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Francis Bacon's Signatures in
the Shakespeare Plays
£x Libris
C. K. OGDEN
THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
University of California
SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY
405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1388
Return this material to the library
from which it was borrowed.
LONDON:
ROBERT BANKK & SON, RACQUKT COURT.
FLEET STREET, E.O
1897 .
[Copyright.]
Francis Bacon's Signatures
IX THE
Shakespeare Plays.
" Mij Kniiir and Mcmoni I leave to the Future Ages, afler !<ome time has
rjove past.'"
By C. M. p.
C,
LONDON:
ROBERT BANKS k SON, RACQUET COURT,
FLEET STREET, E.G.
] 897.
[CopTjiight.]
Francis Bacon's Signatures
IN THE
Shakespeare Plays.
" Thou shalt not . . . hold thy stumps to Heav'n nor make a sign,
But I of these will wrest an alphabet,
And, by still practice, learn to know thy meaning."
(Tif. And. iii. 3.)
♦
The object with which the following pages are written is to endeavour
to gain help in verifying and elucidating certain anagrams, and the
records which seem to be afforded by their means, at the end of each
of the ShaJcespeare plays in the folio of 1G23.
Learned men seem to be deterred from pursuing this investigation
by a notion that the whole thing is vain and purposeless. They think
it inconceivable that the Sage of Verulam, or his friends, should have
wasted time and money in contriving and printing mere puzzles, con-
taining information known to those who had the key to such ciphers,
and therefore, to the initiated, useless; but information, inscrutable
to the uninitiated, and therefore to them also useless.
Such arguments, though plausible, ignore the point upon which the
whole question of ciphers turns. The very idea of secret writing
includes, and draws after it, the idea of writers and readers, as well as
printers of that secret writing. This idea involves a theory or belief
in the existence of a secret society, and it will readily be believed that
a great expense of time, money, and trouble would not have been
incurred, excepting on behalf of a very large number of initiated
readers, members of a fraternity bound to hand down the knowledge
and traditions (perhaps verbally) received.
This papor makes no attempt even to sketch the liistory and methods
of that secret society of which we believe Francis Bacon to have been
the centre and moving; spirit, if not the true founder; but it may be
said, in passing, that the same books and scraps of evidence which
liint at these particulars — now and then lifting the curtain to give
us a glimpse of the "concealed man," the "concealed poet,"
" magician," or " Proteus," whom we believe him to be — tell us, even
more plainly, that the mystery should not endure for over. There
seems to be but little doubt that Francis Bacon planned and desired
that the revelation should take place at the end of an age — 100 years;
then the veil should be withdrawn, and from behind his curtain
the great poet-philosopher should " pace foiih " and be known as
himself.
How much would have happened, how much did happen in that
100 years! We do not stop to discuss the complications which may, or
must have, prevented the consummation at the appointed time, of the
intended revelation; but it is evident that, at any moment from the
insertion of those anagrams to the pi-esent day, the initiates of Bacon's
secret society (by whatever name it may now be called) would be
furnished with simple and ready means whereby to vindicate the
claims of their " Great Master." Should controversy arise (and the
prophetic soul of our poet must have foreseen that such controversy
would at some future time be inevitable) his Sons of Science could,
by means of such anagrams, produce mathematical proofs of his
authoi-ship not only of Sliahespeare, but of all the rest of his multi-
tudinous but unacknowledged works.*
Opinions on matters of this kind can have no value unless the critic
have taken some pains to master the principles upon which these
anagrammatic ciphers are worked. Only by experiment and experience
can any one be capable of establishing or disproving the accuracy of
* It is only fair to other students to state that anagrams on the same prin-
ciples as those which are here treated of are common to nearly all other great
loorlts of the Elizabethan age. Some Baconians consider that undue prominence
has been given to the mere Bacon- Shakespeare controversy, and that this,which
is but a branch of the subject, has been made to appear of paramount import-
ance. Nevertheless, since, for the majority of readers, " Elizabethan
literature " is embodied in Shakespeare, we depend upon that charmed name
to conjure up interest in this question.
the examples here given, and of the genuineness of the method by
which they are evolved.
The first proposition which presents itself for consideration is this :
" Are these anagrams producible from certain given pages of the 1G23
folio of Shalcespeare, upon a uniform system such as is here
described ? "
When this question shall have been decided, it will be soon enough
to inquire, secondly, " Can the letters of these anagrams be arranged so
as to form other sentences besides those of the kind here produced ?
If so, what other sentences can be framed ? " It is a mistake, often
made, to put this question first.
The third stage of inf^uiry must be relegated to mathematicians,
who will doubtless be al^le to demonstrate the true scientific prin-
ciple underlying these interesting puzzles, and regulating their
construction.
It will readily be believed that belief in the existence of anagram-
matic records throughout the whole of Baconian literature has not
been reached at a bound. On the contrary, nearly ten years have
passed since the curiosity and interest stirred by Mr. Donnelly's
wonderful pioneer work and cipher discoveries, led to a close observa-
tion of the typography and pagination of Baconian books in general.
The patient and ingenious researches also of Mr. James Gary and his
successful results by means of the '' wheel " cipher seemed to prove
tliat the words and dates produced arc sul)ject to arithmetical prin-
ciples. But with regard tx)
The Records Contained in the Anagrams,
let it be clearly understood that thfrc is here no qvestinn of any storif
or narrative. The sentences evolved are all of one kind — their aim
peraistent, and uniform — namely, to keep green the memory of Francis
Bacon, and perpetually to hand down records of his true and universal
authorship — to embalm within his own works that Fame or "good
Name " which, he said, was the only earthly thing worth striving
after.
Anagrams, similai- to these in ShaTcesjieare, seem to be ubiquitous in
books of " the Elizabethan period," which (from totally different
causes) have been attrilnited to I'ranci.s Bacon. The same method
whicli deciphers one deciphers all, with only such slight variations as
show that they were composed upon a system understood by a great
number of persons, and intended to be handed down traditionally. So
long as books and literature shall endure, so long shall the records thus
transmitted remain " all one, ever the same," rehearsing the statement
that '"'' Francis Bacon, Lord Verulam, ivrote this play, ^^ ^^poem,'" &c.
Slight, then, and trivial as these anagrams may at first appear, they
suggest to a thoughtful mind, possibilities almost too bewildering to
contemplate. But without indulging in speculations, let us at least
approach this inquiry with a due sense of its importance, and of the
truth of Bacon's dictum, that
" Most poor matters point to most rich endsy
How THE Anagrams are Formed.
In the first place, the letters have to be collected, from which the
cipher alphabets are to be formed. There may be 3, 4, or any number
of such letters up to 0. These letters we call " keys," and they are
marked out, or pointed a,t, by some definite, though not conspicuous
lines on the page, which lines, prolonged by means of a pencil and
ruler, will reach certain letters in the text — i.e., will reach the " key-
letters."
The key-letters indicate the arrangement of a series of alphabets, of
which the corresponding letters are interchangeable, one being the
true, the rest the cipher alphabets.
Those who were at the pains to examine into former statements con-
cerning secret marks, and the " Tau " cipher,will remember that, follow-
ing the clues given (in the former case by Marks, in the latter by the letter
T), lines are ruled from point to point, and the letters through which
the lines pass are written down, and form the material for the anagram.
The " Tau " is most frequent in (though not peculiar to) title-pages,
and since innumerable experiments seem to show that all such devices are
for the purpose of secretly perpetuating the name and fame of Francis
Bacon, the letters of this name, together with one or both of his titles,
are in deciphering by means of the T, filled in, over and over
again, until the necessary letters are exhausted. From the residue the
decipherer proceeds to finish the sentence, being guided by the wording
of the title-page itself, or by marks or clues observable in the type.
The residue usually forms itself readily into phrases such as " wrote
this treatise,''^ " t?iese prayers,''^ ^'"poetns" ''^pla//Sj^ or whatever the
subject may be.
In old books we sometimes find, twice or thrice repeated, the name
of the reputed "author," as the publisher or producer of the work, and
so forth. In modern books Francis Bacon appears as having written
" the first " in this kind, whatever it may be.
These "Tau" ciphers are mere anagrams, such as a child might
spell out from a box of letters. They frequently leave a surplus of
T's, and sometimes a row of o o o o o, or of other letters which form no
word. Although there are fixed rules for deciding upon the starting
points (i.e., the T's to be ruled from), no rule has yet been found to
guide the decipherer as to the order in ivhich the letters are to be
used.*
It is different with the apparently more scientific anagrams by
means of which Francis Bacon or his friends have signed his name at
the end of his works. These signatures are not made by the
re-arrangement of a jumble of letters ; they are formed by exchanges
of symbols for letters; in fact, they are wheel-ciphers.
Wheel Ciphers and Their Working.
The construction and use of a " wheel " in ciphers are generally
understood. Yet, because these pages may fall into the hands of some
one unacquainted with this simple means of secret writing, let us
begin from the beginning, and explain the thing as though it were
new.
(1) The old English alphabet consisted of twenty-four letters only:
i = j, u=v.
(2) This alphabet of twenty-four letters is written round a disc
or " wheel," which it fills, as the figures on a clock fill the dial-
plate.
(3) Upon a smaller disc the same alphabet is similarly written.
(4) A pin or pivot is passed through the centres of the discs,
* This is tho same difficulty which, in the first instance, Mr. Donnelly expe-
rienced. Since writing the above, we have been rejoiced to hear that he has
vanquished this difficulty.
8
enabling tliem to revolve upon each otlier. Any one of the twenty-
four letters of Alphabet 1 can be brought into juxtaposition with any
letter of Alphabet 2. A word written in the cipher letters of the latter
can be translated into the true letters of the former. To take an
easy instance, say that we have found C and A to be " key letters.'
If, under the C of Alphabet 1, we place the A of Alphabet 2, we
can translate or decipher the meaning of the letters d p y 1 a g q
z y a m 1, and we find that they spell out, on Alphabet 1, the words
Francis Bacon.
This is a simple wdieel cipher. Sometimes it is spoken of as " Wheat-
stone's," but Bacon mentions it in his Advancement of Learning, and
it is described in books which seem to have been penned by himself.
Mr. James Gary has made large use of the wheel, though chiefly for
the purpose of extracting single words, or for resolving numbers
into letters, and vice verm. Others, following in bis track, have
gained useful hints from clusters of letters as they occur together on
the wheels, and which suggest words or sentences phonetically spelt.
In the cipher now brought forward it is hoped that further advance
has been made, and that cryptographers, however differently they may
set about their work, may find hints or aid in these anagrams, which
are a development of the wheel principle.
Only two alphabets have been spoken of; this was for the sake of
simplicity in explaining. There is no need to restrict ourselves to two
alphabets, and the examples given further on show that from o to !)
alphabets are generally used. * Now tlie eye becomes perplexed by so
many concentric circles of letters, and, although it is somewhat w-eari-
some to write out the alphabets over and o\er again, in straight lines,
yet this plan is found in the long run to save time and puzzling. The
decipherer should therefore begin by writing out the old English
alphabet from A to Z. Upon this alphabet the letter which stands
first among the cipher-keys should be marked, and beneath this
marked letter the other keys should he. written in a column — one
under the other. For instance, suppose the letters M, E, T, I to be
the keys, write thus :
* It can hardly be doubted that initiates were spared much of tlie time and
trouble required by the processes here described by being furnished with
ready-made tables of progression, or keys of some kind.
9
a b c d c f g h i ]\ 1 in u o p (j r s t v w x y z
e
t
i
The line with m, being tilled \\\) as the true alphabet, we i)roceed to till
in the next line from e, continuing f g h i, &c., until r comes under z.
Then, returning to the beginning of the line, under a we place s, and
so on, again finishing with z under g, and the letters a b c d to join e.
Here is the principle of a wheel cipher, though in the present case our
alphabet might be joined end to end on a cylinder, instead of being
joined end to end round a disc.
Alphabets 3 and 4 are, of course, treated in precisely the same
manner, the result being four complete alphaljets, of which it is best
to number the lines, and of which Ihe fii\-<l lune lettcru iniid noir Ic
cut off from the rest. (The cause for this cutting off will presently
appear.)
It has been found best at this stage (especially with lomj anagrams)
to write out alphabetically the list of letters thus cut off from the rest,
numbering each letter with the number of the line from which it is
di-awn. The following is now the state of the work : —
NINE LETTERS.
1
a
b c d e f g h
i
2
s
t V w X y z a.
b
■ >
h
i k 1 m n o ]>
'1
4
X
y z a b c d e
f
k 1 ni 11 o ]> (| V s t \' w X y z
c (1 e f g li i k I III II () ]> n r
r s t V w X y z a b c d e f g
g li i k I ill II () |) (| r s t V \v
(Letters to be Checked.)
1 2 4 1 2 4 1 4 1 I 1 4 1 4 1 1 ;! 1 'i
a a a )) 1) I) c c d d e e f f \i h h i i
?. ;! •! :i ■! •I 8 2 2
k I 111 II o ]) (j s t
22242424
V w X X y y z z
Next, we must write down a sentence which, if the rules of the
cipher l)e complied with, will l)e exactly produced from the rows of
lettei's cut off. As each letter is taken and matched to its fellow, it
should be cancelled on the group of letters cut off from the
alphabets, or, better still, it shoukl l)c cancelled on the alphabetical
10
list * Of the construction of the anagram sentences, oxformulm^ more
will be said; but for the present let the patient cryptographer continue
mechanically, and without reasoning, to till up the letters of the
sentence with their corresponding symbols. From the four alphabets
we are then to make (iislng onhj the first nine letters of each alphabet)
the following sentence of thirty-six letters: —
" Francis Bacon, Lord Verulam, wrote this play."
The cryptographer can take F from line 1, and cancel it on his list.
There is no r on the list, but amongst the " equivalents " in the
column under r he sees k; there is a k in the list, so he uses it to
represent r. Next he cancels a, n, c, i, s, which are all in the list, and
thus " Francis " is completed. Now for " Bacon.'' B, a, c, and o
are on the list, but there is no second n. The decipherer looks again
amongst the " equivalents " under n and finds f. The second f is
therefore cancelled, and the word " Bacon " completed.
For " Lord,'' 1, o, d are in the list ; but, for the r, we take its
" equivalent " (z). So, for " Verulam''' v and e are in the list, and
the last z takes the place of r. Up to this point all has been easy and
straightforward ; but now the small amount of observation and
common sense necessary for working these ciphers will be called into
play. After " Ver" comes another v or u; but none is on the list,
neither is there an unused " equivalent " in the column under v. But
what are the " equivalents " for v .? F is the first. The decipherer
then looks to the column of equivalents for f, and perceives y, of which
there is one unused in the list. So y is substituted for f in ''''Francis''
and tlie f is removed from ''''Francis," and made to do duty for the
second v in " Verulam." L, a, and m are ready in the list to complete
that word. For the word " wrote" w, t, and e are to hand. For
the r a second z must be used, for the o the equivalent g.
After " ver" comes another v or u; but none is on the list, neither
there an unused equivalent in the column under v. But what are the
equivalents f or v ? N is the first; but the only n has been used.
However, F from " Francis " can be made to do duty for V in
" Veralam " — a y being placed as e(|uivalent for F. To fill up
* It is needless to say that perhaps no two decipherers will check off the
letters in the same order.
11
•' Yerulara" an a and m are ready; there is no 1, so in its stead we
use d or h.
So we go on, using first the letters of the ordinary alphabet; when
these are exhausted, their equivalents. If these also fail, we must
shift or exchange the letters.
It is well to note letters in the list which would le superfluous ivere
they not exchangeable .
In the example above given there are g, k, q, x, x, y, y, z, z, none
of which are in their own persons needed.
On the other hand, the list contains only three a's — the sentence
requires four. There is no r in the list, but four r's are in the
sentence. We have found it a good plan at an early stage of the
deciphering to apply these otherwise useless letters to the filling up of
letters of which the supply is insufficient. We may confidently rely
upon the sentence thus worked being completed, with neither lack nor
residence of letters.
Many words are needed to explain these things, and the multitude
of explanations gives an air of difficulty and profundity. The same is
the case whenever a mechanical process of construction has to be
accurately detailed in writing, whether the explanation concern the
making of a rabbit-hutch or of a rice pudding. But the business
itself is, in fact, simple enough, demanding only a little time, patience,
and method. The case is just such as Bacon speaks of, wherein, as
he says, until the thing be discovered, men pronounce it to be im-
possible; hut when it is discovered, they marvel that it had not been
observed before.
Let us now turn for a few minutes to a consideration of
The Use of Number 9 in the Construction of Sentences.
Nine (or its multiples) occurs so often as a result in cipher problems
that the writer has long felt assured that the mathematical princi})le
ruling these anagrams would, in the end, prove to be connected with
the properties of that remarkable number. Accordingly, when experi-
menting upon 5 alphabets, of which the key letters are r, o, i, n, d,* it
was resolved that attention should be focussed upon this subject.
* Sec forward the specimen from the Comedy of Errors.
12
The 5 alphabets were duly written out and the first letters out off
in a manner already described. An ordinary Baconian anagram was
written down, agreeing in the number of its letters with the 5 x l)=4-r»
thus cut off. "We then attempted to construct the sentence precisely
on the plan just descril)ed, when with some surprise and greater
pleasure we found the sentence evolving itself to perfection: —
" Francis Bacon Ld. Verulam and Anthon// B. vril thsse flausT
Another attempt produced:
" Francis Bacon andhis brother Anthony wrote this pla,yy
Sentences of from 21 to 81 letters (:> x '.) to '.) x D) were then framed
in progressive order, and with equal success, no change being made in
Names or Titles, or in the general form of the record.
These experiments seemed to prove that Anthony was indeed as his
brother termed him, his "consorte," and that he had a hand in the
plays of the " first period," at least. Later experiments suggest that
he helped in the plots or first sketches of nearly all, but for the present
we must dismiss this part of the subject. The sentences were, from
the first attempt, built up in a regular manner, exhausting every
letter in the cipher collection, and leaving neither surplus nor deficit.
Thenceforward the key letters of the Shakespeare folio and of many
other works were systematically collected, and (when the rules
for deciphering are duly complied with) have never failed to yield
siniilar results, however different may be the key letters, or whether
these keys be few or many, and the sentence, consequently, short or
long.
To most people who interest themselves in arithmetic and cipher
work, it is probably known that any !) consecutive numbers, when
added together, will produce a sum equal to a multiple of 1), and that
the sum will also add up to !). Thus: —
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5+ (1+ 7+ S+ \) = Vo.
4 + 5 = '.)
2 + o + 4: + 5 + (;+ 7+ .s+ :) + 10 = 54.
5 + 4 = 9
3 + -l- + 5 + (; + 7+ .S+ ;) + 10 + ll = 63.
+ 3 = 9
4+ .') + (i + 7 + <s+ :) + 10+ 11 + 12 = 72.
7 + 2 = 9
5 + C. + 7 + 8 + 1) + 10 + 11 + 1 2 + 1 3 = S1.
S + l=9
so forth in a progression of 9.
]:;
Xow, if we number the letters of the aljDhabet in reo-nlar order, it
follows that the sum of the values of these letters must follow the
same rule: —
Ai + b2 + c3 + d4 + e5 + f<' + g^ + hHi"=45. 4 + 5=t)
And so forth. Hence, though in these ciphers we seem to be dealing
with letters, we are in truth dealing with numbers, and this is why,
floundering about and soon out of our depth, we call mathematicians
to the rescue.
A point should here be examined, with regard to precise limitation
of the number of letters to be taken as cipher keys. It is clear that
when a line is ruled towards a group of letters, that line must pass
through one or 'between two letters. In the latter case it seems
almost e(iually clear that, if touched, hoth letters must be used, other-
wise many of the shorter anagrams would remain imperfect.
But, again, where is the ruled line to stop ? This question can at
present only be answered by observation and experience. No scientific
law has yet been discovered which decides it, and if any reader of the
present notes can discover such a law he will confer a great boon
upon the writer, and on cryptographers in general, by communicating
his discovery. Meanwhile, we can but fall back upon the two faithful
friends above mentioned. Experience teaching us that Truth, however
hidden, will be discovered by Observation, and Observation teaching us
to keep a sharp look-out for hints such as these: —
(1) Changes of type — Koman, Italic, kc.
(2 ) Broken or deformed letters.
{?>) Mis})lacement or crowding, which may bring together the letters
to be used.
(4) Breaks or faults in the; vertical lines which divide the
columns.*
(J>) Horizontal bars or stops.
(fi) Verbal hints in the text : " Stop," " Heere," " End," " Do not
pass," "Stay behind."
Such seem to be true instructions to the cryptographer, and probably
they were imparted verbally to the duly initiated.
* N.B. — These clues have been removed in the " Halliwell Phillipps "
reduced /ac-smiZ^ (pub. : Chatto and Windus). In other respects, disfrcpan-
ciea between the original folios and their facsimiles have been found.
u
That we may not worry or become puzzle-headed over these simple
though ingenious anagrams, it is well to mention that precautions have
been taken to prevent sliyht errors on the part of the decipherer, slight
deviations in the ruling of a line, difference in the thickness of the
pencil used, or an error in the length of a line, from materially
affecting the general result of the deciphering.
Many experiments have been made with the special object of testing
this matter, and these seem to show the type — or, rather, the calcula-
tions based upon the proportions of letters in the English alphabet —
to be so nicely adjusted as to prevent any venial slips from altering the
record. No one who seriously works at these anagrams will fail, for
instance, to find that, by prolonging the lines, he merely prolongs or
repeats part of the sentence; he does not interfere either with its
construction or its general tenor. The names and titles may be in
full or abbreviated. The name of Anthony, " his brother," may be
included or omitted, but nothing changes the purport of the sentence,
if worked on the plan described above. For ever it continues to
reiterate that
" Francis Bacon Lord Verulam Wrote These Plays."
Is it then unimportant which letters are pointed out for use ?
Would any other letters equally well suit the case, and produce the
required sentence ? Surely not. Afcer giving a few examples of the
gradual development of the anagram from early stages until it reaches
perfection in nine times nine letters, we will endeavour to summarise
all that has yet been found, which may enable beginners quickly to
distinguish the key letters and to discriminate between the true and
the false.
It may assist the work of other decipherers if we here append a
table of the progressive stages of development through which the
sentence passes in proportion as the key letters are increased in
number: in other words, as we add on the extra !) letters and their
additional value, 9.
The shortest Baconian anagrams (" //y»?. 5fl!roH"= 9 letters, and
'■'■ Fr. Bacon wrote this booh,''' ''poem''' ov ''pi ai/"" = IS letters) have
not been met with in the particular class of records with which we are
-27,
Q
15
now concerned. Nevertheless, since they are found elsewhere, we
include them in the following table: —
Alphabets. Letters. Sentences.
1 9. " Fran. Bacon " or " Mr. Fr. Bacon."
2 18. " F. Bacon writ this play," or —
" Fran. Bacon wrote this."
" Francis Bacon wrote these plays," or —
" F. and Ant. Bacon wrote these plays."
G. " Francis Bacon Lord Verulam wrote this play," or,
" Francis and Anthony Bacon writ these plays."
5 45. " Francis Bacon Ld. Yerulam and Anthony B.
wrote this play."
6 5-t. " Francis Bacon Lord Verulam Visct. St. Alban
and Anthony Bacon wrote this play," or —
" Francis Bacon lid. Verulam and his brother
Anthony wrote this play."
7 G3. " Francis Bacon Lord Verulam Visct. St. Alban
and Anthony Bacon wrote this play."
"Francis Bacon Ld. Verulam Vet. St. Alban
and his brother Anthony writ this play."
8 72, " Francis Bacon Lord Verulam Viscnt. Saint
Alban and his brother Anthony wrote this
play."
"J 81. " Francis Bacon Lord Verulam Viscount Saint
Alban and his brother Anthony Bacon
wrote these plays."
No anagram of this kind has yet been found which extends beyond
the nine alphabets, or which would be improved by the addition of a
tenth: times 9 are 81. This is the number of the Witches' charm
in Machetlc : —
" Weary sev'n nights, 9 times 9,
Thrice to mine, and thrice to thine.
And thrice again to make uj) 9 —
Peace ! the charm's wound up."
It is questionable whether the anagrams are intended to be worked
out by means of 3 alphabets only ( = 27). No such anagram has been
k;
found, to which it would not be equally fair and rensonablo to add a
-tth letter. On the other hand, most of the sentences from 3 alphabets
require an exchange of analogous letters: k = c or q, s=z, &c.,
according to the "license" which "Camden's" anagrammatist
accords himself. There are nevertheless a few combinations of
P) alphabets which produce the sentence of 27 letters, ''^Francis
Bacon vrrote these pJa/js,''' and many more such alphabets form sentences
including abbreviations of the name Anthony, or Antonie. The follow-
ing are specimens of these varieties.
With regard to the key letters, it may be well to say that, if the
same letter occurs on any two or more of the lines ruled from the
pointers, it must not be again used. In many instances, anagrams of
only ?) or 4 alphabets may be extended, even to the completion of the
sentences, but in every case repeated tetters s/iontft t)e omitted.
ThreI'] Alphabets — 27 Lettees.
( 1 ) Experiment.
(Key letters t, a, i).
k 1 m n o p (] r s t v w x y z
q r s t V A\' x y z a b c d e f
z a b c d e f g h i k 1 m n o
2121121 33122 33323 23132 11132
m g g d i p h ([ p c o n w i- v k t i x e s 1 f b a y h
Francis Bacon wrote these plays
a b c
d e f g li i
g h i
Ic 1 m 11 p
p q r
s t V w x y
(2) Loveh Laliovr''s Lost.
1
9
3
a b c d e f g
h i
f g h i k 1 m
n
t V w X y z a
b c
(Key letters o, t, h).
k 1 m n o p q r s t V w X y z
p q r s t V w X y z a b c d e
d e f g hi k 1 m n o p q r s
223 11111 121
1 11 c 1) f c h g a g i
Frc. Bacon and
(.3) The Tiro Gen. Yer.
3 3 3
a y 1)
A y.B
35252 3222 3121
w X o t k z li i m v e f d
wrote this play
(Key letters o, t, h, as above).
The same as above from Love's Labour's Lost,
i:
Four Alphabets — 30 Letters.
The Merchant of Venice, (Key letters e, s, o, w).
2
o
O
a b c d e f fj^
h i
p q r s t V
W X
k 1 in n p (|
r s
r s t V w X y
z a
k 1 m n o p q r s t V w X y z
y z a b c d e f g h i k 1 in n
t V ^v X y z a b c d e f g' h i
b c d f g b i Iv 1 m n o p q
2213221 12332 3431 2141442 41124
p r a II (j s g b o (| o X L y r d v e r i z a w w f c t s
Francis Bacon Lord Verulam wrote
4143 3433
t h X s p V k m
this play
Or the following —
2 1 13 2 2 3
p f a n (| s s
412 2424411 33311 2214
ii b V o \ t r y x h ]) o (| c c \v r i t
Francis and Anthony Bacon writ
34414 14333
1 z s g \v (1 X V m k
these plays
Richard III.
(Key letters s, i, h, o).
1
2
3
a b c d e f g h i k 1 m n o p q r s t v w x y i^
q r s t V w X y z I a b c d e f g h i k 1 in n o ])
p q r s t V w X y ' z a li c d e f g h i k 1 m n o
w X y z a b c d e I f g li i k 1 m n o p (| r s t v
2211232 22411 1412 3412434 43424
V r a d y y s x w y e c 1) c li z v a g (j b w c w r d t e
Francis Bacon Lord Verulam wrote
1213 3433
t X i R 11 1) q y
this play
B
18
Five Alphabets = 45 Letters.
The Comedij of Errors.
(Key letters: col. 1, r, o, i; col. 2, n, d).
1
2
3
4
5
abcdefghi
xyzabcdef
r s tvwxy za
k 1 m n o p (] r s t v w x y z
g li i k 1 111 n o p q r s t v w
b c d e f g li i k 1 m n o p q
vv X y z a b c d e , f g h i k 1 ni n o p (| r s t v
mnopqrstv i w x y z a b c d e f g h i k 1
1315143 22212 11 3155432 235
bra noes bacfz hd verqcay xzv
Francis Bacon Ld. Verulam and
3432515 4 32254 5445
X z t e o i y 1) w d f t w ]) d a s
Anthony B. wrote this
14 5 4
g X 111 y
play
Or—
1315215 22212 11 3455425 5133 13
c r a n c e s b a y f z g d v b r m c x d (| i s t e t
Francis Bacon Ld. Verulam Vist. St.
34243 32551 2435 1144
X X y w z w d o t e f z a p b h a y
Alban wrote this play
Six Alphabets=5J: Letters.
A Midsummer NigMs Dream.
(Key letters: col. 1, t, e, ii; col. 2, a, g, s).
Note in the original the break in the perpendicular rule between
the column at s.
2
o
4
5
G
abed
e f
g h i
1 111 n
pq
r s t
t A' W X
y z
a b c
ghi k
Im
nop
n p q
r s
t V w
z a b c
d e
f gh
k 1 m n o p (} r s t A' w x y z
V w X y z a b c d e f g li i k
d e f g h i k 1 in n o p (| r s
q r s t V w X y z a b c d e f
xyzabcdefghiklm
i k 1 m n p q r s t V w X y
19
2212211 13324 2455 3135455
q r a n p c f li a w on lor C[ v d y v 1 n x
Francis Bacon Lord Verulam
61245122 56433 11344 56656
f i s p o b 111 t s a li y t i^ e b g in w c b t d
Viscount Saint Alban wrote
6643 5466
g- li i z p k z e
this play
Sevex xVlphabets=03 Letters.
Henry V. — p. 9.").
(Key letters: col. 1, a, e; col. 2, i, n, w, t, o).
The stops are made by the italics: col. ], flourish; col. 2, Henry.
1
2
.>
•J
4
a b c d e f g h i I k 1 in n o p (| r s t V w X y z
e f g h i k 1 ni 11 ! o p (] r s t v w x y z a b c d
i k 1 ra n o p q r s t v w x y z a b c d e f g h
n o p q r s t v w
Av X y z a b c d e
t V w X y z a b c
x y z a b c d e f g h i k 1 m
f g h i k 1 111 11 o p (] r s t \'
d c f g h i k 1 in n o ]i (j r s
o p q r s t V \v x y z a b c d e f g h i k 1 m n
1312114 15533 21 4146365 72274
f r a n c i s b a con 1 d a' v v n 1 a z v i f p t
Francis Bacon Ld. Verulam Visct.
76 23533 445 5674326 64462 54657
St (• p b i 11 n w (1 w w t (| k w c b o (j x g c n e y r
St. Alban and Anthony Bacon wrote
6766 4673
y q x x ]» z o m
this play
20
Eight Alphabets = 72 Letters.
The Two Gentleman of Verona.
(Key letters: col. 1, none ; col. 2, c, u, i, n, e, t, s, 1).
The letters are all italics. Stop at the original rule, or bar.
1
2
o
O
5
6
7
8
a b c d c f g hi k 1 in n o p q r s t v w x y z
s t V w X y z a 1) c d e f g h i k 1 m n o p q r
g h i k 1 m n p (| r s t v w x y z a b c d e f
1 m n o p q r s t ^' w x y z a b c d e f g h i k
c d e f g h i k 1 i ni n o p q r s t v w x y z a b
b c d e f g h i k 1 m n o p q
a b c d e f g h i k 1 m nop
s t V w X y z a b c d c f g h
2 171467 63488 2
V c r f 1 a s V i s r n t
Verulam Viscn t
r s t V w X y z a
q r s t V w X y z
iklmnopq r
3 4 6 4
1 o r 111
Lord
3143112 12534
mrancis bacon
Francis Bacon
65854 31252 425
s i i f t g d b g y fj w d
Saint Alban and
5658646 83768
g w 1 (1 X p y o k X t p
Anthony wrote
537 8527158
h p V m k X t li e k
his brother
8267 3777
1 z z z h w q y
this play
Nine Alphabets = 81 Letters.
(Key letters: col. 1, e, a, o, n; col. 2, 1, f, r, t, m).
Stop — the horizontal rale under the head-line.
1
2
o
G
7
8
9
a b c d e f g h i
wxyzabcde
k I m n p q r s
i k 1 m n o p (j[ r
g h i k 1 m n o p
b c d e f g h i k
nop q r s t V w
p (| r s t V w X y
h i k 1 m n o p q
k 1 m 11 o p q r s t V w x y z
f g h i k 1 m 11 o p q r s t v
t V w X y z a b c d e f g h i
stv wxyzabcdef g h
qrs t V wxyzabcde f
1 111 n o p q r s t V Av X y z a
X y z a b c d e f g h i k 1 in
z a b c d e f g h i k 1 m n o
r stv wxyzabcde f g
21
1313313 12234 3441 7178423 34765457
f r a 11 k i s bacon 1 o r d v e r v 1 w m (^ i s c o q n t
Francis Bacon Lord Verulam Viscount
84578 15262 37 4 167 8854126 5857892
s k i n p g g b b X p av ni h i o p r k p h e g h w p q x i y
Saint Alban and his brotlier Antliony
86829 62696 79515 99989
q h y d n f z d p e p (| m c 1 1 m k t o
Bacon wrote tliese plays
It is time to return to the question, " Is it unimportant which
letters are taken for use in these anagrams ? " or, " Will all or any
letters suit the case, and produce the required sentence ? " Again the
answer is, " Surely noty
The following few observations may aid inquirers. The writer
heartily wishes that they were more conclusive; but, in the beginnings
of discovery, each new particular should be, Bacon says, as " a thread
to be span upon." May others more able, taking up these loose ends,
spin and weave them into stuff so tough as to be indestructible by any
effort to wrest or rend it.
Hints and Suggestions Concerning the Constitution of
THE Cipher Alphabets.
1. In endeavouring to discover some underlying principle in the
construction and application of these wheel ciphers, let no one be
discouraged if, at a first glance, he fail to perceive any chain of con-
nection — any bond of union amongst the detached letters collected by
the "pointers." These so-called key letters are, after all, mere
ingredients in so many alphabets, and we submit (with much diffi-
dence) the suggestion that, not so much the key letters as the initial letters
of the alphabets, their proportional distance from each other, and their
sums (as well as the sums of the ci])her letters which they control),
are the points upon which the whole matter will be found to turn.
In all these calculations we continue to encounter number 9 and its
multiples, and here also we have to remind Ourselves that Ave are
dealing with a wheel cipher, and that we must be prepared to continue
22
counting round the wheel, so that A will sometimes have a value, not
of 1 but of 25: B = 26, C = 27, and so forth.
2. The sum of the first '.) letters of the alphabet is a multiple of 9.
Ai+B^ + C3 + D4 + E^ + F« + G7 + H« + P=45 (4 + 5=9).
3. If the first letter (A^) be dropped, and if the cipher alphabet be
made to begin at B^ the 9th letter will be K^"; so that, practically,
1 has been subtracted, and 10 added, which is equal to the addition
to the first alphabet of 9 only.
B'^ + C' + D' + EHF6 + Cr + ff + r + K"'=54 (5 + 4 = 9).
Proceeding in this fashion, we drop at the beginning of each new
series, a number which, subtracted from the value of the letter added
at the end, forms invariably a multiple of 9. This continues until we
reach the 16th series, beginning with Q.
But here (if the tetter.'^ be valued as before, A = l, B = 2, &c.), the
regularity ceases. The alphabet whose initial letter is R, including A as
the 9th letter, does not add up into a multiple of 9, and the sums of
the succeeding alphabets to Z are irregular, as may be seen by the
following table: —
i.i7 + s'8^t^« + v'''' + w-' + x-' + y'-Hz-^* + a''=165 (1 + (1 + 5 = 12)
si8 + t^^ + v-'' + w-' + x-" + y'^' + z-' + a-^ + b'^''=156 (l + 5 + (; = 12)
ti9 + v^« + w'' + x^Hy-' + z'* + a' +b- +c'=135 (1+3 + 5= 9)
V20^^^,21^^22^y.3^^-..4^.^1 ^|j. ^c' +d*=120 (1+2 =3)
w-' + x^- + y'^ + z-Ha' +b- +0=* +d^ +c-^=105 (1 + 5 =6)
x=i2+y« + z"+a' +b'+c^ +d* +e-'" +f "= 90 (9 + =9)
y'^Hz'^ + ai+b' +c' +d* +e' +f "^ +g'= 75 (7 + 5 =12)
z» + a' + b^+c^+d^+e,,+f « +g^ +h^= 60 (6 + =6)
It should, however, be noted that, where these sums do not sinfjli/
amount to 9 or its multiples, two successive sums do so— e.g.,
12 + 6=18, 3 + 6 = 9.
We further observe that if (instead of continuing after the end of
the first alphabet, to reckon as before A=l, B=2, &c.) we continue the
numbering onward after the first z, and reckon A=25, B=26, C=27,
and so forth the progression of 9 continues as a matter of course in
the sums of the cipher letters.
4. A long course of experiments seems to have proved that no com-
23
binatiou of letters producing alphabets whose initials are all included in
the first or the last 9 letters (a to i or q to z), nor even a series of alphabets
in which these initials are in the majority, will produce the anagrams
in question. In the sentence of 27 letters — " Francis Bacon irrote tliese
plays'''' — 10 to K) letters have, in every attempt, remain unmatched.
One or two such nonconformist alphabets may be introduced amongst
a majority of others complying with the rest of the conditions
seemingly exacted by the cipher rules; but of themselves (so far as
present experience shows) they do not suffice to produce the signatures
of Francis Bacon or his brother Anthony, neither do they produce
any anagram to the purpose, nor api)roaching in completeness to
the examples w^hich have been produced by (what seems to be) the
correct method.
5. Further, it appears that these anagrams are not producible from
alphabets in sequence, vitliin the first '.) letters; indeed, many sequent
letters from any part of the alphabet seem (so far as has been tried)
to fail in forming the anagrams. An effort to test this point has been
made in the case, first, of the short sentences, by taking as initial
letters the progression of three alphabets from A to Z, alphabets of which
the initals are A, B, C> B, C, 1), C, D, E, &c.; but in no case has it
been found possible to form a perfect anagram: indeed, out of the 27
letters first exi)erimented ujion, from 10 to 17 letters remained in each
case unmatched. It will easily l)c believed that similar attempts \\\w\\
the enlarged sentences, including oCJ, Vo, 51, G3, 72, and Si letters,
were equally failures.
6. "We have seen that the value of any ser.'cs of !) letters, beginning
at A' and ending with Z'^^ has the sum of a nuiltiple of !). We have
also seen that the sums of any 1) letters beginning with r, s, t, v, w,
X, y, z, are " irregular," and, for the most \vA\i, do not form mul-
tiples of 0.
It now becomes a question how many of these nonconformist
alphabets may be admitted into a scries of cijiher alphabets without
upsetting the anagram ? We also inquire whether, where two or more
such irregular successions of letters occur, any compensating circum-
stances can be found to counterbalance them ?
Without pretending to lay down rules, or to dogmatise on any
]u)iiit, we again venture to give the results of many experiments, all
24
tending to show tliat where the irregular series (with initials r to z)
are introduced, the anagrams will still work out well, if there be a
distance of 9 between two or more of the initial letters of the cipher
alphabets. Take, for instance, the anagrams of 4 alphabets from the
Merchant of Venice and from Richard III. (p. 17).
In the former instance the value of the 9 letters in line 4 is=165.
In the latter „ „ „ „ „ „ „ „ =105.
Neither of these lines has a sum c(|ual to a multiple of 1) (although
the sum of the digits equals IS); but the letters r and w, with which
they respectively commence, occur both together in the series of
5 alphabets from the Corned// of Errors (p. 18). In the example
of 8 alphabets from the Ttvo Gentlemen of Verona (p. 20) the
irregular initials r and s also appear. Yet all these collections of
letters work out correct!//, and form their respective anagrams.
When such is the case, a compensation seems to be found in the
distances of the initial letters from each other, in the ordinary alpha-
bet. To illustrate this, let us take the 8 initial letters from the Two
Gentlemen of Verona (p. 20). They are these— a, s, g, e, c, r, q, i.
On examining their distance from each other, we see that
The distance from a to i {inclusive) is 9.
?»
??
??
c
55
1
55
9.
>5
»?
7»
i
55
r
55
9.
»
5»
15
q
55
a
55
9.
?)
?>
J?
r
55
a
55
9,
»>
J5
5'
q
55
i
55
18,
»
»>
:»
a
55
s
55
18,
»?
!?
V
s
55
1
55
18,
»>
?>
55
1
55
a
55
18
In the 4 alphabets from the Merchant of Venice the 4th line is
irregular but then
The distance from r to a (inclusive) is 9.
55 15 55 r ,, K ,, lO.
Such is the usual experience, yet the rule does not always hold good.
In the 4 alphabets from Richard III. there is an irregular line begin-
25
ning with w. In this case we find no distance of 9 between any of the
lettei-s, yet the anagram works out rightly. Again we seek for some
extenuating or compensating circumstance, and find one fact, of the
value of which others must judge.
We find that, of all the "irregular " alphabets, that beginning with
w is the only one in which the letters from the first turn of the wheel,
the first alphabet {i.e., w'-', x"", y-^ tt*) add up to a multiple of 9 —
21 + 22 + 2:^ + 2J:=90.
The signatures to all the Shakespeare plays, as well as many others,
have been worked out, and can be produced when required; but for the
present we refrain from multiplying examples, for he who will not be
at the pains to consider these few pages will surely not be persuaded to
become industrious by the sight of many. On the other hand, these
few hints and instances will suffice to encourage the true inquirer,
who will speedily multiply his own experiences.*
Let us sum up the points which seem needful for the construction
of the cipher alphabets.
1. The added values of the first 9 letters should amount to a
multiple of 9— i.e., 27, 36, 45, 54, 63, 72, 81.
2. The initial letters of these alphabets must not be capable of
being arranged in seqiionrc.
3. They must not all be drawn from the first 9 letters or from tlie
last 9 letters of the English alphabet.
4. If they infringe these rules, the defect must, it seems, be
compensated by ensuring that the distance between some two of them,
at least, be equal to 9, inclusive, or —
5. The initial letters should have values which, added together,
make a sum of 9.
It now only remains that we briefly state the difficulties and
objections which have been raised to what some are pleased to call
our " theory." It is easy in a few words to propound a question or a
difficulty which it would reijuire many pages to answer. We have
endeavoured briefly to reply to the animadversions or contentions of
l>6
friends and foes, and, to meet some of the thorniest points, have
appended a few ilhistrations of anagrams ivithin the plays, and hints
for extracting them.
Queries, Objections, and Answers.
Objections and criticisms liave been invited, and many have been
received with regard to the present paper. These objections all range
themselves under one or another of the following propositions: —
1. That the thing is impossible, to which we can only reply
that, if a thing can be done, it is not impossible. We claim that
it has been done.
2. The second objection is more reasonable, and demands a reply,
proving as it does that the objectors have misunderstood the principle
upon which the anagrams are suj^posed to have been inserted. Our
explanation, then, cannot have been clear. " It is," say our friendly
objectors, " inconceivable that the poet can have written his lines so
as to ensure that certain letters shall be cut by lines ruled from the
pointers, or by any such device. Think of the trouble, complication,
expense, &c., &c ," all assuming the type to be elaborately marshalled
so as to be cut by lines from the pointers, whereas, according to our
own belief, the pointers were chiefly, and as a rule, placed so as to
point to serviceable letters after the type was set up.
If we write the word FINIS on a slip of card, and place it under
the last line in a page, we see how easy it is {Jcnoiving what comhina-
tions of letters to avoi/J) to make the uprights or pointers, F, I, I,
direct the course of a ruler to letters serviceable for the cipher alpha-
bets; or, at least, the slighest spreading out, or compression of the
type, a slight pushing of a whole line to right or left will bring about
the desired result, i^ or instance, in the names of the actors at the
end of Measure for Measure, printed in italics, the whole number of i)
letters is ruled through in col. 2, from the second I. The first I and
the F point only to blank space. The same thing happens in The
Merry Wives, Hamlet, and Cymheline, and in the dowmvard lines from
F, I, at the end of Othello, where no letters are re(|uired in col. 1,
because the required 9 key letters are found in col. 2.
On the contrary, at the end of the Taming of the Shrew no key
27
letters are needed from col. 2. The second I, therefore, is shifted,
so as to be placed immediately under the vertical line which divides the
columns. It consequently points to no letters.
That these arrangements are the result of contrivance, and done
with an object, seems indubitable, and our convictions on this head
are not diminished by a consideration of the way in which FIX IS is
squeezed in at the end of Much Ado and Fixrs in the Winter's Tale. We
do not, however, pretend to prove this matter by any one particular;
rather, it must prove itself by a multitude of small pieces of evidence,
and chiefly by its results.
3. The next, and perhaps most common, objection is that the alpha-
bets which make our series of sentences will " make anything " — that
it would be as easy to produce a record that Wilham Shakespere wrote
the plays as that Francis Bacon did so. In fact, many critics have
produced such records, which they consider as " quite satisfactory," or
" accurate enough for a puzzle."
Such statements, although incorrect, have in them some grains of
truth. The cipher alphal)ets will not make " anything," but they
will make a great variety of sentences in no way to the point,
having no relation whatever to the matter in hand. We have suc-
ceeded in concocting a variety of sentences, all differently worded,
and in no form of progression, declaring that Victoria the Good, Queen
of Great Britain and Empress of India, has reigned for sixty years,
that we celebrate her Diamond Jubilee, that we wish her long life and
many blessings. We have been able to declare that she wrote the
Shakespeare plays, and that Ben Jonson wrote them. We have also
been able to write a portion of our own name and address. But to
what purpose are such things ? They are useless, excepting to
strengthen the evidence that the anagrams are constructed upon
mathematical principles and by calculation founded upon the compo-
sition of the English alphabet.
But the far-seeing Bacon must have seen enough to " create a
perfect guess " that, hereafter, controversies must arise concerning the
mighty works, the vast library which he was preparing in secret, to
be(|ueath to posterity. With regard to the Shakespeare plays, he would
know for certain that if the authorship were ascribed to any one.
28
excepting himself, it would be to the man whose name approached to
that on the title-page. He and his friends seem, consequently, to
have contrived that by no means shall the record that William Shake-
spere, of Stratford-on-Avon, wrote these plays be producible in any
perfection, or in any progressive form, from our cipher alphabets.
This point about William Shakespere has,we need hardly say, exercised
the brains of opponents and friends alike. The following anagrams
appear to the decipherers " very fairly perfect — quite sufficient to
show the drift," or " eminently successful," that is, in the sense of
proving that anything can be made, and that there is as much against
as in favour of the Baconian anagrams.
(1) Will. Shaxpurre writ these plays (27 letters — 3 couples
+ + +
unmatched.
(2) Will™. Shakp""*. wrote these plays (27 letters — 4 couples un-
+ + + +
matched).
(3) Will. Shaxper, of Stratford, writ these plays (36 letters —
6 couples unmatched).
(4) The immortal Will™. Shakespeare wrote al 1 theseplays
+ ++ + + + + + + +
(=45 letters — 10 couples unmatched).
(0) WilHam Shakespeare, the sweet Swan of Avon wrote all
+ + + +
of these pi ays (=54 letters — 10 couples unmatched).
+ + + ++ +
(5) Willy Shaxper, the sweetest of poets, wrote these
+ + ++ + + +
plays (^45 letters — 9 couples unmatched).
+ +
And so on, the imperfections usually increasing with the increase of
the number of letters; whereas, in the Baconian anagrams the facility
of working the anagrams to perfection, becomes greater in proportion
as the t)'s are added on.
* Since the above was written wc have made simpler and more perfect
anagrams of the kind ; but they do not admit of regular progression.
29
Only one anagram of this kind has been submitted to the writer,
which is, so far as it goes, complete. It is this: —
" Will. Shakespeare ivrote these plays lomself'\ — 36 letters).
But here the very sentence proclaims itself made up- it is no part of a
progression or gradual development of sentences, and the imperfect
word " h'mself " is, to say the least, superfluous.
4. Since the above paragraphs were written, a further objection has
been raised which may take the following form : " Your idea of the
importance of the number 9 in this matter is merely fanciful. Any
other digit would equally well answer the purpose, and produce similar
sentences."
To this our answer is threefold : —
(a) The statement is incorrect. Having worked out with the same
key letters as in our example anagrams with squares of 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3,
we have found that about 1 in G of such attempts have been quite
perfect. For the rest the average of faults, or unmatched letters, is
from 2 to G or 7, according to the numbers of letters used.
(h) By no means could the perfect sentence, " Francis Bacon Lord
Verulam Viscount Saint Alban and his brother, Anthony Bacon,
wrote these plays," be produced by any digit but 9, seeing that the
sentence contains 9 x 9, or 81 letters.
(c) Sentences from other digits must after all follow the rules for
the anagrams of the square of 9.
The writer, before seeking for criticism or help, worked out, in
order to obtain satisfactory evidence on this matter, upwards of 70
anagrams in which (with due variety of spelling or abbreviation) wc
endeavoured to make the anagram declare that Will, William,
or Will"^., Shaksper, Shakspere, Shikspur, Shakspurre, Shakesper,
Shakespere, Shaxpur, Shaxpurre, Shaxper, or Shaxspere (with many
more variations and modifications) "wrote these plays." We
attempted to make sentences in a progression of 9's, bringing to our
aid epithets such as "■greatest,''' "■most famous,''' '■'■heaven-lorn''''
"^oeC' and with the addition of '■'■actor,''' '•'■manager,''' '■'■Stratford,"
and " Strafford-on-Avon." Rarely was the effort successful, and the
successful instances are " made up" and not ''■progressive" sentences.
30
If any have courage to pursue this investigation a stage further,
and to try the result by a progression of anagrams (which, beginning
as usual with 27 or od letters, advance through all the stages until
they reach cora})letion), he may have a better reward for his labours
hij introducing a neijative.
He must, however, in the advanced sentences, introduce not only the
address and avocations of the man, Will. Shakspere, but some
unpleasing epithets found elsewhere in connection with him, and with
which we at present refrain from shocking the eyes of our readers.
Those who weary of the terminal records may perhaps be better
pleased with some, arranged on precisely similar principles, excepting
that the key letters are given, separatelg or in one word, and which are
scattered throughout the plays. Let them consider, for instance, the
letters M, 0, A, I, by which the laughing waiting woman contrives to
hoax Malvolio in Twelfth Night (ii, 5): " M, 0, A, I," he soliloquises,
'■''What should that alphaT)etical sequence portend ? "
In the present instance, as in the examples given, it is sufficient to
set the letters on the wheel, and the sentence will appear —
"Francis Bacon Lord Verulam wrote this play;" or,
" Francis and Anthony Bacon wrote these plays." *
At the end of the same play {Twelfth Night, v, 1) is another sug-
gestive sentence —
" And. so the whirligig of time brings about its revenges.''''
A whirligig is a wheel; and the " revenges" of time, for all that the
author has undergone, are brought about when we place T, I, M, E,
on the wheel. Then again the oracle declares —
"Francis Bacon Lord Verulam wrote this play."
In the Tuw Oentlemen of Verona we read —
* We are indebted to Dr. I. Hull Piatt for noting that anagrams in early
quartos cannot have been intended to include the titles in the first of the forms
given above, and see below the first instance from Hamlet where the spelling
seems to suggest the earlier date.
SI
" Then may I set tlie ivorhl on wheels.''''
Before thus setting the cipher letters on the wheels, we made a host
of experiments which proved how excellently the Xame of the great
Proteus is capable of " heing transformed and made to turn in the
ivheeir
The letters t, h, e, w, o, r, 1, d, add up in the following sequences
of 9:—
e' + d' =9 e' +l'' + r" + w'' =54
d* + o^* =18 w^'+r'^ + o" =54
e5 + h8 + oi4 =27 l"+o^Hr'' + w^i =r,3
h« + ti« =27 d*+e-' +P' + o'^ + h« +w-^ = G;3
h« + l" + v'' =30 d*+l" + r'' + t'^ + w='i =72
w*' + P' + d* =;5(; c' + d' +l'^ + o'^ + r'' + w-' = 72
e^t'^+w^' =45 eHr' + r'' + h^+t'«+w'' = 81
w-Hl" + h* + e'^ =45
The distances also are — From e to w= 9.
>»
»?
'J
99
1
)9
t = 9.
?>
»9
»9
99
99
r
99
a= 9.
>J
?1
99
99
t
9)
1 = 9.
»>
)'
»9
99
• 1
w
11
e = 9.
^1
11
?^
1 1
.1
a
• 1
h=18.
»>
99
91
9t
n
d
11
w=18.
?»
9»
>9
99
99
h
99
a =1S.
•?
9?
9>
99
99
1
99
t =is.
{Besides extra counts backwards).
The upshot of the whole calculation is the statement that —
" Francis Bacon Lord Verulam Viscount Saint
Alban and his brother Anthony Bacon
wrote this play."
One more instance, and we have done. In Hamlet, where 0])helia
comes in demented, she utters these strange words : " You must sing
downe-a-downe, and you call him a-downe-a. Oh, hoiv the wheele
becomes it ! "
Ao-ain, we find how excellently well the wheel does " become " or fit
32
this word ''^ a-doivney Here, once more, the sums of the letters form
multiples of 9, having a maximum of 54.
d* + e' = 9 w2i + o'' + a' =36
a' + d' +n'' =18 w" + o'* + e'' + d* =45
w" + e'''+a^ =-Il w^i + ni^ + e''' + dHa' + a'=45
w^' + n'Ha' + a' =30 w'' + o'* + n'^ + d' + a' + a' = 54
The distances
are-
-From
E to N= 9.
?» ?>
»?
59
N „ W= 9.
?? J5
5?
5?
W „ E= 9.
)) »>
1>
??
D „ W=18.
?> »>
5?
5?
„ A=18.
From the six alphabets (not repeating the A) we once more receive
the messages, handed down for the information of future ages —
"Francis Bacon and his brotlier, Anthonie Bacon,
wrote these plaies."
''Francis Bacon Lord Verulam Viscount Saint
Alban wrote this play."
■^X^KiX"
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