(241) First Folio engraving of Shakespeare: Durning-Law- rence's reflections gone with the dogmatic academic winds

               Durning-Lawrence's  clear insights 

(that the Stratfordman cannot have been the playwright of the Canon) 

could not yet lead him to a final solution of the Shakespeare authorship problem.

Text (left)  of Ben Jonson (B.I.) facing Droeshout's Copper engraving of Shakespeare  in the First Folio
Text (right)  :  Durning-Lawrence's modifications of it (right)

Sir Edwin Durning-Lawrence,
(1837 – 1914)

The year 2014 marks the centenary of the death of Sir Edwin Durning-Lawrence, (1837 – 1914) a British lawyer and Member of Parliament. He was an early Anti-Stratfordian, best known for his advocacy of the Baconian theory of Shakespeare authorship,.

In his Book "The Shakespeare Myth" (1912- page 8-9)  he claimed that the -->Droeshout engraving (Video) of Shakespeare contained visual codes pointing to a secret authorship. He wrote,

 "there is no question – there can be no possible question – that in fact it is a cunningly drawn cryptographic picture, shewing(....)  a mask...

He modified Ben Jonson's poem accompanying the engraving of Shakespeare's First Folio (top left) in a witty way (top right), in order to identify the unique farce of the Poem

 ("looke not on his picture, but his booke")

Hundred years have been enough to let ---> Sir Edwin's intelligent reflections fall into oblivion, with the help of unsurmountable academic dogmatics...

Unfortunately due to his lack of information (we dispose of today) his fine observations and clear insights (that the Stratfordman cannot have been the playwright of the Canon) could not yet lead him to a final solution of the Shakespeare authorship problem. 

There is great value in reexperiencing  him afresh ..