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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



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 Fig. 6. Two Gkoup.s, Ben Jonson. 



ing flexure in the other. This is typical of all comparisons of different 

 styles of composition by the same author. Undoubtedly there will 

 always be found differences in the graphic representations of serious 



prose compositions and those 

 of a higher vein, poetry or 

 play, by the same writer, but 

 the evidence at hand goes to 

 show that the leading personal 

 peculiarities of composition 

 will invariably be found in 

 both. 



Fig. 6 shows the curves of 

 two groups of about 75,000 

 words each from the plays of 

 Ben Jonson, the most notable 

 literary contemporary of 

 Shakespeare. Their close agreement is another very satisfactory con- 

 firmation of the fundamental principle and their difference from the 

 Shakespearean curve is striking. It will be observed that Jonson follows 

 the usual practice of making use of the three-letter word most 

 frequently. 



Fig. 7 shows the characteristic curves of Bacon and Shakespeare side 

 by side and may be regarded, perhaps, as the objective point of the 

 entire investigation. The reader is at liberty to draw any conclusions 

 he pleases from this diagram. 



Should he conclude that, in view of the extraordinary differences in 

 these lines, it is clear that Bacon could not have Avritten the things 

 ordinarily attributed to Shakespeare, he may yet, possibly, be willing to 

 admit that, in Mr. Hemin- 

 way's own words, 'the question 

 still remains, who did?' As- 

 suming this question to be a 

 reasonable one, the method 

 now under consideration can 

 never do more than direct in- 

 quiry or suspicion. 



During the progress of the 

 count it seemed as if the 

 Shakespearean peculiarity of 12345678 



the excessive use of words of fic 7. k.vion.. 



four letters was unique, that 



no other writer would be found with this characteristic. On work- 

 ing out the results of a very extensive count of the plays of Beaumont 

 and Fletcher, however, it was found that on the final average the num- 



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 . ... SlIAKESPKABE . 



