John Milton extracted the line “Mary Sidney, Y’ve
writ” from the dedication of Shake-speares Sonnets. His Shakespeare
epitaph contains the unique clue to solve it.
This chapter has the same design as Mr. W. H. in the dedication of Shake-speares Sonnets. Both
show how anagrams work in two dimensions.
Mary Sidney, Y’ve
Writ.
Shakespeare’s
1632 folio includes an epitaph by John Milton (1608–74) taken from
his On Shakespeare (1630) with minor changes. This epitaph
talks about Shake-speares Sonnets, where the term “starre ypointing-Pyramid”
tells how to point letters to build a new line.
Milton’s
“starre” suggests to treat the dedication as a star chart, which seals the
identity of Mr. W. H. and other ten names, a
concept borrowed from Bible’s “two tables of stone” and ten commandments.
Pyramid is often used by Wilton circle to praise
Mary Sidney. It contains a reversed Mary, and can spell Mary-amid-drama. Using
pyramid to praise Mary Sidney can be found in Josuah
Sylvester’s text pyramid, William
Herbert’s pyramid emblem, John
Milton’s ypointing pyramid, and Ben Jonson’s epigram On the Famous Voyage.
The dedication of Sonnets has only one
letter Y in the middle. Milton’s “ypointing” suggests
to link letters extended from that Y’s three directions to make an enlarged Y.
The result is a sentence: “Mary Sidney, Y’ve writ.” The 1623 folio contains
the spelling of I’ue, y’are, y’haue, and they’aue.
The
Epitaph
An Epitaph on the admirable Dramaticke Poet, W.
Shakespeare
What neede my Shakespeare for his honoured bones,[01]
The labour of an Age,
in piled stones[02]
Or that his hallow’d
Reliques should be hid[03]
Vnder a starre-ypointing
Pyramid?[04]
Deare Sonne of Memory, great Heire of Fame,[05]
What needst thou such
dull witnesse of thy Name?[06]
Thou in our wonder and
astoneshment[07]
Hast built thy selfe
a lasting Monument:[08]
For whilst to th’ shame of slow-endevouring Art[09]
Thy easie numbers flow,
and that each part,[10]
Hath from the leaves
of thy unvalued Booke,[11]
Those Delphicke Lines
with deepe Impression tooke[12]
Then thou our fancy of her selfe bereaving,[13]
Dost make us Marble with
too much conceiving,[14]
And so Sepulcher’d in
such pompe doth lie[15]
That Kings for such a
Tombe would wish to die.[16]
Notes
[01] What need my Shakespeare for his
honoured bones,
The term “my Shakespeare” transfers the man
William Shakespeare to the Shakespeare recognized by Milton, not the Shakespeare
known to the public, similar to “my Shakespeare” in Ben Jonson’s To the Memory
of My Beloved.
*need my Shakespeare: This line can spell Mary Sidney,
suggesting that Milton’s Shakespeare is Mary Sidney. *bone: frame or core
of an object.
*What need . . . honoured bones: The first line can spell Mary Sidney Herbert Pembroke as the core of Shakespeare. Usage of “honoured bones” seems odd. The word bones provides needed letters to spell Pembroke and Herbert. The enlarged Y functions as three “bones” in the dedication, which honored the master of Shakespeare.
[02] The labour of an Age, in piled stones
*labour of an Age: a
long time to build a pyramid. *stones: a perfect anagram of sonets; sonet is an obsolete
form of sonnet, used often by poets like Edmund Spenser and Thomas Nashe. *piled stones: a
pyramid built by stones or sonnets; a 17-tier text pyramid needs 153 letters or
sonnets to build it. The similarity of sonnet 153 and 154 is a hint to reduce
one from 154 to make a 17-tier pyramid. Line 1’s “Shakespeare” and “stones” together
can spell Shake-speares Sonnets.
[03] Or that his hallow’d Reliques should be hid
*hallow: to sanctify
or immortalize. *relique: relic, something kept to memorize a person. *hid: sealed, hidden.
*should be hid
under: Secret of Shakespeare should be hidden under a “starre-ypointing pyramid.”
[04] Under a starre-ypointing Pyramid?
*starre-ypointing Pyramid:
This term can spell Mary Sidney anagram. Pyramid contains a reversed Mary, often used
by Wilton House poets to praise Mary Sidney. The letter Y in “ypointing” is the
only clue to solve the dedication. *Under . . . Pyramid?: This question is answered in following
lines.
[05] Dear Son of Memory, great Heir of Fame,
*Dear Son of Memory:
This term can spell Mary Sidney. In Greek mythology, Mnemosyne is the goddess
of memory and mother of nine Muses, and she has no son. In Christian belief,
Son is one of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Three identities in
one can apply to Mary Sidney as Sidney’s sister, Pembroke’s mother, and
Shakespeare. Father has the usage of an originator. Shakespeare can be treated
as a spirit.
[06] What need’st thou such dull witness of thy Name?
*such dull witness of thy
name: William Shakespeare’s name appears in the 1623 folio and various places.
He needed not “dull witness” for his name, only his master hidden behind him would
need that. *dull:
To seal a name via anagram is a dull method to witness the truth of Shakespeare.
[07] Thou in our wonder and astonishment
*wonder and astonishment:
This term can spell Mary Sidney Sonnets. The Y-shape two-dimensional anagram in Sonnets’
dedication for Mary Sidney is a wonder and astonishment.
[08] Hast built thyself a lasting Monument:
*monument: a written
document or record; a statue to commemorate a person or event. The “lasting
Monument” was originally “live-long Monument” in Milton’s On Shakespeare
(1630). Lifelong would mean the duration of a mortal’s life, weaker
than lasting. The change might due to Shakespeare is the code name of
personified Wilton House circle that can last forever. William Shakespeare is a
mortal.
[09] For whilst to the shame of
slow-endevouring Art
*slow-endevouring Art:
an art required hard labor; endevour has the usage of to strive or
struggle; art of skill or deception. Making riddles and anagrams is a
hard laborer deceiving work. *shame: covering the face for certain reasons, illegitimates
of nobles, or infection of venereal diseases.
[10] Thy easy numbers flow, and that each part,
*numbers: metrical
periods of feet; verses. *easy numbers flow: reading the 2155 lines of 154 sonnets via
selecting certain lines to form a new text (Sortes Virgilianae or Virgilian Lots).
[11] Hath from the leaves of thy unvalued Book,
*leaves: pages;
things being left out. *unvalued: without any value; great worth that the value
cannot be estimated. *thy unvalued Book: indicating Shake-speares Sonnets
and Virgilian Lots reading with valuable lines being left out after selection.
[12] Those Delphic Lines with deep Impression
took
*Delphic lines: obscure
lines with omens to be verified in the future, via messages sealed in anagrams
and riddles. The term Delphic suggests Shakespeare’s words are enigmatic or
ciphered. *with
deep Impression took: These Delphic lines will impress the world when
being resolved.
[13] Then thou our fancy of herself bereaving,
*fancy: imagination, conception.
*thou our fancy:
indicating Shakespeare as readers and the audience’s conception. *herself: suggesting
that “our fancy” is a female. *bereave: to deprive, plunder. The life story of Milton’s
Shakespeare is deprived and sealed in Sonnets.
[14] Dost make us Marble with too much
conceiving,
*marble: strong, hard,
inflexible. *conceive:
to imagine, device ideas. *too much conceiving: Shakespeare’s Delphic lines contain
more than readers may imagine.
[15] And so Sepulchered in such pomp doth lie
*sepulchered: buried,
entombed, concealed; *pomp: grandeur, splendor. *lie: to rest; to cheat. The pompous design
of Sonnets’ dedication as a tomb is to bury the secrets of Shakespeare
and to cheat the world.
[16] That Kings for such a Tomb would wish to
die.
*king: a leader or the
best one of a certain field. *tomb: a monument for remembrance of a deceased person; one’s
last resting place. *Kings . . . die: Great ones would wish to have such a monument
of Delphic lines to seal their life stories.
Milton’s 1630 On
Shakespeare
What needs my Shakespear for his honour’d Bones,
The labour of an age in piled Stones,
Or that his hallow’d reliques should be hid
Under a Star-ypointing Pyramid?
Dear Son of Memory, great heir of Fame,
What need’st thou such weak witness of thy name?
Thou in our wonder and astonishment
Hast built thy self a live-long Monument.
For whilst to th’ shame of slow-endeavouring art,
Thy easie numbers flow, and that each heart
Hath from the leaves of thy unvalu’d Book,
Those Delphick lines with deep impression took,
Then thou our fancy of it self bereaving,
Dost make us Marble with too much conceaving;
And so Sepulcher’d in such pomp dost lie,
That Kings for such a Tomb would wish to die.