Sunday, June 5, 2011

Bacon, Shakespeare, and Pallas Athena

Shakespeare - a perfect pen-name for Francis Bacon
There is a connection between Francis Bacon, Pallas Athena, and Shakespeare. Bacon's muse was Pallas Athena. We know this because a French poet named Jean de la Jessee, (a private secretary to the Duc d'Alencon, and also a close friend of Pierre de Ronsard, the "prince of poets" whom Bacon met while in France) wrote in a letter to Bacon: "Therefore, Bacon, if it chances that my Muse praises someone, it is not because she is eloquent or learned, although your Pallas has taught me better (how to speak)..." . 

In Cockburn's (1998) research he found that "The name Pallas was derived from a Greek word meaning "to shake". John Barcla in his Argenis (1634 edition, p 1030) said of Pallas: "She had a golden spear, which the people oft thought the Goddess had shaken, being deceived by the diversity of rays reflecting from the gold's brightness". Pallas was often mentioned by Elizabethan writers (including a number of times by Bacon), and she was well recognised as the spear shaker."

Pallas was also mentioned in the Gray's Inn Revels of Christmas 1594-95 which Bacon helped write. The point is that the name of Shake-speare would be a perfect pen name for Bacon. And it is this name "SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS" that they were printed under. I think the Oxfordians have a similar argument though I don't know if the Earl of Oxford was directly connected to Pallas like Bacon was.


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