There really may be some solid basis to this crumb. Here're some historical tidbits (links follow).
"Plus ultra[note 1] ("Further beyond") is a Latin motto and the national motto of Spain. It is taken from the personal motto of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, and is a reversal of the original phrase Non plus ultra ("Nothing further beyond").[note 2] This was said to have been inscribed as a warning on the Pillars of Hercules at the Strait of Gibraltar, which marked the edge of the known world. Charles adopted the motto following the discovery of the New World by Columbus, and it also has metaphorical suggestions of taking risks and striving for excellence."
https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plus_ultra
Bacon [22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626] and Shakespeare [26 April 1564 (baptised) – 23 April 1616] were contemporaries.
"The Baconian hypothesis of Shakespearean authorship, first proposed in the mid-19th century, contends that Francis Bacon wrote some or even all of the plays conventionally attributed to William Shakespeare.[83]"
"Frances Yates[86] does not make the claim that Bacon was a Rosicrucian, but presents evidence that he was nevertheless involved in some of the more closed intellectual movements of his day. She argues that Bacon's movement for the advancement of learning was closely connected with the German Rosicrucian movement, while Bacon's New Atlantis portrays a land ruled by Rosicrucians. He apparently saw his own movement for the advancement of learning to be in conformity with Rosicrucian ideals.[87]
"The Rosicrucian organisation AMORC claims that Bacon was the "Imperator" (leader) of the Rosicrucian Order in both England and the European continent, and would have directed it during his lifetime.[92]"
"New Atlantis is an incomplete utopian novel by Sir Francis Bacon, published in 1627. In this work, Bacon portrayed a vision of the future of human discovery and knowledge, expressing his aspirations and ideals for humankind. The novel depicts the creation of a utopian land where "generosity and enlightenment, dignity and splendour, piety and public spirit" are the commonly held qualities of the inhabitants of the mythical Bensalem. The plan and organisation of his ideal college, Salomon's House (or Solomon's House), envisioned the modern research university in both applied and pure sciences."
https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Bacon
https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Atlantis
"Around 230 years after Shakespeare's death, doubts began to be expressed about the authorship of the works attributed to him.[256] Proposed alternative candidates include Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, and Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford.[257] Several "group theories" have also been proposed.[258] Only a small minority of academics believe there is reason to question the traditional attribution,[259] but interest in the subject, particularly the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship, continues into the 21st century.[260][261][262]"
https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare