FRANCIS BACON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Frontispiece

SIGNATURES OF WILLIAM SHAKSPERE . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

SIGNATURES OF ALDERMEN AND BURGESSES OF STRATFORD,

INCLUDING JOHN SHAKSPERE'S . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

TITLE-PAGE OF FIRST QUARTO OF HAMLET . . . . . . . . . . 21

SIGNATURES OF JOHN AND MARY SHAKSPERE . . . . . . . . . 25

SIGNATURE OF JUDITH SHAKSPERE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

SIGNATURES OF FULK SANDELLS AND JOHN RICHARDSON. . . . . 25

BUST OF SHAKSPERE AT STRATFORD-UPON-AVON . . . . . . . . 29

DROESHOUT PORTRAIT OF SHAKSPERE . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

FRANCIS BACON AT THE AGE OF NINE . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

SIGNATURES OF FRANCIS BACON AND OTHERS . . . . . . . . . 77

KEY TO COVER OF NORTHUMBERLAND MSS. . . . . . . . . . 84

COVER OF NORTHUMBERLAND MSS. . . . . . . . . (opposite) 84

BEN JONSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

GLOBE THEATRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

QUEEN ELIZABETH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

FRONTISPIECE OF THE 'NOVUM ORGANUM' . . . . . . . . . . 253

A SPANISH MOTTO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256

A WREATH OF CHIVALRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257

"QUOD ME ALIT, ME EXTINGUIT" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258

"SIC SPECTANDA FIDES" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

"IN HAC SPE VIVO" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260

I. THE AUTHOR OF THE "SHAKE-SPEARE" PLAYS . . . . . 1

II. WILLIAM SHAKSPERE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

III. FRANCIS BACON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

IV. OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

V. COINCIDENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

VI. DISILLUSION, A GAIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

VII. BIOGRAPHY OF SHAKSPERE IN FACT AND IN FICTION . . 266

VIII. SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280

INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283

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LIST OF AUTHORS CONSULTED.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS