The New York herald., 1874-09-20
SHAKESPEARE AND BACON.
The Relations of Shakespeare to
the Modern Stage.
Opinions Of Shakespearian
Scholars.
The Great Authors Contrasted and
Reviewed.
Opinion OF Professor Hiram Corso,

Opinion OF Professor Hiram Corson.
Sweet Swan of Avon what a sight it were
| To see thee in our waters yet appear,
And make those flights upon the banks OF Thames
But stay see thee in the he emlsPhere
Or influence chide Or cheer the dropping stage;
since ncS1 Mhich thy flight from hence hath m0nrned like
And despairs day but for thy volumes shsi s ,oxsou
| To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
| All lovers OF truth, whether lovers OF Shake
speare OF Bacon, OF both will read with pleas
the views OF the Justly eminent Professor Cor
son, OF Cornell University, on the Shakesperian
controversy. Professor Corson has made the llfe
character and plays OF Shakespeare the study of his
mature years. and now stands in the first rank OF
the ShaKesperlan scholars or America Your cor
respondent was granted an interview in the Pro-
fessor's study, and in addition to his conversa
tion had the privilege OF reading the full and COM
prehensive notes Professor CorsOn had made upon
the subject. The Professor said:-
After giving the Shakesperlan controversy
much thought had finally dismissed IL from my
mind, never having been able to discover any
basis OF facts in the controversy and deeming the
question but an idle one. Yet since such men as
Judge Nathaniel Holmes and others have at
tempted to pluck the laures from Shakespeare
aud add them to the already burdened brow Of
ascertain II there be any facts that will justify
sucn Rob Roy dspensation and exchange OF liter
ary honors. For more than $50 years Shakespeare
had borne unquestlOned the bright hOnOrs tnat his
genius had won for him, but about the middle Of
this century one william Henry, Of the family OF
Smiths, writes pamphlet In which he attempts to
raise doubt III regard to the authenticity OF the
plays which had been for so long attributed
to William Shakespeare, OF Stratford upon
Avon, gent. Tue date OF this pamphlet
was September, 1885, Brompton. and bore
the wondrous title "Letter to the Earl OF Elles-
mere" suggesting whether the Shakesperian
plays were not really the productions OF Lord
Bacon. II Is true that this question had been an
ticipated by one Della Bacon, In an article contrib
uted to Put,a0nps Magazine OF January, 1882 Thus
originated a controversy, amusing at first, on &C.
count OF its perfect absurdity, but growing in in
terest as men who prOfessed to be scholars
adopted the Baconian theory, UNTIL in the year
1856, writer in the LONDON Necs says:-"i know
the vapors will soon pass away and the steady
glores Of William Shakespeare blaze forth again,
but in the meantime we shiver under the passing
cloud.n The cloud did pass away, the question
died out, but for the second or third time again
assumes the form OF controversy among Ameri-
can critics.
Two characters stand prominently forward in
history and furnish indisputabe proof OF Shake
speares claims to the works attributed to him-Ben
Jonson and the Earl Of Southampton. We know
the character and disposition or Ben JonsOn bet
| ter than the character ana disposition Of any
| writer OF his period; and, Knowing him as we do
we know he would not wink at the fraudulent ap-
preparation OF one mans fame by another, or even
permit him to wear plumes stolen from another.
He was man OF wonderful seli-conceit, and this
tact bears evidence to Shakespeare's merit and
greatness when we find him paying W Hing nom
age to the superior genius he was forced to recog-
| nize in hls.contemporary and addressing to him
tie beautiful lines from which the above passage
is taken. In 1919 Ben Jonson visited Drummond,
OF Scotland Drummond, during his visit, played
Jonson's Conversations, among which we We
find these illusions to Shakespeare -"But he re-
deemed his vices with his virtues There was ever
more in the man to be praised than blamed" And
again. Il remember the players often mentioned
it as an honor to Shakespeare that In his writings
whatsoever he perused) he never blOtted out
line. My answer hath been, would ne had blotted
out thousand, which they thought malevoent
Ignorance, who choose that circumst tance to COM
mend their friend by wherein he most iaulted,
and do honor his memory ION this side idolatry)
as much as any," Had Jonson been the friend Of
levers IN the Baconian theory the ~ might have some
ground lor pronouncng the lines OF Ben Jonson
In the lollo edition OF Shakespeare's plays false;
| but we dnd his admiration and appreciation OF
Bacon almost as great as of Shakespeare Speak
Ing OF the iorper he says But l have and
was only proper to himself in that he
seemed to me ever by his work one OF the greatest
been in many ages. In his adversely ever prayed
that God would give him strength, for greatness
word or syllable for him as snowne no accident
could 90 harm to virtue, but rather help to make
II manifest" Not only DO these few passages
great contemporaries, but evlnce that strict ln-
Iegrity and purity OF character that have ever
him to have been ignorant or or winked at such a
monstrous fraud and deception as the Baconian
any any further evidence is needed we have
but to turn the Lille ,r, Of the Earl
that haVs eome down to ne rs % OF @
are two dedlcatory letters to this nobieman, one
In Nay 1894 win IN the 9f
as important in determining the position Of
Shakespeare as dramatist and poet, to know
ern researches prove beyond q doubt that this
young nobleman not only loaned Shakespeare
OF his appreciation In the form OF 81 oo0 but even
interested himself IN the affairs OF his theatre as
among Lord 2 rsS EnesmeTes MSS " at BT,aSeWaser
House. This letter was written IN 1908 and ad-
dressed either to Lord Ellie smere or to some person
In authority, in behalf OF the Kings players whom
the Lord Mayor and Aldermen endeavored to ex-
pei from the Backfriars. THIS letter may be found
in 'New Facts regarding the Lie OF shakespeare
by J. Payne Collier. These facts alone would
seem sufficient proof to all who were not wilfuily
brought forward to coniute the Baconian theory.
The first folio edition OF Shakespeare's works,
published seven years after his death, and OF
which many tnc sfyate copies are extant, affords
inc0ntrovertbie testimony 10 Its being the product
Of the mind OF William Shakespeare and not OF
Francis Bacon. This folio was published In 1928
by his friends and fellow actors, John Heminge
ana Henry Condeil. To the pious care Of these
two lovers OF the great poet We owe the preserva-
tiOn OF his great dramas Our knowledge 0i these
two men, though not extensive, cannot be denied.
since 1t is derived from pubic documents still
existing The knowledge oil Hemnge's connec-
tion with theatrical anairs extends back to 1895,
so that we know Tor twenty years at least he
must have been personally and intimately &C.
quainted with Shakespeare. In this year OF 1926
Heminge, shakespeare and six other actors petit
toned the Prvy Council OF the city OF London
that they might be permitted to repair and en-
large the Backfriars Theatre. In 1899 the
ONCE book Of the Treasurer Of Queen
ElIzaDeth's chamber shows that war.
money to Hemnge, ne representing the Lord
ChamDerlalns theatrical servants. Our knowledge
OF Henry C0ndeII Is equally certain. coming from