TWO OF THE AUTOGRAPHS ON THE WILL, MARCH 25, 1616.

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very all of all is-but, sweet heart, I do implore secrecythat the King would have me present the Princess— sweet chuck-with some delightful ostentation, or show, or pageant, or antick, or firework. Now, understanding that the curate and your sweet self are good at such eruptions, and sudden breaking out of mirth, as it were, I have acquainted you withal, to the end to crave your assistance.'

Holofernes the schoolmaster in his reply suggests presenting before the Princess the Nine Worthies,' and offers to play three of them himself, so that he must have been known as an actor of some quality. Moth exclaims, 'An excellent device.'

So here we have a 'Masque or device,' known as the 'Four Worthies,' upon the cover of which is written a remarkable long word which is also to be found in the very scene of the play written by Shakespeare in which the above conversation appears, relating to a masque of 'Nine Worthies' wherein the man who is to be the nominal producer of the masque asks assistance from the actor who is 'good' at such things.

Apparently, therefore, the reputed author of the masque had no knowledge of stagecraft and had to seek assistance even for the production of so small a matter as this. If we assume that Bacon, as giver of the entertainment, had to ask Shakespeare the actor for assistance, it is easy to understand how upon Shakespeare's table there should be a copy of the manuscript and the cover of it be used by him, as he would use any other scrap of available paper, to jot down a note upon. The following statement of Mr James Spedding, the editor of The Works of Francis Bacon,' has already been quoted: 'I think I am in a condition to assert that there is no trace of Bacon's own penmanship in any part of the volume'; and the writer thinks that this statement will be agreed with by every one who compares Bacon's known handwriting with the scribblings.'

It is rather curious that in the first edition of the play Armado is known as Bragart, and even in the play itself (Act V, scene 2, line 537), Biron speaks of him as 'the braggart.' The name Adriano de Armado means in Spanish, the magpie's nest of a man in armour.'

How much has been written with regard to the plays

which probably never would have seen the light had examples of Shakespeare's handwriting been found! An author writing a play in which legal scenes or, say, the crime of poisoning were to appear, of both of which he was ignorant, would simply-in those days or in these days-consult a legal or medical friend on the subject he wished to introduce, and embody the information in his own way. The display of such knowledge is surely not a ground for doubting the author's existence. Only some half-dozen autographs of Elizabethan and Jacobean plays have survived. The well-known authority on Shakespeare, Sir Sidney Lee, has stated:

'The professional dramatists sold their plays outright to the acting companies with which they were associated, and they retained no legal interest in them after the manuscripts had passed into the hands of the theatrical manager.'

Manuscripts, as such, do not appear to have had any saleroom value in Shakespeare's day. So soon as books were printed, the reproduction of works in manuscript naturally ceased; for who would want a bulky manuscript when the same information could be got in a small and legible book? The condition of the document we have examined, partially destroyed by fire, and only in existence at all through having been preserved amongst the archives of one of our great families, is an example of how easily the most valuable evidence may be lost and entirely disappear.

The above statements cannot by any means be considered an exhaustive study of the subject. The examination has been made from a photograph, and there are words which have not been given any consideration, owing to their indistinctness, which may prove to be most important on a careful study of the original manuscript. Should the conclusions I have set out be accepted, I think it may reasonably be stated that this partially burnt sheet of paper will be considered one of the most valuable documents in the world.

WILLIAM THOMPSON.

Art. 2.-THE REGENERATION OF GERMANY.

EDMUND BURKE, in a well-remembered address, declared that it is impossible to bring an indictment against a whole nation; but he lived in an age of slender possibilities. The Press he knew did not exist as a force in national life; propaganda of the intensive kind was unknown, and the vast majority of people were allowed to think for themselves. The result was that the curious phenomenon of what might be called 'mass psychology' was almost unknown, and if there was a deep-rooted tradition in the minds of Englishmen it was that one of the supreme tests of national honesty was ability to hate a Frenchman, an attitude of mind that had grown through centuries of Anglo-French conflict and affected many who had never seen one of their neighbours from across the Channel.

The events of 1914 and subsequent years have proved that it is possible to indict a nation, and that, if the indictment be framed with sufficient skill in the use of invective and sufficient disregard for the facts, it will have an exceedingly long life among those to whom hatred comes far more easily than any other emotion, for as the Buddha taught long centuries before the birth of Christ, hatred ceases not by hating. The result is that we have in Europe to-day a series of strong feelings that were born of misunderstanding and propaganda and are calculated, if allowed to continue unchecked, to provoke, in no distant future, wars that will complete the ruin of a civilisation already badly shaken. To be sure, there are forces that are endeavouring to counteract mistrust and misunderstanding, those dominating features of Europe to-day; but these forces are in their infancy and are derided by those practical folk who either lack all belief in the natural kindliness of humanity or deem, however fondly, that they stand to profit by another outbreak of strife.

Germany has been held up to obloquy in Great Britain, France, Poland, Belgium, and to some lesser degree in Italy. We are told that Germany is still arming in secret, is still preparing for another war, and that in spite of all the fair treatment she has received