Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1830-01-22
From "a BALTIMORE paper.

Goblet on Standardization the A,los. pr n,:si
at New York, ne learn that William Cubte.t, ,whu.
by the by, US a writer. is not less amusing than John
Randolph is as Il speaker.J enfcriains a great con-
tempt for those who think Shakespeare, a great poet,
and undertakes tn ridicule the. words .simmortal
bard" as applied by the most universal nssent of the
world. In his "Adyice to young men, No. d." pub
lished in September. he warns his readers agninst be-
ing mislead by fashion as to books, and to illustrate
the folly of praising what is deemed to have been
written by q fashio nablc author, merely on account
OF it's origin, he relates the following account Of the
famous hodr. which was played off in London about
thirty years ago. by q Mr.. Ireland. The principal
facts here related are supposed to be genuine. five
remember right, they are nearly the same as stated
by Ireland himselfin his Confessions
That which never Ought to have been forgotten by
those who were men at the ti,ne, and that which
ought to be made knoton TO erery yotc,g maa of the
present age, in order that he NAV be induced to exer.
else his own judgment with regard to books, is, the
transactions relative to the writings of Shakespeare.
which transactions took place about thirty wears AFRO.
IL is still, and st was then much more, the practice to
eNtol every line of Shakespeare 10 the skies; not TO adj
mire Shakespeare has been deemed to be u proof of
want OF understanding and taste. Mr.. Garrick, ind
SOME others after hira, had their own good and profit
able reasons for crying up the works of this poet
When ives a very little boy, there was a jubilee in
honor or SnaksPeare; and as he was stated to hive
planted o. .uutberry Tree, boxes. and other little orna-
mental thugs inwood were sold all over the country,
as having been mgdeout ofthe trunk or limbs of the
apcient aud sacred tree. We Professionals laugh at
the FetNS 80 ntgniy pflZeu by Catholics; but never
was a Catholic people half SO much duped by the
relics of saints, us this nation was by the mulberry
tree, of which, probably, more wood was sold than
would have been sufficient in quantity to build a ship
OF war or a large house. Tins madness nbntcd for
some years, but towards the end of the last century it
broke out again with more fury than ever. Shaks-
Psares works were published by Buydcll. an Alder
man OF London, at a subscription Ut. fee Autidfed
pounds JoT each copy, accompanied by plates, each
forming a large picture. Amongst the mad men Of
the day was a Mr.. Ireland, who seemed to be r,ors
mad than any ofthe rest. His alteration of the poet
leo him to perform a pilgrimage to an old farmhouse
near Strattord upon Avon, said to have been the birth
place OF the poet. Arrived at the spot, he requested
the farmer and his wife to let him search the house for
papers, FIRST going upon has knees, and praying, in
the poetic style, tho gods to aid him in his quest He
found no papers; but he found that the farmers wife,
III clearing out Q garnet some years before, had found
some ~rubbishy old papers which she had burnt. and
which had probably been papers used in the wrapping
up of pigs cheeks, to keep them from the hats so
wretched wonan!r' exclaimed he, edo Won know
what yon have done?" 90 dear no: said The wo.
man. halffrightened out of her wits; .no harm. I
nope for the papers were rery Old; I dare say as old
as the house itself" This threw him into nm adj.
tIonal degree of erciteme,t, as it is now fnsbionah,v
called; he raved, he stamped, he foamed, aud at last
Quilted the house, covering the poor woman with ey-
cry term OF reproach; and hastening back to STRAIT
ford, took postchaiso for London, TO relate TO his bro-
Their madmen the horrible sacriIese oftbis heat I,en;sh
woman. Unfortunately for MIR. ireland, unfortunate.
ly Tor his learned brothers in the metropolis, and nm
fortunately Tor the reputation of Shakespeare, Mr..
ireland took with hiIr: to the scene OF Elaboration n sol,
about s,rteen gears Of age, who was articled to an AT
torney in london. The son was bv no means So
sharply bitten asthe father; and, upon RETURNING ~
u = ne conceived the idea OF supplying Tie place 81
had destroyed. He thought, and he, tboorb, -
that he should have little diaic.iiy IA rt2.;n~ IN
Jrss t,Ss7sSpqe Z, Shakespeare! TO get paper that
should seear to have been made in the re;Dn oi
Queen Elizabeth, aud INK that should give IN rSsi,;nn
the appearance of having the same ace. was somes
what difficrpt; but both were overcome. Young Ire.
land was acquainted with the son of n booLsoIa.
who dealt In old books; the blank leaves of these
books supplied the young author with paper: and
he found out the way of making proper ink for b;s
purpose. 70 work he went, ,orote sece,al 1Lo,y
some lore letters, and other things; and bavino noi =
Bible, extant in the time of Shakspeare he wrof,
in the margin. All these, together, with sonne,s IN
abundance, and other little detached pieces he ~ -
duced TO his father, telling him he got them of a gen
tlenan, who had made him s,oear that he ,coyLFSant
dtrMtge has name The father announced the inuoIr
able discovery to the literary world; the literarv
world rushed to him; the manuscripts were regard.d
as genuine by the most grave and learned Doctors.
some OF whom (and amongst these were Doc,ors
parr and Warton) gave, under their hands. an on;no
ION, that the manuscripts mast haze been ,,,jricn
ny Shakespeare-for that no other man in The 1,orIJ
could haze been capable Of ,oritinc them. "
NJ ireland opened q SUBSCRIPTION. n,b,;sbos
these new and invaluable manuscripts at an enor
nous price; and preparations were Instantly no1o
tor performing one IF the plays, called Vortigern
'oi 'NC dCtbS VI the play, the lndiScretion of
.ne iad caused the secret to explode; and, instan,lv
. IN ss0 Who had declared that he had written as veil
a. Snakespeare, did every thing in their power to
4estroy nm! The attorney drove him from his offca.
the father drove him from his house; and, in short,
ne was hunted down as If he had been n lnaIefactor
OF the worst description. The truth of this relnt;"n
Is undeniable; 1t is recorded il numberless books
lhe young man is, | believe, vet alive; and, in sbort
III man VIII question any one of these facts.
.Afte' this, where is the man of sense who will 10
guiaed IN these matters by fashion? where is tho mar
VINO wishes no: TO be deludcd, who will not. vvben dn
reads a book, j"dgeJor himseD? After all these inh h
ices ana Pligrinages; after Boydells subscr;ptron nr
S,oo Tor one single copy; after it had been daemcd
almost implety to doubt Of the genius of Shaksnnaro
surprising that of the rest of mankind; after Le Ib aJ
Deen called the "LnDaortrt Bard" as a matIe, "a9
course, as we speak of Moses and Aaron, there bav.
my oeen but one OF each III the world; after all this.
there comes a lad Of sixteen years of are. wr;tcs
which learned Doctors declare could bav. 49,
BY no man but Shakespeare, and when j, j,
llsc9vered hat this laughing boy is the real author.
me DOCTORS turn round upon him, with all the news'
papers magazines. and reviews, and, of course. the
pubic AZ Their back, rcvile him as an imposter: and
100eT that OdlOuS name. hunt b;,o. 80, ""I