Francis meets his first love, Marguerite, and reads aloud his first two sonnets.
“Look,” said Marguerite. “See what he has drawn here”. She showed the others the mysterious drawing Francis had made above the two love sonnets. It appeared to be two “A”s slanting to left and right, surrounded by branches and leaves. “And what is the significance of these symbols?” she asked Francis, curiously.
“I am working on the idea of using a coded symbol in my works, a double “A” which at once represents the twin peaks of Mount Parnassus and the first letters of Athena and Apollo. Finally the curved side of each “A” forms a “C”, which means 100, and is the count of my name, ‘Francis Bacon’ in Gematria.
Also you will note that one “A” is dark, the other light, implying the hidden knowledge concealed in the mysteries and allegories.” He paused for a moment and looked around the room, making eye contact. “I would appreciate that the knowledge of this symbol be kept within our circle of friends. If you should see it again at some time, you will know who the author is, no matter whose name may appear on the work. As I explained to Pierre Ronsard earlier, it is not to his credit for an Englishman to show too much interest in the arts and sciences, and especially not for me. I must in future write anonymously or under a mask.”
Ronsard raised his glass, “Well, I for one am greatly impressed. Let us drink a toast to this budding English poet, this shaker of the spear of light and his tenth muse. If you dare not use your own name, Francis, then may I suggest you call them the “Shake-Speare sonnets”. In any case, I love the first two and am looking forward to many more. À votre santé.”
Double-A Emblem
