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72 FRANCIS BACON'S CRYPTIC RHYMES
The rhymed verses are followed by a Shakespeare
line, which ends without rhyme. But before we con
demn this apparently careless omission or strange
manner of rhyming,
let us recall the figure of the cor
pulent " knight " resembling a ball rather than anything
human, and his asthmatic manner of fetching breath.
In those short rhymes, following closely one upon the
other, the poet would give the actor a hint, as it
regarding the manner in which the part
of Falstaff is to
were,
be spoken, and a conscientious actor will take the hint
and profit by it, uttering the words and snatching
breath between the lines, as indicated by the rhymes.
The instances, selected from the plays themselves,
will, we hope, have made it clear to the reader what it
is we understand by " concealed " verses and " con
cealed " rhymes. We have seen the same thing
repeated in Bacon's prose works, but we shall see it
carried still further, later on.
And now let us return to the Shakespeare Folio
Edition of 1623.
The poems and the prose which preface the book
furnish invaluable matter for our research work.
And
yet how few of the modern editions reproduce those
few of our modern readers have the
parts ! How
slightest notion even of the existence of those prefatory
words !
We shall not here mention all the details of interest
which the introduction contains ;
we choose at random
the opening words of the preface headed " To the great
Variety of Readers." This preface is signed by both
the actors lohn Heminge and Henrie Condell. But
from what was said before, we know very well that
Ben Jonson, the author of the dedicatory poem, was