Edward de Vere - Saint or Sinner?

A spotlight on the lie that destroyed Shakespeare and banished the Earl of Oxford from polite society.

[alexanderwaugh]

This video has elicited several questions which deserve to be answered: A good friend wrote: 'How could Edward de Vere have been 'devout' while actively encouraging a married woman to bear him a son by another man? How could he have taken a vow of chastity while sharing a mistress with his young friend, Wriothesley? Why did his detractors hate him so?' . I replied as follows:

'I am sorry if I have unintentionally misled you or others by the phrase 'shared mistress'. I do not mean 'shared-at-the-same-time mistress'. My chronology, which is highly speculative, works backwards from the only fixed point of which I am certain - the birth of Henry Vere in February 1593. His conception therefore took place in May 1592, so Oxford must have persuaded Penelope and Wriothesley to surrogate his heir in the early months of 1592. He married his second wife, Elizabeth Trentham, at the end of 1591. I speculate that he took a vow of chastity sometime before that, maybe as early as April 1590. His affair with Penelope Rich took place in the 1580s. In 'Willobie His Avisa' (1594) it is suggested that the Vere-Rich liaison was over by the time he came to advise Wriothesley on how to seduce her. The same thing is hinted by Barnfield. Two headings by Soowthern make me suspect that the Oxford-Penelope affair might have been active as early as 1584.

Oxford calls his surrogated heir 'the first heir of my invention' and Wriothesley the 'godfather' of it. Though devout and God-fearing, his regard for biblical strictures (such as those concerning adultery) were highly unconventional and he was critical (among close friends) of the Bible and those who wrote it, believing it to be a work of divine origin booby-trapped by human error. It was his view that Mary, mother of Jesus, was an adulteress and Joseph a cuckold. So his reasoning, I suspect, would have been along the lines: 'if Jesus was born in this way the first heir of my invention should be also?' or 'because Jesus was born in this way, my actions are legitimate in the eyes of God'. The difficulty with Oxford is to reconcile his spiritual beliefs with his overt criticisms of the scriptures, but as I have long been saying he was some kind of proto-Mason/Templar/Rosicrucian, hence the theory concerning his vow of chastity. He once boasted he could write a better scripture in six days, and only Shakespeare could have done that!

I hope this is useful, AW

PS. Unconventional geniuses, especially those with great wit and access to high places, are invariably hated by lesser, straight-laced men on the rise.’

[thomkrala]

The genius of Shakespeare's generation, and in you (sadly lonely by comparison) in recovering it, is humbling and awe-inspiring. Thrice praised.

[tempest]

Alexander is a superb academic writer and his breath of knowledge about who really wrote Shakespeare words and De Vere is outstanding and probably the leading academic on this subject in the World today!! Keep up the outstanding work Alexander! Also just touching on Alexanders genius is from his coding 6-2-4 Edward-De-Vere! Fascinating!!

[harkviewcinema]

I can't watch enough of these. Thanks so much for putting out so many!

[jonathonjubb]

Excellent work. Neither too complicated, nor esoteric... Thank you.

[martincarden]

Wonderful and wow! Thank you again Alexander, for your work, for your succinct explanations and for an extremely entertaining and enlightening presentation. Who could dispute that so much (symbolism, meaning, placement) relating to Oxford is crammed into this (just) 146 letter dedication?

[harperwelch]

This is all new to me so I'm particularly delighted with each posting and the growing story. What joy amidst the denial of a Life In Covid!

[dancub]

Thanks Alexander. Reading your article in THE OXFORDIAN, Volume XVI 2014 regarding Jonson’s “Sweet Swan of Avon” it reminded me of a couple of things that Jonson might have linked. “The ancient Greeks believed that a swan was mute throughout its life, but right before it died it sang a beautiful, melodious song, happy that it would be joining its master, the god Apollo.” (Alexander Atkins 2014). Also, the legal doodah “The Case of Swans” in 1592 decided that Elizabeth I could claim ownership of all unmarked mute swans in English waters. (Katy Barnett 2020). She owned De Vere the mute swan.

[michaelvenezia]

That darn Just when you're certain you've wrapped your brain around it...

[samlloyd]

Yet another superb presentation Alexander.., 👏🏻

[walterenright]

RIP Alexander. You've opened up a whole new world and ALSO show us how the truth is so elusive.

[duncanmckeown]

Fascinating stuff! Just one thought that occurs to me...the 6, 2, 4 number significance is very clear...Has anyone noticed that Midsummer Day, being June 24th (i.e. 6/24 or 24/6, figures not only in a play title (is Midsummer Night's Dream the dream of the "knight" Edward de Vere?) but (curiouser and curiouser) is the stated date of death for both de Vere (1604) and his sister Mary EXACTLY 20 years later (1624)!

[sorenjensen]

WOW! Four Wriothesley (s) in Sonnet 17!
Another wonderful presentation Mr. Waugh, thank you.

[rstritmatter]

That reading of the iconography of Sonnet 17 as signalling 1740, and the quadruple anagrams to Wriostheley is quite fascinating (among other things in the video).

[namelesswon]

I subscribed based on the video about Ben Johnson’s plan of the memorial at holy trinity.
I am so happy to have found you and your videos.
As someone who is open minded, free from dogma but not so open that my brains have fallen out, I have appreciated your understanding of the culture and society around the hidden evidence which is intrinsic to the understating of the bigger picture, the detail and to a personal depth to Shakespeare’s work and how it relates to the true writer.

As this is my third video of yours I have watched, perhaps you go on to say this elsewhere but I have always thought that there was a Templar “renaissance” or a carrying on of tradition through learned men of this era who encoded important information through art and architecture.-pen mightier than the sword-
Was Shakespeare a vessel then for a fraternity to lay out truths beyond persecution or prosecution- an anonymous website, an information radiator and a free channel for expression hidden in plain sight? It also hints to oak island and draws in the as above below architectural plan of the Masonic rewriting of London as a new Jerusalem (abandoned )too. There’s a lot of connection beyond this, the story grows tentacles and pervades society further.

Your work sets my mind racing! I’ve always thought that intrinsically, the idea of magick or spelling, are the mechanics of language and how we create the world through symbols, the “th” linked at its essence and is essentially the sound of your own breath.

I think as a viewer, reader consumer it can be easy to fall into code breaking and drawn into the mechanics and fascination of the interconnectedness of it all but overlook the emotive, the emotional connectedness that happens in the imagination- and vice versa depending on how you first approach some of this great work.

[sketchportraitstudio]

Great stuff Alexander- as always! Im a huge Dee fan of last 6yrs now, cryptology was just one of this guys vast areas of expertise. Makes me laugh when I see the art Historians describing him as a conjurer and occultist. I remember watching a presentation on you tube from the Royal College of Physicians on John Dee Exhibition of his books in their collection and one professor bought up a slide showing Edward Kelley reading a book by Abbot of Sponheim, Johanne Trithemius (grand daddy of cryptology and one of the first books Dee was keen to collect when he travelled ). The professor went on to give a glowing description of how these 2 guys (Dee and Kelly) could never have possibly been spies!!! AND they are there with libraries full of books on cryptology ( i thought professor were men of learning and researched these things but seems not these days) and even Kelly is reading the abbots cryptology book on the slide she is showing from that period! As you say Alexander, his stuff is a privilige to decrypt, like looking inside swiss watch!

[wcraigburns]

Brilliant as always . Thank you Alexander . Tip my hat to you Sir .

[mariadange]

Stunning encryption... indeed a marvel to behold...

[christiantaylor]

Superb video - and a splendid channel. Subbed and liked.

[jespermayland]

Thank you so much for summarising a bit from EDV's life. I would love if you could go even deeper and elaborate on your personal view regarding his life, how he was perceived, why were there these two VERY different views on his persona, why was he despised by some?, etc..!
Thank you again. Your videos are the highlight of my day when they arrive!
Bon chance ! 🙏