download PDF version: 47.1MB - Global Grey

172 FRANCIS BACON'S CRYPTIC RHYMES
What a charming bit of alliteration in the line :
"
they j/and at a stay Like
;
a 5/ale at Chesse." But
the concluding remark clearly shows us that in writing
these "curiously rhymed" burlesque verses Bacon had
something else in his mind, that he really wanted to
draw attention to some " Satyre."
Both the Mahomet story and the second description
bear a striking resemblance to the personality of the
boldest of all
the rogues in the Shakespeare Plays, to
Sir John FalstafT. In the great
tavern scene he is
exposed as a liar and stands for a moment dumb
founded.
" What trick hast thou now ?
asked. But the Mahomet story
is
repeated
" FalstafT is
at the
end of the Second Part of King Henry the Fourth.
Three times does Falstaff call the name aloud of his
prince " Hall " marching in the coronation procession.
But " Hall " does not come to him, the prince "stands
"
still and delivers him a castigatory sermon ;
where
upon Falstaff (like Mahomet) simply remarks that he
will be summoned in the evening, and will then go to
his " Hall." This explains to us why, in his story,
Bacon changes mountain into a mere " Hill." He
wanted the similarity in the sound of the two
words to be heard. And if in the principal parts of
the Mahomet story we substitute the words " John
Falstaff" for "Mahomet," "Hall" for "Hill," and
"Sir John"
for "a Bold Fellow" in the second
rhyming verselet, the rhymes will sound just as droll,
in parts even still merrier. Bacon here gives free fling
to his exuberant humour running over with excessive
merriment. it
Probably was the actor William Shakspere
who played the part of Falstaff; for we know
for certain that said William's chief line was that of a