Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1851-11-18
sHaksPEAnE,s RlRrH-pLAcE.

Nr. Bayard Taylor. who is now travelling
in Europe. lately paid visit to Warwick cas-
tie, which stands on the banks of tile Avon,
and is but six miles from Shakspeare's birth
place. He relates that in the armory Of tie
castle be saw revolving musket, more than
two hundred years old. almost precisely SINH
lar to Colts, having single barrel, TO which
is attached revolving cylinder containing
six chambers There is flint lock aud pan
to each chamber. aud the firing of one dis
charge brings the succeeding chamber to the
barrel
Mr.. Taylor visited Shakespeare birth place
and particularly the cottage where he was
born. AT the moment he touchcd its TIRES
hold, young and enthusiastic Englishman
asked the old woman who shows the place. II
be might cut piece from of board 10 front
of it. Bless you, said she, Shakespeare had
nothing to do with that; the butcher who
bad the house long after him put that up
Upon Mr.. Taylor's asking tho old woman
whether the house had ever been damaged
by hunters Of relics, she said that the worst
instance was that Of n party of boarding
school girls, who asked to be left alone in the
room where Shakespeare was born, in order
that nothing might disturb the impression Of
the spot. After they left, large square
block was found to have been cut from the
mantlepiece.'
Twenty years ago, when We paid visit to
the little low rooted and low ceiling cottage.
or shanty, in which Shakespeare is said to have
been born, the curious hunters of relics had
began to pick pieces from that mantlepiece,
which was worm eaten, and nearly rotton and
the walls of the room and the very ceiling,
were covered with the signatures ola year Of
ambitious visitors. These signatures we're
every now and then white washed over. to
give room for those of other worshippers at
the shrine Of the sweet bard Of Avon In
the room, at the time we were there, was a
ta5le made of mulberry, which was for sale,
but the woman who then played the part Of
showing the place would not rouch that i.
was made Of the tree the poet sat under in
his own garden. Everything about the cot
tage, at the time we were there, was singu-
larly unimpressive.
The only thing that we saw at the little
town Of Avon. that at all touched us, was
the grave of Shakespeare, in the pretty little
church Of the place Of his nativity. Yet
there was nothing IN the mere appearance of
the grave that was impressive You we're
moved and touched by the fact that you stood
over the mortal remains Of the immortal
Shakespeare; and the simplicity of his burial
place, the absence Of anything like ostcnta-
tionsness or display about it, lend sole nni-
ty to your thoughts. and Gil them with a
reverence that would otherwise be wanting.
The stone that lies fiat over tho body Of
Shakespeare. is nothing more than an ordinary
paving stone, in which has been rudelv cut
these lines: -
''Gooi friend, for Jesus sake sorbcar
To dig the dust incloscd here
Best be the man that spares these stones
| And cursed be be that moves my bones"
Avon and its surrounding country are re
markable for their beauty and for their ro-
mantle and historical associations. The riv-
er Avon itself is but mere stream, that a
good jumper may master either side Of at will
But it runs through what may be called the
garden of England. washes the walls of one
of the oldest, most imposing, and best pre-
served castles now in England The town
of Avon is not more than twelve miles from
the magnificent castle of Queen Elizabeth's
Earl of Leicester, to which Shakespeare must
have been called upon to pay many visit,
and to the library of which, he no doubt had
access 1t is now a beautiful and imposing
ruin. No one who visits England should
fail to visit Avon, the town Of Warwick, ard
the little curious old town Of Coventry (tcn
miles from the latter place the scene of the
story of Lady Goodwin and Peeping Tom
~ Y. Sun, Mercury.