Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-05-19
DOyNELLY'S CRYpTOGRAM.

eipber in the so.cailea shAkcspeare paye.
~ iEn.iias1 1p,S.nny psnns,iy. svo. PIP sss. H. T.
No recent book has becn better herslded
than this ponderous work OF lgnatius Don.
nelly TO establish that Shakespeare did not
write the plays and sonnets ascribed TO him
for moro than three hundred years, but
1t is very Ingenious book, but can hardly
be said 10 be- iugenuoua II hes two
grand divisions: Book j, tho Argu-
ment and Book ii the Demonstration.
Tho first deals with Shakespesre's origin
s.S ~ sss Rsrs ~ os
bers OF his family. In this Mr.. Donnslly
displays moro inslignity than should 90
towards the composition OF conscientious
critic. In his zsal 70 prove the Bard tf
were very unclesn OF habit and were COM
plained against therefor. But he does mt
show the changed sanitary conditions OF the
nineteenth over the sixteenth century.
Nor does he say whether such charges we're
common. Whether they were the result OF
were, ~ some modern municipal tax liens
are, directed against people OF comfortable
estato. MI. Donnelly in his discrimination
70 say nothing good Of Shakespeare ratfer
overdoes the work ri sHyipg everything
that il bad.
AItoT III cA 0DBiNS tUohtt5t W uupS-
tion OF the impossibiiity oiany vulgar char
acteY such ss Shakespeare, being the author
OF these world renowned plsys, We are
treated to an OK position OF the claim that
Bacon wrote them. There is some poetry
put forward, which Donneiiy himself seems
not certain that Bacon wrote. Then como
reasons follow why anonymity was desired
| by Bacon, and the balance Of Book / ID
| made up Of parallelisms 10 which there are
some remarkable Identities OF thought, but
not more than might be explained by the
fact that Shakespeare and Bacon were liter
sry contemporaries Even In these, as re.
cent critic observes, the comparison always
shows the Shakespeare q quotation superior
| and II IL not easy to suppose that Bacon
could al slways ne holding back his prettiest
| thoughts for a book which, was not TO bear
| his name, and whose identity with which
was only to bs discovered by q most intri.
cate cipher.
1t is In this latter department OF the book
where Mr.. Donnelly attempts to establish
q cipher that we think his cause very weak
1t would be impossible In this brief review
to take the lNTELLIoENcER Iesderl
through this laby yrinthine msz. Mr.. Don
| nelly essays TO find In each play q cipher I,
| the effect that Bacon WAS the snthor thereof
He his a ferles Of root numoers Oh;
| which tho story grows, aud which ato 50t
506, 5l3, SIG, 523, These "are the produc
OF multiplying certain figures In the frs
column OF page "A by certain other figures
The explanation gives no key, there ar
; "m'difyiDg numbers" and the count ma,
| be made In any direction to reach the dc
sired word. In other words the defendan
Is presumed guilty and every Z fort Ia mad
to exclude the possibility of his innocence
But though Mr. Donnelly Is color.blins
on everything pertaining to Literature IL
the sixteenth century, being ready 4
ascribe TO Bacon the authorship of Mar
| loves plays, Burton's Anatomy Of Melan
choly, and Montagne's essays ., we yet mus
| concede to him q vast amount Of eneTg
and ingenuity In the work that no has un
| deftsken. While ne will not convince th
believers in Shakespeare that Wiilist
| was not what he seemed, he will impres
/ the public AZ q man who has give
a great deal OF hard work to sui
jsct that Is of absorbing interts. I
scholars. In the arguments that he st
\ | duces may be found much quaint Learnt q
snd an excellent picture of the days whe
Eliz ,bethan culture was at Its height. w
, have no sympathy with his intent to tai
the laurels from Sbakespeares brow I
place ON b scop, whom Pope wrote dow
! "the greatest wisest, meanest OF man
a | kind "
The book 10 work OF art In It's let OF
press, being geographically bsndsom
Z | timely bound and 80 arranged In Its Il
terror as to facilitate tho In vest cation OF II
:. | reader into volume which would othe
u wise DO very forbiddiDg.