them, and said: "It is true I spake them; and if the wine had not failed, I had said much more." Apophthegm 53. A physician advised his patient that had sore eyes that he should abstain from wine; but the patient said, "I think rather, sir, from wine and water, for I have often marked it in blue eyes, and I have seen water come forth, but wine never." Apophthegm 134. Alonso of Arragon was wont to say in commendation of age, "That age appeared best in four things-old wood to burn; old wine to drink; old friends to trust; and old authors to read." Let therefore the drinks in use be subtle, yet free from all acrimony and acidity, as are those wines which, as the old woman says in Plautus, 66 are toothless with age." Apophthegm 29. The Lord Keeper, Sir Nicholas Bacon, was asked his opinion by Queen Elizabeth of one of these monopoly licenses? And he answered, "Madam, will you have me speak the truth? Licentiæ deteriores sumus.' We are all the worse for licenses. A good motto for Sir Wilfrid. "It is written of Epicurus that, after his disease was judged desperate, he drowned his stomach and senses with a large draught and ingurgitation of wine; hence he was not sober enough to taste any bitterness in Stygian waters" (Adv. of Learning, ii.). In his Promus (1594-96), edited by Mrs. Pott, are many phrases and several proverbs in English and foreign languages, intended as suggestions for future work. Much has been made of parallelisms between the Promus and the plays of Shakspere; but anything found there is certain not to be original, so nothing can be based on it. For instance, Greene says,1 "Soft fire makes sweet malt,” and 1 Robert Greene's Quippe for an Upstart Courtier, 1592; also Tib. Talk "Soft Fier maketh sweete maulte, good Madge Mumblecrust." (Ralph Roister Doister, 1553.) "Softer fire makes sweeter malt." Also (Nash's Pierce Pennilesse, 1592.) " 1 Shakspere, in "As You Like It," says, "Good wine needs no bush." We need not, however, be surprised to find that Bacon, either from them or from others, had heard the phrases and booked them. 470. Soft fire makes sweet malt. 512. Lunæ radiis non maturescit botrus. The cluster does not ripen in the rays of the moon. 517. Good wine needs no bush. 582. Buon vin cattiva testa, dice il Griega. Good wine makes a bad head, says the Greek. 583. Buon vin favola lunga. Good wine talks long. 631. As he brews, so must he drink. 777. Ad vinum diserti. Eloquent at wine (Erasm.). 878. An owl's egg. It was an old superstition that if a child ate of an owl's egg before it had tasted wine, it would be a total abstainer all its life. 910. The vinegar of sweet wine.2 999. In vino veritas. 1605. Vin sur lait souhait; lait sur vin, venin. 1608. A la trogne on cognoist l'yvrogne. 1612. Vin vieux, amy vieux, et or vieux, sont aimés en tous lieux. In the Adv. of Learning, Book ii. : "As Philocrates sported with Demosthenes, 'You may not marvel, Athenians, that Demosthenes and I do differ, for he drinketh water and I drink wine.' And like as we read of the ancient parable of the two gates of sleep in Virgil, if we put on sobriety and attention, we shall find it a sure maxim in knowledge, that the more pleasant liquor of wine is the more vaporous, and the braver gate of ivory sendeth forth the falser dreams." 1 John Davies of Hereford says 2 Also, "Good wine doth need no bush, Lord, who can tell! (1603.) "The sweetest wine turneth to the sharpest vinegar." In the Interpretation of Nature (cxxii.), "I may say then of myself that which one said in jest (since it marks the distinction so truly), 'It cannot be that we should think alike, when one drinks water and the other drinks wine.' Now, other men, as well in ancient as in modern times, have in the matter of sciences drunk a crude liquor like water, whereas I pledge mankind in a liquor strained from countless grapes, from grapes ripe and fully seasoned, collected in clusters, and gathered and then squeezed in the press, and finally purified and clarified in the vat. And, therefore, it is no wonder if they and I do not think alike.” The authors of Shakspere's and of Bacon's works drank different liquors, and therefore they did not think alike. The first drank nectar; the second, wine and beer. The first could not have yoked the horses of Apollo to the car of commonplace experiment; the second would have fallen like Icarus, with melted wings from his high flight, had he essayed it. CHAPTER IV. WHETHER WERE THE POEMS AND PLAYS CLAIMED BY SHAKSPERE OR BACON? SHAKSPERE wrote his Sonnets and gave them to his friends, which Meres proves. He wrote his poems, printed them, signed and dedicated them to Southampton, which was never considered less than proof he composed them. He wrote his plays and sold them to his company, which credited him with them by giving him place and power, and publishing them with his name after his death. He acted his own plays and others, so that he knew just what would tell on an audience, and thence he won his fame; and he must have spoken to many of his plots and his alterations. A claim of three hundred years ago can only be proved by inference. But if the premises are good, the inference can be sound. If all of the works named as Shakspere's were not definitely claimed by him in his lifetime, some were, and that is quite sufficient for the purpose in hand. The earliest signed work was his Venus and Adonis, 1593. In 1592 the Plague had been in London, and the players were not allowed to play often, lest the concourse of people should spread infection. Doubtless Shakspere found thereby more leisure to write a poem unconnected with the stage, or at least to correct, beautify, and expand one he had in hand. We have already pointed out that Shakspere only wrote two dedications, both simple, manly, and like modern forms; nevertheless, the first, the dedication to Venus and Adonis, is written as to a patron : 1593. To the Right Honourable Henry Wriothesly, Earl of Southampton, &c. :— Right Honourable, I know not how I shall offend in dedicating my unpolished lines to your Lordship, nor how the world will censure me for choosing so strong a prop to support so weak a burden; only if your Honour seem but pleased, I account myself highly praised, and vow to take advantage of all idle hours, till I have honoured you with some graver labour. But if the first heir of my invention prove deformed, I shall be sorry it had so noble a godfather, and never after ear so barren a land, for fear it yield me still so bad a harvest. I leave it to your honourable survey, and your Honour to your heart's content; which I wish may always answer your own wish, and the world's hopeful expectation. Your Honour's in all duty, WILLIAM SHAKSPERE,1 Consider the meaning of the phrases "unpolished lines," "take advantage of all idle hours," "first heir of my invention,' some graver labour"-these cannot fit into the Baconian story in any way. In one year, however, the admiration of his poetic power had caused Southampton to receive him and honour him as a friend, by which degree of intimacy Shakspere opened his heart like a flower to the sun. Shakspere did take advantage of all idle hours, and soon produced a witness of his 1 The second editions I have not seen; the third edition of 1596 retains the dedication. “18 April 1593, Richard Field entered for his copie under the handes of the Archbishop of Canterbury and Master Warden Stirrup, a book entituled Venus and Adonis." That publishers had a right in the editions is evident. On 25th June 1594 is an entry in the Stationers' Register. "Master Harrison, senior, assigned over unto him from Richard Field in open court holden this day a Book called Venus and Adonis, the which was before entered to Richard Field, 18 April 1593." |