford　Shakespeareand　WASN'T。

Who　did　write　these　Works；　then？

I　wish　I　knew。



CHAPTER　IX



Did　Francis　Bacon　write　Shakespeare's　Works？

Nobody　knows。

We　cannot　say　we　KNOW　a　thing　when　that　thing　has　not　been　proved。　KNOW　is　too　strong　a　word　to　use　when　the　evidence　is　not　final　and　absolutely　conclusive。　　We　can　infer；　if　we　want　to；　like　those　slaves　。　。　。　No；　I　will　not　write　that　word；　it　is　not　kind；　it　is　not　courteous。　　The　upholders　of　the　Stratford…Shakespeare　superstition　call　US　the　hardest　names　they　can　think　of；　and　they　keep　doing　it　all　the　time；　very　well；　if　they　like　to　descend　to　that　level；　let　them　do　it；　but　I　will　not　so　undignify　myself　as　to　follow　them。　　I　cannot　call　them　harsh　names；　the　most　I　can　do　is　to　indicate　them　by　terms　reflecting　my　disapproval；　and　this　without　malice；　without　venom。

To　resume。　　What　I　was　about　to　say；　was；　those　thugs　have　built　their　entire　superstition　upon　INFERENCES；　not　upon　known　and　established　facts。　　It　is　a　weak　method；　and　poor；　and　I　am　glad　to　be　able　to　say　our　side　never　resorts　to　it　while　there　is　anything　else　to　resort　to。

But　when　we　must；　we　must；　and　we　have　now　arrived　at　a　place　of　that　sort。

Since　the　Stratford　Shakespeare　couldn't　have　written　the　Works；　we　infer　that　somebody　did。　　Who　was　it；　then？　　This　requires　some　more　inferring。

Ordinarily　when　an　unsigned　poem　sweeps　across　the　continent　like　a　tidal　wave；　whose　roar　and　boom　and　thunder　are　made　up　of　admiration；　delight　and　applause；　a　dozen　obscure　people　rise　up　and　claim　the　authorship。　　Why　a　dozen；　instead　of　only　one　or　two？　One　reason　is；　because　there's　a　dozen　that　are　recognizably　competent　to　do　that　poem。　　Do　you　remember　〃Beautiful　Snow〃？　　Do　you　remember　〃Rock　Me　to　Sleep；　Mother；　Rock　Me　to　Sleep〃？　　Do　you　remember　〃Backward；　turn　backward；　O　Time；　in　thy　flight！　　Make　me　a　child　again　just　for　to…night〃？　　I　remember　them　very　well。　Their　authorship　was　claimed　by　most　of　the　grown…up　people　who　were　alive　at　the　time；　and　every　claimant　had　one　plausible　argument　in　his　favor；　at　least：　　to　wit；　he　could　have　done　the　authoring；　he　was　competent。

Have　the　Works　been　claimed　by　a　dozen？　　They　haven't。　　There　was　good　reason。　　The　world　knows　there　was　but　one　man　on　the　planet　at　the　time　who　was　competentnot　a　dozen；　and　not　two。　　A　long　time　ago　the　dwellers　in　a　far　country　used　now　and　then　to　find　a　procession　of　prodigious　footprints　stretching　across　the　plain　footprints　that　were　three　miles　apart；　each　footprint　a　third　of　a　mile　long　and　a　furlong　deep；　and　with　forests　and　villages　mashed　to　mush　in　it。　　Was　there　any　doubt　as　to　who　had　made　that　mighty　trail？　　Were　there　a　dozen　claimants？　　Were　there　two？　　Nothe　people　knew　who　it　was　that　had　been　along　there：　　there　was　only　one　Hercules。

There　has　been　only　one　Shakespeare。　　There　couldn't　be　two；　certainly　there　couldn't　be　two　at　the　same　time。　　It　takes　ages　to　bring　forth　a　Shakespeare；　and　some　more　ages　to　match　him。　　This　one　was　not　matched　before　his　time；　nor　during　his　time；　and　hasn't　been　matched　since。　　The　prospect　of　matching　him　in　our　time　is　not　bright。

The　Baconians　claim　that　the　Stratford　Shakespeare　was　not　qualified　to　write　the　Works；　and　that　Francis　Bacon　was。　　They　claim　that　Bacon　possessed　the　stupendous　equipmentboth　natural　and　acquiredfor　the　miracle；　and　that　no　other　Englishman　of　his　day　possessed　the　like；　or；　indeed；　anything　closely　approaching　it。

Macaulay；　in　his　Essay；　has　much　to　say　about　the　splendor　and　horizonless　magnitude　of　that　equipment。　　Also；　he　has　synopsized　Bacon's　history：　　a　thing　which　cannot　be　done　for　the　Stratford　Shakespeare；　for　he　hasn't　any　history　to　synopsize。　　Bacon's　history　is　open　to　the　world；　from　his　boyhood　to　his　death　in　old　agea　history　consisting　of　known　facts；　displayed　in　minute　and　multitudinous　detail；　FACTS；　not　guesses　and　conjectures　and　might…　have…beens。

Whereby　it　appears　that　he　was　born　of　a　race　of　statesmen；　and　had　a　Lord　Chancellor　for　his　father；　and　a　mother　who　was　〃distinguished　both　as　a　linguist　and　a　theologian：　　she　corresponded　in　Greek　with　Bishop　Jewell；　and　translated　his　Apologia　from　the　Latin　so　correctly　that　neither　he　nor　Archbishop　Parker　could　suggest　a　single　alteration。〃　　It　is　the　atmosphere　we　are　reared　in　that　determines　how　our　inclinations　and　aspirations　shall　tend。　　The　atmosphere　furnished　by　the　parents　to　the　son　in　this　present　case　was　an　atmosphere　saturated　with　learning；　with　thinkings　and　ponderings　upon　deep　subjects；　and　with　polite　culture。　　It　had　its　natural　effect。　　Shakespeare　of　Stratford　was　reared　in　a　house　which　had　no　use　for　books；　since　its　owners；　his　parents；　were　without　education。　　This　may　have　had　an　effect　upon　the　son；　but　we　do　not　know；　because　we　have　no　history　of　him　of　an　informing　sort。　　There　were　but　few　books　anywhere；　in　that　day；　and　only　the　well…to…do　and　highly　educated　possessed　them；　they　being　almost　confined　to　the　dead　languages。　　〃All　the　valuable　books　then　extant　in　all　the　vernacular　dialects　of　Europe　would　hardly　have　filled　a　single　shelf〃imagine　it！　　The　few　existing　books　were　in　the　Latin　tongue　mainly。　　〃A　person　who　was　ignorant　of　it　was　shut　out　from　all　acquaintancenot　merely　with　Cicero　and　Virgil；　but　with　the　most　interesting　memoirs；　state　papers；　and　pamphlets　of　his　own　time〃a　literature　necessary　to　the　Stratford　lad；　for　his　fictitious　reputation's　sake；　since　the　writer　of　his　Works　would　begin　to　use　it　wholesale　and　in　a　most　masterly　way　before　the　lad　was　hardly　more　than　out　of　his　teens　and　into　his　twenties。

At　fifteen　Bacon　was　sent　to　the　university；　and　he　spent　three　years　there。　　Thence　he　went　to　Paris　in　the　train　of　the　English　Ambassador；　and　there　he　mingled　daily　with　the　wise；　the　cultured；　the　great；　and　the　aristocracy　of　fashion；　during　another　three　years。　　A　total　of　six　years　spent　at　the　sources　of　knowledge；　knowledge　both　of　books　and　of　men。　　The　three　spent　at　the　university　were　coeval　with　the　second　and　last　three　spent　by　the　lit