The New York herald., 1874-09-09
SHAKESPEARE OR BACON 2
Views of Men Who Have Studied
the Subject.
Commentators, Quidnuuos and
Annotators.
Identity Of the Poems and Plays of
the Bard Of Avon.
GENIUS AND INSPIRATION
Opinion Of q Man Who Never Notices
Anything in the Papers.
JOHN BROUGHAM ON THE SUB
JECT

A ring AZ the bell OF a comfortable and tasJefuly
Decorated house on East seventeenth street was
answered at nrst by the angry bark of a frisky
s.Sptzu dog and afterwards by the courteous Mr..
Whiting OF the Fifth Avenue Theatre.
aExcuse me, Mr.. Whiting Is Mr.. Brou2ham-
Here the dog tackled in suspicious manner TO
the port leg OF the questioner.
The genial face OF John looked out from the par
lor door and the dog subslded and the visitor en-
tered.
The following conversation took place between
the representative OF the HERALD and Mr..
Brougham IN re erence to the veXed ques ton OF
the authorship OF Shakespeare
REPoRTER-I presume that you have read the
discussion touching the authenticity OF the Snake
spearian playsH
Mr.. BRoUGHAa-I have, sir; also the article from
Fraser which gave rise to it.
REPoRTER-Have you formed any opinion upon
the subject?
Mr.. BRoUGHAM-There was no necessity to form
an opinion nasmucn as have always entertained
and shall ever continue TO entertain but one
opinion ABOUT it,
REpoRTER-You evidently adhere to the Shake
speare side OF the question
Mr.. BRoUGHAM-I most decidedly do.
REPORTER-And yet it appears to me that the
argument in favor OF the assumption that Lord
Bacon inspired if he did not actually write the
Shakespearian plays as stated in the Fraser paper
Is very strongly advanced.
Ar. BRoUGHAM-I acknowledge 1t Is. ana con-
Quoted with skill and plausibty; but to my
thinking 1t does not make out a clear case by any
means. To select isolated passages OF similar
form and purity of expression from the WORKS OF
twOwriters no matter at what literary period, and
endeavor to demonstrate therefrom that they were
both written by the same hand Is manifest
ly absurd, general resemblance in style and
manner, modified only by degrees Of individual
excellence. being observable through all. This
distinctive characteristic is especially noticeable
In the literature OF the Elizabethlan era when the
Saxon tongue, powerful in its painness, had
reached the acme OF It's vigor and intensity. The
spirit OF tue age was heroic, and being reflected in
the aOa,En authorship OF the time gave both TO
A KIND OF family likeness, as it were,
distinguishes the whole; the same briliancy
or imagination, the same nervous strength OF
dtcti0n Is evident in all the contem porarIes OF
Shakespeare, while he himself combines the ex-
cenences OF all. don't know whether l make
myself understandable OR not. 1 talk at random
and must not be criticised TOO severely. l simply
mean to INFER tnat where such a strong pecuiarlty
OF style and dlctiOn was universal 1t is all
surprising to ind frequent Slmllarlties of thought
and expression throughout the entire group.
REPORTER-You believe then that Bacon had
nothing whatever to do with the Shakespearlan
piayss
reason that he must have been TOO FULLY occupied
with his own philosophc speculatlOns, works Of
lighter Efforts and in sphere, too, that he deri-
ded and despsed, added to which, do not think
ir probable that one individual could combine
wi.nin himself the elements essential to make him
The first oil philosophers as well as the first Of
dramatic poets.
REPoRrER-Wnat is the reason that we knew so
little about Shakespeare?
Mr.. BRoUGHAN.-Becauseh he was not the popular
man OF his own age.
Great names filtered to through the sands of
time,
That In their time those very sands obscured
rpaIv he hfnhar ta1f
gences are the least conscious OF their power.
Shakespeare was unassertlve and, as l believe.
knew no more the beauty and sweetness of his
own productions than the flower knows of the
perfume it nings upon the air. rhat he was but
little appreciated Is evidenced by the fact that he
did not write a single OF the Court masques,
which were then the test Of celebrity, although
assigned to them. The significant circumstance
that he LETT London at the early age OF fOrtytwO
and passed the remainder OF his lie in retirement
at Stratiord Is still further PROOF tnat the metrop
oils was no place Tor MIN, delivered up as 1t was
to the diversions OF bear batting and the choice
dramatic entertainments OF bartholomew Fair''
or "rhe Devil IL an Ape"
RRPoRTER-Do you think Shakespeare was a
good man?
Mr. BR0UGHAM-I am certain OF it: his writings
are lmbued with the spirit OF loving kindness, and
the broad, comprehensive religion of humanity. If
ne was occasionally coarse IL was an enforced con-
cession 10 "tne groundlings," and he was in-
fnitey less so than his fellows. Moreover his
coarseness was merely verbal; ne dld not cele-
brate immortality clothe the worst OF vices IN
the most allurlng forms, after the fashion OF more
advanced civilization.
That we know next to nothing concerning his
life aud personal habits, except what Is mythical,
Is IN his favor; Tor II there were any reports nm-
ical to his name ana lame rest assured we would
not be lett III ignorance thereof but tnat his mis-
dongs would be handed down to us with those OF
Marlowe, Greene, surly Ben Jonson and quarrel
some Decker.