16-is shakespeare dead-第14章

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





In　truth；　much　of　Bacon's　life　was　passed　in　a　visionary　world

amid　things　as　strange　as　any　that　are　described　in　the　ARABIAN　TALES

。　。　。　amid　buildings　more　sumptuous　than　the　palace　of　Aladdin；

fountains　more　wonderful　than　the　golden　water　of　Parizade；

conveyances　more　rapid　than　the　hippogryph　of　Ruggiero；　arms　more

formidable　than　the　lance　of　Astolfo；　remedies　more　effacious

than　the　balsam　of　Fierabras。　　Yet　in　his　magnificent　day…dreams

there　was　nothing　wildnothing　but　what　sober　reason　sanctioned。





Bacon's　greatest　performance　is　the　first　book　of　the　NOVUM

ORGANUM。　。　。　。　　Every　part　of　it　blazes　with　wit；　but　with　wit

which　is　employed　only　to　illustrate　and　decorate　truth。　　No　book

ever　made　so　great　a　revolution　in　the　mode　of　thinking；

overthrew　so　may　prejudices；　introduced　so　many　new　opinions。





But　what　we　most　admire　is　the　vast　capacity　of　that

intellect　which；　without　effort；　takes　in　at　once　all　the　domains

of　scienceall　the　past；　the　present　and　the　future；　all　the

errors　of　two　thousand　years；　all　the　encouraging　signs　of　the

passing　times；　all　the　bright　hopes　of　the　coming　age。





He　had　a　wonderful　talent　for　packing　thought　close　and

rendering　it　portable。





His　eloquence　would　alone　have　entitled　him　to　a　high　rank

in　literature。





It　is　evident　that　he　had　each　and　every　one　of　the　mental　gifts

and　each　and　every　one　of　the　acquirements　that　are　so　prodigally

displayed　in　the　Plays　and　Poems；　and　in　much　higher　and　richer

degree　than　any　other　man　of　his　time　or　of　any　previous　time。

He　was　a　genius　without　a　mate；　a　prodigy　not　matable。　　There　was

only　one　of　him；　the　planet　could　not　produce　two　of　him　at

one　birth；　nor　in　one　age。　　He　could　have　written　anything　that

is　in　the　Plays　and　Poems。　　He　could　have　written　this：







The　cloud…cap'd　towers；　the　gorgeous　palaces；

The　solemn　temples；　the　great　globe　itself；

Yea；　all　which　it　inherit；　shall　dissolve；

And；　like　an　insubstantial　pageant　faded；

Leave　not　a　rack　behind。　　We　are　such　stuff

As　dreams　are　made　of；　and　our　little　life

Is　rounded　with　a　sleep。





Also；　he　could　have　written　this；　but　he　refrained：





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。





When　a　person　reads　the　noble　verses　about　the　cloud…cap'd

towers；　he　ought　not　to　follow　it　immediately　with　Good　friend

for　Iesus　sake　forbeare；　because　he　will　find　the　transition　from

great　poetry　to　poor　prose　too　violent　for　comfort。　　It　will　give

him　a　shock。　　You　never　notice　how　commonplace　and　unpoetic

gravel　is　until　you　bite　into　a　layer　of　it　in　a　pie。







　XI





Am　I　trying　to　convince　anybody　that　Shakespeare　did　not

write　Shakespeare's　Works？　　Ah；　now；　what　do　you　take　me　for？

Would　I　be　so　soft　as　that；　after　having　known　the　human　race

familiarly　for　nearly　seventy…four　years？　　It　would　grieve　me　to

know　that　any　one　could　think　so　injuriously　of　me；　so

uncomplimentarily；　so　unadmiringly　of　me。　　No；　no；　I　am　aware

that　when　even　the　brightest　mind　in　our　world　has　been　trained

up　from　childhood　in　a　superstition　of　any　kind；　it　will　never　be

possible　for　that　mind；　in　its　maturity；　to　examine　sincerely；

dispassionately；　and　conscientiously　any　evidence　or　any

circumstance　which　shall　seem　to　cast　a　doubt　upon　the　validity

of　that　superstition。　　I　doubt　if　I　could　do　it　myself。　　We

always　get　at　second　hand　our　notions　about　systems　of

government；　and　high　tariff　and　low　tariff；　and　prohibition　and

anti…prohibition；　and　the　holiness　of　peace　and　the　glories　of

war；　and　codes　of　honor　and　codes　of　morals；　and　approval　of　the

duel　and　disapproval　of　it；　and　our　beliefs　concerning　the　nature

of　cats；　and　our　ideas　as　to　whether　the　murder　of　helpless　wild

animals　is　base　or　is　heroic；　and　our　preferences　in　the　matter

of　religious　and　political　parties；　and　our　acceptance　or

rejection　of　the　Shakespeares　and　the　Author　Ortons　and　the　Mrs。

Eddys。　　We　get　them　all　at　second　hand；　we　reason　none　of　them

out　for　ourselves。　　It　is　the　way　we　are　made。　　It　is　the　way　we

are　all　made；　and　we　can't　help　it；　we　can't　change　it。　　And

whenever　we　have　been　furnished　a　fetish；　and　have　been　taught　to

believe　in　it；　and　love　it　and　worship　it；　and　refrain　from

examining　it；　there　is　no　evidence；　howsoever　clear　and　strong；

that　can　persuade　us　to　withdraw　from　it　our　loyalty　and　our

devotion。　　In　morals；　conduct；　and　beliefs　we　take　the　color　of

our　environment　and　associations；　and　it　is　a　color　that　can

safely　be　warranted　to　wash。　　Whenever　we　have　been　furnished

with　a　tar　baby　ostensibly　stuffed　with　jewels；　and　warned　that

it　will　be　dishonorable　and　irreverent　to　disembowel　it　and　test

the　jewels；　we　keep　our　sacrilegious　hands　off　it。　　We　submit；

not　reluctantly；　but　rather　gladly；　for　we　are　privately　afraid

we　should　find；　upon　examination　that　the　jewels　are　of　the　sort

that　are　manufactured　at　North　Adams；　Mass。



I　haven't　any　idea　that　Shakespeare　will　have　to　vacate　his

pedestal　this　side　of　the　year　2209。　　Disbelief　in　him　cannot

come　swiftly；　disbelief　in　a　healthy　and　deeply…loved　tar　baby

has　never　been　known　to　disintegrate　swiftly；　it　is　a　very　slow

process。　　It　took　several　thousand　years　to　convince　our　fine

raceincluding　every　splendid　intellect　in　itthat　there　is　no

such　thing　as　a　witch；　it　has　taken　several　thousand　years　to

convince　the　same　fine　raceincluding　every　splendid　intellect

in　itthat　there　is　no　such　person　as　Satan；　it　has　taken

several　centuries　to　remove　perdition　from　the　Protestant

Church's　program　of　post…mortem　entertainments；　it　has　taken　a

weary　long　time　to　persuade　American　Presbyterians　to　give　up

infant　damnation　and　try　to　bear　it　the　best　they　can；　and　it

looks　as　if　their　Scotch　brethren　will　still　be　burning　babies　in

the　everlasting　fires　when　Shakespeare　comes　down　from　his　perch。



We　are　The　Reasoning　Race。　　We　can't　prove　it　by　the　above

examples；　and　we　can't　prove　it　by　the　miraculous　〃histories〃

built　by　those　Stratfordolaters　out　of　a　hatful　of　rags　and　a

barrel　of　sawdust；　but　there　is　a　plenty　of　other　things　we　can

prove　it　by；　if　I　could　think　of　them。　　We　are　The　Reasoning

Race；　and　when　we　find　a　vague　file　of　chipmunk…tracks　stringing

through　the　dust　of　Stratford　village；　we　know　by　our　reasoning

bowers　that　Hercules　has　been　along　there。　　I　feel　that　our

fetish　is　safe　for　three　centuries　yet。　　The　bust；　toothere　in

the　Stratford　Church。　　The　precious　bust；　the　priceless　bust；　the

calm　bust；　the　serene　bust；　the　emotionless　bust；　with　the　dandy

mustache；　and　the　putty　face；　unseamed　of　carethat　face　which

has　looked　passionlessly　down　upon　the　awed　pilgrim　for　a　hundred

and　fifty　years　and　will　still　look　down　upon　the　awed　pilgrim

three　hundred　more；　with　the　deep；　deep；　deep；　subtle；　subtle；

subtle　expression　of　a　bladder。









XII





Irreverence



One　of　the　most　trying　defects　which　I　find　in　thesethese

what　shall　I　call　them？　for　I　will　not　apply　injurious　epithets

to　them；　the　way　they　do　to　us；　such　violations　of　courtesy　being

repugnant　to　my　nature　and　my　dignity。　　The　farthest　I　can　go　in

that　direction　is　to　call　them　by　names　of　limited　reverence

names　merely　descriptive；　never　unkind；　never　offensive；　never

tainted　by　harsh　feeling。　　If　THEY　would　do　like　this；　they　would

feel　better　in　their　hearts。　　Very　well；　thento　proceed。　　One

of　the　most　trying　defects　which　I　find　in　these

Stratfordolaters；　these　Shakesperiods；　these　thugs；　these

bangalores；　these　troglodytes；　these　herumfrodites；　these

blatherskites；　these　buccaneers；　these　bandoleers；　is　their

spirit　of　irreverence。　　It　is　detectable　in　every　utterance　of

theirs　when　they　are　talking　about　us。　　I　am　thankf