's deposition was not printed in the play till
1608, five years after the death of Queen Elizabeth.[10]
This history of the trouble arising out of the production of the play of
"Richard II." explains why a name had to be found to be attached to the
plays. Who would take the risk? An actor was never "hanged," he was
often whipped, occasionally one lost his ears, but an actor of repute
would probably have refused even a large bribe. There was, however, a
grasping money-lending man, of little or no repute, that bore a name
called Shaxpur, which might be twisted into Bacon's pen-name
Shake-Speare, and that man was secured, but as long as he lived he was
continually asking for more and more money. The grant of a coat of arms
was probably part of the original bargain. At one time it seems to have
been thought easier to grant arms to his father. This, however, was
found impossible. But when in 1597 Bacon's friend Essex was Earl Marshal
and chief of the Heralds' College, and Bacon's servant Camden (whom
Bacon had assisted to prepare the "Annales"--see Spedding's "Bacon's
Works," Vol. 6, p. 351, and Letters, Vol. 4, p. 211), was installed as
Clarenceux, King-of-Arms, the grant of arms to Shakespeare was
recognised, 1599.
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