Observe again how many significant words here grow out of 77, besides the long catalogue already produced by it.

It must be remembered that in 1597 the literature of England, in its own tongue, was very limited. The poet alluded to, John Gower, was born in Yorkshire about 1325, and died in 1408. His Confessio Amantis was written in English in eight books, it is said, at the request of Richard II. Hallam says of him: "He is always sensible, polished, perspicuous, and not prosaic, in the worst sense of the word." He seems to have been a favorite of the Bishop. And the Bishop reiterates his conviction, after reading these Plays, that Shakspere has not the power of brain to have produced them :

Observe how precisely these significant words match; they come out of the same number; except that 31 and 32 alternate, as in other examples given heretofore.

And the Bishop also reads the play of Richard the Third. Here we have it:

But let us recur to the story of Bacon's feelings when he heard the bad news. He says he knew that if Shakspere was taken and he confessed the truth (as he believed he would), he was a ruined man. In that event

505-146-359-3 b (146)—356. 498-356-142+1- 143

505-161-344-31 b & h col.=313.

313

78:2

wealth

505-146-359—3 b (146)—356. 448-356—92+1— 93+14 b & h col.-107.

107

76:1

were

505-146-359–32 (79:1)—327—3 b (146)—324-50- 274

And again observe how rare some of these words are: This is the only time rising is found in this play, and it occurs but thirteen times besides in all the Plays! Commonwealth is found three times in this play, and but nine times in all the Comedies, and but four times in all the Tragedies. Blasted appears but once in this play, and but nine times besides in all the Plays! Hopes is found but three other times in this play.

505-32-473-30-443-57-386-30 b & h col.—356. 356

505-32-473-50-423-23 b col.-400.

(400)

79:2

impudent

505-49-456. 603-456-147+1—148+16 b & h col =164

And here Bacon repeats the very language he used in 1594 in a letter to Essex (see page 273, ante): "I am not an impudent man that would face out a disgrace." And these are the only times impudent occurs in 2d Henry IV., and it is found but seven times besides in all the Plays! And these are the only occasions when sauciness is found in this play, and it occurs but four times besides in all the Plays. Yet here both are found repeated twice in the compass of a few lines. And the word disgrace is found but twice in this play.

And Bacon grieves at the disgrace his exposure will bring upon the memory of his father. He says it

505-32-473—30–443—5 b (31)—438—7 h col.-431. 431

And what is it that would so distress the widow of Sir Nicholas Bacon, who, as we have seen, was preeminently a religious lady? Here is the statement:

505-30-475-50-425-396 (80:1)=29. 523-29

It was certainly enough to shock the pious Lady Ann to know that her son had written, in Measure for Measure, of the conception of the Christian religion as to the eternal condition of the wicked, in these startling words:

Or to be worse than worst

Of those, that lawless and incertain thoughts
Imagine howling.

And Bacon tells what he feared: that he would be

Observe the symmetry of these words of King Richard the Second; see how 505 -31-474-49 alternates with 505-146-359-162.

And here we have Richard the Second by another and a different root-number.

I

CHAPTER XX.

THE QUEEN'S ORDERS TO FIND SHAKSPERE.

Wheresoe'er he is,

Seek him with candle; bring him dead or living.

As You Like It, iii, 1.

TUR.. to another part of the Cipher story, or rather I recur to it, because I have already referred to it in a previous chapter. I can do no more now than give a few words, here and there, to show that the Cipher story runs through all these pages, and is called forth by the same root-numbers.

76:1 Shrewsbury.