WCP3201

Letter (WCP3201.3169)

[1]1

Charleston

W[est]. V[irgini]a.

U[nited]. S[tates]. [of] A[merica].

Jan[uary] 22. 1901

D[octo]r A R Wallace,

Parkstone,

Dorset,

England.

My dear Sir,

I was glad to see by your letter of 4th that you were well and active. I have recently read with interest your paper on Evolution in 19th Century, in the N[ew]. Y[ork]. Sun.2 It is wonderful how that principle has come to pervade all science and religion.

As to the Shaksper3, 4 [sic] books, I based my argument in the testimony of the great Shaksperean [sic] biographers and commentators. If they testify truly, my statements are correct, and the conclusions drawn are inevitable. D[octo]r Wallace said that if Shaksper [sic] could not possibly have written the plays, somebody else must have done so.5 All that I had to show was to prove that he could not have done it, and my argument is logical and I know it is held by a great many cultivated people to be conclusive. There is a letter from a Ph. D. [Doctor of Philosophy] in Boston, editor of a journal, wh[ich]. I read only last week. "At last I have found time to read and enjoy your book.6 You have convinced me and made the old-time theory repellent. I would not have missed the book for anything". Another [2] promises me a review in his paper. Many letters have I rec[eive]d from strangers of same tenor. We may strike out explanations and points made to a greater extent, and the main argument will not be affected. As, for example, all the extracts from the Quarterly Rev[iew].7 and all concerning Ben Jonson.8 In the former case, as the paper on Shakesperean [sic] knowledge of natural history appears in a high class magazine, and therefore not to be held to be correct and authoritative; and as, in the 4 years since it appeared, no repudiation of its proposition has been published (that I have seen or know of) I had a right to take its correctness for granted.

And, by the way, what D[octo]r Drake9 said, a hundred years ago, about the surprising omission in the plays of reference to the Arden or Stratford or Warwickshire,10 is making an argument against Shaksperean [sic] authorship as the knowledge changes, if they run true.11

I gave my own views of the Jonson [sic]12 case. Another man would hold a different view. As I regard W[illia]m Shaksper [sic] to have been the champion literary impostor[?] of the world[?], and as I likened [2 words illeg.] know it very well. — I had to put myself in Jonson[’]s [sic] place, and form an idea of how he came to write that Preface.12 On the other hand, Edwin13 [3]14 Reed,15 in "Bacon v[ersu]s. Shakespeare"16 [1 word illeg.] Shaksper to have[?] been Jonson[’]s "Poet-Ape",17 who acquired title to plays by purchase, & passed them off as his own. However, no matter what view in Latin, Jonson [sic]12 lied so deliberately in that preface, that it is evident he spoke ironically.

W[illia]m Shaksper [sic] was an ignoramus, and never had any chance[?] for correction. His 5 signatures proven to have been written in other hands.18 He didn’t know how to write any more than did his father before him.19

The[n] compare Shaksper [sic] with Dante20 and Spenser21 as to evidence of personal history. Spenser lived in obscurity, and much of the time in Ireland. But Shaksper [sic] lived at a time of illumination. The time was full of eminent men of letters, who noted[?] Dürer22 & kept note books, who wrote letters to all parts of the kingdom, & who published books. And yet, in all the literary revisions of that day, there is not a mention of Shaksper [sic] or of Shakespeare that asserted any personal knowledge of him — except the v[ery][?] mention of the plays for which I cited highly[?]. Not a [2 words illeg. blotted] that plays [5 words illeg.]: and not the plays nor writing the Shaksper [sic] plays. As to23 [4] "Shakespeare", as there was no such historical man, it is plain to me the name was a pseudonym to conceal the real man.

The very many refer[ence]s[?] to Shakespeare[’]s universal knowledge are "really abroad". I refuse to believe that. I could, without[?] the trust, have said much more than I did.

The vocabulary speaks for itself. The vocab[ular]y of a scholar of minimal learning.24 The thoughts in Latin, Latin was as familiar to him as English.25Thus I do not know of any man who used so extensive a vocabulary except Francis Bacon.26 He had the learning, the knowledge, the accomplishments[?], the experience of courts and gentle society, of travel and knowledge of foreign languages; and he had a practical turn of mind. — The Baconians believe Bacon wrote these plays.27 I believe he was fully equal to it, and only wait for more distinct proof to make me agree with the Baconians.

As to population of London in 1600. I have just looked in the Enc[yclopaedia]. Brit[annica]. & found that in 1590 the population was estimated as 160,000! C[harles]. Dickens28 is a poor[?] parallel to Shakespeare. As to what genius can do, D[octo]r Johnson says: [5]29 "Genius is nothing more than knowing the use of tools; but there must be tools for it to rise; a man who has spent all his life in his room will give a very poor account of what is certain in the next." Shaksper [sic] all his life, was shut up in a single room!

My book has sold very well, and we are preparing a second edition, in which all errors discovered will be corrected. I may [1 word illeg.] <decide> to strike out the pages of the Quarterly paper.

We are sorry for the trouble England is passing through today. — the illness of the Queen.30

Yours [1 word illeg.] | W H Edwards [signature]

Shall return to Coalburgh 1 April.

1
The page is numbered 219 in pencil in the top RH corner.
2
Wallace, A. R. (1900). Evolution The Sun (New York) 68: 4a-g, 5a. The first in a series of articles published under the overall title "The Passing Century" (23 December 1900).
3
Shakespeare, William (1564-1616). English poet, playwright and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist.
4
Shakespeare's surname was hyphenated as "Shake-speare" or "Shak-spear" on the title pages of 15 of the 48 individual quarto editions of his plays and in two of the five editions of poetry published before the First Folio. Shakespeare's six surviving signatures have often been cited as evidence of his illiteracy William Shaksper, Wm Shakspe, William Shakspere, Willm Shakspere, and William Shakspeare. The author questions Shakespeare’s authorship of his plays and persists in spelling his name Shaksper throughout the letter.
5
Wallace, A. R. (1893). The Bacon-Shakespeare Case. Verdict No. I. Opinions of Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace, D.C.L., The Marquis of Lorne, O. B. Frothingham, G. Kruell, Appleton Morgan, Franklin H. Head, Rev. C. A. Bartol, Henry George, and Frances E. Willard The Arena Vol. VIII pp. 222-239. This was the first of many solicited responses concerning the authorship of Shakespeare's works. The case of Bacon vs. Shakespeare was previously argued at length in The Arena Vols. VI and VII by various scholars. In the first instalment of the verdict, ARW among others rendered a verdict in favour of the defence (i.e. found Shakespeare the true author).
6
Probably Edwards, W. H. (1900). Shaksper not Shakespeare Cincinnati, The Robert Clarke Co.
7
A literary and political periodical founded in 1809 by the London publishing house John Murray.
8
Jonson, Benjamin ("Ben") (1572-1637). English playwright, poet, actor and literary critic of the 17th century, whose artistry exerted a lasting impact upon English poetry and stage comedy. He is best known for satirical plays and for his lyric poetry. He is generally regarded as the second most important English dramatist, after William Shakespeare, during the reign of James I.
9
Drake, Nathan (1766-1836). English essayist and physician. His works include several volumes of literary essays, and some papers contributed to medical periodicals. The author refers to Drake, N. (1817). Shakespeare and his Times, including the Biography of the Poet, Criticisms on his Genius, and Writings; a new Chronology of his Plays; a Disquisition on the Object of his Sonnets; and a History of the Manners, Customs and Amusements, Superstitions, Poetry and Elegant Literature of his Age (2 vols.) London, T. Cadell & W. Davies.
10
Shakespeare’s birthplace was Stratford-on-Avon in the county of Warwickshire, England. The former Forest of Arden, which is the setting for the play As You Like It lies nearby and Shakespeare’s mother, Mary was a member of the prominent Arden family.
11
Paragraph marked with single vertical line in pencil, with a question mark "?" in the LH margin.
12
Johnson, S. & Steevens, G. (Eds.) (1765). The Plays of William Shakespeare in Eight Volumes London, Printed for C. Bathurst and others. This was an 18th-century edition of the dramatic works of William Shakespeare. In the "Preface" to his edition, Johnson justifies trying to determine the original language of the Shakespearean plays and addresses Shakespeare's "greatness" especially in his "portrayal of human nature"; his "faults or weakness"; the plays in relationship to contemporary poetry and drama; and a history of "Shakespearean criticism and editing down to the mid-1700's".
13
Paragraph marked with single vertical line in pencil, with the annotation "applies to any author of the plays" struck through, in the LH margin.
14
The page is numbered 220 in pencil in the top RH corner.
15
Reed, Edwin (1835-1908). Member of the Shakespeare Society of New York, who maintained that the real author of plays attributed to William Shakespeare was Francis Bacon. His defence of Bacon was published as a pamphlet, later as a book (see Endnote 17). The case of Bacon vs. Shakespeare was argued at length in The Arena by Edwin Reed and others: Reed, E. (1892) In the Tribunal of Literary Criticism. Bacon vs. Shakespeare. Part I A brief for the plaintiff The Arena Vol. VI pp. 188-197; Section II Ibid. pp.272-287; Section III Ibid pp. 434-439; Section IV Ibid pp. 551-568; Part II A brief for the defendant Ibid. pp. 692-706. After deliberation by a jury of scholars (which included ARW), verdicts were returned, with publication of Part I in The Arena Vol. VIII (see Endnote 5).
16
Reed, E. (1890). Brief for plaintiff: Bacon vs. Shakespeare Chicago, Rand, McNally. (First published as a pamphlet and later as a book (1896) Bacon vs. Shakespeare: brief for plaintiff Boston, Joseph Knight & Co., which ran to several editions).
17
Alternative authorship theories reject the surface meanings of references to Shakespeare as a playwright and instead look for ambiguities and codes. They identify him with such characters as the literary thief Poet-Ape in Ben Jonson’s poem "On Poet-Ape" from his 1616 collected works, taken as a broad hint indicating that the London theatrical world knew Shakespeare was a front for an anonymous author.
18
No letters or signed manuscripts written by Shakespeare survive. The appearance of Shakespeare's six surviving authenticated signatures is interpreted as indicating that he was illiterate or barely literate. His surname was spelled inconsistently in both literary and non-literary documents, with the most variation in those that were written by hand. He did not spell his name as it appears on most title pages of his plays, taken as evidence that he was not the same person who wrote the works, and that the name was used as a pseudonym for the true author.
19
Shakespeare's six surviving signatures have often been cited as evidence of his illiteracy. His father, John Shakespeare, was a glover and town official. He married Mary Arden, from a family of the local gentry. Both signed their names with a mark, and no other examples of their writing are extant. This is often used as an indication that Shakespeare was brought up in an illiterate household.
20
Durante degli Alighieri ("Dante") (1265-1321). A major Italian poet of the Late Middle Ages. His Divine Comedy is widely considered the greatest literary work composed in the Italian language and a masterpiece of world literature.
21
Spenser, Edmund (c.1553-1599). English poet best known for The Faerie Queene, an epic poem and fantastical allegory, in celebration of the Tudors and Elizabeth I. He is often considered one of the greatest poets in the English language. In July 1580, he went to Ireland in service of the Lord Deputy and served there until in 1598, when he was driven from his home by the native Irish forces. He returned to London the next year.
22
Dürer, Albrecht (1471-1528). German painter, printmaker and theorist of the German Renaissance. He established his reputation particularly through his high quality woodcut prints.
23
Paragraph highlighted with single vertical line in pencil, with the annotation "all this applies to any author of the plays" in the LH margin.
24
Sceptics question how Shakespeare, with no record of the education and cultured background displayed in the works bearing his name, could have acquired the extensive vocabulary found in the plays and poems. The author's vocabulary is calculated to be between 17,500 and 29,000 words.
25
The passage "The vocabulary speaks for itself.... Latin was as familiar to him as English" is marked in the margin by a single vertical line in pencil with an exclamation mark, with the annotation "shows literary genius". The words "vocabulary", "thoughts in Latin", "Latin" and "English" in the text are underlined in pencil.
26
Bacon, Francis (1561-1626). English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist, orator, and author. After his death, he remained extremely influential through his works, especially as philosophical advocate and practitioner of the scientific method during the scientific revolution. Bacon's candidacy for the authorship of Shakespeare’s plays which emerged in the nineteenth century relied upon historical and literary conjectures, as well as alleged cryptographical revelations.
27
Those who subscribe to the theory that Sir Francis Bacon wrote the plays which were publicly attributed to William Shakespeare are known as "Baconians". Various explanations are offered, most commonly that Bacon's rise to high office might have been hindered were it to become known that he wrote plays for the public stage. Thus the plays were credited to Shakespeare, who was merely a front to shield Bacon’s identity. The theory was first proposed in the mid-nineteenth century, based on perceived correspondences between the philosophical ideas found in Bacon’s writings and the works of Shakespeare. Later, proponents claimed to have found legal and autobiographical allusions and cryptographic ciphers and codes in the plays and poems to support the theory. All academic Shakespeare scholars but a few reject the arguments for Bacon authorship, as well as those for all other alternative authors.
28
Dickens, Charles John Huffam (1812-1870). English writer and social critic, regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century was regarded as a literary genius.
29
The page is numbered 221 in pencil in the top RH corner.
30
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) (1819-1901). Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 20 June 1837. Rheumatism in her legs had rendered her lame, and her eyesight was clouded by cataracts. She died on 22 January 1901, aged 81 years.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP3201.3169)]

For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon

Revision history

Transcribed by O'Dell, Sandra [2018-08-15]

Please cite as “WCP3201,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 28 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP3201