16-is shakespeare dead-第13章

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other　illustrious　experts　upon　the　legal　condition　and　legal

aptnesses；　brilliances；　profundities；　and　felicities　so

prodigally　displayed　in　the　Plays；　and　try　to　fit　them　to　the

historyless　Stratford　stage…manager；　they　sound　wild；　strange；

incredible；　ludicrous；　but　when　we　put　them　in　the　mouth　of　Bacon

they　do　not　sound　strange；　they　seem　in　their　natural　and

rightful　place；　they　seem　at　home　there。　　Please　turn　back　and

read　them　again。　　Attributed　to　Shakespeare　of　Stratford　they　are

meaningless；　they　are　inebriate　extravaganciesintemperate

admirations　of　the　dark　side　of　the　moon；　so　to　speak；　attributed

to　Bacon；　they　are　admirations　of　the　golden　glories　of　the

moon's　front　side；　the　moon　at　the　fulland　not　intemperate；　not

overwrought；　but　sane　and　right；　and　justified。　　〃At　ever　turn

and　point　at　which　the　author　required　a　metaphor；　simile；　or

illustration；　his　mind　ever　turned　FIRST　to　the　law；　he　seems

almost　to　have　THOUGHT　in　legal　phrases；　the　commonest　legal

phrases；　the　commonest　of　legal　expressions；　were　ever　at　the　end

of　his　pen。〃　　That　could　happen　to　no　one　but　a　person　whose

TRADE　was　the　law；　it　could　not　happen　to　a　dabbler　in　it。

Veteran　mariners　fill　their　conversation　with　sailor…phrases　and

draw　all　their　similes　from　the　ship　and　the　sea　and　the　storm；

but　no　mere　PASSENGER　ever　does　it；　be　he　of　Stratford　or

elsewhere；　or　could　do　it　with　anything　resembling　accuracy；　if

he　were　hardy　enough　to　try。　　Please　read　again　what　Lord

Campbell　and　the　other　great　authorities　have　said　about　Bacon

when　they　thought　they　were　saying　it　about　Shakespeare　of　Stratford。







X



The　Rest　of　the　Equipment





The　author　of　the　Plays　was　equipped；　beyond　every　other　man

of　his　time；　with　wisdom；　erudition；　imagination；　capaciousness

of　mind；　grace；　and　majesty　of　expression。　　Everyone　one　had　said

it；　no　one　doubts　it。　　Also；　he　had　humor；　humor　in　rich

abundance；　and　always　wanting　to　break　out。　　We　have　no　evidence

of　any　kind　that　Shakespeare　of　Stratford　possessed　any　of　these

gifts　or　any　of　these　acquirements。　　The　only　lines　he　ever

wrote；　so　far　as　we　know；　are　substantially　barren　of　them

barren　of　all　of　them。





Good　friend　for　Iesus　sake　forbeare

To　digg　the　dust　encloased　heare：

Blest　be　ye　man　yt　spares　thes　stones

And　curst　be　he　yt　moves　my　bones。

Ben　Jonson　says　of　Bacon；　as　orator：





His　language；　WHERE　HE　COULD　SPARE　AND　PASS　BY　A　JEST；　was

nobly　censorious。　　No　man　ever　spoke　more　neatly；　more　pressly；

more　weightily；　or　suffered　less　emptiness；　less　idleness；　in

what　he　uttered。　　No　member　of　his　speech　but　consisted　of　his

（its）　own　graces。　。　。　。　　The　fear　of　every　man　that　heard　him　was

lest　he　should　make　an　end。





From　Macaulay：





He　continued　to　distinguish　himself　in　Parliament；

particularly　by　his　exertions　in　favor　of　one　excellent　measure

on　which　the　King's　heart　was　setthe　union　of　England　and

Scotland。　　It　was　not　difficult　for　such　an　intellect　to　discover

many　irresistible　arguments　in　favor　of　such　a　scheme。　　He

conducted　the　great　case　of　the　POST　NATI　in　the　Exchequer

Chamber；　and　the　decision　of　the　judgesa　decision　the　legality

of　which　may　be　questioned；　but　the　beneficial　effect　of　which

must　be　acknowledgedwas　in　a　great　measure　attributed　to　his

dexterous　management。





Again：





While　actively　engaged　in　the　House　of　Commons　and　in　the　courts

of　law；　he　still　found　leisure　for　letters　and　philosophy。

The　noble　treatise　on　the　ADVANCEMENT　OF　LEARNING；　which　at　a

later　period　was　expanded　into　the　DE　AUGMENTIS；　appeared　in　1605。



The　WISDOM　OF　THE　ANCIENTS；　a　work　which；　if　it　had

proceeded　from　any　other　writer；　would　have　been　considered　as　a

masterpiece　of　wit　and　learning；　was　printed　in　1609。



In　the　mean　time　the　NOVUM　ORGANUM　was　slowly　proceeding。

Several　distinguished　men　of　learning　had　been　permitted　to　see

portions　of　that　extraordinary　book；　and　they　spoke　with　the

greatest　admiration　of　his　genius。



Even　Sir　Thomas　Bodley；　after　perusing　the　COGITATA　ET　VISA；

one　of　the　most　precious　of　those　scattered　leaves　out　of　which

the　great　oracular　volume　was　afterward　made　up；　acknowledged

that　〃in　all　proposals　and　plots　in　that　book；　Bacon　showed

himself　a　master　workman〃；　and　that　〃it　could　not　be　gainsaid　but

all　the　treatise　over　did　abound　with　choice　conceits　of　the

present　state　of　learning；　and　with　worthy　contemplations　of　the

means　to　procure　it。〃



In　1612　a　new　edition　of　the　ESSAYS　appeared；　with　additions

surpassing　the　original　collection　both　in　bulk　and　quality。



Nor　did　these　pursuits　distract　Bacon's　attention　from　a

work　the　most　arduous；　the　most　glorious；　and　the　most　useful

that　even　his　mighty　powers　could　have　achieved；　〃the　reducing

and　recompiling；〃　to　use　his　own　phrase；　〃of　the　laws　of　England。〃





To　serve　the　exacting　and　laborious　offices　of　Attorney…General

and　Solicitor…General　would　have　satisfied　the　appetite　of　any

other　man　for　hard　work；　but　Bacon　had　to　add　the　vast　literary

industries　just　described；　to　satisfy　his。　　He　was　a　born　worker。





The　service　which　he　rendered　to　letters　during　the　last

five　years　of　his　life；　amid　ten　thousand　distractions　and

vexations；　increase　the　regret　with　which　we　think　on　the　many

years　which　he　had　wasted；　to　use　the　words　of　Sir　Thomas　Bodley；

〃on　such　study　as　was　not　worthy　such　a　student。〃



He　commenced　a　digest　of　the　laws　of　England；　a　History　of

England　under　the　Princes　of　the　House　of　Tudor；　a　body　of

National　History；　a　Philosophical　Romance。　　He　made　extensive　and

valuable　additions　to　his　Essays。　　He　published　the　inestimable

TREATISE　DE　AUGMENTIS　SCIENTIARUM。





Did　these　labors　of　Hercules　fill　up　his　time　to　his　contentment；

and　quiet　his　appetite　for　work？　　Not　entirely：





The　trifles　with　which　he　amused　himself　in　hours　of　pain　and　languor

bore　the　mark　of　his　mind。　　THE　BEST　JEST…BOOK　IN　THE　WORLD　is　that

which　he　dictated　from　memory；　without　referring　to　any　book；

on　a　day　on　which　illness　had　rendered　him　incapable　of　serious　study。





Here　are　some　scattered　remarks　（from　Macaulay）　which　throw

light　upon　Bacon；　and　seem　to　indicateand　maybe　demonstrate

that　he　was　competent　to　write　the　Plays　and　Poems：





With　great　minuteness　of　observation　he　had　an　amplitude　of　comprehension

such　as　has　never　yet　been　vouchsafed　to　any　other　human　being。





The　ESSAYS　contain　abundant　proofs　that　no　nice　feature　of

character；　no　peculiarity　in　the　ordering　of　a　house；　a　garden；

or　a　court…masque；　could　escape　the　notice　of　one　whose　mind　was

capable　of　taking　in　the　whole　world　of　knowledge。





His　understanding　resembled　the　tent　which　the　fairy

Paribanou　gave　to　Prince　Ahmed：　　fold　it；　and　it　seemed　a　toy　for

the　hand　of　a　lady；　spread　it；　and　the　armies　of　the　powerful

Sultans　might　repose　beneath　its　shade。





The　knowledge　in　which　Bacon　excelled　all　men　was　a　knowledge

of　the　mutual　relations　of　all　departments　of　knowledge。





In　a　letter　written　when　he　was　only　thirty…one；　to　his　uncle；

Lord　Burleigh；　he　said；　〃I　have　taken　all　knowledge　to　be　my　province。〃





Though　Bacon　did　not　arm　his　philosophy　with　the　weapons　of　logic；

he　adorned　her　profusely　with　all　the　richest　decorations　of　rhetoric。





The　practical　faculty　was　powerful　in　Bacon；　but　not；　like

his　wit；　so　powerful　as　occasionally　to　usurp　the　place　of　his

reason　and　to　tyrannize　over　the　whole　man。





There　are　too　many　places　in　the　Plays　where　this　happens。

Poor　old　dying　John　of　Gaunt　volleying　second…rate　puns　at　his

own　name；　is　a　pathetic　instance　of　it。　　〃We　may　assume〃　that　it　is

Bacon's　fault；　but　the　Stratford　Shakespeare　has　to　bear　the　blame。





No　imagination　was　ever　at　once　so　strong　and　so　thoroughly

subjugated。　　It　stopped　at　the　first　check　from　good　sense。