, 1891-03-25

When he wntes a Greek play he tIkes
you to Greece. In julius Caesar you are
with the Romans. Tqen again you are in
Egypt. In Romeo and Juliet he takes
you to Italy. The surroundings are per
fec: in each place. Imagine yourself to
be in the country where the play is locat-
ed. He himself experienced oil the emo
tons. II there are defects you forget
them in the presence of his masterful
work. We know that at that time the
church was corrupt. and yet how did Ba-
can write about 1.-THE Lord Bacon who,
it is claimed, wrote Shakespeare plays. 1t
was this Bacon who dropped lnto poetry
at 60 and wrote 10 iulsOme praise Of King
James, who is described by Macaulay in
such contemptuOus terms. 1t is not prob
able that Bacon wrote Shakspeare's plays
because we can Judge by all that Bacon
did write that be was not able 10 write
them. Bacon never claimed to rave writ
ten the plays. He published lists OF his
books and never put Shakespeare IN his
list. Shakespeare did claim the autho:-
ship. and nobody doubted him or disputed
his claim while he lived. It Is not at allIm-
probable that Bacon did not fail TO claim
all that he was entitled to Having been
detec'ed as a bride taker it Is probable
that it he was entitled to claim the author
ship he would have risked the disgrace OF
being known as the author OF Hamlet.
Laughter
Suppose a mrn was known as the iu-
ventor Of a dog churL, and he should
make a list OF his inventions and should
put in as his great work a dog churn,
would 1t be possible to believe that that
man was the inventor OF the locomotive
and telegraph and had omitted to put it
in the list Of his Inventions Laughter
1t cal not be possible that Bacon wrote
Shakespeare for no one but Shakespeare
was capabable of writing as he wrote.
He made the greatest sculpture aud the
greatest statutes In words. He was the
master OF the emotions. He knew the
hearts of men, knew their passions, their
reason. He knew how desire wraps the
judgment and corrupts the will. lie
knows how differently the murderer feels
teiore and after his crime, and he knew
how - bring that crime wildly before the
mind. lie brings you the evidence of
guilt. Ia Macbeth when the bell tolls
before the murder Macbeth takes no note
oft, but after the murder he SAYS, Hear
it not, Duncan. for it is the knell.
When Lady Macbeth pretends to be sur
prised at the news OF the murder she is
made to betray herself By the natural ex-
precision which she makes of her
first thought that it should occur
been innocent. her first thought would
hapa Iaau nf Iarrnr Fl.F tho vtnrtar h.4
been committed at all.
As to the charge of plagiarism that has
been brought against Shakespeare, it has
not been sustained. 1t is true that he
took the materials that be found. He
did not take them to adorn his work, Lu,
to make something new out Of them
Whenever he took a thought he beauti-
fed It, and made it lis own. When We
see a great statue we do not call the sculp-
tor a plagurist because somebody fur
nished him with the stone, We know
all the books that Shakespeare claimed in
1901, and We know that re claimed as has
did not exist before his time. We can see
where he took an old dfy iaci of history
and put it into burning words of poetry
that shall live forever. Take what Lear
says in describing the storm. A common
man would have written, On such a night
a dog might have sat, at my FIRE. \ great
poet might have written. Mine cnemy's
dog should have sat against my fire. but
the greatest Of all poets made a thrilling
word picture of the storm when he wrote,
Mine euCmy's dog, though he had bit
me, he should have sat that nigl t against
my fire. Applause.