Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1855-02-14
no. XIII.
something New.

Miss Bacon from England, says sLs is
looked for with some curiosity. # Eot inter
est, in literary circles, as she is a woman
with "a mission" and that mission is 10
prove to the world that Shakespeare was a
myth man Of straw. whose name was
used to father the dramatic productions Of
men of eminent abilities in other depa,t.
ments of literature. IN law and IN states
manshp. "Miss Bacon assumes" ccntln-
ues our cotemporary, 'Hhat 1t was lmPossi-
bic, absolutely and utterly impossible. for
man with the limited advantages OF Sbaks-
peare's early life, to write thiriy-serea
plays exhibiting the marvellous knuwledgs
of men and things which the plays attritu-
ted to him do exhibit. Such a series OF
performances, she urges, by such man.
would be series of miracles; and had any
man the power TO perform the bali oil them,
he would have become one of the most
prominent men Of his day, aad We should
have known all about him, instead Of har-
ing to grope and burrow for a very few
personal traits and anecdotes Of his life, ~
we have had 10 do with regard 10 William
Shakespeare. Some Of cur readers may
not know that Joe Miller, the repnled Az.
thor Of the famous Jest Book, which has
quintuplcd its dimensions during the last
hundred years, was an actor 50 bopelessty
dull and bockisb, that when good thing
was said, it was, by way Of further joke.
attributed to him; aad that when the little
Jest book copy OF which is now worth
twice its weight in gold, first appeared in
the early part OF the last century, not the
least Iaugh-provcking words which il cor
tanned were those upoE the tItle-pagc.-
Miss Bacon's theory is, that Shakespeare
was dramatic Joe Miler-a gocd-natur-
ed, inoffensive person, who would consent
to bear the responsibility Of the works al
trbuted to him, and not presume upon the
fictitious reputation which they brought
him. Shakspeare's plays, according to
Miss Bacon. were written by Lord Bacon,
Sir Walter Raleigh, and one or two others.
but chiefly by the former; and she has
spent a great deal Of time in framing very
ingenious and elaborate argument in sup
port of her theory. She has enGeaverod
also TO obtain pecuniary and other aid in
England 10 enable her to make further in
vestigations. One search that she wishes
to undertake is that Of Shakspeare's tomb.
in defiance of the curse which is inscribed
upon it against him who violates the last
resting place of the greatest intellect the
world has seen. Indeed, as we understand
it. she regards this curse as confirmation
of her notion, and thinks that it was writ
ten to protect, not Shakspeare's bones. but
his secret. 1t is by no means strange that
Miss Bacon has been able to construct out
Of what we do know and what we do not
know of Shakespeare a tolerasy plausible
support of her strange notion. But all the
most ingenious use of ten times the eXter-
nal evidence, or the want of it, which e1-
isis, would be as nothing before the inter
nal evidence of the plays themselves, to
say nothing of the decided, though little.
direct testimony which we have as to
Shakspeares professional life. We won
der that Miss Bacon has been able even TO
obtain the ear of influential people, not
that she has failed TO enlist them in her
sorry cause .'.-Home Journal