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

THE SUN, LONDON, SATU'RDA 'Y EVENING, APRIL 23, 1864.

SHAKSPERE,

(From the Times.)

Englishmen do not keep the 23d of April—St.
George's-day—as Irishmen keep St. Patrick's, and
Scotchmen keep St. Andrew's. The great champion
who slew the dragon is not much cared for, but a
large portion of the human race commemorates to.
day the birth of a Warwickshire boy 300 years ago.
Since he first drew breath ten generations of men
has come and gone, and the world has seen vast
changes—dynasties melting away, nations dropping
out of account, great conquerors crossing the earth,
and mighty empires rising out of the dust—new
literatures, new arts, new sciences. Since the world
began there are not to be named three centuries
which have made such a complete revolution in the
affairs of men or in the aspects of nature, and
which, reckoning not by time, but by events, are so
full of moment or so long in the account. Yet, in
all the ages, we cannot point to any man who, for a
mere human achievement, has been remembered
one century after his birth as the child born at
Stratford-on-Avon is now remembered after the
lapse of the three longest centuries in the history of
mankind. It is the son of a homely alderman whose
birth we celebrate—the son of a grazier, who was
bred among the cows and the calves; but his in-
tellectual work has raised him to a throne recog-,
nised from continent to continent and lasting from
age to age.
Shakspere gives voice to every Wave of feeling—

to every mood of the mind. He knowe all the pulses
of sorrow as well as all the springs of laughter. He
studied hate as well as love, and low appetite as
lofty ambition. Men and women, lords and com-
mons, fags and hags, he knows them all. Lands-
man and seaman, tailor and apothecary, are alike
to him. His revelation of the workings of the
heart is a ceaseless marvel. Wben the murder of
Duncan is discovered, Lady Macbeth expresses
her astonishment—" What, in our houses ?" She
is not like an innocent woman astonished at
the murder, but that it should have been
perpetrated under her roof. Is there anything that
can be compared for knowledge of human nature,
and consummate skill in managing it, with the
great speech of Antony over the dead body of Camr?
Similar examples might be quoted without number,
and will crowd on the recollection of every intelli-
gent reader. But Shakspere's perfect knowledge cf
the human heart would appear cruel were it not
tempered with perfect sympathy. If no man has
exhibited so clearly as he the frailties of our nature
and our self deceptions in fancying ourselves better
than we are, it is a rare thing for him to make any
one positively hateful. There is no malice in the
ridicule with which he covers a fault; there is infi-
nite pity in the fate which overtakes the offender.
See Shylock, and note how we pity him as he goes
oat of sight a ruined man—reft of his vengeance, of
his ducats, of his child, half raft of his religion.
The tender memory of his Leah, which makes the
loss of the turquoise she gave him when he was a
bachelor one of his sharpest tortures, imparts a
touch of softness to his character; and the revenge
for which he thirsted is palliated by the strong
provocation of a Jew who has feelings like other
men, bat is treated as if he had none. Or, again,
take Lady Macbeth, and remember how she herself

could not imbrue her hands in Duncan's blow

" Had he not resembled my father as he slept, 1
had done't." She, too, has the tender part in her
nature, and with all her cruel ambition has the family
affections strongly developed. Not only has she a
warm place in her heart for the memory of her
father, " she has given suck, and knows how tender
'tis to love the babe that milks her ;" all her fierce
ambition is inspired by devotion to her husband,
and at last the mind of this strong woman gives way
in the contemplation of her guilt, her higher nature

gets the mastery, and sLe dies in an agony of re-
morse. Or, yet again, take Isgo, than whom in the
whole range of Shakepere's characters there is not
a more hateful villain. Shakspere never, like
other dramatists, paints gratuitous villainy, and in
always suggesting a strong motive he mixes mercy
with reprobation. lago, it must be observed, is
labouring under the impression that the Moor had
been too intimate with his wife Emilia,

-- the thought whereof
Doth like a poisonous mineral gnaw my inwards,
And nothing can or shall content my soul,
Till 1 have evened with him, wife for wife.

So the worst villain gets the benefit of a doubt in
his favour and is always justly treated. In Shak-
spore's view of human vice and frailty there is indeed
hardly any satire. It is only in" Tt i)lus and Cres-
sida" that the scornful view of life is fully presented,
and certainly nothing can be more scornful than the
view there presented of love without purity, of war
without dignity, and of society all destitute of truth.
But such a view as this is quite exceptional in Shak-
spere, unless we add to it the misanthropy of Timon,
which, after all, is not of a kind that makes the pie.
ture of life hideous. We may go through play after
play and we still find this, that whereas when Shak-
spere rose to his height he took sad desponding
views of human life, saw the earth but as a football
of the gods, and the human race as but the dust on
its surface, he never mixed with this view an
unkind judgment of man, he never separated him-
self from his fellows, he was a partaker of their
sins and follies, sorrowed in t heir sorrow, and re-
joiced in their joy.
Shakspere's art too of expressing his idea, or of
making it felt, was beyond that of any man who ever
lived. He puts his idea before us, or suggests it
with immense ease. It was usual among the French
critics to speak of him as a splendid barbarian and
an inspired idiot; but in ail French or any other
art there is to be found nothing like the power
which Shakspere displays of bringing all the rays
of thought into a focus, and concentrating light
in a word, in a character, in a scene, or in a whole
play. Other writers spread out their ideas, divide
their forces, and are content to make a single
effect in one play. Sir John Vanbrugh provides
us with as good an example as we need. In one of
his plays he has Lord Foppington—one of the most
celebrated representations of a dandy. In another
comedy he has Lady Fanciful, the feminine coun-
terpart of Lord Foppington. The lord is the cen-
tral figure of the one and the lady of the other.
This is precisely as if Shakspere had put Benedick
in one play and Beatrice in another. It is the very
opposite of his method. He would not have wasted
two plays on one idea, but would have worked both
Lord Foppington and Lady Fanciful into one drama,
where we should see the dandy of every shade and
degree. Thus in the most popular of his tragedies,
if he undertakes to show us the mock madness, or
what some think the half-madness of Hamlet, he
takes care to let us see it in contrast and compari-
son with the perfect madness of Ophelia, with the
irrationality of the gravediggers, and with the over-
wisdom of Polonius. So if Lear is to stand forth
another madman, his mental aberration is put into
comparison with the assumed madness of Mad Tom
and with the mother-wit of the poor fool. Not only
does he bring varieties of the same class of charac-
ter thus into close relationship, he loves to present
the same idea in double lights. The play of "King
John" turns upon a question of primogeniture. It is
a question to be seriously determined between King
John and Prince Arthur. Shakspere begins the play
by discussing the law of primogeniture from a
comic point of view, and raising a question as to
the rights of the bastard Falconbridge. This may
not be conscious art ; if the French choose to call it
nature they are free to do so. We know not what
to call that organic force in nature which produces I

in the leaf and in the fruit of a tree the same form

which we see in flower, in stamen, and in pistil.
The morphology of plants shows us the same type
of structure pervading every member of the plant;
and in the works of great art we may detect a like
morphology. By some inherent force, call it art,
call it nature, the parts repeat each other, and the
whole is a repetition of the Farts.
Language is perhaps the most wonderful part
of Shakspere's art, and his dominion over language
is perhaps the great miracle in literature, At least
it is in this region of his art that his power is most
understood. We have not all attempted to draw
characters and to construct plays so as to under-
stard by experience how rare is the mystery which
Shakspere has attained in this way. But we all use
words and know the difficulty of finding forcible
and felicitous expression for our ideas. Shakspere
at all times gave to hid thoughts not only the meet

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'a for example,
which, however fine, burst but seldom into flower.
Shakspere's language is always in blossom, and lixe
the orange tree we may find 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 ens 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-
-44 Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blooi
Clean from my hand ? No, this my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas inctrnadine,
Making the green—one red,"
Pertly 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 forgetAow 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 pcint of fact, we for the
most part forget how ornate it is, and think only of
its weight of meaning.

These are the most obvious 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 the
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-ON-ATON, Thursday Night,
As nothing is going on at present, and I 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 0 facilitate the inves-
tigations of the antiquary. The Museum in Shaks•
pore's birthplace, which is the permanent attrac-

tion of the town, is exhibited by a lady, who
knows all about the things which she directs
attention, and who thus stands in remarkable con•
trast to the tribe of exhibitors,both in England 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 aro 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 visage 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. Milli-
well, under whose auspices so much has been effucted
to render a visit to Stratford profitable to the Shak-
sperian student.
The great importance attcched to Stratford is
comparatively of recent grcwth. We have seen
how Victor, who published he book in 1771, men-
tions " a very small old hou3e in which the great
poet was bore," 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 topography; did 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 daz•
zling 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 next Shaksperian event we must take a leap
of more then half a century, which will bring us to
the year 1824. Here 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 Commemoration Festival on St. George's Day,
which is likewise the birthday
of Shakspere, and
this intention was first carried into effect in April;
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 banner, carried by his Esquire,
the banner of the borough, Melpomene, the Tragic
Muse, in a car drawn by four fiends—Lear and
Edgar—Richard HI. and the Prince of Wales—
Macbeth, Banquo, and the three witches—King
g,
John, the Cardinal, and Falconbridge--Othello and
lago—Hamlet, the Kin
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,
and was followed by Csliban, Trinculo, Ariel, and
Prospero—Autolycus and the Shepherd—Touch-
stone and Audrey—Oberon, Titania (in a car drawn
by Puck and fairies), and Bottom, with the ass's
head—Shylook and Portia (as Doctor of Laws)—
Sir John Falstaff and the two merry wives—
Henry V., Bardolpb, and Pistol—the Union F lag
concluding the whole.

On reaching ihe 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 new 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 Shakspeareana,
Die Aprilis xxin,
Natali Poets/.
A.D. MDCCCXXVII.
Stratfordia idcirco jubilante."

A vocal performance, the music from " Macbeth,"
Followed the ceremony on the spot.
At 4 o'clock a dinner ,at which 200 gentlemen sat

down, was held in the large room of the Town-
hall, a scroll, inscribed "We ne'er shall look upon
his like again," being suspended over the painting
of Shakspere, and another, inscribed "He suited
the action to the word," over the portrait of Gar-
rick. Over the entrance was a transparency re-
presenting the head of Shakspere surrounded
with a radiant glory dissipating the previous
darkness. The speeches ou the occasion were
numerous and long, the chief orator apparently
being the Rev. Dr. Wade, vicar of St. Nicholas,
Warwick. A public breakfast at the White Lion
Hotel, a large house in Henley-street, adjacent
to the birthplace, and a masquerade held in
a temporary amphitheatre erected in the Rother-
market were the chief amusements of the second
day, which terminated with a display of fireworks.
Garrick's Amphitheatre, it seems, had been erected
close to the Avon, but the Rother-market, which
looks like a large village green, long since destitute
of verdure, was again selected for the Pavilion of
1830. The wooden edifice of the present festival is
in quite a different part of the town, the chief en-
trance being in a narrow street called Southern's-
lane, situated near the church and the river. A con-
cert at the White Lion contributed the principal
entertainment of the third day, the musicians being
amateurs and members of Mr. Raymond's company.
The festival of 1827 is still recollected with
pleasure by the older inhabitants of the town,
and the pageant seems to have been exceed-
ingly well contrived. Mr. Raymond had already
taken a lease of the projected theatre, and
its opening was eagerly anticipated as likely to
prove a lasting source of amusement. Those san-
guine expectations were never realised, and, though
the theatre was indeed completed, and now stands
an unsightly edifice in Chapel-lane, not far from the
grammar...school, where Shakspere is supposed to
have learnt Latin, it is rarely used at present for
dramatic purposes, and I have been informed that
an itinerant company, who essayed to make it a
place of attraction last winter, miserably failee.
Indeed, it has dropped its theatrical title, and, now
popularly known by the vague name of the " Shaks-
pere Rooms," is considered available for any sort of
exhibition that requires a certain amount of space.
Thus, on '1 hursday next, it will be devoted to a con-
cert of instrumental music and glees, which is con-
sidered of secondary importance to the grand musi-
cal performance which will take:place at the Pavilion
on Monday.

The Actors' Shakspere Supper,

-~--

The members of the profession to which Shaks-
pere belonged were determined to be first in the
field in celebrating the tercentenary of his birth,
and accordingly they gave a professional demons-
tratiou in 1 he shape of a supper at the Freemasons'
Tavern last evening, when the chair was announced
to be taken by Mr. Benjamin Webster at a quarter
to twelve, Mr. Buckstone occupying the vice-chair.
About 400 sat down, among whom were Mr. Paul
Bedford, Mr. J. Clarke, Mr. E. Clarke, Mr. W.
Montgomery, Mr. Fergusson (the eminent surgeon),
Dr. Hastings, Dr. O'Connor, Mr. J. L. Toole, Mr.
H. Webb, end Mr. Frank Toole.

The chair was not taken until nearly a quarter
past twelve.

The CHAIRMAN rose end said—Gentlemen, the
tercentenary birthday of Shakspere has commenced.
(Loud cheers) Respect the hour, and behold the
great genius in whose honour we are assembled.
Mr. Webster then unveiled, amid loud applause,
a bust of Shakspere.

The CHAIRMAN then said—" May good digestio❑
wait on appetite, and health on both." (Cheers.)

Supper having been partaken of,

The CHAIRMAN said—" For what we have re
ceived may the ep'rit of Shakspere bless the meet
ing."

The usual loyal and patriotic toasts having been
proposed and duly honoured,

Mr. BUCKSTONE, who was cordially applauded in
proposing the toast of the evening, said—Gentle-
men, the toast I have been deputed to propose is
one that it will be your duty and your pleasure to
receive with every expression of delight, as that
toast is "'rho Birth of Shakspere." (Cheers.) This
day 300 years ago a baby boy was born, horn in
that low-roofed room at Stratford-upon-Avon, on
whose walls thousands upon thousands of pilgrims
to that humble shrine have inscribed their names,
The happy mother of that boy, while listening to
his " mewling and puking," never dreamt of the
immortality awaiting the little stranger nestling at
her bosom, never thought that that boy would not
be "of en age, but of all time"—(hear)—that he
who could then but murmur inarticulate sounds—
(uproarious laughter)—would live to give a poetic
and a lasting lustre to the English tongue it had
never known before—(loud cheers)—and bequeath
to England those imperishable plays that have made
our country's drama the noblest in the world.
(Loud cheers.) And when I look around me and
see this large gathering of English actors to com-
memorate the birth of Shakspere, I consider it not
only a glorious movement, not only one that has
never before been accomplished, but one that is an
honour to us all ; and to see you thus united,
thus socially sitting together,: with no other
thoughts and feelings than those of goodwill and
kindness to one another, and all eagerly assisting in
a great celebration, I am reminded of one of the
verses of a song for Shakspero's birthday, written
years ago by my old and still unforgotten friend,
the late Laman Blanchard, who there says of Shaks-
pere--

"All his mighty mini was love ;
Yes--sure his pen was once a feather
In the wing of Noah's dove ;
It links us so in peace together."
(Loud cheers,) Now, gentlemen, let us drink
"The Birth of Shakspere"—the birth of one who
was not only our great poet—not only an actor—
but, I am happy to add, as a source of comfort and
encouragement to our chairman and myself, he was
a manager—(laughter)—and paid his salaries—
(laughter)—a virtue which both of us have hitherto
strictly emulated. (Renewed cheers and laughter.)
And as a celebration like this may not occur again
for another hundred years, and as it is not very
possible that many of us will be alive then—(loud
laughter)--I call upon you to honour the toast of
our illustrious Englishman to honour it on this
April morning—
" The hallowed morn
When Will was born,
In the spring time of the year"—
with hearty and joyous English cheers. Gentle-
men, "The Birth of Shakapere."
The toast was drunk with loud and prolonged
cheers, and was followed by the following sonnet,
written expressely for the occasion by Mr. John
' Brougham, the music composed by Mr. A. Mellon:
" what shall his crown be ? Not the laurel leaf
That, blood-besprinkled, decks the warrior's head,
Who grasps at Glory, as Destruction's chief :
A living monument to thousands dead,
Bequeathing a vast legacy of grief—
Some pest-incarnate, fed with human life,
Born of Ambition or the lust of strife.
" In regal coronet shall we proclaim
Him Monarch ? That would circumscribe his worth ;
A kingly diadem would only shame
The kinglier THouGMT, whose realm is the whole earth I
Such petty vanities but mock his fame.
Profane it not—he is all crowns above :
Hero of PEACE—Evangelist of Lova I"
The piece was loudly encored, and was followed
by continuous cheering.
The CHAIRMAN said—Gentlemen, Mr. Alfred
Mellon is unavoidably absent, although nothing
would have given him greater pleasure than to have
been present to witness the approbation with which
you have received his composition. (Cheers.) Mr.
Brougham is present, and he has won half the ad-
miration. (Cheers.) Anything more beautiful than
his ode it is impossible to conceive. (Cheers.)
In answer to the unanimous call of those present,
Mr. Brougham came forward and was loudly
cheered.
The CHAIRMAN then rose and said—l approach
the next toast with a reverenee, I may say an awe,
at the dazzling mightiness of the subject, and the
knowledge of my littleness to propose it. This feel-
ing will, I fear, make my speech come from me as
birdlime does from fricze—wil! pluck out brain and all
—and leave a most lame and impotent conclusion ;
but my heart is buckled to the task, and 1 will
stand the hazard of the die. Genius can only be
fully estimated by a kindred genius, and seldom

has genius been judged by its peers. It has been
said, perhaps, truthfully , that the works of Shak-
spere are his greatest monument ; but why statues
should only rise out of blood instead of brains is to
me a paradox. If, then, his works be indeed his
noblest monument, what words of mine can do
justice to his memory when brass and stone will
moulder and decay, while his inspired poesy will
exist till doomsday. His works have been justly
and not irreverently called the Bible of literature,
and while the sacred book of Holy Writ solaces the
civilised world with heavenly love and hope, the
book of Shakspere fills the human mind in our
earthly pilgrimsge with unalloyed pleasure and the
highest aspirations. His plays abound in the deepest
researches of nature and art, clothed in most eloquent
language, each carrying out a separate and distinct
moral, with philosophy looking into the remotest
recesses of the heart, but into the world of the future,
showing that he was not for an age but for all time.
His writings are rife with lessons for every class,
conveyed with most amazing and amusing power.
He makes no distinction ; and whether with play-
fullest wit or most serious argument, he teaches
clemency to royalty, humility to aristocracy, tole-
rance to the people, and duty to all. Shakspere had
a mastermind on all subjects, which is more than
can be said of any other man of any age or any
country, and a thorough knowledge of his works
affords endless food for conversation or reflection.
No profession, no art, no philosophy, no science but
may find an apt quotation in Shakspere. Even the
wondrous power of electricity may quote, " I'll put a
girdle round the earth in 40 minutes." Teeming with
those principles that elevate the soul of the poet to
the height of his genius, he charmed and con-
soled humanity by his art, fulfilling thus his
glorions mission, which posterity will reverence.
Many eminent men have attained, in the memories
of man, greater renown than any hereditary or
heraldic names can boast, but not one has attained
the deserved distinction of the immortal Shakspere.
If it be true that men of genius die only in the
flesh; if it be true that, after the cruel hour which
puts a term to their magnificent creations, they con-
tinue among us in the spirit—the work of enchant-
ment for which they came on earth—we can say of
Shakspere that he will live to charm the present, as
he has the past and after us all future generations.
The kingdom of genius is the greatest inheritance
on earth, for what king ever sat in such state as
Shakspere, who is enthroned in the hearts of all
mankind ? He has spoken of the divinity that doth
hedge a king. What divinity, then, doth hedge
our Shakspere ? I see assembled here the workers
out of his works to do honour to his memory. Could
he look down upon us it would add another joy to
his place ebove, for I verily believe had fate not
driven him within the walls of a theatre those
dramas which have such a world-wide fame could
never have sprung Minerva-like from his brain.
The practical knowledge necessary for such a task
could only be acquired by such association, and we
may justly feel proud that amid actors his dramatic
genius had birth. Of Shakspere's self we know
little. The poet has done nothing to dispel the
night in which the man was enveloped. What
relations had Shakspere with his contemporaries?
To what political party was he attached ? To what
social fraction, to what philosophical or religious
sect did he appertain ? On all these points history
is dumb, so mysterious, obscure, so enveloped in
shadow has been the life of that glorious being; and
perhaps it is wisely ordained to leave these earthly
matters to imagination, which will endow him with
greater earthly attributes. However, if we are
to believe in " Shakspere's boys," the guardian
of horses became the pastor of men. He died, we
know, in ease and comfort, which is not the
lot of all who essay to climb the thorny steep
of literary fame, for the crown of the poet is
often that of the martyr. Nations far and wide are
uniting to do honour to the poet of the world, for
as his writings are said to be for all time, so are
they for all civilised nations, present or to come.
Our hearts unite themselves to render a solemn
homage to him whose genius was stored with the
richest and most varied of inspirations. If the
spirits of the departed be permitted to revisit the
glimpses of the moon, lot us hope his spit it hovers
over us now whilst we drink in solemn silence, our
hearts only speaking love and,adoration, to the im-
mortal memory of Shakspere.
The toast was drunk in solemn silence.

Mr. Sautley then sang "Take, oh take, there lips
away," composed expressly for this occasion by Mr.
A. Mellon, which was encored and vociferously
applauded.

Dr. O'CONNOR proposed " The Players' Art,"
observing that every actor present might be proud
of belonging to the profession of which Shakspere
was so distinguished a member, Might we long
appreciate the players' art, and might we long have
players to strut upon the stage to do honour to those
immortal plays Shakspere had given us. (Cheers.)
Mr. BROUGHAM briefly responded on behalf of
the actors present.
There was then a general call for Mr. G. V.
Brooke, upon which
The CHAIRMAN said that he should be delighted
to call upon Mr. Brooke to propose " The British
Drama." (Loud cheers.)
Mr. G. V. BROOKE then proposed " The British
Drama ;" after which the toast of " The Illustrators
of Shakspere" was proposed and cordially received.
The company separated at a late hour.
The following vocalists offered the tribute of their
art on this occasiol :—Mr. Santley, Mr. G. Perren,
Mr. A. St. Albyn, Mr. B. Bowler, Mr. Fielding,
Mr. Barnby, Mr. Coward, Mr. W. H. Eburne, Mr.
Geo. Tedder, Mr. T. Distin, Mr. Aynsley Cook,
Mr. J. A. Shaw, Mr. J. Rouse, Mr.Bartleman, Mr.
G. Honey, Mr. J. Patsy, Mr. H. Distin, Mr. W.
H. Montgomery, and Mr,. Dawson. Mr. Benedict
conducted the part-songs and choruses. The general
musical arrangements were under the direotion of
Mr. Alfred St. Albyn.

APOTHECARIES'-HALL.—The following are the
names of the gentlemen who passed their examination in
the science and practice of medicine, and received certifi-
cates to practise, on Thursday, April 21 :—Richd. Istance,
Carmarthen; John Edmund Gunning, Surbiton, Surrey;
Joseph Carter Neynoe Murphy, 75th Regiment ; John
William Devereux Bain, Brunswick-terrace, Blackwell.
ST. ANN'S SOCIETY.—The annual dinner of the
Royal Asylum of the Society of St. Ann was held
yesterday at the London Tavern, the Lord Mayor in the
chair. The ordinary loyal and patriotic toasts having been
drunk and responded to, the Lord Mayor rose to propose
the toast of the evening, " Prosperity to the Asylum of St.
Ann." His lordship commenced by warning his hearers
that it was of very little use to drink the toast if they did not
come forward to support the very deserving charity whose
claims he was about to advocate. The Royal Asylum of St.
Ann was established as far back as the year 1702, for afford-
ing home, clothing, maintenance, and education to the
children of those who had moved in a superior position in
life, but who from misfortune had been compelled to cast
themselves on the generosity of their more fortunate
brethren. This great metropolis was acknowledged to be
the centre of the wealth of the empire, and as its chief
magistrate he was proud to say that it was also the centre
of its charity. The great city companies which formed part
of its corporation had often been accused of being fond of
indulging in social pleasures, but he would remind his
hearers that on such occasions they never forgot to help
their poorer brethren, who through force of circumstances
had been thrown into a less fortunate position than them-
selves. The institution in whose cause they were assem-
bled this evening had special claims on the charity of
those present, for none of them knew how soon those
who were dear to them might require its assistance and
support. The institution, besides affording to its pupils
the advantages of a very liberal education, was perfectly
liberal in its operations, none of those religious restrictions
being found among its rules which in the case of other
charitable corporations were found to be so irksome. After
what he had said he was sure it was needless for him to
urge the interests of the asylum any further. It had been
his lot on several occasions to advocate many charities con-
nected with this metropolis, but it was seldom he had done
so with so much pleasure as in the present instance. The
secretary then announced subscriptions to the amount of
only £6OO, a very small sum for so deserving a charity.
This is, no doubt, to be accounted for by the fact that a notion
has got abroad that the asylum is possessed of large re-
sources, whereas the truth is that it is one of the poorest in
London, and almost entirely dependent for support on its an-
nual subscriptions. The healths of the trustees, of the war..
dens, of Mr. Leeks, the energetic secretary, and of the other
officers of the institution, were then proposed, and the meet-
ing broke up at a late hour. Besides the Lord Mayor, there
were present Lord H. Gordon, Sir P, Van N. Pole, Sir F.
Agar, Sir R. Sydney, Col. North, M.P., Captain Claxton,
R,N., and many others interested in the charity.