William Francis C. Wigston 
Prodromi, or Discoveries in the Bacon Cipher Problem 

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. This little pamphlet is only a forerunner, published for the sake of protecting and guarding my claim, to cer tain cipher discoveries in the bacon-shakespeare. Author ship problem, which discoveries are running the risk of becoming prematurely promulgated and pirated, owing to delays in printing a work, which will shortly be placed before the public. The fac-simile impressions of the pages on which the cipher congruities adduced appear, will be duly given in the said work. As the time is fast approach ing, when this cipher problem, will assume importance and reality in the public mind, I take this precaution of estab lishing my lawful. Claim to the said discoveries, which, though they may appear light and trifling, and open to criticism at this moment, will be found hereafter to hold important issues and connections with the proofs as to’the real authorship of the plays attributed to Shakespeare; The dangers of printing these matters are manifest; and in proportion to their simplicity and directness is the risk of losing them by the delays inseparable from publishing a large body of matter. This pamphlet makes, therefore, no pretense whatever to literary style, completeness, or even clear comprehensiveness. It is merely selfipro/ectire, and its value can only be understood by myself. The evidence I am about to adduce is derived from a quotation from the poet, Horace, applied by Ben Jonsonto Bacon’s DE augmnnris scientiarum, which latter was published 1623, the same year as the first collected edition of the plays, known as the 1623 folio Shakespeare. The Latin quotation applied to the DE augmentls.