New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-26
BACON-SHAKESPEARE FOLLY
DR. JOHN FISKE IN HIS LECTURE VINDI
Gates THE BARD OF AVON.
he SAYS THERE Is NO REASON WHY SHAKESPEARE
SHOULD NOT HAVE WRITTEN THE PLAYS
ATTRIBUTED TO HIM.

ATTRIBUTED TO HIM
The Bacon Shakespeare Folly" was the title Of
tire second lecture IN the which DR.. John
Fiske is giving at the Berkeley Lyceum on
Monday afternoons and a good-sized audience that
was mainly feminine. braved the cold wave yester-
day hear his vindication of the bard OF Avon.
Dr. Fiske divided his discourse into two parts and
argued first that there absolutely no reason
why Shakespeare should not have written the plays
attributed 10 him. and second. that If he did not
write them there is no reason for supposng that
Bacon did.
Shakespeare is not learned poet" he asserted,
"and In this point he is conspicuousy different from
others Of the period He uses Greek and Latin
names and scraps OF classical knowledge such as
he might easily have picked up but he Is not
clothed In the garment of ancient thought as Milton
He had a great amount OF miscellaneous IN
formation. but there are other sources OF knowi-
edge besides books Some men have capacity for
unconscious learning. and when this rises TO
high degree II is Of the marks OF genius
Moreover Shakespeare's early education need
rot have been defective as II has been repre-
sented 20 be. 1t proves nothing that he writes his
name in several different ways. for a fixed spelling
pss No, considered at all necessary in those days.
Sir Walter Raleigh. Elizabeth's Prime Minister
Cecil and other distinguished people spelled their
names in as many different ways as Shakespeare.
Rem Jonsons statement that he had smaii
Latin and less Greek Is not 10 be taken too seri-
ously either His classical learning may have
seemed little to the erudite Jonson and yet nave
been fully equal that Of the average Harvard
graduate. $500
o,.sses e. shown by the fact that his father was
addressed as master and not goodman Mas
ter Shakespeare was well-to-do FARMER ana
MAGISTRATE and his son would meet all the pest
people in the place ~
FINALLY there was excellent school IN STRAIT
ford and there might easily have been, also an
ohlirinr clergyman willing to supplement It's IN
struc,ions in the Of so promising youth.
Coming 10 the second part Of his argument, Dr'
Fiske said that If author had 10 De iouhu ioi
shakespeare's plays he would think Bacon name
porld he the las, one that would suggest Itself.
1t would be easy TO imagine Darwin "Ii'"s
.Da,td CopperAeld'" said DR.. Fiske, "as Bacon
writing Shakespeare chapman or JUnso ond as
essiIv have Jumped over the moon. c,,
s,enTa and Bacon Dr. Fiske attributed to their
nom purloinng from the same source as he''ie'
had any scruples against plagiarism. a., ,,a,s
,iH ~ ali in favor Of the Baconists for all such
chancerv lawyer Moreover he was sure
10 professional lawyer couia nay nf The Mer
1ta[ ~ Venice" turns
IL accopp,inf fSr d 'hs t G1sn it Was % race
"9oiinc commentators" who wanted 70 Prov ana
s 81 ksiaeesael and flood Of fool;
hnesI on ar the Shakespeare Of history have
Mastered all knowledge and therefore sh Sron ns
Odd al
o,d bence sowed the seed from which the Bacon
theory sprans - .,o ,.ooar,as
=, co,c,usion DIT Fiske summed up the Vagarles
- ,he Raconists. Not content with imposing o"
49, ,si tho authorship Of Shakespeare. they were
hernnlng 10 maintain that he wrote muSn OF br
o,er poetry Of the time that NJ Was s'e Essavs
1,r,d ne .AnaGomy Of Melancholy" and even OF
irt - rheims progress" Robinson Crusoe ana
inr Iale OF saarceIv have done all this without
teinp nhouitous and everlasting sara ,ne longer
me- and If things go on TINS way iuoi. - -
~ ~ roc, to hear OF the foundation OF NV
ee., u.i-b his as it's first article OF idltH ma
=, Irsrcis BACON created the heavens anu t"'
esrh in six DAYS and rested on tle ,.,o,s
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