New-York tribune., 1909-05-15

led to the imbedding Of Bacon's name IN the
poem? The ider IS merely fantastic. But the
truth is that Mr.. Booth finds his acrostlcs IN so
many ulaces that II is impossible to avoid the
familiar reflection that he proves too much
Due attention to his instructions Will develop
the signature Of Francis Bacon not only IN the
poems and plays of William Shakespeare but in
The Arte Of English Poesie," an anonymous
work in prose published in 1889: in Marlowe's
''Tamburlaine the Create and his Rich Jew
of Malta: in poems which have appeared over
the name Of Edmund Spenser and in prose be-
lieved 20 have been written by Edward Kirke;
in epigrams by Ben Jonson, and even in the in
scription upon the monument 10 Shakespeare at
Stratford- Avon. More than this, he finds
signatures in doubtful plays. such as peri
cles" and The Two Noble Knsmen." and,
though to give US kind of bonnie 6ntche, he digs
out an acrostic from Titus Andronicus" of an
plays in the world TO put on level. even for
acrostic purposes with the indubtable master
pieces in the first Folio. In the Quarto Of
Titus" published in 1900 he finds not only the
signature of Francis Bacon. but that of his
brother Anthony. Decidedly the reader feels
bewildermett crowding upon him. Yet he must
not blench. for, if he will begin to read on the
initial B. of the word "Bote-Swane," the word
opening THE Tempest" and, reading on the
initials of the words of the first spoken line OF
each play, taken in IT'S proper order throughout
the Folio, continue 10 read each line from left
to right, clear through the book, he will land on
the IF" of the word "Frownes." the last word
of the last line in "Cynbeline" and he will have
spelled out Francisco Bacono." If he wants
comfort he may examine the Oracle on the
last page of "Cymbeline," and there, following
Mr.. Booths directions, he will find the acrostic
signature Of William Shakespeare"
Are not offered a little too much? And, If
so, how is Mr.. Booths generosity to be ac-
counted for? AS we have said, everything that
he tells us he has found he shows US how to find
for ourselves, according to his cipher, and his
cipher works. But does it always work in the
same way? We have already noted that this is
not the case. On the contrary, ii works up and
down, down and up from left to right from
right to left, initials, terminals on all the
letters in all the words, and so on. Does not
this prodigiously increase the scope of the
cipher? And what of the variations in the
spelling of Bacon's signature? Mr.. Booth tab
ulates the forms under which the name of Fran
els Bacon appeared during his lifetime or in his
authorized works issued after his death. The
list runs TO thirtytwo numbers Mr.. Booth does
not use all of these but he uses so many that
again, on this count. our skepticism Is deepened
If may find Bacon. Francis Bacon, Fran
cisco Bacono, Ffrauncis Bacon and so on
through q generous allowance, not the
boundaries Of our search still more maenih-
Gently widened?
There are other difficulties which Mr.. Booth
will have to surmount before he persuades those
who believe in William Shakespeare of STRAIT
ford-On-Av9n as the author of the plays to at
tach any serious significance to the acrostics he
has discovered in those writings On what hy-
pothesis could such a secret as this be so well
kept? Mr.. Booth remarks that unless all the
acrostic signatures in this book are. accidents
we must regard them the means by which
Francis Bacon, his brother, or his confidential
servants placed identifying mark upon works
for which their author wished not to appear to
be responsible before the world at large" The
insertion of an acrostic by means of a cipher
into a piece of writing is, we are TO understand.
an easy matter, quickly TO be adjusted to all
the exigencies of composition. and so Bacon's
confidential servants could be let into the Sc
cret In short. it is obvious from all the con-
siderations involved in this book that the secret
if there was one, must have been shared by
quite few" individuals. In spite of that fact
It has been kept for than two hundred