The New York herald., 1874-10-19


sarisfy his eyes with the sight OF that tragedy
which he thought soon after HIS Lordship should
pning rom ,ne stage 10 the stare &c.t Ihe pia,
speare's name IN 1898, ana as the performance be
lore Merrick took place Ia leo II IS reasonable e
suppose that y play which had been before the
appeilation OF "oldn
II permitted we should be glad TO answer, to the
best OF our ability, the hue and cry which Is con
stantly being raised concerning Bacon's utter dls
taste for the Stage and all theatrical interests
Bacon was an eminent patron OF the stage anu
was particularly Jealous In producing dramatic
representations at Gray's Inn and else where. Tor
the diversion OF the Court and the dignitnrles oi
State. Mr.. Speeding assures US that ne attended
the theatre with the young lords. his companions.
very frequently. and IN late ne expreSsen ms ,S
his "De Augmen tbs +" wherein he observes:-"DIa-
matte poetry, which takes the theatre ior the
world, Is OF excellent use, u It be sane; iof
the discipline. as well as the corruption OF
the theatre may be very great. Athougn IN
modern States play acting Is esteemed but as So, a
and biting, yet among the ancients IL became
means OF forming the souls OF men 10 ,Ioue virtue
pliers considered It to be, as IL were. the pectrun
or the mind. And most certainly, what - one oi
sembled together are more open 10 affections and
Impressions than when they are alone" Bacon ~
masaues and was frequently the prominent
figure. Had IL been his aim TO Drlng pack again an
ne glorious stage o. s M name me- TO the sn
rerprise since 1t was the opinion OF MS rival LORD
Coke, and OF Others IN nigh place. that pal writers
Jnry AZ yagrantsn and that the fatal end OF these
fye Is beggary, 1.-THE alchemist, the monopoiext,
the concealer, the ini0cmer and the poetaster."
There Is assurance that the distinguishing quail
ties OF Bacon's prose style are precisely those
wnicn belong 10 Shakespeare-namely. breadth Of
thought, depth or insight, weight OF matter,
brevty. force aud beauty OF expression, brilliant
metaphor and that supreme power OF imagination
In MS address which precedes his collection OF let
Iers, Sir T0ble Matthew (BacOn's B0swelU
writes:-.It Win go near TO pose any otner nation
OF Europe 10 muster out In any age four men who
In SO many spccts should excel four such as we
are able TO show-Cardlnal Wosey. Sir Thomas
Bacon. Bacon :" n rne fourth loursi was creature OF In.
comparable abilities OF mind, or sharp and catch.
Ing Apprehension large and ai1n.ul mem, a
and solid Judgment for as much as might concern
tue understanding part-a man SO rare In knowl-
edge Or so many kinds, lmbued with the faculty
and ieicity oil expressing 1t AL 10 so elegant, sig
nlficant, so abundant and yet so choice and ravsh-
ing array OF words, OF metaphors and ailuslons as
/ know this may seen great hyperoole ana
strange kind OF rotous excess OF speech, but the
best means Of putting me to shame Will be i0r You
TO place any man OF yours by this OF mine." The
significant question may be asked, How was 1t
that the name OF William Shakespeare, man
equal II NOS superior to Bacon IN the points emu
merated. did not occur to Sir Tobie Matthew
The oratorica powers OF tine philosopher also dis
play these rare qualities and make 1t less dffcult
Tor Us TO imagine INN poet. IL Is Ben Jonson
VINO bears this testimony when he says:--"rhere
who was tuli OF gravity In his speaking. His Ian.
Ruage, where he could spare or pass by JEST was
nobly censorlous. No man ever spoke more neatly,
more pressly, more weghtiy. or sucered less emp
tiness, less idieness, In what he uttered. No men,
ber OF his speech but consisted OF his own graces.
HIS hearers could not cough or look aside from
spoke and had his judges angry or pleased
at his devotion. No man mad their af1ec-
who heard him was lest he should make an end."
Again he says :--"My conceit OF his person was
never Increased toward him by his place or non0rs,
that was only proper to himself in that he seemed
to me ever by his words one or the greatest men
and most worthy OF admiration that mad been In
serves:-.He was the eloquentest tnat was born
In this isie.r Such encOmiums as these preclude
the possibility OF Bacon being "stupid" play
wright.
II is not In the nature OF things that this ggan.
tic uncertainty can long survive, since, sooner or
positive proof must be aadueed which sEa
De shaken BY cavll or suspicion. In all probabil-
ity there still exists Shakespeare's inventory or
also, ais II any T there were. Similar Inventories Of
that day are locked up IN twenty or more black
chests in the Probate Once OF London. and Mr.. J.
spect them, has organized some assistants for the
enterprise. Should the said inventory come
list AeI 81 books s sun,cientIy exhaustive % to
Justify Shskespeare's miraculous knowledge as
displayed IN his works, the participation OF Lord
myth; but, on the other hand, should no such
catalogue appear, the Shakespearian consprators
will have more legitimate cause than ever to
whet their weapons 1or the destruction OF their
THE WRITER OF THE FRASER ARTICLE.
LONDON, Oct. ], 1874.
BY James SPEEDING London: Longmsns. Green 4 Co..
q q 81 k. OF Essex
Baoon's Works tPhiiadelphia). p. 36a