an　in　this　country　gave　himself　up　to　legal　studies　and　engaged　in　legal　employments；　which　is　the　only　way　of　becoming　familiar　with　the　technicalities　of　practice；　unless　with　the　view　of　practicing　in　that　profession？　　I　do　not　believe　that　it　would　be　easy；　or　indeed　possible；　to　produce　an　instance　in　which　the　law　has　been　seriously　studied　in　all　its　branches；　except　as　a　qualification　for　practice　in　the　legal　profession。〃
  This　testimony　is　so　strong；　so　direct；　so　authoritative；　and　so　uncheapened；　unwatered　by　guesses；　and　surmises；　and　maybe…so's；　and　might…have…beens；　and　could…have…beens；　and　must…　have…beens；　and　the　rest　of　that　ton　of　plaster　of　Paris　out　of　which　the　biographers　have　built　the　colossal　brontosaur　which　goes　by　the　Stratford　actor's　name；　that　it　quite　convinces　me　that　the　man　who　wrote　Shakespeare's　Works　knew　all　about　law　and　lawyers。　　Also；　that　that　man　could　not　have　been　the　Stratford　Shakespeareand　WASN'T。
  Who　did　write　these　Works；　then？
  I　wish　I　knew。
  …　1。　　From　Chapter　XIII　of　THE　SHAKESPEARE　PROBLEM　RESTATED。　By　George　G。　Greenwood；　M。P。　　John　Lane　Company；　publishers。
  IX
  Did　Francis　Bacon　write　Shakespeare's　Works？　　Nobody　knows。
  We　cannot　say　we　KNOW　a　thing　when　that　thing　has　not　been　proved。　　KNOW　is　too　strong　a　word　to　use　when　the　evidence　is　not　final　and　absolutely　conclusive。　　We　can　infer；　if　we　want　to；　like　those　slaves。　。　。　。　　No；　I　will　not　write　that　word；　it　is　not　kind；　it　is　not　courteous。　　The　upholders　of　the　Stratford…Shakespeare　superstition　call　US　the　hardest　names　they　can　think　of；　and　they　keep　doing　it　all　the　time；　very　well；　if　they　like　to　descend　to　that　level；　let　them　do　it；　but　I　will　not　so　undignify　myself　as　to　follow　them。　　I　cannot　call　them　harsh　names；　the　most　I　can　do　is　to　indicate　them　by　terms　reflecting　my　disapproval；　and　this　without　malice；　without　venom。
  To　resume。　　What　I　was　about　to　say　was；　those　thugs　have　built　their　entire　superstition　upon　INFERENCES；　not　upon　known　and　established　facts。　　It　is　a　weak　method；　and　poor；　and　I　am　glad　to　be　able　to　say　our　side　never　resorts　to　it　while　there　is　anything　else　to　resort　to。
  But　when　we　must；　we　must；　and　we　have　now　arrived　at　a　place　of　that　sort。　。　。　。　　Since　the　Stratford　Shakespeare　couldn't　have　written　the　Works；　we　infer　that　somebody　did。　Who　was　it；　then？　　This　requires　some　more　inferring。
  Ordinarily　when　an　unsigned　poem　sweeps　across　the　continent　like　a　tidal　wave　whose　roar　and　boom　and　thunder　are　made　up　of　admiration；　delight；　and　applause；　a　dozen　obscure　people　rise　up　and　claim　the　authorship。　　Why　a　dozen；　instead　of　only　one　or　two？　　One　reason　is；　because　there　are　a　dozen　that　are　recognizably　competent　to　do　that　poem。　　Do　you　remember　〃Beautiful　Snow〃？　　Do　you　remember　〃Rock　Me　to　Sleep；　Mother；　Rock　Me　to　Sleep〃？　　Do　you　remember　〃Backward；　turn；　backward；　O　Time；　in　thy　flight！　　Make　me　a　child　again　just　for　tonight〃？　　I　remember　them　very　well。　　Their　authorship　was　claimed　by　most　of　the　grown…up　people　who　were　alive　at　the　time；　and　every　claimant　had　one　plausible　argument　in　his　favor；　at　leastto　wit；　he　could　have　done　the　authoring；　he　was　competent。
  Have　the　Works　been　claimed　by　a　dozen？　　They　haven't。　There　was　good　reason。　　The　world　knows　there　was　but　one　man　on　the　planet　at　the　time　who　was　competentnot　a　dozen；　and　not　two。　　A　long　time　ago　the　dwellers　in　a　far　country　used　now　and　then　to　find　a　procession　of　prodigious　footprints　stretching　across　the　plainfootprints　that　were　three　miles　apart；　each　footprint　a　third　of　a　mile　long　and　a　furlong　deep；　and　with　forests　and　villages　mashed　to　mush　in　it。　　Was　there　any　doubt　as　to　who　made　that　mighty　trail？　　Were　there　a　dozen　claimants？　Where　there　two？　　Nothe　people　knew　who　it　was　that　had　been　along　there：　　there　was　only　one　Hercules。
  There　has　been　only　one　Shakespeare。　　There　couldn't　be　two；　certainly　there　couldn't　be　two　at　the　same　time。　　It　takes　ages　to　bring　forth　a　Shakespeare；　and　some　more　ages　to　match　him。　This　one　was　not　matched　before　his　time；　nor　during　his　time；　and　hasn't　been　matched　since。　　The　prospect　of　matching　him　in　our　time　is　not　bright。
  The　Baconians　claim　that　the　Stratford　Shakespeare　was　not　qualified　to　write　the　Works；　and　that　Francis　Bacon　was。　They　claim　that　Bacon　possessed　the　stupendous　equipmentboth　natural　and　acquiredfor　the　miracle；　and　that　no　other　Englishman　of　his　day　possessed　the　like；　or；　indeed；　anything　closely　approaching　it。
  Macaulay；　in　his　Essay；　has　much　to　say　about　the　splendor　and　horizonless　magnitude　of　that　equipment。　　Also；　he　has　synopsized　Bacon's　historya　thing　which　cannot　be　done　for　the　Stratford　Shakespeare；　for　he　hasn't　any　history　to　synopsize。　Bacon's　history　is　open　to　the　world；　from　his　boyhood　to　his　death　in　old　agea　history　consisting　of　known　facts；　displayed　in　minute　and　multitudinous　detail；　FACTS；　not　guesses　and　conjectures　and　might…have…beens。
  Whereby　it　appears　that　he　was　born　of　a　race　of　statesmen；　and　had　a　Lord　Chancellor　for　his　father；　and　a　mother　who　was　〃distinguished　both　as　a　linguist　and　a　theologian：　　she　corresponded　in　Greek　with　Bishop　Jewell；　and　translated　his　APOLOGIA　from　the　Latin　so　correctly　that　neither　he　nor　Archbishop　Parker　could　suggest　a　single　alteration。〃　　It　is　the　atmosphere　we　are　reared　in　that　determines　how　our　inclinations　and　aspirations　shall　tend。　　The　atmosphere　furnished　by　the　parents　to　the　son　in　this　present　case　was　an　atmosphere　saturated　with　learning；　with　thinkings　and　ponderings　upon　deep　subjects；　and　with　polite　culture。　　It　had　its　natural　effect。　Shakespeare　of　Stratford　was　reared　in　a　house　which　had　no　use　for　books；　since　its　owners；　his　parents；　were　without　education。　This　may　have　had　an　effect　upon　the　son；　but　we　do　not　know；　because　we　have　no　history　of　him　of　an　informing　sort。　　There　were　but　few　books　anywhere；　in　that　day；　and　only　the　well…to…do　and　highly　educated　possessed　them；　they　being　almost　confined　to　the　dead　languages。　　〃All　the　valuable　books　then　extant　in　all　the　vernacular　dialects　of　Europe　would　hardly　have　filled　a　single　shelf〃imagine　it！　　The　few　existing　books　were　in　the　Latin　tongue　mainly。　　〃A　person　who　was　ignorant　of　it　was　shut　out　from　all　acquaintancenot　merely　with　Cicero　and　Virgil；　but　with　the　most　interesting　memoirs；　state　papers；　and　pamphlets　of　his　own　time〃a　literature　necessary　to　the　Stratford　lad；　for　his　fictitious　reputation's　sake；　since　the　writer　of　his　Works　would　begin　to　use　it　wholesale　and　in　a　most　masterly　way　before　the　lad　was　hardly　more　than　out　of　his　teens　and　into　his　twenties。
  At　fifteen　Bacon　was　sent　to　the　university；　and　he　spent　three　years　there。　　Thence　he　went　to　Paris　in　the　train　of　the　English　Ambassador；　and　there　he　mingled　daily　with　the　wise；　the　cultured；　the　great；　and　the　aristocracy　of　fashion；　during　another　three　years。　　A　total　of　six　years　spent　at　the　sources　of　knowledge；　knowledge　both　of　books　and　of　men。　　The　three　spent　at　the　university　were　coeval　with　the　second　and　last　three　spent　by　the　little　Stratford　lad　at　Stratford　school　supposedly；　and　perhapsedly；　and　maybe；　and　by　inferencewith　nothing　to　infer　from。　　The　second　three　of　the　Baconian　six　were　〃presumably〃　spent　by　the　Stratford　lad　as　apprentice　to　a　butcher。　　That　is；　the　thugs　presume　iton　no　evidence　of　any　kind。　　Which　is　their　way；　when　they　want　a　historical　fact。　Fact　and　presumption　are；　for　business　purposes；　all　the　same　to　them。　　They　know　the　difference；　but　they　also　know　how　to　blink　it。　　They　know；　too；　that　while　in　history…building　a　fact　is　better　than　a　presumption；　it　doesn't　take　a　presumption　long　to　bloom　into　a　fact　when　THEY　have　the　handling　of　it。　　They　know　by　old　experience　that　when　they　get　hold　of　a　presumption…　tadpole　he　is　not　going　to　STAY　tadpole　in　their　history…tank；　no；　they　know　how　to　develop　him　into　the　giant　four…legged　bullfrog　of　FACT；　and　make　him　sit　up　on　his　hams；　and　puff　out　his　chin；　and　look　important　and　insolent　and　come…to…stay；　and　assert　his　genuine　simon…pure　authenticity　with　a　thundering　bellow　that　will　convince　everybody　because　it　is　so　loud。　The　thug　is　aware　that　loudness　convinces　sixty　persons　where　reasoning　convinces　but　one。　　I　wouldn't　be　a　thug；　not　even　if　but　never　mind　about　that；　it　has　nothing　to　do　with　the　argument；　and　it　is　not　noble　in　spirit　besides。　　If　I　am　better　than　a　thug；　is　the　merit　mine？　　No；　it　is　His。　　Then　to　Him　be　the　praise。　That　is　the　right　spirit。
  They　〃presume〃　the　lad　severed　his　〃presumed〃　connection　with　the　Stratford　school　to　become　apprentice　to　a　butcher。　They　also　〃presume〃　that　the　butcher　was　his　father。　　They　don't　know。　　There　is　no　written　record　of　it；　nor　any　other　actual　evidence。　　If　it　would　have　helped　their　case　any；　they　would　have　apprenticed　him　to　thirty　butchers；　to　fifty　butchers；　to　a　wilderness　of　butchersall　by　their　patented　method　〃presumption。〃　If　it　will　help　their　case　they　will　do　it　yet；　and　if　it　will　further　help　it；　they　will　〃presume〃　that　all　those　butchers　were　his　father。　　And　the　week　after；　they　will　SAY　it。　Why；　it　is　just　like　being　the　past　tense　of　the　co