SHAKESPEARE'S ADVENT CALENDAR : DAY 2

 LINK TO DAY 1

We are treating the enigmatic verse below as an ADVENT CALENDAR 

to uncover clues to a specific location where an important KEY to the Works of Shakespeare has been hidden ...

You will discover The Sonnets are coded texts that work on different levels.

Shakespeare provides one or two clues that can be seen at the first reading of the verse then

 additional information comes to light once a simple decoding technique has been brought into play.

 The Author uses an acrostic to inform his Readers that this verse is in fact a coded MAP. 

Mr. W.H. ALL . HAPPINESSE.

AND . THAT . ETERNITIE.

PROMISED

The next point of interest may prove a little more difficult for modern readers as religion does not play such an important role in our lives. However, the 17th century reader would have spotted the famous name of one of Jesus Christ's main disciples in the middle of the top section quite easily:

Can you spot it?

TO . THE . ONLIE . BEGETTER . OF.

THESE . INSVING . SONNETS.

Mr. W.H. ALL . HAPPINESSE.

AND . THAT . ETERNITIE.

 PROMISED.

PETER is the second clue.

Look carefully and you will find an anagram for SAINT which suggests the KEY is hidden in a church.

TO . THE . ONLIE . BEGETTER . OF.

THESE . INSVING . SONNETS.

Mr. W.H. ALL . HAPPINESSE.

AND . THAT . ETERNITIE.

 PROMISED.

 (The fact that SETTING FORTH was a clue to look in the top four lines has already been noted earlier.)

So far then we seem to be searching for a STONE in SAINT PETER'S Church somewhere in NOTTS!

That is still a huge area to cover!

The verse has to be decoded further to find the location of Shakespeare's hidden KEY.

Placing the words in a grid provides the solution by making letter chains (or anagrams) easier to find.

 Such grids are called a DEE Grid as they were named after JOHN DEE (1527 - 1609)  He was a polymath and chief Occult advisor to Queen Elizabeth I.  Some royal courtiers believed him to be a Wizard!

The Code Breaker now has three options: 3 in 1 ... another religious reference? 

OPTION 1.  The easy option (which we used on DAY 1) is to write the verse out using the line breaks:

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OPTION 2.  Set the verse out like the original presentation minus punctuation:

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OPTION 3.  As above but including punctuation.

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Obviously moving the letters around changes the letter chains allowing different information to be communicated.

You can return to these grids at any time but today we are following the middle way ....

DEE's name can be found in the grid somewhere and next to it will be an anagram of a number.

SEE WHAT YOU CAN FIND.

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NINETEEN

Here is the verse presented in a grid of 19 ...

So now you are probably asking 'Where is the MAP?' 

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A significant feature of any landscape has to be the RIVERs.  

I have highlighted only one RIVER anagram - how many more can you find?

We know we are searching somewhere in Nottinghamshire which is famous for the RIVER TRENT - it is not difficult to find.

 Two other rivers run through South Notts : can you find the RIVER LEEN and the RIVER SOAR (anagram)?

Once the RIVER TRENT has been highlighted one letter remains: letter E.

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 Using a modern map to search along the River Trent in Nottinghamshire for a place beginning with E you will find East Bridgford.  The name of this village used to be Bridgford ON THE HILL  (you can find that anagram in the top four lines, rows 6 to 9).

It is now called East Bridgford but it was the EAST FORD prior to the bridge being built.

Find three letter chains for EAST and one for FORD

The MAP is pointing towards a STONE to be found in SAINT PETER'S Church in EAST BridgFORD, Nottinghamshire.

As it happens the village church in East Bridgford is dedicated to SAINT PETER!

LINK TO

East Bridgford - Monuments and Memorials (nottingham.ac.uk)