16-is shakespeare dead-第12章

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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　are　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　tonight〃？　　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　leastto

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　plainfootprints　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　made　that　mighty　trail？　　Were　there　a　dozen　claimants？

Where　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　historya　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　little　Stratford　lad　at　Stratford　school

supposedly；　and　perhapsedly；　and　maybe；　and　by　inferencewith

nothing　to　infer　from。　　The　second　three　of　the　Baconian　six　were

〃presumably〃　spent　by　the　Stratford　lad　as　apprentice　to　a

butcher。　　That　is；　the　thugs　presume　iton　no　evidence　of　any

kind。　　Which　is　their　way；　when　they　want　a　historical　fact。

Fact　and　presumption　are；　for　business　purposes；　all　the　same　to

them。　　They　know　the　difference；　but　they　also　know　how　to　blink

it。　　They　know；　too；　that　while　in　history…building　a　fact　is

better　than　a　presumption；　it　doesn't　take　a　presumption　long　to

bloom　into　a　fact　when　THEY　have　the　handling　of　it。　　They　know

by　old　experience　that　when　they　get　hold　of　a　presumption…

tadpole　he　is　not　going　to　STAY　tadpole　in　their　history…tank；

no；　they　know　how　to　develop　him　into　the　giant　four…legged

bullfrog　of　FACT；　and　make　him　sit　up　on　his　hams；　and　puff　out

his　chin；　and　look　important　and　insolent　and　come…to…stay；　and

assert　his　genuine　simon…pure　authenticity　with　a　thundering

bellow　that　will　convince　everybody　because　it　is　so　loud。

The　thug　is　aware　that　loudness　convinces　sixty　persons　where

reasoning　convinces　but　one。　　I　wouldn't　be　a　thug；　not　even　if

but　never　mind　about　that；　it　has　nothing　to　do　with　the　argument；

and　it　is　not　noble　in　spirit　besides。　　If　I　am　better　than　a　thug；

is　the　merit　mine？　　No；　it　is　His。　　Then　to　Him　be　the　praise。

That　is　the　right　spirit。



They　〃presume〃　the　lad　severed　his　〃presumed〃　connection

with　the　Stratford　school　to　become　apprentice　to　a　butcher。

They　also　〃presume〃　that　the　butcher　was　his　father。　　They　don't

know。　　There　is　no　written　record　of　it；　nor　any　other　actual

evidence。　　If　it　would　have　helped　their　case　any；　they　would

have　apprenticed　him　to　thirty　butchers；　to　fifty　butchers；　to　a

wilderness　of　butchersall　by　their　patented　method　〃presumption。〃

If　it　will　help　their　case　they　will　do　it　yet；　and　if　it　will

further　help　it；　they　will　〃presume〃　that　all　those　butchers

were　his　father。　　And　the　week　after；　they　will　SAY　it。

Why；　it　is　just　like　being　the　past　tense　of　the　compound

reflexive　adverbial　incandescent　hypodermic　irregular

accusative　Noun　of　Multitude；　which　is　father　to　the　expression

which　the　grammarians　call　Verb。　　It　is　like　a　whole　ancestry；

with　only　one　posterity。



To　resume。　　Next；　the　young　Bacon　took　up　the　study　of　law；

and　mastered　that　abstruse　science。　　From　that　day　to　the　end　of

his　life　he　was　daily　in　close　contact　with　lawyers　and　judges；

not　as　a　casual　onlooker　in　intervals　between　holding　horses　in

front　of　a　theater；　but　as　a　practicing　lawyera　great　and

successful　one；　a　renowned　one；　a　Launcelot　of　the　bar；　the　most

formidable　lance　in　the　high　brotherhood　of　the　legal　Table

Round；　he　lived　in　the　law's　atmosphere　thenceforth；　all　his

years；　and　by　sheer　ability　forced　his　way　up　its　difficult

steeps　to　its　supremest　summit；　the　Lord…Chancellorship；　leaving

behind　him　no　fellow…craftsman　qualified　to　challenge　his　divine

right　to　that　majestic　place。



When　we　read　the　praises　bestowed　by　Lord　Penzance　and　the

other　illustrious　experts　upon　the　legal　condition　and　legal

aptnesses；　brilliances；　profundities；　and　felicities　so

prodigally　displ