The Bacon- Shakespeare Folly 363 



think, save by close familiarity with history. 

 Spencer assured me that he had never read ex- 

 tensively in history. Whence, then, this wealth 

 of knowledge, not smattering, not sciolism, but 

 solid, well-digested knowledge ? Really, he did not 

 know, except that when his interest was aroused in 

 any subject he was keenly alive to all facts bearing 

 upon it, and seemed to find them whichever way 

 he turned. When I mentioned this to Lewes, 

 while recalling the discussion 011 the cerebellum, 

 he exclaimed : " Oh, you can't account for it ! It 's 

 his genius. Spencer has greater instinctive power 

 of observation and assimilation than any man since 

 Shakespeare, and he is like Shakespeare for hit- 

 ting the bull's-eye every time he fires. As for 

 Darwin and Huxley, we can follow their intellec- 

 tual processes, but Spencer is above and beyond all ; 

 he is inspired ! " 



Those were Lewes' s exact words, and they made 

 a deep impression upon me. The comparison with 

 Shakespeare struck me as a happy one, and I can 

 understand both Spencer and Shakespeare the bet- 

 ter for it. Concerning Spencer one circumstance 

 may be observed. Since his early manhood he has 

 lived in London, and has had for his daily associ- 

 ates men of vast attainments in every department 

 of science. He has thus had rare opportunities for 



