Bacon's DictionaryAppendices

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The exhibits and miniatures of which are found in this section, are designed to assist the serious student and reader in following the path of the Authorship Controvesy that has been so laboriously persued by many authors and researchers during its commence.

These exhibits have been placed here as not to interrupt the flow of reading in the Baconian Dictionary sections, being a finding list of Bacon’s works, his history, his thoughts and his aims, which are a subject of study and discussion.

Bacon’s Masques

An essential Masque was the appeal of the moment to the eye and the ear, the blaze of colour and light, the mist of perfume, the succession of rapidly changing scenes and tableaux, crowded with wonderful and beautiful figures. All the gods of Olympus, all the monsters of Tartarus, all the heroes of history, all the ladies of romance, the fauns, the satyrs, the fairies, the witches all were presented to the eye, while every kind of musical instrument charmed the ear, and eye and ear together were delighted by an elaboration of dance and measured motion which has never been known since.

These Masques, the first is taken from the edition of the works of Beaumont and Fletcher published in 1778, where it was printed from the quarto edition published at the time. It is there justly remarked that “all the other copies of it,” of which that in the English Poets is one, “are extremely erroneous and imperfect. None of the descriptive parts are inserted in them; and to point out the blunders and other omissions would require almost as many notes as the Masque contains lines.” The insertions within brackets in the Introduction are from Howes’s Chronicle. The second Masque is from a copy in the Garrick Collection in the British Museum; another in the Gough Collection in the Bodleian Library.

The Masque Of The Inner Temple And Gray’s Inn,

Gray’s Inn And The Inner Temple;

Presented Before

His Majesty, The Queen’s Majesty,

The Prince Count Palatine and The Lady Elizabeth Their Highnesses,

In The Banqueting Hall at Whitehall on Saturday the 20th Day Of February 1612–13.

By Mr. Francis Beaumont.

Dedication.

To the worthy Sir Francis Bacon, his Majesty’s Solicitor General;

And the grave and learned Bench of the anciently-allied Houses of Gray’s Inn

And the Inner Temple, the Inner Temple and Gray’s Inn.

You that spared no time nor travail in the setting forth, ordering, and furnishing 1 of this Masque, (being the first fruits of honour in this kind, which these two Societies have offered to his Majesty), will not think much now to look back upon the effects of your own care and work; for that whereof the success was then doubtful, is now happily performed and graciously accepted; and that which you were then to think of in straits of time, you may now peruse at leisure. And you, Sir Francis Bacon, especially, as you did then advance it, so let your good word grace it and defend it, which is able to add value to the greatest and least matters.

Introduction.

This Masque was appointed to have been presented the Shrove Tuesday before, at which time the Masquers with their Attendants, and divers gallant young Gentlemen of both Houses as their convoy, set forth from Winchester House (which was the rendezvous), towards the Court, about seven of the clock at night [and rowed to Whitehall against the tide]. This voyage by water was performed in great triumph; the Gentlemen Masquers being placed by themselves in the King’s Royal barge, with the rich furniture of state, and adorned with a great number of [great wax] lights placed in such order as might make best show. They were attended with [others in the Prince’s barge and] a multitude of barges and gallies, with all variety of loud music and several peals of ordnance; and led by two Admirals. Of this Show his Majesty was graciously pleased to take view, with the Prince, the Count Palatine and the Lady Elizabeth their Highnesses, at the windows of his Privy Gallery, upon the water, till their landing, which was at the Privy Stairs; where they were most honourably received by the Lord Chamberlain, and so conducted to the Vestry.

The Hall was by that time filled with company of very good fashion; but yet so as a very great number of principal Ladies and other noble persons were not yet come in, whereby it was foreseen that the room would be so scanted as might have been inconvenient; and thereupon his Majesty was most graciously pleased, with the consent of the Gentlemen Masquers, to put off the night until Saturday following, with this special favour and privilege, that there should be no let as to the outward ceremony of magnificence until that time. At the day it was presented, there was a choice room reserved for both their Houses, who coming in troop about seven of the clock, received that special honour and noble favour as to be brought to their places by the right honourable the Earl of Northampton, Lord Privy Seal.

The Devise Or Argument.

Jupiter and Juno, willing to do honour to the Marriage of the two famous Rivers, Thamesis and Rhine, employ their messengers severally, Mercury and Iris, for that purpose. They meet and contend; then Mercury, for his part, springs forth an anti-masque all of spirits or divine natures; but yet not of one kind or livery (because that had been so much in use heretofore); but, as it were, in consort, like to broken music. And preserving the propriety of the Devise, for that Rivers in nature are maintained either by springs from beneath, or showers from above, he raiseth four of the Naiades out of the fountains, and bringeth down fire of the Hyades out of the clouds to dance. Hereupon Iris scoffs at Mercury, for that he had devised a Dance but of one sex, which could have no life; but Mercury who was provided for that exception, and in token that the Match should be blessed both in love and riches, calleth forth out of the groves four Cupids, and brings down from Jupiter’s altar four statues of gold and silver to dance with the Nymphs and Stars. In which Dance, the Cupids being blind and the statues having but half-life put into them, and retaining still somewhat of their old nature, giveth fit occasion to new and strange varieties both in the music and paces. This was the First Anti-masque.

Then Iris, for her part, in scorn of this high-flying Devise, and in token that the Match should likewise be blessed with the love of the common people, calls to Flora, her confederate (for that the months of flowers are likewise the months of sweet showers and rainbows), to bring in a May dance, or rural dance, consisting likewise not of any suited persons, but of a confusion or commixture of all such persons as are natural and proper for country sports. This is the Second Antimasque.

Then Mercury and Iris, after this viewing one upon the other, seem to leave their contention; and Mercury, by the consent of Iris, brings down the Olympian Knights, intimating that Jupiter having, after a long discountenance, revived the Olympian Games, and summoned thereunto from all parts the liveliest and activest persons that were, had enjoined them, before they fell to their Games, to do honour to these Nuptials. The Olympian Games portend to the Match celebrity, victory, and felicity. The fabric was a mountain with two descents, and severed with two traverses At the entrance of the King, the first traverse was drawn and the lower descent of the mountain discovered, which was the pendant of a hill to life, with divers boscages and grovets upon the steep or hanging ground thereof; and at the foot of the hill, from delicate fountains running with water, and bordered with sedges and water flowers. This was the main Masque.

The Masque of Flowers,

By The Gentlemen of Gray’s Inn,

At The Court Of Whitehall, In The Banqueting House,

Upon Twelfth Night, 1613–14.

Being the Last of The Solemnities And Magnificences Which

Were Performed At The Marriage of

The Right Honourable The Earle Of Somerset And The Lady Frances,

Daughter of The Earl of Suffolk, Lord Chamberlain.

To The Very Honorable Knight, Sir Francis Bacon,

His Majesty’s Attorney General.

Honourable Sir; This last Masque, presented by Gentlemen of Gray’s Inn, before his Majesty, in honour of the Marriage and happy alliance between two such principal persons of the Kingdom, as are the Earl of Suffolk and the Earl of Somerset, hath received such grace from his Majesty, the Queen, and Prince, and such approbation from the general, as it may well deserve to be repeated to those that were present, and represented to those that were absent, by committing the same to the press as others have been.

The dedication of it could not be doubtful, you having been the principal, and in effect the only person that did both encourage and warrant the Gentlemen show their good affection towards so noble a Conjunction in a time of such magnificence, wherein we conceive without giving you false attributes, which little need where so many are true, that you have graced in general all the Societies of the Inns of Court, in continuing them still as third persons with the Nobility and Court, in doing the King honour. And particularly Gray’s Inn, which as you have formerly brought to flourish both in the ancienter and younger sort, by countenancing virtue in every quality; so now you have made a notable demonstration thereof in the later and less serious kind, by this, that one Inn of Court by itself in time of a vacation, and in the space of three weeks could perform that which hath been performed, which could not have been done, but that every man’s exceeding love and respect to you gave him wings to overtake Time, which is the swiftest of things. This which we allege for our honour, we may allege indifferently for our excuse, if anything were amiss or wanting, for your times did scarce afford moments, and our experience went not beyond the compass of some former employment of that nature, which our graver studies ought have made us by this time to have forgotten. And so, wishing you all increase of honour, we rest, humbly to do you service,

J. G. W. D. T. B.

The Device Of The Masque.

The Sun, willing to do honour to a Marriage between two noble persons of the greatest island of his universal empire, writeth his Letter of Commission to the two seasons of the year, the Winter and the Spring, to visit and present them on his part, directing the Winter to present them with sports, such as are commonly called by the name of Christmas sports, or Carnival sports; and the Spring with other sports of more magnificence.

And more especially, that Winter for his part take knowledge of a certain Challenge which had been lately sent and accepted between Silenus and Kawasha upon this point, that Wine was more worthy then Tobacco, and did more cheer and relieve the spirits of man. This to be tried at two weapons, at Song and at Dance, and requiring the Winter to give order that the same Challenge be performed in the days of the solemnity of the same Marriage.

The same Letter containeth a second special direction to the Spring, that whereas of ancient time certain beautiful youths had been transformed from Men to Flowers, and had so continued till this time, that now they should be returned again into men, and present themselves in Mask at the same Marriage.

All this is accordingly performed, and first the two Seasons Invierno and Primavera come in, and receive their dispatch from the Sun, by Callus, the Sun’s Messenger; thereupon Winter brings in the Challenge, consisting of two Anticke-maskes, the Anticke-maske of the Song, and the Anticke-maske of the Dance.

Then the Spring brings in the Masque itself, and there is first scene in the fabrique a fair garden upon a descending ground, and at the height thereof there is a stately long arbour or bower arched upon pillars, wherein the Maskers art placed, but are not discovered at the first, but there appear only certain great tufts of flowers betwixt the columns. Those flowers upon the charm do vanish, and so the Maskers appear every one in the space inter-column of his arch.