The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1835-03-18
WILL THE WIZARD"

Is the title of a beautiful sketch of Shakespeare
in his b0yhood, published in the New-England Mag
azine, and written by Neal The writer makes the
young Bard thus describe the vision OF ms future
greatness to his father -
CAV fathcr-a dream n dream of power-a
prodigious dream / trcmble now to give 1t Ian
guage.-But must, saw palaces and thrones
and mighty men Of war-and beautiful women
whole nations of both--musterlng at my voice, and
crowding to hear me, as | stood alone and apart
from all the rest of mankind, playing with strange
unearhy instrument-in shape, like human heart
which a spirit of grace left with me, one STILL
starry night when saw the skies rolling away for
ever with no hand to stay them the universe
asleep, and nobody but God watching over it.
stood upon the mountain top. The foundations Of
the earth were opened to me; and saw gold there,
and gems like suberranean sunshine. Yea, father!
and saw the scpuchres of the giants--the bones
Of many forgotten empire-the skeleton of lost
worlds-;he store houses of the great decp-and
the abiding place of perpetual fire and lifted up
my voice. and told the creatures of the earth what
saw, and they believed me not.-And the winds
blew, and darkness drove by, like midnight fog
and that generation was no more. Anon, another
appeared and yet another-and at last, there were
those that unders TODD me. And when j talk
ed of mines, that had broken up-whether by earth
quake or fire-by storm or dclugc-teem with the
sack Of cmpire--strangc fuel, aud stranger flames
itncy DeIicFcu me, tnOuSH lbcy unucIstoou Hc hot'
they should be smothered like monsters--stihed in
the birth.
Smothcrcd !--stiiled would as soon smother
a child of my own bcgcttng, as n thought worth
preserving. Why should stnc the prnccly off
spring of our intellectual spirits No, father-I
know what mankind arc--and know that must
he made Of stcrner stuff than others to communicate
rather than receive impressions. l have thought
much of what we call the great of our day--and l
have quite another idea of greatness, let tell you,
father. The men l call great men of rock.
Dominion have they--not over the fish of the sea,
the fowls of the air. the beasts of the icld-but
over the men of all the earth-of all ages and of all
countries.
There he goes, again there he goes with all
the hcedcssncss of grasshopper-hit miss
Trees, father, cast off their encumbcrng foliage
when they go to war with the winds naked, they
are invulncrable-so with me. After a few years
shall bcakc myself to the war; and when do
away with all strange hopes and all strange dream
| ing! 1t was but to-day, that saw with my eyes
open, the whole embodied future sailing before me
century after century, with all their wings outsprcad
saw the invisible Mt work-the mountains grow
! ing populous with & iant sculpture-the war;
and woof of the sky and all the looms thereof, ii
full play-and the chips flew, and the threads ran
like fire. hhcr and ,hither among the agitated
clouds, and saw great blocks of marble changing
their shape when there nobody near-and harps
playing in the sky to invisible fngcrs-what faith
aslccp--then here goes
And saying this, he darted through the door, nnd
was off, full speed, for the cottage of Anne Hath
cway. How he sped in his prayer, let the chroni-
clcs of that day--hc day of the naughty Elizabeth
declare. At the age of seventeen, the boy mar
rcd to Anne Hatheway, who was then about TWEEN
ty-fvc.