The Bacon- Shakespeare Folly 375 



he likens Shakespeare to an English cruiser, less 

 heavily weighted, but apt for victory because of its 

 nimbleness, the same kind of contrast, by the 

 way, as that which occurred to Milton. 



But our Baconizing friends will not allow that 

 Shakespeare ever went to the Mermaid, or knew 

 the people who met there ; at least, none but a few 

 fellow dramatists. We have no documentary 

 proof that he ever met with Raleigh, or Bacon, or 

 Selden. Let us observe that, while these sapient 

 critics are in some cases ready to welcome the 

 slightest circumstantial evidence, there are others 

 in which they will accept nothing short of absolute 

 demonstration. Did Shakespeare ever see a may- 

 pole? The word occurs just once in his plays, 

 namely, in the " Midsummer Night's Dream," where 

 little Hermia, quarrelling with tall Helena, calls 

 her a " painted maypole ; " but that proves nothing. 

 1 am not aware that there is any absolute docu- 

 mentary proof that Shakespeare ever set eyes on a 

 maypole. It is nevertheless certain that in Eng- 

 land, at that time, no boy could grow to manhood 

 without seeing many a maypole. Common sense 

 has some rights which we are bound to respect. 



Now, Shakespeare's London was a small city of 

 from 150,000 to 200,000 souls, or about the size 

 of Providence or Minneapolis at the present time. 



