16-is shakespeare dead-第10章

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Scotland。　　It　was　not　difficult　for　such　an　intellect　to　discover

many　irresistible　arguments　in　favor　of　such　a　scheme。　　He

conducted　the　great　case　of　the　POST　NATI　in　the　Exchequer

Chamber；　and　the　decision　of　the　judgesa　decision　the　legality

of　which　may　be　questioned；　but　the　beneficial　effect　of　which

must　be　acknowledgedwas　in　a　great　measure　attributed　to　his

dexterous　management。





Again：





While　actively　engaged　in　the　House　of　Commons　and　in　the　courts

of　law；　he　still　found　leisure　for　letters　and　philosophy。

The　noble　treatise　on　the　ADVANCEMENT　OF　LEARNING；　which　at　a

later　period　was　expanded　into　the　DE　AUGMENTIS；　appeared　in　1605。



The　WISDOM　OF　THE　ANCIENTS；　a　work　which；　if　it　had

proceeded　from　any　other　writer；　would　have　been　considered　as　a

masterpiece　of　wit　and　learning；　was　printed　in　1609。



In　the　mean　time　the　NOVUM　ORGANUM　was　slowly　proceeding。

Several　distinguished　men　of　learning　had　been　permitted　to　see

portions　of　that　extraordinary　book；　and　they　spoke　with　the

greatest　admiration　of　his　genius。



Even　Sir　Thomas　Bodley；　after　perusing　the　COGITATA　ET　VISA；

one　of　the　most　precious　of　those　scattered　leaves　out　of　which

the　great　oracular　volume　was　afterward　made　up；　acknowledged

that　〃in　all　proposals　and　plots　in　that　book；　Bacon　showed

himself　a　master　workman〃；　and　that　〃it　could　not　be　gainsaid　but

all　the　treatise　over　did　abound　with　choice　conceits　of　the

present　state　of　learning；　and　with　worthy　contemplations　of　the

means　to　procure　it。〃



In　1612　a　new　edition　of　the　ESSAYS　appeared；　with　additions

surpassing　the　original　collection　both　in　bulk　and　quality。



Nor　did　these　pursuits　distract　Bacon's　attention　from　a

work　the　most　arduous；　the　most　glorious；　and　the　most　useful

that　even　his　mighty　powers　could　have　achieved；　〃the　reducing

and　recompiling；〃　to　use　his　own　phrase；　〃of　the　laws　of　England。〃





To　serve　the　exacting　and　laborious　offices　of　Attorney…General

and　Solicitor…General　would　have　satisfied　the　appetite　of　any

other　man　for　hard　work；　but　Bacon　had　to　add　the　vast　literary

industries　just　described；　to　satisfy　his。　　He　was　a　born　worker。





The　service　which　he　rendered　to　letters　during　the　last

five　years　of　his　life；　amid　ten　thousand　distractions　and

vexations；　increase　the　regret　with　which　we　think　on　the　many

years　which　he　had　wasted；　to　use　the　words　of　Sir　Thomas　Bodley；

〃on　such　study　as　was　not　worthy　such　a　student。〃



He　commenced　a　digest　of　the　laws　of　England；　a　History　of

England　under　the　Princes　of　the　House　of　Tudor；　a　body　of

National　History；　a　Philosophical　Romance。　　He　made　extensive　and

valuable　additions　to　his　Essays。　　He　published　the　inestimable

TREATISE　DE　AUGMENTIS　SCIENTIARUM。





Did　these　labors　of　Hercules　fill　up　his　time　to　his　contentment；

and　quiet　his　appetite　for　work？　　Not　entirely：





The　trifles　with　which　he　amused　himself　in　hours　of　pain　and　languor

bore　the　mark　of　his　mind。　　THE　BEST　JEST…BOOK　IN　THE　WORLD　is　that

which　he　dictated　from　memory；　without　referring　to　any　book；

on　a　day　on　which　illness　had　rendered　him　incapable　of　serious　study。





Here　are　some　scattered　remarks　（from　Macaulay）　which　throw

light　upon　Bacon；　and　seem　to　indicateand　maybe　demonstrate

that　he　was　competent　to　write　the　Plays　and　Poems：





With　great　minuteness　of　observation　he　had　an　amplitude　of　comprehension

such　as　has　never　yet　been　vouchsafed　to　any　other　human　being。





The　ESSAYS　contain　abundant　proofs　that　no　nice　feature　of

character；　no　peculiarity　in　the　ordering　of　a　house；　a　garden；

or　a　court…masque；　could　escape　the　notice　of　one　whose　mind　was

capable　of　taking　in　the　whole　world　of　knowledge。





His　understanding　resembled　the　tent　which　the　fairy

Paribanou　gave　to　Prince　Ahmed：　　fold　it；　and　it　seemed　a　toy　for

the　hand　of　a　lady；　spread　it；　and　the　armies　of　the　powerful

Sultans　might　repose　beneath　its　shade。





The　knowledge　in　which　Bacon　excelled　all　men　was　a　knowledge

of　the　mutual　relations　of　all　departments　of　knowledge。





In　a　letter　written　when　he　was　only　thirty…one；　to　his　uncle；

Lord　Burleigh；　he　said；　〃I　have　taken　all　knowledge　to　be　my　province。〃





Though　Bacon　did　not　arm　his　philosophy　with　the　weapons　of　logic；

he　adorned　her　profusely　with　all　the　richest　decorations　of　rhetoric。





The　practical　faculty　was　powerful　in　Bacon；　but　not；　like

his　wit；　so　powerful　as　occasionally　to　usurp　the　place　of　his

reason　and　to　tyrannize　over　the　whole　man。





There　are　too　many　places　in　the　Plays　where　this　happens。

Poor　old　dying　John　of　Gaunt　volleying　second…rate　puns　at　his

own　name；　is　a　pathetic　instance　of　it。　　〃We　may　assume〃　that　it　is

Bacon's　fault；　but　the　Stratford　Shakespeare　has　to　bear　the　blame。





No　imagination　was　ever　at　once　so　strong　and　so　thoroughly

subjugated。　　It　stopped　at　the　first　check　from　good　sense。





In　truth；　much　of　Bacon's　life　was　passed　in　a　visionary　world

amid　things　as　strange　as　any　that　are　described　in　the　ARABIAN　TALES

。　。　。　amid　buildings　more　sumptuous　than　the　palace　of　Aladdin；

fountains　more　wonderful　than　the　golden　water　of　Parizade；

conveyances　more　rapid　than　the　hippogryph　of　Ruggiero；　arms　more

formidable　than　the　lance　of　Astolfo；　remedies　more　effacious

than　the　balsam　of　Fierabras。　　Yet　in　his　magnificent　day…dreams

there　was　nothing　wildnothing　but　what　sober　reason　sanctioned。





Bacon's　greatest　performance　is　the　first　book　of　the　NOVUM

ORGANUM。　。　。　。　　Every　part　of　it　blazes　with　wit；　but　with　wit

which　is　employed　only　to　illustrate　and　decorate　truth。　　No　book

ever　made　so　great　a　revolution　in　the　mode　of　thinking；

overthrew　so　may　prejudices；　introduced　so　many　new　opinions。





But　what　we　most　admire　is　the　vast　capacity　of　that

intellect　which；　without　effort；　takes　in　at　once　all　the　domains

of　scienceall　the　past；　the　present　and　the　future；　all　the

errors　of　two　thousand　years；　all　the　encouraging　signs　of　the

passing　times；　all　the　bright　hopes　of　the　coming　age。





He　had　a　wonderful　talent　for　packing　thought　close　and

rendering　it　portable。





His　eloquence　would　alone　have　entitled　him　to　a　high　rank

in　literature。





It　is　evident　that　he　had　each　and　every　one　of　the　mental　gifts

and　each　and　every　one　of　the　acquirements　that　are　so　prodigally

displayed　in　the　Plays　and　Poems；　and　in　much　higher　and　richer

degree　than　any　other　man　of　his　time　or　of　any　previous　time。

He　was　a　genius　without　a　mate；　a　prodigy　not　matable。　　There　was

only　one　of　him；　the　planet　could　not　produce　two　of　him　at

one　birth；　nor　in　one　age。　　He　could　have　written　anything　that

is　in　the　Plays　and　Poems。　　He　could　have　written　this：







The　cloud…cap'd　towers；　the　gorgeous　palaces；

The　solemn　temples；　the　great　globe　itself；

Yea；　all　which　it　inherit；　shall　dissolve；

And；　like　an　insubstantial　pageant　faded；

Leave　not　a　rack　behind。　　We　are　such　stuff

As　dreams　are　made　of；　and　our　little　life

Is　rounded　with　a　sleep。





Also；　he　could　have　written　this；　but　he　refrained：





Good　friend　for　Iesus　sake　forbeare

To　digg　the　dust　encloased　heare：

Blest　be　ye　man　yt　spares　thes　stones

And　curst　be　he　yt　moves　my　bones。





When　a　person　reads　the　noble　verses　about　the　cloud…cap'd

towers；　he　ought　not　to　follow　it　immediately　with　Good　friend

for　Iesus　sake　forbeare；　because　he　will　find　the　transition　from

great　poetry　to　poor　prose　too　violent　for　comfort。　　It　will　give

him　a　shock。　　You　never　notice　how　commonplace　and　unpoetic

gravel　is　until　you　bite　into　a　layer　of　it　in　a　pie。







　XI





Am　I　trying　to　convince　anybody　that　Shakespeare　did　not

write　Shakespeare's　Works？　　Ah；　now；　what　do　you　take　me　for？

Would　I　be　so　soft　as　that；　after　having　known　the　human　race

familiarly　for　nearly　seventy…four　years？　　It　would　grieve　me　to

know　that　any　one　could　think　so　injuriously　of　me；　so

uncomplimentarily；　so　unadmiringly　of　me。　　No；　no；　I　am　aware

that　when　even　the　brightest　mind　in　our　world　has　been　trained

up　from　childhood　in　a　superstition　of　any　kind；　it　will　never　be

possible　for　that　mind；　in　its　maturity；　to　examine　sincerely；

dispassionately；　and　conscientiously　any　evidence　or　any

circumstance　which　shall　seem　to　cast　a　doubt　upon　the　validity

of　that　superstition。　　I　doubt　if　I　could　do　it　myself。　　We

always　get　at　second　hand　our　notions　about　systems　of

government；　and　high　tariff　and　low　tariff；　and　prohibition　and

anti…prohibition；　and　the　holiness　of　peace　and　the　glories　of

war；　and　codes　of　honor　and　codes　of　morals；　and　approval　of　the

duel　and　disapproval　of　it；　and　our　beliefs　concerning　the　nature

of　cats；　and　our　ideas　as　to　whether　the　murder　of　helpless　wild

animals　is　base　or　is　heroic；　and　our　preferences　in　the　matter

of　religious　and　political　parties；　and　our　acceptance　or

rejection　of　the　Shakespeares　and　the　Author　Ortons　and　the　Mrs。

Eddys。　　We　get　them　all　at　second　hand；　we　reason　none　of　them

out　for　ourselves。　　It　is　the　way　we　are　made。　　It　is　the　way　we

are　all　made；　and　we　can't　help　it；　we　can't　change　it。　　And

whenever　we　have　been　furnished　a　fetish；　and　have　been　taught　to

believe　in　it；　and　love　it　and　worship　it；　and　refrain　from

examining　it；　there　is　no　evidence；　howsoever　clear　and　strong；

that　can　persuade　us　to　withdraw　from　it　our　loyalty　and　our

devotion。　　In　morals；　conduct；　and　beliefs　we　take　the　color　of

our　environment　and　associations；　and　it　is　a　color　that　can

safely　be　warranted　to　wash。　　Whenever　we　have　been　furnished

with　a　tar　baby　ostensibly　stuffed　with　jewels；　and　warned　that

it　will　be　dishonorable　and　irreverent　to　disembowel　it　and　test

the　jewels；　we　keep　our　sacrilegious　hands　off　it。　　We　submit；

not　reluctantly；　but　rather　gladly；　for　we　are　privately　afraid

we　should　find；　upon　examination　that　the　jewels　are　of　the　sort

that　are　manufactured　at　North　Adams；　Mass。



I　haven't　any　idea　that　Shakespeare　will　have　to　vacate　his

pedestal　this　side　of　the　year　2209。　　Disbelief　in　him　cannot

come　swiftly；　disbelief　in　a　healthy　and　deeply…loved　tar　baby

has　never　been　known　to　disintegrate　swiftly；　it　is　a　very　slow

process。　　It　took　several　thousand　years　to　convince　our　fine

raceincluding　every　splendid　intellect　in　itthat　there　is　no

such　thing　as　a　witch；　it　has　taken　several　thousand　years　to

convince　the　same　fine　raceincluding　every　splendid　intellect

in　itthat　there　is　no　such　person　as　Satan；　it　has　taken

several　centuries　to　remove　perdition　from　the　Protestant

Church's　program　of　post…mortem　entertainments；　it　has　taken　a

weary　long　time　to　persuade　American　Presbyterians　to　give　up

infant　damnation　and　try　to　bear　it　the　best　they　can；　and　it

looks　as　if　their　Scotch　brethren　will　s