Bacon is Shake-Speare: Together with a Reprint of Bacon's Promus of Formularies and EleganciesDurning-Lawrence, Edwin, Sir
History
Bacon is Shake-Speare: Together with a Reprint of Bacon's Promus of Formularies and Elegancies
Durning-Lawrence, Edwin, Sir
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Authorship -- Baconian theory
[8] The number 33 too obviously represented Bacon, and therefore 53
which spells sow (S 18, O 14, W 21 = 53) was substituted for 33. Scores
of examples can be found where on page 53 some reference is made to
Bacon in books published under various names, especially in the Emblem
Books. In many cases page 55 is _misprinted_ as 53. In the Shakespeare
Folio 1623 on the first page 53 we read "Hang Hog is latten for Bacon,"
and on the second page 53 we find "Gammon of Bacon." When the seven
extra plays were added in thethird folio 1664 in each of the two new
pages 53 appears "St. Albans." In the fifth edition, published by Kowe
in 1709, on page 53 we read "deeper than did ever Plummet sound I'll
drown my Book"; and on page 55 _misprinted_ 53 (the only mispagination
in the whole book of 3324 pages) we find "I do ... require My Dukedom of
thee, which perforce I know Thou must restore." In Bacon's "Advancement
of Learning," first English edition, 1640, on page 55 _misprinted_ 53 in
the margin in capital letters (the only name in capital letters in the
whole book) we read "BACON." In Florio's "Second Frutes," 1591, on page
53, is "slice of bacon" and also "gammon of bakon," to shew that Bacon
may be misspelled as it is in Drayton's "Polyolbion," 1622, where on
page 53 we find _Becanus_. A whole book could be filled with similar
instances.
[9] About A.D. 1300 benefit of clergy was extended to all males who
could read. In 1487 it was enacted that mere laymen should have the
benefit only once and should be branded on the thumb to shew they had
once had it. _Whimsies_, 1623, p. 69, tells us: "If a prisoner, by help
of a compassionate prompter, hack out his neck verse (Psalm li. _v_. i
in Latin) and be admitted to his clergy, the jailors have a cold iron
in store if his purse be hot, but if not, a hot iron that his fist may
_Fiz_." Benefit of clergy was not totally abolished till 1827.
[10] In 1599 Sir John Hayward, LL.D., brought out "The Life and raigne of
King Henrie IIII extending to the end of the first yeare of his raigne."
This little book contains an account of the trial of Richard II., and was
dedicated to the Earl of Essex in very encomiastic terms. It irritated
Queen Elizabeth in the highest degree, and she clapped Hayward into
prison and employed Sir Francis Bacon to search his book for treason.
(Lowndes, Bohn, p. 1018). The story carefully read reveals the fact that
it was really the play rather than the book which enraged Queen Elizabeth.
[11] The appearance of Shakespeare's name in the list of Actors in Ben
Jonson's plays and in the plays known as Shakespeare's was, of course,
part of the plot to place Shakespeare's name in a prominent position
while the pseudonym had to be preserved.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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