Ben Jonson at Bacon's 60th Birthday

[Lawrence Gerald]

 in a tribute Speech to Bacon said, " 'Give me a deep-crown'd bowl, that I may sing In raising him, the wisdom of my king.' What do you think Jonson means by that?

[Light-of-Truth]

Not being a Freemason who has participated in the "Raising of the Master" ritual, the Masonic hint is obviously there. The overt mention at Bacon having the wisdom of a King hints at his Royal birth, and the "deep-crowned" bowl as well.

Ben knew, close friends share secrets. 😉

 

[Allisnum2er]

12 hours ago, Lawrence Gerald said:

 in a tribute Speech to Bacon said, " 'Give me a deep-crown'd bowl, that I may sing In raising him, the wisdom of my king.' What do you think Jonson means by that?

Hello Lawrence,

Thank you very much for asking this question which I had never asked myself before.

I tried my luck last night, hoping to find the right answer for you.

I FIND IT ! AND IT IS INCREDIBLE !

The sentence is a double reference to one of his Masque and to a passage of Virgil's Aeneid.

The Masque in question is "Pleasure reconciled to Virtue".

It was presented at Court before King James in 1619, one year before Francis Bacon's 60th anniversary.

In this Masque, Ben Jonson mentions the Scyphus Herculeus or Bowl of Hercules.

And in the Antimasque we have (I think) the song to which he is referring in "Lord Bacon's Birth-day".

 

GREAT friend and servant of the good, 
    Let cool a while thy heated blood,
       And from thy mighty labour cease.
            Lie down, lie down,
       And give thy troubles spirits peace:
   Whilst virtue, for whose sake
Thou dost this god-like travail take,
May of the choisest herbage make
     (Here on this mountain bred)
            A crown, a crown
     For thy immortal head.

 

ThisMasque was published for the first time in Ben Jonson's 2nd Folio (1640).

AND HERE WAS MY FIRST SURPRISE !

https://archive.org/details/workesofbenjamin00jons/page/n283/mode/2up?ref=ol&view=theater&q=bowle

NOTICE THE FOUR CAPITAL LETTERS.

WAG is an old english word meaning SHAKE

GAR is an old english word meaning SPEARE

WAG-GAR is SHAKE-SPEARE

In this Second Folio, published posthumously three years after his death, Ben Jonson left us another clue so that we would understand that

FRANCIS BACON WAS SHAKE-SPEARE.

 

The second reference concerns a passage of the Book VII of the Aeneid  by Virgil.

Last night, I discoverered the works of Publius Virgilius Maro translated by John Ogilby (1600-1676), a contemporary of Ben Jonson and Francis Bacon aka Shakespeare.

Here is his translation of Virgil's Aeneid published in 1675

https://www.google.fr/books/edition/The_Works_of_Publius_Virgilius_Maro_Tran/2mZM4tKENwIC?hl=fr&gbpv=1&dq=scyphus+herculeus+crown&pg=RA1-PA80&printsec=frontcover

And I made an incredible discovery by comparing this version with the one published in 1649.

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/A65106.0001.001/1:6.7?rgn=div2;view=fulltext

Please note that in "Lord Bacon's Birth-day" Ben Jonson compares Francis Bacon to JUPITER/JOVE the "Happy Genius" 

HAILE, happy Genius of this ancient pile!    
How comes it all things so about thee smile?    
The fire, the wine, the men! and in the midst    
Thou stand’st as if some Mystery thou didst!

        John Ogilby's Last translation (1675)

Then let us boldly, with the Rising Sun,
The Country search, to find who rules these Lands,
And several ways see where their City stands.
Now sacrifice to Jove, and to the Soul
Of my best Father ; swell the flowing Bowl.
With cooling Branches then he binds his Brows,
And to the Genius of the Country vows,
To Tellus first of Gods, to Streams unknown,
To Night and Stars which gild her purple Throne:
Then on his Kees, to Jove and Sibyl fell,
And calls his Parents, great in Heaven and Hell.
Here the All-potent Father thrice aloud
From high Heaven Thunder'd, and a fiery Cloud
His Powerful Hand did brandishing unfold,
Edg'd with reflecting Raies, and fring'd with Gold.
The Trojans here a sudden Rumor fill'd,
The time drew near expected Walls to Build.
At the blest sign they feast, and cheer their Souls
With joyful Cups, and Crown the flowing Bowls.
    
...

When one with speed brought to the Royal Ear,
In unknown Garments mighty Men drew near ;
He bids them straight be to the Presence Shown,
Then takes his Place in his great Grandsire's Throne.
Rais'd on a hundred Pillars, 'midst the Town,
Stood Picus Court, and Pallace of Renown,
Awful with Groves, and Mysteries profound.
Here Kings receiv'd their Scepters,and were crown'd;
This was the Temple and the Princes Court,
Where they at sacred Festivals resort;
The Nobles here, a Ram being slaughter'd, sate
In th'antient manner, at long Boards in state.
Cut in old Cedar, the Effigies there
Of Italus, and Prince Sabinus were,
Who first set Vines, his Hook in bended Wood ;
Saturn without, and Two fac'd Janus stood,
And many more, with Honorable Scars,
For their dear Country got, in bloody Wars.
Besides, on sacred Pillars all along,
A world of Arms, Axes, and Chariots hung,
Crests, and huge Bars of Gates, the Ports adorn,
And Spears, and Shields, and Prows from Gallies torn.

       John Oligby's first Translation (1649)

This was to them their Temple, and their Court,
Here they at sacred festivals resort,
And fathers, when a Ramme was offered, sate
As was the custome, at long boards in state.
Cut in old Cedar the Effigies there,
Of antient Italus, Sabinus were,
Who first set Vines, his hook still in his hand;
Old Saturne and bi fronted Janus stand
In th' entrance, with some of the ancient straine,
Who bold in Warres were for their Countrey slaine.
Then many arms on sacred pillars fixt,
With captive chariots, battell axes mixt,
Helms, and huge bars of gates, the posts adorne,
With darts, and shields, and prowes from Galleys torne.

 

THE PALACE OF RENOWN is the PALACE OF FAME

In the eyes of Ben Jonson and Francis Bacon it should be seen like the PALACE OF THE ROSY-CROSS.

(THE FAMA FRATERNITATIS)

AND HERE WAS MY SECOND SURPRISE !

John oligby seemingly knew Francis Bacon's Secret and he decided to conceal in this passage the fact that :

Francis BACon was the Two Fac'd Janus, Prince William Tudor I and Shaxspear !

Edited February 28, 2022 by Allisnum2er

[A Phoenix]

Hi Yann, You commitment, industry and ingenuity, never ceases to amaze me. Brilliant. 

[Light-of-Truth]

Wow!!

[Allisnum2er]

I  just noticed that the last word of the page 25 was PROVE.

I took it as an invitation to look at the following pages ! 🙂 

If on pages 24 and 25 we have WAG-GAR = SHAKE-SPEARE , on the pages 26 and 27 we have  BACO !!!

Here is the subterfuge : the missing Capital Letter A is the only lowercase letter a on page 26 (BF).

26 + 27 = 53

53 is the simple cipher of POET, SWAN , SOW .

And take a closer look at the passage with the lowercase letter a : 

 

 

Edited February 28, 2022 by Allisnum2er

[A Phoenix]

Hi Yann, DOUBLE WOW!

[Allisnum2er]

Talking about ATLAS ...

ATLAS is mentionned 3 times in the First Folio.

The demy Atlas of this Earth, the Arme
And burgonet of men. Hee's speaking now,
Or murmuring , where's my Serpent of old Nyle?
                        Anthony and Cleopatra (Act I scene 5) 

Thou art no Atlas for so great a weight:
And Weakeling, Warwicke takes his gift againe;
And Henry is my King, Warwicke his Subject.
                               Henry VI, Part III ( Act V scene 1)

But the most important one is the "concealed" one, the one in an acrostic, like in Ben Jonson's Masque.

 

Romeo and Juliet ( Act II scene 2 )

Francis Bacon invites us to use our WIT to unveil the FACT concealed in this passage ! 

 

     Fri. The gray ey'd morn smiles on the frowning night,
Checkring the Eastern Clouds with streaks of light.
And fleckled darknesse like a drunkard reeles,
From forth daies path, and Titans burning wheeles:
Now ere the Sun advance his burning eye,
The day to cheere, and nights danke dew to dry,
I must upfill this Osier Cage of ours
With baleful weedes, and precious Iuiced flower,
The earth that's Nature's mother, is her Tombe,
What is her burying grave that is her wombe,
And from her wombe children of divers kind ...

FRANCIS BACON

     Fri. The gray ey'd morn smiles on the frowning night,
Checkring the Eastern Clouds with streaks of light.
And fleckled darknesse like a drunkard reeles,
From  forth daies path , and Titans burning wheeles:
Now ere the Sun advance his burning eye,
The day to cheere, and nights danke dew to dry,
I must upfill this Osier Cage of ours
With baleful weedes, and precious Iuiced flower,
The earth that's Nature's mother, is her Tombe,
What is her burying grave that is her wombe,
And from her wombe children of divers kind ...

 

THE FACT IS THAT FRANCIS BACON WAS THE SON OF THE QUEEN ELISABETH TUDOR

 

Edited March 1, 2022 by Allisnum2er