The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-07-21
BACON As A POEI.
A Comparison suEge.t-d Retween III. nss
Nerses and sshnk .ncn rc,nm

To THE EDITOR OF THH suN-Sir: It would
seem to have escaped the notice Of both parties
to the Shakespeare Bacon question. II It may
be called question. that Bacon. after Shake
apeare's death published under his own name
n small volume OF verso. which Is still extant.
Such. at any rate. is the fact: and. accordingly.
his competency to write the plays OF Shake
spoare admits Of very simple and decisive
tcst. One who had already written these
masterpieces. whoever he was. and whatever
olso he might have been. was an adept In poet
ical expression.
Bacon died in 1925 In 1924. eight years
after shakespeare's death. and two years be-
fore his own he wrote tho little work under
notice. and in December OF the Same year pub
lished 1t. with dedication TO his friend. Mr..
George Herbert. and the following title,
"Translation OF Certtine Psalmes into English
Verse. by tho Right Honorable Francis 10.
Veruam. Viscount st. Alban." The entire
work. title page and all. ia reproduced In vol
xiv. Of tn, collected works Of Bacon; edited "
render. Ii -, minded. can peruse II At his
leisure But without this trouble hG may
des ,G nmIn as to whether or not Bacon
Mr.. speeding. within whose editorial proy.
ince these verses fall. undertakes naturally to
ever amounts to little more than that they are
n% as they are usaay e be-
CONS, he SAYS, it has been usual to speak
not only rs a failure but ms a ridiculous fall:
IL adds. no uau. EnA ocs &c II.
S si man an can not ct III s fS ss
volume the does not call them gems, the pas
sages subjoined:
Thou earliest man away with tide:
Then down swim all his thoughts that mountsA
Mucb like A mock inn drc ram IN At will not bda
But flies before the sight OF waking eye;
Or as the grass that cannot term obtain
To see the summer como about again"
"when sat all sad and desola,e.
BY babylon upon the rivers side.
Easd from he tasks which In our captive state
We were enforc d daily to abide.
Our harps we had brought with US to the dslA
Some so!ace to our heavy souls to yield.
"But found we faird Of our account.
For when onr minds some freedom did obtain,
straiQhtways tho memory OF Sion Mount
Did cause afresh our wounds TO bleed again;
so that with present Rriets and future fearS
Our eyes burst forth into stream Of teara
"As for our harps. since sorrow struck them dumb
We hans'd them on the willow trees were near~
FEATHER and King of Powers. both high and low.
Whose sounding fame all creatures serve to blow.
My voice shall with tho rest strike UP Thy praise.
And carol of Thy works AMI wondrnus ways.
But who can blaze Thy beauties. Lord. arightf
They turn tho brittle beams of mortal sight
Upon Thy head Thou woar'st n glorious crown.
All set with virtues polishd with renown;
Thence round about n silver veil doth fall
OF crystal light mother OF colors ALL"
In this selection Mr. Speddings critical
Judgment may be taken rs faultless. Such
being the case. the world is asked by the Ia-
coninn claimants to believe that the man who.
in his ripest years wrote verses OF which
these passages are the choicest. and published
them under his name. had before this CLAN
destine!y written :. Hamlet" Othe!!o." Mao
beth" Measure !oE Measure."" Midsumme..
Tho Tempest" Twelfth Night" and the
rest. hut then and ever afterwari abstained
from avowinG the authorship out Of a pruden.
tial regard for his fame-for that name and
| memory" which he had resolved to leave to
mems charitable speeches. AID to foreign ma
| tons. and TO the next nge" To this the 1T
| ting answer is an exclamation point.
No argument is needed to dfsprove Bacon's
| authorship Of the ShakespeRrean plays. and
| certainly none is intended here. but the quail
| ity Of his nrk nowledged verse serves happily
enough to bring out. the matchless absurdlty
| Of the question Itself Some propositions are
So foolish that they derive from disproof their
only standing in the court 81 reason. Even
seriously to deny them lifts them degree nut
OF their original state. Propositions OF this
order wise man Wi. in gen .-al let alone.
EDGEwATER PARE. n. j.. July Il. ~