is shakespeare dead1-第13章

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　　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。


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；