Asked if he is wise, he says "aye," that is "yes," and adds that he has "a pretty wit," a phrase we must remember that is constantly used in reference to the Stratford actor. Touchstone mocks him with a paraphrase of the well-known maxim "If you are wise you are a Foole if you be a Foole you are wise" which is to be found in Bacon's "Advancement of Learning" Ant.i.theta x.x.xi. Then he asks him "_Art thou learned_" and William replies "_No sir_." This means, _unquestionably_, as every lawyer must know, that William replies that he cannot _read_ one line of print. I feel sure the man called Shackspeare of Stratford was an uneducated rustic, never able to read a single line of print, and that this is the reason why no books were found in his house, this is the reason why his solicitor, Thomas Greene, lived with him in his house at New Place (Halliwell-Phillipps: Outlines, 1889, Vol. i, p. 226);--a well-known fact that very much puzzles those who do not realize the depth of Shakspeare's illiteracy.

Chapter V.

"The Return from Parna.s.sus" and "Ratsei's Ghost."

The next play to which attention must be called is "The Return from Parna.s.sus" which was produced at Cambridge in 1601 and was printed in 1606 with the following t.i.tle page:--

The Returne from Parna.s.sus or The Scourge of Simony.

Publiquely acted by the Students in Saint Johns Colledge in Cambridge.

At London Printed by G. Eld for John Wright, and are to bee sold at his shop at Christchurch Gate.

1606.

The portion to which I wish to direct attention is:--

Actus 5, Scena i.

_Studioso_. Fayre fell good _Orpheus_, that would rather be King of a mole hill, then a Keysars slaue: Better it is mongst fidlers to be chiefe, Then at plaiers trencher beg reliefe.

But ist not strange this mimick apes should prize Vnhappy Schollers at a hireling rate.

Vile world, that lifts them vp to hye degree, And treades vs downe in groueling misery.

_England_ affordes those glorious vagabonds, That carried earst their fardels on their backes, Coursers to ride on through the gazing streetes Sooping it in their glaring Satten sutes, And Pages to attend their maisterships: With mouthing words that better wits haue framed, They purchase lands, and now Esquiers are made.

_Philomusus_. What ere they seeme being euen at the best They are but sporting fortunes _scornfull_ iests.

Can these last two lines refer to Shakspeare the actor seeming to be the poet? Note that they are spoken by Philomusus that is friend of the poetic muse. Mark also the words "this mimick apes." Notice especially "with mouthing words that _better_ wits haue framed, they purchase lands and now Esquiers are made" i.e. get grants of arms. Who at this period among mimics excepting W. Shakspeare of Stratford purchased lands and obtained also a grant of arms?

That this sneer "mouthing words that better wits have framed" must have been aimed at Shakspeare is strongly confirmed by the tract (reprinted by Halliwell-Phillipps in his "Outlines of Shakespeare," 1889, Vol. I, p. 325) which is called "Ratsei's Ghost or the second part of his mad prankes and Robberies."

This pamphlet bears no date, but was entered at Stationers' Hall May 31st 1605. There is only a single copy in existence, which used to be in Earl Spencer's library at Althorp but is now in the Rylands; Library at Manchester. As I said, it is reprinted by Halliwell-Phillipps, and Stratfordians are obliged to agree with him that the reference is unquestionably to "Wm Shakespeare of Stratford." The most important part which is spoken by Ratsei the robber to a country player is as follows:--

_Ratsei_. And for you sirra, saies hee to the chiefest of them, thou hast a good presence upon a stage; methinks thou darkenst thy merite by playing in the country. Get thee to London, for if one man were dead, they will have much neede of such a one as thou art.

There would be none in my opinion fitter then thyselfe to play his parts. My conceipt is such of thee, that I durst venture all the mony in my purse on thy head to play Hamlet with him for a wager. There thou shalt learn to be frugall,--for players were never so thriftie as they are now about London--and to feed upon all men, to let none feede upon thee; to make thy hand a stranger to thy pocket, thy hart slow to performe thy tongues promise, and when thou feelest thy purse well lined, buy thee some place of lordship in the country, that, growing weary of playing, thy mony may there bring thee to dignitie and reputation; then thou needest care for no man, nor not for them that before made thee prowd with speaking their words upon the stage.

The whole account of buying a place in the country, of feeding upon all men (that is lending money upon usury) of never keeping promises, of never giving anything in charity, agrees but too well with the few records we possess of the man of Stratford. And therefore Stratfordians are obliged to accept Halliwell-Phillipps' dictum that this tract called Ratsei's Ghost refers to the actor of Stratford and that "_he_ needed not to care for them that before made _him_ proud with speaking _their_ words upon the stage." How is it possible that Stratfordians can continue to refuse to admit that the statement in the "Return from Perna.s.sus" "with mouthing words that better wits haue framed they purchase lands and now Esquiers are made" must also refer to the Stratford Actor?

CHAPTER VI.

Shackspere's Correspondence!

There is only a single letter extant addressed to Shakspeare, and this asks for a loan of 30 It is dated 25th October 1598, and is from Richard Quiney. It reads

"Loveinge Countreyman I am bolde of vow as of a ffrende, craveinge yowr helpe wth x.x.xll vppon mr Bush.e.l.ls & my securytee or mr Myttons wth me. mr Rosswell is nott come to London as yeate & I have especiall cawse. yow shall ffrende me muche in helpeinge me out of all the debttes I owe in London I thancke G.o.d & muche quiet my mynde wch wolde nott be indebeted I am nowe towardes the Cowrte in hope of answer for the dispatche of my Buysenes. yow shall nether loase creddytt nor monney by me the Lorde wyllinge and nowe b.u.t.t perswade yowr selfe soe as I hope & yow shall nott need to feare b.u.t.t wth all hartie thanckefullenes I wyll holde my tyme & content yowr ffrende & yf we Bargaine farther yow shalbe the paie mr yowr selfe. my tyme biddes me hasten to an ende & soe I committ thys [to] yowr care & hope of yowr helpe. I feare I shall nott be backe thys night ffrom the Cowrte. haste, the Lorde be wth yow & with us all amen ffrom the Bell in Carter Lane the 25 October 1598.

yowrs in all kyndenes Ryc. Quyney

(_addressed_)

LS To my Loveinge good ffrend & contreymann mr wm Shackespere d[e]l[ive]r thees."

This letter is the only letter known to exist which was ever addressed to William Shackspere, the illiterate householder of Stratford, who as has been pointed out in these pages was totally unable to read a line of print, or to write even his own name. There are however in existence three, and three only, contemporary letters referring in any way to him, and these are not about literature with which the Stratford man had nothing whatever to do--but about mean and sordid small business transactions.

One is from Master Abraham Sturley, who writes in 1598 to a friend in London in reference to Shakspeare lending "Some monei on some od yarde land or other att Shottri or neare about us."

Another is dated Nov. 4th 1598, and is from the same Abraham Sturley to Richard Quiney in which we are told that "our countriman Mr Wm Shak would procure us monei wc I will like of."

A third from Adrian Quiney written (about 1598-1599) to his son Rycharde Quiney in which he says "yff yow bargen with Wm Sha or receve money therfor, brynge youre money homme."

There exists no contemporary letter from anyone to anyone, referring to the Stratford actor as being a poet or as being in any way connected with literature. But from the Court Records we learn that;

In 1600 Shakespeare brought action against John Clayton in London for 7 and got judgment in his favour. He also sued Philip Rogers of Stratford for two shillings loaned.

In 1604 he sued Philip Rogers for several bushels of malt sold to him at various times between March 27th and the end of May of that year, amounting in all to the value of 1. 15s. 10d. The poet a dealer in malt?

In 1608 he prosecuted John Addenbroke to recover a debt of 6 and sued his surety Horneby.

Halliwell-Phillipps tells us that "The precepts as appears from memoranda in the originals, were issued by the poet's solicitor Thomas Greene who was then residing under some unknown conditions[3] at New Place."

Referring to these sordid stories, Richard Grant White, that strong believer in the Stratford man, says in his "Life and genius of William Shakespeare," p. 156 "The pursuit of an impoverished man for the sake of imprisoning him and depriving him both of the power of paying his debts and supporting himself and his family, is an incident in Shakespeare's life which it requires the utmost allowance and consideration for the practice of the time and country to enable us to contemplate with equanimity--satisfaction is impossible."

"The biographer of Shakespeare must record these facts because the literary antiquaries have unearthed and brought them forward as new particulars of the life of Shakespeare. We hunger and receive these husks; we open our mouths for food and we break our teeth against these stones."

Yes! The world has broken its teeth too long upon these stones to continue to mistake them for bread. And as the accomplished scholar and poetess the late Miss Anna Swanwick once declared to the writer, she knew nothing of the Bacon and Shakespeare controversy, but Mr. Sidney Lee's "Life of Shakespeare" had convinced her that his man never wrote the plays. And that is just what everybody else is saying at Eton, at Oxford, at Cambridge, in the Navy, in the Army, and pretty generally among unprejudiced people everywhere, who are satisfied, as is Mark Twain, that the most learned of works could not have been written by the most _un_learned of men.

Yes! It does matter that the "Greatest Birth of Time" should no longer be considered to have been the work of the unlettered rustic of Stratford; and the hour has at last come when it should be universally known that this mighty work was written by the man who had taken all knowledge for his province, the man who said "I have, though in a despised weed [that is under a Pseudonym] procured the good of all men"; the man who left his "name and memory to men's charitable speeches, and to foreign nations, and the next ages."

CHAPTER VII.

Bacon acknowledged to be a Poet.

In discussing the question of the Authorship of the plays many people appear to be unaware that Bacon was considered by his contemporaries to be a great poet. It seems therefore advisable to quote a few witnesses who speak of his pre-eminence in poetry.

In 1645 there was published "The Great a.s.sises holden in Parna.s.sus by Apollo and his a.s.sessours" a facsimile of the t.i.tle of which is given on page 57. This work is anonymous but is usually ascribed to George Withers and in it Bacon as Lord Verulan is placed first and designated "Chancellor of Parna.s.sus" that is "Greatest of Poets."

After the t.i.tle, the book commences with two pages of which facsimiles are given on pages 58, 59.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate XVI. Facsimile t.i.tle Page]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate XVII. Facsimile of Page III of "The Great a.s.sises"]