is shakespeare dead-第12章

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　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　ifbut　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　butchers…　…all　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　theatre；　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　displayed　in　the　Plays；　and　try　to　fit　them　to　the　history…less　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　extravagancies　intemperate　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　every　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。



CHAPTER　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。　　Every　one　has　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　thembarren　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　meantime　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