Rose, which is not found in any one distinct visible object in the world; for which reason Moses forbid the children of Israel from making any image of it, in the likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth. CHAPTER VII. WE have already drawn a few illustrations of the Sonnets from the dramas of the poet, but there is one, and a very important one, in MidsummerNight's Dream, which must on no account be omitted. The author of these Remarks had the pleasure of being well acquainted with the late talented and most unfortunate Miss Bacon, prior to the publication of her volume on the works of Shakespeare, and while her peculiar views were germinating in her mind. He had much conversation at the time with that accomplished lady, and heard with more curiosity, as he confesses, than interest, some of her opinions. He remembers particularly that Midsummer-Night's Dream was one of the dramas selected by Miss Bacon for illustrating her theory, not indeed as to the authorship of the dramas, but as to their interior signification. He has, however, no distinct recollection of her interpretation of the plays, nor has he read her volume on the subject subsequently published. The writer remembers that she attributed the plays to Lord Bacon, and was of opinion that the dramas, or some of them, were designed to express certain philosophic opinions in an esoteric form, that form being selected because the age would not tolerate an open publication of them. In this connection it is proper to refer to the 66th Sonnet, which contains an enumeration of many evils of the time, among which one was that Art was tongue-tied by authority; which may be thought some confirmation of Miss Bacon's views. The author has no distinct recollection as to what the doctrines were, thus hidden, according to Miss Bacon, from common observation. He makes this statement in order to add, that while he has not consciously adopted any of Miss Bacon's opinions, he would be more than content to find himself in her company on the single point he proposes to confirm from the Interlude in the 5th Act of Midsummer-Night's Dream. The author had no thought of the peculiar opinions of Miss Bacon when he fell upon the idea here expressed of the Sonnets. He is not aware that Miss Bacon included the Sonnets within the range of her inquiries; nor does he know whether the Sonnets are touched upon in her book, or what opinion she entertained of them. For the writer's present purpose it is necessary to re-state a portion of his view of the Sonnets, as presented in the preceding chapters. He is of opinion that the Sonnets express, in an abstract though mystical form, the speculative opinions of the author of the dramas; not, indeed, as final results, but up to the period in life, whenever that was, when the poet ceased to write Sonnets. The Sonnets themselves do not exhibit what may be called ultimate views of life, except as such views are seen in a mystery. It is very plain that no man, living in the flesh, can speak of death from experience. Hence the Sonnets do not carry forward the poet's view to final opinions. They carry the attentive reader to a point where the poet, finding himself painfully entangled in the mysteries of life, sought relief in what he calls the "seething bath" (Sonnet 153), and finding no relief, as he tells us, he became convinced of the necessity, as if laid upon himself individually, of seeking "help where Cupid got new fire, [his] mistress' eyes." What help the poet found from that quarter, or whether he found any, he does not inform us; upon which fact it is proper to observe that the Sonnets do not carry with them authoritative instruction, though they are eminently suggestive and full of real instruction to a thoughtful reader. Now, the doctrine of the Sonnets, as we have attempted to show, is substantially this: that the spirit of man is one with the spirit of nature; as may be seen more particularly by a careful study of the 39th and 74th Sonnets, though this doctrine is quite manifest in many of the Sonnets. A sense of this unity was the secret joy of the poet, taking the name of love. This was, to the poet, better than high birth, richer than wealth, prouder than garments' cost, of more delight than hawks or horses; and having that, he felt that he could boast of all men's pride, etc. (Sonnet 91). This sense of unity prompted the 25th Sonnet : 25. Let those who are in favor with their stars, Of public honor and proud titles boast, |