'Advancement of Learning, first published in 1605, and one in 'Troilus and Cressida,' which did not appear till 1609!” Supposing for we are willing to concede as much as possible, especially in a case in which all our concessions will not be of much advantage to our opponent-we attribute to this fact its highest importance, and grant that it clearly shows that Shakespeare borrowed that particular idea, or error, from Bacon, what can that possibly matter? We will, however, repeat the passage, in case any created being besides Mr. William Henry Smith should be foolish enough to imagine that it is worthy even of consideration.

In the "Advancement of Learning," first published, as we said before, in 1605, Bacon commits a strange blunder, in confounding the terms political and moral philosophy. Mr. William Henry Smith quotes it thus:-" "Is not the opinion of Aristotle worthy to be regarded, where he saith that young men are not fit auditors of moral philosophy, because they are not settled from the boiling heat of their affections, nor attempered by time and experience. Shakespeare, in the comedy of "Troilus and Cressida," which was not printed until 1609, though it had been previously acted, falls into precisely the same

* It is a well-known fact, that the "Advancement of Learning' was first published in English, in two books. Bacon afterwards enlarged this work, divided it into nine books, and caused it to be translated into Latin. It was re-translated into English by Gilbert Wats, and published in 1640. There is a remarkable difference in the wording of this passage in the two treatises.

Editions of 1605, 1629, and 1633.

"Is not the opinion of Aristotle worthy to be regarded, wherein he saith, that young men are no fitte auditors of Moral Philosophy, because they are not setled from the boyling heate of their affections, nor attempered with Time and Experience?"-Book ii.

Gilbert Wat's edition, 1640.

"It is not a wise opinion of Aristotle, and worthy to be regarded That young men are no fit auditors of Morall Philosophy, because the boyling heat of their affections is not yet setled, nor attemperd with Time and Experience."-Book vii.

mistake.

says,

It occurs in Act ii. Scene 2, where he

"Not much

Unlike young men, whom Aristotle thought

Unfit to hear moral philosophy.'

Aristotle, it appears, uses the term "political," not "moral," as in these extracts. "Therefore," says Mr. William Henry Smith, "as both Bacon and Shakespeare misquote him, the plays of Shakespeare were written by Francis Bacon." "O most lame and impotent conclusion !" Why a thousand such instances would not prove that Bacon was the author of Shakespeare. They might indeed convince some minds that the latter was a plagiarist, but could not be received as evidence that he did not write those wonderful dramas, the glory of our literature, and one of the wonders of the world.

Moreover, the similarity between many passages in the poems and plays of Shakespeare is much more striking than that pointed out in any of the afore-mentioned instances. In order to give our readers an idea of the manner in which Mr. William Henry Smith may be worsted by his own weapons, we append thirteen illustrations, as a set-off against the same number which that sagacious Shakespearian critic communicated to "Notes and Queries."

We e may as well remark that we have confined ourselves to this number, merely because we are unwilling to occupy more space with a theory that can lead to no positive results.

1. The use of the word "vail," in the sense of "to lower."

"Then like a melancholy malcontent,

He vailes his taile."- Venus and Adonis.

"And see my wealthy Andrew docks in sand,
Vailing her high top lower than her ribs."

The Merchant of Venice, i. 1.*

* These passages are taken verbatim from the first editions of

2. Employment of the term " Eysell," or "Esile,” which has raised such discussion amongst the commentators, and which Halliwell states to be an Anglo-Saxon word, meaning "vinegar."

"Whilst like a willing pacient I will drinke,
Potions of Eysell 'gainst my strong infection."

"Woo't drinke up Esile, eate a Crocodile ?"

Sonnet cxi.

Hamlet, Act v. 2.

3. Peculiar use of the adjective "obsequious."

"How many a holy and obsequious teare
Hath deare religious love stolne from mine eye,
As interest of the dead, which now appeare,

But things remov'd that hidden in there lie!"

"The Surviver bound

In filiall Obligation, for some terme
To do obsequious Sorrow."-Hamlet, i. 2.

4. Use of the word "rack," vapour.

"Anon permit the basest cloudes to ride,
With ougly rack on his celestiall face,
And from the for-lorne world his visage hide
Stealing unseene to west with this disgrace."

Sonnet xxxi.

Sonnet xxxiii.

"That which is now a Horse, even with a thoght
the racke dislimes, and makes it indistinct
As water is in water."-Ant. and Cleopatra, iv. 12.
"And like this insubstantiall Pageant faded
Leave not a racke behinde."-Tempest, iv. 1.

5. Employment of the term "rigoll" to denote circle, or wreath."

"About the mourning and congealed face
Of that blacke bloud, a watrie rigoll goes,
Which seemes to weep upon the tainted place."

a

Lucrece.

the "Lucrece" and the Sonnets, the second edition of the "Venus and Adonis," and the folio edition, of 1623, of the Dramas.

"This is a sleepe,

That from this Golden Rigoll hath divorc'd
So many English Kings."

Henry IV., 2nd Part, iv. 4.

6. "Owe" used in the sense of "

possess."

"If some suspect of ill maskt not thy show,
Then thou alone kingdomes of hearts shouldst owe!

"Of all perfections that a man may owe."

Sonnet lxx.

Love's Labour's Lost, ii. 1.

7. Use of "quote," or "cote," in the sense of "to

note."

"Yea, the illiterate that know not how
To cipher what is writ in learned bookes,
Will cote my lothsome trespasse in my lookes."

"What curious eye doth quote deformities?"

Lucrece.

Romeo and Juliet, i. 4.

8. "Suggested" used for "tempted."
"Perchance his bost of Lucrece Sou'raigntie,
Suggested this proud issue of a King."

Lucrece.

"What Eve? what Serpent hath suggested thee,
To make a second fall of cursed man?"

Rich. II. iii. 4.

9. The word "vast "used to signify "a wide waste."

"Who like a late sack't Island vastlie stood
Bare and unpeopled, in this fearfull flood."

Lucrece.

"Shooke hands, as over a Vast; and embrac'd as it were from the ends of opposed winds."-Winter's Tale, i. 1,

10. Peculiar use of the verb "to fall."

"For everie teare he fals a Trojan bleeds."--Lucrece.
"If that the Earth could teeme with womans teares,
Each drop she falls, would prove a Crocodile."
Othello, iv. 1,

PROOFS.

11. Employment of the word "foyzon."

"Speake of the spring, and foyzon of the yeare,
The one doth shaddow of your beautie show,
The other as your bountie doth appeare,
And you in every blessed shape we know."

Sonnet liii,

"Nature should bring forth

Of its owne kinde, all foyzon, all abundance
To feed my innocent people.'

12. A quaint expression.

Tempest, ii. 1.

59

"Why should my heart thinke that a severall plot,
Which my heart knowes the wide worlds common place?"

Sonnet cxxxvii.

"My lips are no Common, though severall they be."

Love's Labour's Lost, ii.

13. "Wood" used in the sense of "mad."
"Life-poysoning pestilence, and frendzies wood.”

Venus and Adonis.

"And heere am I, and wood within this wood."
A Midsummer Night's Dream, ii. 2.

This list might be extended almost indefinitely, and illustrations of particular passages might be adduced; for every student of Shakespeare is aware that the germ of some of the finest portions in many of the dramas may be traced to the poems. Any theory based upon parallel passages must, however, be, in a great measure, delusive. In the case of Bacon and Shakespeare, it cannot do much more than illustrate the influence wielded by one commanding mind over another of almost equal powers, though differently displayed and developed. Did we place reliance such a system, we might, in addition to any the foregoing instances, produce a startling array of kindred sentiments and expressions, selected from the poems and the dramas of Shakespeare, which would be sufficient to

upon