The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-12-04

about Antient Pistol? When it comes to
the plates, what about Mesur for Mesur,
or tine Merchant of Vents, or Henry SiXt
or ~Kyng Lear, or Troylus and Cresseid,
or AS You Like Vt, or Henry ffift or
Much adoe about Nothinge or the Merrie
Wives of windsor. The writer's of these
pilates" are entered on the Stationer
Register as Shaxberd, or Shakspere, or
Shakespeare, or Willm. Shakespeare
names revolving about Shakespeare.
Victor Hugo was right in saying that
these were only different modes of spell
ing the same name. Sidney Lee tells us
that in the Council Books of Stratford
John Shakespeare's name is spelled 16
different ways. In the purchase deed of
house in Blackfriars we learn that in one
place the name is spelled Shakspere-in
all other places Shakespeare. SO, in the
taxt of the leading documents relating to
the poets property. So. in the royal Ii
cense given to him as a player in 1903
So, on his wife's tomb. So, In the print
ed signatures affixed to Venoss and
Adams to Luerece." So on the title
pages of contemporary editions of his
works. What did shakespeare's nick
name oron"-signify? Why was he
called Shakespeare? Why was spear en-
blazoned on his coat of arms?
DR.. Evans complains of my rhetoric and
Justly. I'll try and make it more ac-
ceptable. Will the doctor do as much
by his logic? In his last paper he sum-
moned % witnesses-all Baconians-to
solve the great crux. Were they experts?
Not at all. Were they playwrights or
players or even poets? Not at all. They
were not snatched from the garbage can
of humanity. but they might as well have
been witness to be available must
have certain qualifications. He must be
capable, he must be reliable, he must
have had opportunities for knowing the
truth. There are certain requirements
also. He must not opine, he must no,
deal in hearsay. Keeping these things in
view let us examine Dr. Evans witnesses
Professor Sforrer. Impossible for
Shakespeare to have written the plays.
SPEEDING, 1.-THE poetical faculty was pow
erful in Bacon Macauley, "Bacon's
apothegms, the best jest book in the
world His DE Augmentis' is fine
Jest book" Kink James said of it, Like
the wisdom of God, it passes all human
understanding" Tennyson said, that
certs in passages in Bacon lifted him
higher than any other writer They lift
me- and when I'm on my feet, take to
the woods Church said, Had a most
active imagination" Montague, Bacon,
like the sun, is full of light" John
Bright, 1.-The man who says SnaKSpefe
wrote Hamlet is fool.' Professor Min
cneli, I'm a Baconian. Charles Dickens,
Expecting something to turn up evil
IDENTIFY quoting from Mark Tapley. These
are the witnesses, and this the evidence,
tina. DR.. Evans produces.
DR.. Evans would be rich in one name
if it had any weight--he is poor in
thousand. He guls his deluded followers
With lists of incompetents, and laughs III
his sleeve. He piles assertion upon as
sertion, he summons Baconian upon Ba-
CONAN. AS If / should attempt to prove
Mohammedanism by Mohammadons or
Holy Rolling by Holy Rollers. This IS
juggling-ths is moelxery. DR.. Evans
may well say with Puck What fools
you mortals be-
Witnesses are selected from men who
have not expressed an opinion. Not So,
DR. Evans. He selects no man who mas
rot expressed an opinion favorable to
his contention-a crafty method indeed.
In order that they may not be in each
others way he selects one librarian out
of thousand, one historian out OF
thousand one geoogist out of a thou
sand, one politician out of a thousand,
He is very careful to select men who
assign no grounds whatever for them be-
lief. They just think so-that Is enough
DR. Evans has traveled-you can see
that He has a wide acquaintance on the
continent He can cite authorities that