Francis Bacon and his secret society - Grand Lodge of Colorado

AND HIS SECRET SOCIETY. 311
saying that all mechanical arts should be sought out and thoroughly
inspected, and when, within a few lines, he associates
these remarks with the masterpieces and mysteries of the art of
paper-making, no shadow of
doubt remains on our mind as to
his own intimate knowledge and observation of the processes in
the recently established paper-mill.
Going forward into the regions of speculation or anticipation,
we can quite conceive that when Mr. Donnelly's cipher system
shall be brought to bear on the second part of the play of
Henry VI., it will be found that the erection of this mill is
recorded in cipher. This seems to be the more probable because
it appears that, flve-and-thirty or forty years ago, it was asserted
by the then occupier of North Newton Mill, near Banbury, in
Oxfordshire, that this was the first paper-mill erected in England,
and that it was to this mill that Shakespeare referred in
the passage just quoted ; and further (take note, my readers) —
this Banbury mill ivas the property of Lord Saye and Sele.
Now, although the late Lord Saye and Sele distinctly discredited
the story of this mill taking precedence of Sir John
Spielman's, by showing that the first nobleman succeeding to
that title who had property in Oxfordshire was the son of the
first Lord Saye, 1 yet it is a coincidence not to be overlooked,
that the Lord Saye and Sele of modern times should possess a
paper-mill with the tradition attached to it of its being the
mythical mill alluded to by Shakespeare.
The perplexity involved in these statements seems to be disentangled
if we may venture to surmise that the cryptographer
had to introduce into his play a sketch of the history of England's
first great mills, erected in 1588, for the manufacture of
paperfor printed books. 2 The other small mills (which, for our
own part, we think, did previously exist) were probably private
establishments, producing paper for
the special use of religious
1 Shakespeare's reference is to the first Lord Saye ; there is no hint or suspicion
that his son had anything to do with a paper-mill.
2 Note Cade's words: " Whereas, before, our forefathers had no other booh
but the score and the tally, thou hast caused printina
' l to be used." (2 Hen.
X
VI.,iY.7.)