The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-23 00:00:00

fit, but also the most beautiful, the most rich, the
most rare expression. His phrases have come to be
our household words. Whenever we want an ex-
pression more than usually suggestive, we turn to
his pages and borrow from his treasures. Perhaps
the most curious thing about his style is that though
it is remarkably florid, and though floridity com-
monly implies excess of ornament, there is seldom
any sense of excess in his language, and we accept
all his luxuriance of diction as most apt and neces-
sary. There are some styles, Goethe's for example,
which, however fine, burst but seldom into flower.
Shakspere's language is always in blossom, and this
the orange tree we may fled on it at once the bud,
the blossom, and the perfect fruit. It is quite won-
derful to see how he combines intensity of expres-
sion with richness of colouring. The same sort of
phrases that from a feebler hand would read but as
masterpieces of literary agility—amazing feats of
words—come from his pen with a force and fire that
makes us forget their want of simplicity, and think
only of their intense meaning. There is no passage
more celebrated than the one in which Macbeth,
having committed the murder, exclaims in a passion
of remorse that all the waters of the sea cannot wash
his hands of blood—

" Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand ? No, this my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas inearnadine,
Making the green—one red."
Portly because we are used to it, partly because of
the violence of the passion with which it is instinct,
we lose sight of the extraordinary elaboration of
the diction here and forgethow strangely it does
violence to ordinary modes of speech. The play in
it is so excessive, that any one who has much en-
joyment of literary form will be apt to think of it
as all play—whereas, ,in point of fact, we for the
most part forget how ornate it is, and think only of
its weight of !meaning.

These are the must obvio 'Us sources of Shakspere's
influence over us—an influence which renders his
the greatest name in literature. That the anniver-
sary of his birth should be held in honour is natu-
ral enough. If anniversaries are to be held at all,
surely he of all men is most entitled to the honour.
But, in the name of our country, we must protest
to all the world and to all time coming that the de-
monstration which this day witnesses does not pro-
perly represent the national feeling. We have tlae
greatest genius that the world has ever seen to
honour, and we give him the frankincense of our
stupidities, of bungling committees, and feeble dis-
plays. We have a hero —one of the least envious,
most peaceful, most sympathetic of men, " our
sweetest Shakspere" to remember, and our fond
committees pay him a tribute of infinite jealousies,
of interminable squabbles, and of selfishness curious
in its ingenuity. If we give little honour to the
celebration of this day it is not because we give
little honour to him who is celebrated. On the con-
trary, it is because we honour him that we refuse
to greet him with the idolatrous claptrap and the
ridiculous oblations of a false religion.

Stratford-on-Avon Tercentenary Festival.

STRATFORD-0; -AvoN, Thursday Night,
As nothing is going on at present, and 1 have
already communicated all that is known with re-
spect to the future, I may as well resume my his-
tory of the past, enlivening it here and there with
the results of actual observation. Everything, I
should remark, is done here to facilitate the inves-
tigations of the antiquary. The Museum in Shaks-
pere's birthplace, which is the permanent attrac-
tion of the town, is exhibited by a lady, who
knows all about the things to which she directs
attention, and who thus stands in remarkable con.

crast to the tribe of exhibitors, both in Ragland and
on the Continent, who hurry you past the objects of
your curiosity with the greatest possible speed, and
utter their descriptions in parrot-like fashion.

When you enter the sacred edifice you may remain
as long as you please, and are not likely to ask a
question to which you will not receive a satisfactory
answer. Similar commendation may be bestowed
upon the lady who inhabits Ann Hathaway's cot-
tage, in the little village of Shottery, and who is
herself a descendant of the Hathaway family ; also
upon the parish clerk who conducts the visitor to the
chancel of Trinity Church, and points out the bust
of Shakspere, as well as the tombs of the other
persons who are connected with his history. All
bear witness to the zeal and industry of Mr. Halli-
well, under whose auspices so much has been eff,cted
to render a visit to Stratford profitable to the Shak-
sp(rian student. •
The great importance attached to Stratford is
comparatively of recent growth. We have seen
how Victor, who published his book in 1771, men-
tions " a very small old house in which the great
poet was born," as if he were speaking of an object
equally strange to himself and his readers, and I
learn here that the generalcuriosity felt with respect
to Shaksperian topographydid not manifest itself
much more than 25 years ago, and did not rise to
its present intensity till about the year 1847, when
the intelligence that Shakspere's house was about
to be sold led to the establishment of a committee
for the purpose of preventing a piece of vandalism
that would have completely eclipsed the now dsz•
Sling infamy of poor Mr. Gastrell.

The display of 1769 was a spurt and nothing more
as far as Stratford was concerned, and to arrive at
the nest Shaksperian event we must take a leap
of more than half a century, which will bring us to
the year 1824. Her I resume my history.
In April, 1824, then, a Shaksperian Club was
established, the members of which, nearly 200 in
number, comprised the most respectable inhabitants
of the borough, These determined to hold a Trien-
nial Commemoratioa Festival on St. George's Day,
which is likewise the birthday of Shakspere, and
this intention was first carried into effect in Aprils
1827.

The festival of 1827 lasted three days, at the first
of which (the 23d) a pageant such as Garrick
had projected nearly 60 years before, but which
weather did not permit,
moved from the Guild-
hall to the poet's birthplace in Henley-street.
The committee of the Club, with Mr. John Mills,
the Mayor, at their head, and carrying their
banner, marched in fron , and was followed by a
procession in this order :—The Royal Standard of
England, a military band, St. George on horse.
back, bearing a sword of the time of Edward
111., St. George's banter,
carried by his E quire,
the banner of the borough, Melpomene, the Tragic
Muse, in a car driven by four fiends—Lear and
Edgar—Richard HI. and the Prince of Wales—
Macbeth, Banque, and the three witches—King
John, the Cardinal, and Falconbridge—Othello and
lago—Hamlet, the King, the Ghost, and the Grave-
diggers—Romeo, Juliet, and Friar Lawrence. Thus
was completed the tragic series, which was fol-
lowed by the banner of Shakspere's arms. Now
comes the turn of Comedy. Thalia, the Comic
Muse, in a car drawn by four satyrs, led the way,
Shepherd—Touch
and was followed by Caliban, Trinculo, and
Prospero—Autolycas and the
stone and Audrev—Oberon, Titania (in a car drawn
by Puck and fairies), and Bottom, with the ass's
head—Shylock and Portia (as Doctor of Laws)—
Sir John Falstaff and the two merry wives—
Henry V., Bardolph, and Pistol—the Union Flag
concluding the whole.

On reaching the house in Henley-street the pro-
cession halted, and Melpomene and Thalia, descend-
ing from their cars, crowned with laurel a bust of
Shakspere that had been placed on a pedestal. An
address in blank verse, written by Mr. Serle, then
of Covent-garden, was delivered by Mr. Bond, one
of the theatrical company
engaged by Mr. Ray-
mond, who hoped that a day
was approaching in
which Stratford would become an arena for the de-
velopment of histrionic talent. Indeed, one of the
objects of the festival was to lay the foundation.
stone of a now theatre. To the site of this projected
edifice the pageant now proceeded, and the stone
was duly laid, a plate with the following inscrip-
tion being inserted in the cavity

" Genio loci
Hoc Theatrum,
D. D. D.
Consocintis Shakspearcana,
Die Aprilis xxitr;
Natali Poetaa,
A.D. MDCCCXXVII.
Stratfordia idcirco jubilantc."

A vocal performance, the music from " Macbeth,"
followed the ceremony on the spot.

At 4 o'clock a dinner ,at which 200 gentlemen sat