SECTION 9.OBSERVA TION. 65 



research, will check the incessant, but fruitless, endeavours of 

 individuals to enlighten mankind on the most fundamental 

 issues of existence by advancing theories which are ambitious 

 and elaborate, but, at most points, out of touch with reality. 



23. Without a close and full examination of facts we are 

 liable to be gravely misled, as is impressively illustrated by the 

 Shakespeare-Bacon controversy. The general argument of those 

 who contend that Bacon was the author of the plays commonly 

 attributed to Shakespeare, runs somewhat as follows. These 

 plays are of such supreme excellence that he who was respon- 

 sible for writing them should be regarded as one of the greatest 

 master minds. the world has known. Now William Shakespeare 

 was the son of humble parents, enjoyed only an elementary 

 education, was a mediocre actor, was primarily interested in 

 acquiring wealth, had no consciousness of his greatness, and 

 was so uninteresting to his contemporaries that few traces of 

 his life are discoverable even by the most diligent research. 

 This commonplace actor, this conventional figure, could never 

 have been the creator of the superb comedies and tragedies 

 ascribed to him. On the other hand, his contemporary, Francis 

 Bacon, was the dominant spirit of his age, and to him un- 

 doubtedly should be assigned the merit and the glory of having 

 ushered onto the world's stage the plays reputedly Shakespeare's. 

 If it be objected that the plays are ostensibly by Shakespeare, 

 the reply proffered is that, owing to Bacon's high social position 

 and the low status of Elizabethan playwrights, the authorship 

 could not be revealed. 



Abstractly, at least on the negative side, the case for the 

 Baconian origin of the plays in question appears almost irre- 

 sistible. Now to the facts. Shakespeare's father, John Shake- 

 speare, occupied successively all the higher civic posts in the 

 fairly large town of Stratford-on-Avon,' where he lived; and his 

 wife belonged to a respectable country family. The sons of 

 numerous fathers of the merchant class similarly situated, have 

 risen to the most prominent ranks. However, financial mis- 

 fortune overtook John Shakespeare, and therefore his illustrious 

 son's education was probably limited by what the grammar 

 school of the town offered. There, we may assume, he assimi- 

 lated what such an educational establishment provided, which 

 need by no means have been negligible in quantity or quality. 

 Besides, fortunately, culture is not a mere matter of school 

 drill. For aught we know to the contrary pace Ben Jonson 

 he might have become a great scholar through private study. 

 Arbitrarily to limit his possible intellectual attainments, would 

 be unfair. Of course, Shakespeare's plays might have exhibited 

 such a grasp of the sciences, the arts, and other subjects taught 

 at the universities, that it woulH be difficult to account for 

 John Shakespeare's son acquiring them; but since philosophers, 

 men of science, politicians, and artists, do not ponder over his 



