“Another hypothesis,” the Baconian hypothesis,—­“nom de plume” and all,—­Mr. Greenwood thinks “an extremely reasonable one”:  I cannot easily conceive of one more unreasonable.

“Supposing that there was such an author as I have suggested, he may well have conceived the idea of publishing a collected edition of the plays which had been written under the name of Shakespeare, and being himself busy with other matters, he may have entrusted the business to some ‘literary man,’ to some ‘good pen,’ who was at the time doing work for him; and why not to the man who wrote the commendatory verses, the ‘Lines to the Reader’” (opposite to the engraving), “and, as seems certain, the Preface, ’to the great variety of Readers’?” {218a}

That man, that “good pen,” was Ben Jonson.  On the “supposing” of Mr. Greenwood, Ben is “doing work for” the Great Unknown at the time when “the business” following on the “idea of publishing a collected edition of the plays which had been written under the name of Shakespeare” occurred to the illustrious but unknown owner of that “nom de plume.”  In plain words of my own,—­the Author may have entrusted “the business,” and what was that business if not the editing of the Folio?—­to Ben Jonson—­“who was at the time doing work for him”—­for the Author.

Here is a clue!  We only need to know for what man of “transcendent genius, universal culture, world-wide philosophy . . . moving in Court circles,” and so on, Ben “was working” about 1621-3, the Folio appearing in 1623.

The heart beats with anticipation of a discovery!  “On January 22, 1621, Bacon celebrated his sixtieth birthday with great state at York House.  Jonson was present,” and wrote an ode, with something about the Genius of the House (Lar or Brownie),

“Thou stand’st as if some mystery thou didst.”

Mr. Greenwood does not know what this can mean; nor do I. {219a}

“Jonson, it appears” (on what authority?), “was Bacon’s guest at Gorhambury, and was one of those good ‘pens,’” of whom Bacon speaks as assisting him in the translation of some of his books into Latin.

Bacon, writing to Toby Mathew, June 26, 1623, mentions the help of “some good pens,” Ben Jonson he does not mention.  But Judge Webb does.  “It is an undoubted fact,” says Judge Webb, “that the Latin of the De Augmentis, which was published in 1623, was the work of Jonson.” {219b} To whom Mr. Collins replies, “There is not a particle of evidence that Jonson gave to Bacon the smallest assistance in translating any of his works into Latin.” {219c}

Tres bien, on Judge Webb’s assurance the person for whom Ben was working, in 1623, was Bacon.  Meanwhile, Mr. Greenwood’s “supposing” is “that there was such an author” (of transcendent genius, and so on), who “may have entrusted the editing of his collected plays” to some “good pen,” who was at the time “doing work for him,” and “why not to”—­Ben Jonson. {220a} Now the man for whom Ben, in 1623, was “doing work”—­was Bacon,—­so Judge Webb says. {220b}