Chapter III

THE SEAL IN OTHER BOOKS
A Choice of Emblems, 1586 When precisely the English Secret Fraternity of the Rosicrosse commenced operations will probably be disclosed by the examination of books printed shortly before 1586. The fact that the interesting sigil 287 is to be found in the Choice above-mentioned, and also in A Treatise of Melancholy, 1586, Timothe Bright (see hereafter) leads us to infer that it will also be found in Discourse of English Poetrie, 1586 (Webbe). Not having had access to an original edition of this work, we have not been able to test it.
A facsimile of A Choice of Emblems, 1586, was, however, pubhshed by Mr. Henry G-reen, M.A., in 1866. From this we find that —
The Epistle Dedicatorie, including the headings, contains 248 words in roman type. The title-page has 39 words in roman type.
Add these together :
248 39
287
This is fairly plain sailing. On the last page of the book the sigil is more cleverly concealed.
There are two verses in italics below the picture emblem. Each of them
contains 214 letters in italic type, but as the lower verse is merely an " Envoie,"
we take:
The italics in the emblem verse . . . . . . 214
The itahcs above the emblem . . . . . . 63
The ten words in roman type . . . . . . 10
287 The emblem on the last page of the book was a new deAdce not found by Mr. Green in any other Emblem book, and as it gives other interesting features
EEVELATIONS OF ROSICRUCIAN ARCANA 19
(to be referred to later), the page was evidently devised with considerable skill.
At the end of the Epistle Dedicatorie the writer of the Choice states, " Divers of the inventions are of my owne slender workmanship." This would mean that the writer, whoever he was (but certainly not Whitney), was draughtsman as well as writer.
At page 236 of Mr. Green's book is given a list of twenty-three devices which Mr. Green had not been able to trace to other emblematists. Upon this list the Emblem on page 31 of the facsimile stands first.
Add the page number . . . . . . . . 31
The letters in italics not including the heading or carry- over words . . . . . . . . . . 159
The words in roman type, omitting the word " God " . . 97
287
It should be noted that the name of the Deity is generally omitted from bhe counts.
BrigM's Treatise of Melancholy, 1586 (Windet's Edition)
Title-page. Second page. To the right, etc., contains:
Roman words . . . . . . . . . • 158
And there are large roman letters . . . . . . 34
And roman letters in brackets . . . . . . 95
287
Same. Vautrollier's (Second Edition)
Title-page. To the right, etc. First and second pages :
Roman words . . . . . . . • • • 192
Roman letters in brackets . . . . . • . . 95
287
Same. Edition of 1613 To the right, etc. :
Heading letters . . . . . . • • . , 35
All italic words . . . . . . . • • • 252
287
Arte of English Poesie, 1589 Dedication has 287 words in italics unbracketed.
20 SECRET SHAKESPEAREAN SEALS
Spenser's Faerie Q'ueene, 1611 Page 1 :
First four verses have roman words . . . . . 277
The symbol & . . . . . . • . -1
Nine roman words of title . .' . . . . .9
287 Last verse of all has a total of roman letters . . . . 287
Worhs of Ben Jonson, 1616 Selden's verses:
Italic words . . . . . . . . . . 306
Deduct italic words in brackets . . . . . . 23
283 Add the roman words at end . . . . . . 4
287 Same. Argument of " Sejanus " Total italic words not in brackets . . . . . . 287
Note. — " Under-worketh " counted as two words. Next page. The Persons of the Play :
Roman letters of small size . . . . . . 293
Deduct roman words large type . . . . . . 6
287
Back page. Number of page : 438
Deduct its letters, but not the letters in footnote . . 151
287 Bacon's Advancement of Learning, 1605
Title-page. The word two is spelt TVVOO. These letters in Kaye cipher make 87. Put two in front of this = 287.
Same page has roman letters to the number of . . 137
Page 1 :
Add the 120 roman words, less two in brackets . . 118
Add the large roman letters in the heading . . . . 32
287
REVELATIONS OF ROSICRUCIAN ARCANA 21
The last two pages, including tlie turnover word " for," contain: Roman words . . . . . . . . . . 320
Deduct total of small italic letters . . . . . . 33
287 Peacham's Minerva Britanna, 1612 : Epistle to the Prince
Words of all kinds of type beginning at " Most Excellent Prince " to end of first page, except words in small italics . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Small italic letters on the page . . . . . . 53
287 Page 34, below the picture :
Roman words in the two verses . . . . . . 89
Roman letters in brackets . . . . . . . . 34
Roman letters in Latin lines . . . . . . 129
Words in notes at foot and in margin . . . . 35
287
The 287 sigil is also on page 66, page 111, and last page, 212.
Bacon's Wisdom of the Ancients, 1619 Epistle Dedicatorie. Without the heading. Roman words 287
Bacon's Novum Organum, 1620 Epistle Dedicatorie :
Roman words . . . . . . . . . . 297
Less roman words in brackets .. .. .. 10
287 Last page. Paragraph beginning " Non abs " and last Une of the page " Typographium Regium." Large size italic letters . . . . . . . . . . 287
Bacon's Henry VIL, 1622
Last page number . . . . . . . . . . 248
Add roman words fully spelt on the page . . . . 39
287.
Bacon's Apophthegms, 1625 280 apophthegms, 7 introductory pages . . . . 287
22 SECRET SHAKESPEAREAN SEALS
Bacon's Advancement of Learning, 1 640 (Watt's Translation) Frontispiece portrait :
On wreatli at top there are fancy letters . . . . 34
On the book in the portrait and at foot the fancy letters
number . . . . . . • • ■ • • • 242
Add the letters of plainer type . . . . • • H
287
The eleven letters above-mentioned are V. C. V I L D. I P. P. I I (all same size).
On the title-page there are roman letters . . . . 349
And 58 italic words and the figure 2 twice . . . . 62
287
Another result obtains by adding the total of the two figure 2's to the 336 itahc letters (" W " at foot is roman) . . . . . . . . . . • • 340
Deduct the roman words . . . . . . . . 53
287
Next page to " Carolo " has roman letters . . . . 292
And 5 itaUc words which deducted . . . . . . 5
Leaves . . . . . . 287
Favourable Reader page :
Not counting the heading in large type there are 137 italic words and 145 roman letters . . . . . . 282
There are left the letters of the commencing " He " and those in the turnover word " and " . . . . 5
287
Although page 287 is mentioned in the Index, it is mis- paged as 215, but it contains, including the turnover word and omitting the two words in brackets, a total in roman and italic words of . . . . . . . . 280
Add the letters of the bracketed words . . . . 7
287
EEVELATIONS OF EOSICRUCIAN AECANA 23
Last two pages (476 and 477). Last paragraph marked with quotation marks contains:
Roman words . . . . . . . . . . 344
Deduct the italic words . . . . . . . . 76
268 Add the 13 large roman letters and the 6 large itaho letters, total . . . . . . . . . . 19
287 Last page of the Catalogus. Including the heading and " Finis " there are itahc words to the number of . . 287
Resuscitatio, 1657 Rev. William Rawley prefaced his Life of Lord Bacon with intimations that he should not " tread too near upon the heels of truth," and that he had not left anything to a future hand which was of moment " and com- municable to the Public." We have not closely tested the beginning and end of Rawley's book for the 287 seal, because we found he had placed it upon the only three pages in the book which are wrongly paged-
First Mispagination Page 28 is mispaged 29 :
Words in roman type . . . . . . . . 309
Deduct all completed words in brackets . . . . 22
287 Second Mispagination
Page 217 is mispaged 212:
All words in roman type . . . . . . . . 395
Deduct words in italic type . . . . . . . . 108
Note. — 287
Words in heading and margin used.
Third {and Last) Mispagination Page 87 in the second part is wrongly paged 85 :
Words in roman type . . . . . • . . 167
Itahc words . . . . • • • • . . 35
Number of page . . . . • • • • . . 85
jv^OTE. — The large type heading is not counted.
287
24 SECEET SHAKESPEAEEAN SEALS
There may be an intended sigil at the end of the Letters of the Honourable Authour, page 113:
The last letter has a total of roman words . . . . 174
Add number of page , . . . . . . 113
287
/. Ragguagli di Parnasso
Translated from the Italian of Boccahni by Henry Carey, Earl of Monmouth, 1674.
Vestibule :
All the roman words . . . . . . . . 316
Deduct words in brackets and in itahcs . . . . 29
• 287
All words on pages 251 and 252 . . . . . . 287
Bacon's Letters, 1702
This sifted collection which Stephens, the Eoyal Historiographer, printed exhibits the Great 287 Seal.
Completed words on last page of the Introductory Account — 287
The contracted words St. and Mr. are not counted. Trinity- College, Grey's-Inn, and Parliament-House are here counted as three words only. Stephens' further collection, pubhshed in 1734, has not been examined.
Rowe's Edition of Shakespeare Plays, 1709
The sigil is given by the words on the last two pages of the Dedication (including heading and carry-over word), total 287.
Blackhourne' s Works of Bacon, 1730 Vol. I. Dedication to Dr. E. Mead:
Words in roman type not in brackets . . . . 307
Add for " April " .. .. .. .. .. 1
308 Deduct italic words and roman words in brackets . . 21
287
EEVELATIONS OF EOSICRUCIAN ARCANA 25
Last page of Vol. I.:
Roman words, including lieading (but not words in
brackets) . . _ _ _ _ 209
Deduct the italic letters in " Finis " .. " " 5
Another solution :
Page number ., .. .. 394
Add italics in " Finis " " " fj
T^ J . , . 399
Ueduct letters m Novum Organum .. . , 12
287
287
All the volumes appear to have the Seal. We only note the last page of Vol. IV.:
Roman words in last column . . . , . . 128
Last number on the page . . . . . . . . 154
Ttahc letters in " Finis " . . . . . . . ". 5
287
As if Dr. Mead and his friends wished to make Bacon's last letter before death (that to Earl of Arundel, on page 697 of Vol. IV.) wave the great Rosicrosse Impresa, they seem to have varied the heading of the letter as printed in Stephens' 1702 collection.
In Vol. IV. it contains:
Words in roman type . . . . . . . . 213
Words in heading . . . . . . . . . . 18
Italic letters . . . . . . . . . . 48
Italic letters in " et cetera " . . . . . . . . 8
287
David Mallet, 1740
An abridged edition in quarto of the Blackbourne volumes was printed in 1740.
David Mallet provided a Life of Bacon.
The 287 Impresa waves in Mallet's book. It is planned very cleverly both in the vestibule and at the end of the book.
26 SECEET SHAKESPEAREAN SEALS
Page.
Words
1
9
2
— .
3
21
4
—
5
25
6
67
7
83
8
46
36
f 251
Last page :
Number of page
. .
287.
.... 166 Words in roman type both in text and in Errata . . 121
287