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Mr. Sidney Lee and the Baconians

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"The Highest Themes of Tragedy," etc.—hundreds of pages directed to anything but the "personal history" of the reputed author of the plays. All that Mr. Lee has to give in the shape of "personal history" of the man of Stratford could be compressed into a few lines: viz.—(i) He was born 22nd or 23rd April, 1564 (p. 8). [Probably, although the birth was not registered.] (2) He was baptised 26th April (p. 8). [Doubtlessly, as the baptism is recorded.] (3) He seduced and was forced to marry Anne Hathaway, who had a child to him within six months after marriage^[1] (p. 22). (4) He had to leave Stratford for poaching (p. 27). (5) He sued Philip Rogers for 2/- lent, among other debts in the same account (p. 206).^[2] (6) He cheated his fellow-townsmen over the enclosure of public land (p. 270). (7) He endeavoured to obtain by means of false statements a coat-of-arms (p 188). (8) He "barred his wife's dower," and cut her off with his "second-best bed" (pp. 273-4.)^[3]

↑ "With Shakespeare marriage is a divine institution; with Bacon it is a business matter. Shakespeare married young and for love."—Rolfe. [Even the marriage is doubtful, as "no record of the solemnisation of Shakespeare's marriage survives" (p. 191) although Mrs. Stopes maintains:—" But they were married somehow, and William probably brought home his fatherless bride to his father's house."] Bacon's marriage was, at any rate, respectable, and as to the "business" part of it, his wife brought him £220 per annum, to which Bacon added £500 a year, which is more than the "love-mated " but wife-deserting and money-grabbing Shakspere did. [See (8) and (9) infra.] "Bacon's fall taught the usual lesson that intellectual genius, however commanding, never justified breaches of any moral law."—S. Lee, Oct. 4th, 1903. [Shakspere's "intellectual genius" probably does, at least Mr. Lee suggests its possibility.]
↑ "A sharp man of business this poet of ours. … He is by no means the ideal artist of the vulgar."—Fleay. "Neither a borrower nor a lender be."—Hamlet.
↑ "The eccentric bequest to his wife of his second-best bed must have been explicable by some circumstance unknown to us.

[1] "With Shakespeare marriage is a divine institution; with Bacon it is a business matter. Shakespeare married young and for love."—Rolfe. [Even the marriage is doubtful, as "no record of the solemnisation of Shakespeare's marriage survives" (p. 191) although Mrs. Stopes maintains:—" But they were married somehow, and William probably brought home his fatherless bride to his father's house."] Bacon's marriage was, at any rate, respectable, and as to the "business" part of it, his wife brought him £220 per annum, to which Bacon added £500 a year, which is more than the "love-mated " but wife-deserting and money-grabbing Shakspere did. [See (8) and (9) infra.] "Bacon's fall taught the usual lesson that intellectual genius, however commanding, never justified breaches of any moral law."—S. Lee, Oct. 4th, 1903. [Shakspere's "intellectual genius" probably does, at least Mr. Lee suggests its possibility.]

[2] "A sharp man of business this poet of ours. … He is by no means the ideal artist of the vulgar."—Fleay. "Neither a borrower nor a lender be."—Hamlet.

[p9-3] "The eccentric bequest to his wife of his second-best bed must have been explicable by some circumstance unknown to us.

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