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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" 
 
 EGBERT BANKS AND SON, PRINTERS, LONDON.
 
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