Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-09-12
SHAKESPEARE AND BACON.
Additional Arguments In Favor OF the Latter
~ the Author or the Great PIays
MINNEAPOLIS 1ribupe.I

Addition NJ Arguments In favor OF tue Latter
NJ the Author Of the Great Playa
Minneapolis 1ribupe.I
A discovery has been made 10 this State
which Is certain 10 produce n worldwide
sensation. The Hon. Iguatius Donneliy,
Of Hastings, MIMI, author Of Atlantis, -
and Raenarok,v found, four years ago,
in the writings Of Francis Bacon. de-
scription, twice repeated, OF cipher.
whereby one writing could be infolded and
hidden In another, I" 0ntlia per omaia--
tbe writing Unfolding holding a Quintuple
relation to the writing iniolded."
He also noted In Bacon's DE Aug
mentisv Book VI, chapter p that he was
In favor OF removing certain "secrets OF
know ledge,v by "obscuritv Of delivery
from "tbe capacities Of the vulgar and TO
"reserye them to selected auditors. OF wits
OF such sharpness a. can pierce the veil"
As Mr.. DoDneily was convert 70 the
theory that Francis Bacon was the real
author OF the plays attributed 10 Shak-
sreare, and as be did not believe that the
author Of such works could forever re.
pounce them, II occurred 10 him that this
cjpher rule was intended by Bacon az a
hint that there was such cipher In the
plays, in which he asserted his authorship
OF them. Mr.. Donnelly has worked for
four years past with the greatest industry
and perseverance,. and has at lat, within
the past three months, found the rule and
solved the problem.
Lately Mr.. Donnelly was visited at his
residence by Appleton Morgan, author OF
"The shakspearean MYTH. and himself a
disbelleyer in the Shakespeare authorship,
though, as he has expressly stated, By no
means committed TO Baconian authorship
Mr.. Morgan looked at first rather scepti-
caIly at Mr.. DonnelIY's work. but ultimlte-
ly expressed himself satisfied tina, ali It
was not a cipher-written into the PLAYS ex-
amined by the method described by Bacon
in the Sixth Book. Chapter |, OF his DE
Arguments lit was a most marvellous Sc
Quence OF identical condolences, and one
forbidden by any known or ceniectured
law OF chances"
The law OF chances, in fact, makes IL
impossible that whole consecutive, c1-
herent sentences could be worked out
by consistent rule IL there was not
cipher.
The words Of the hidden story hold a
fixed and regular relation 10 the scenes
aud acts Of the PLAYS, TO be determined by
counting; hence the results are not mat
ter OF guess-work, but as demOnstrable rs
a sum In arithmetic.
The play Mr.. Donnelly has been princi-
pally working on Is the frs part OF Henry
". He was attracted to this play by the
fact that within a few pages (act H., scenes
/, 2. and 4. and act w., scene g. he found
the words Francis" Bacon" twice r.
peated), Nicholas" twice repeatedly.
"Bacon's." "sOn,' master" " kings"
"exchequer. st. Adams the latter. rs
is well-known, being the name Of BacOn's
place Of residence. In act Ill, scene 4, ne
found the name "Francis" (BacOn's first
nane), repeated on one page twenty times:
while in scene in the Merry Wives (act
w., scene H. the name Willilm" uhe
first name OF Shakespeare. Is repeated
eleven times in one short verse, a. II by one
reiteratiOn OF these TWO names TO call aitcu-
ton to the fact that there was cipher in
the plays. The name Of Shakespeare occurs
az Shake" and "speare" or "sphere,"
or as "shakes' and "peer." and these
combinations are found in every one OF the
plays. 10 was upon these clewS Mr.. Don
nelly labored until he has discovered the
rule, and worked ont enough of the cipher
story TO show that the plays contain mar
tory OF the reign of Elizabeth.
1t seems that Elizabeth during the Essex
troubles became, as is known. inccnsed at
the use made Of the play OF Rich3ld H.. IN
which 10 represented the deposition and
killing OF the kings; and She made 1t one
OF the points OF prosecution which cost Is
sex his head. that he had hired the com
pany OF players TO which Shakespeare be-
longed. to represent it "more than forty
times in open streets and ia tavern yards
in order TO prepare the public mind for her
own deposition and murder. History tells
us that she caused the arrest OF lIaywarde.
who wrote prose narrative OF the deposit
ton OF Richard H., and dedicated il to Es-
sex, and he narrowly escaped = state
prosecution. The cipher, as worked ont
by Mr.. Donnelly, shows that at the same
time Shakespeare was arrested as .hc author
oi the plays he was threatened with the
torture, and disclosed tC the officers OF the
Crown the fact that Bacon was the real
author Of the plays. Bacon threw himself
on the protection Of h' uncle, Lord Bur
leigh, tho great lord treasurer. who saved
him from exposure ard prosecution. but
revealed the truth 10 Elizabeth and this
is the explanation OF the fact thst * long ~
i|iIaDtlu liFth NHO h'tt i'''oh WV "a 'AirN
and in poverty.
such discovery would be the most eX-
traordinary in modern literature; ii would
settle the l0ng-veXed question 81 The author
ship OF the plays, and the disclosures that
would then be revealed bv the cipher mar
rative might even reconstruct the history
OF the reign Of the greatest Queen OF Eng
land. Bacon aludes TO her in the cipher
as "the jade" "thc wantOn," "tbe old
term,gent," etc., and narrztes, among other
things. the well-knOwn scene where she
struck Essex box on the ear for turning
his back upon her. Bacon doubtless wrote
in cipher that which would have brought
his head TO the block il written IN any
other way.
MIR. Donnely has kept his secret from MI
but few personal friends, and Il was not
his intention to have revealed his discovery
until he had worked out the whole story,
and until his book, containing il, was ready
fer publication; but he has recently been
nominated for Congress in the Third tiii,-
trcs Of Minnesota, and will be engaged in
the canvass for some time TO come. and this
will necessarily delay his work. On the
advice Of his friends, therefore, he has con-
sented to file a caveat, so far s. 10 permit
the announcement OF the fact that such q
cipher has unquestionably been found.
HIS book will probably not be ready for
publication until next spring or summer.
for the work OF translaiing the cipher Is .
very slow and tedious one: every word has
TO be carefully counted. for the miScouGt
az Il SINGLE word would throw out the work
OF whole pages.