See the writings of Christina Waldman

[Lawrence Gerald]

https://sirbacon.org/christina-waldman/

[Light-of-Truth]

Christina's article might be my favorite:

Francis Bacon's Hidden Hand in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice

A Study of Law, Rhetoric, and Authorship

https://sirbacon.org/francis-bacons-hidden-hand.html

You know I have possibly spent more time clicking and reading her footnotes than I have spent on her article. Amazing research and documentation! Some treasures I'd never come across in 100 years!

[Christie Waldman]

Thank you, Light-of-Truth. It was an incredibly fun and engrossing experience researching that book. There had seemed to be a serendipity going on that could not be logically explained. I'd just learn one thing, then I'd come across another fact that would have meant nothing to if I hadn't just learned the previous fact. That happened over and over. It was almost as if "someone" were guiding my learning path. That's the best way I can explain it. We've all had serendipitous experiences, or read about them. It would be easy to think there was a Spiritual aspect involved. Truth was so important to Francis Bacon, and is just a Fundamentally Important Principle. But getting to truth can be a trial and error process, and it has to be okay to be wrong, and admit it (If it sounds like I'm preaching, it's to myself as well). There's this humility required for scientific objectivity. A favorite quotation of mine is from  Erich Fromm, psychoanalyst, in The Art of Loving (NY: Harper & Row, 1956), p. 101. I have it in my book: "The faculty to think objectively is reason; the emotional attitude behind reason is that of humility ... love being dependent on the relative absence of narcissism, it requires the development of humility, objectivity and reason ... humility and objectivity are indivisible, just as love is ...." This rings true to me. I think Bacon understood it. What he did was not for his own glory, but for humanity, out of love and a fervent desire to better humanity (as you know). 

[Christie Waldman]

So, what does everyone want to talk about here? Back in 1961, the American Bar Association published a book called Shakespeare Cross-Examination: a Compilation of Articles First Appearing in the American Bar Association Journal  (Chicago: Cuneo Press). I read this book when I was a college history student in my twenties, looking for a topic for a research paper. However, my mentoring professor, Henry S. Vyverberg, at SIU discourage me from the topic. He said it "had already been done." Well, I kept my interest in the topic, just the same. Shakespeare Cross-Examination is out of print, but two articles by Baconians, Martin Pares and Arthur Briggs, can be read on JSTOR for free: Commander Martin Pares, R.N., article, "Francis Bacon and the Knights of the Helmet," American Bar Association Journal, vol 46, no 4 (April, 1960), pp 402-409, https://www.jstor.org/stable/25721148 and Arthur E. Briggs, "Did Shaxper Write Shakespeare?" In same issue, pp 410-412, https://www.jstor.org/stable/25721149. (You have to register, but you get to read quite a few articles there for free every month.) Right here on SirBacon.org you can find a number of Martin Pares' writings, such as "Parallelisms and the Promus," from Baconiana, August, 1963,  https://sirbacon.org/mp.html if you just search for his name. Law and culture make good friends, in my opinion.

[Light-of-Truth]

Law is most definitely a big connection with Bacon to Shakespeare.

Shakespeare had a wealth of knowledge about law, even Strats agree on that one.

Bacon was a lawyer and had a brilliant mind as such.

You are one of the Baconian "Law Experts" today, if not THE expert. 🙂

Over time others, much like yourself, who take an interest may land here on the forums seeking more information. This is where they'd find it.

I recognize the Law connection between Bacon and Shakespeare, but I'm not a lawyer nor studied law in school, so it's hard to contribute. I do look forward to reading some discussions here though! And of course would comment when I have something to add.

 

[Christie Waldman]

I just don't want others to be intimidated from discussing things because they think I'm an "expert." I am definitely interested in the topic, and I think there is much more to explore with it, because--it's Francis Bacon! There is always a deeper layer to explore! I may have views with which others disagree, but I'll try to always back them up with facts and reasoning (and feel free to call me on it if I don't). I liked your post about science and law, Light-of-Truth, and want to think about the questions you raised a bit before responding. Thanks for these insights on topics and direction. And, I guess, if people have questions about my book, I could try to answer those. A Phoenix has also written about Shakespeare, Bacon, and law.