New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1858-12-15
JEs sIHI
e--
A TnIc Of the OLd LontlOn bridge.

iscs sssentisiIy different from those that distinguish
il in the present day. Gone are the palaces and gar
dens which from Whiteriars to Westminster adorned
its hanks; the six.oared canopied barge has given
place % The smoky steamboat; the watermans occu
PATTON By the erection Of so many bridges, like Othe
los is gone the spirit Of romance has fairly van.
isbed from the now impure, gaseous and tortured
stream H in word, everything has succumbed to
the march OF triumphant utility.
Things were not always so. As still, on the waters
that wash the marble palaces Of sea.born Venice
music nightly sounds and love breathes his sigh so
in the good old times that shall never come again. did
the gallant gliding over the unpouted stream, WOO
| his mistress Love designations were made there
The high and the noble did not consider it derogaory
| to Their dignity to touch the guitar; the w0mans
silver voice was heard, making yet smooth the
| invoked and transparent bosom of gentle Father
| Thames
The moon shed food Of light upon the single
bridge, which, spanning the noble river bore on its
| granite shoulders hundred houses; long shadows
/ were cast eastward; the tide, rushing through the
arches, created slumberous sound the Globe the.
alter, on its bank side where Shakespeare personated
bis own immortal creations, had closed its doors !;
when an individual who had lately stood within the
walls oil that temple of Thespis proceeded to the near
est stars, and springng into his Wherry roRed lei
surely out into the stream.
The gallant whom we are about to describe though
| on terms OF familiar greeting with Essex Raleigh
and the choice wits of the day did not belong to the
arstocratc class; yet on his person and bearing ma
| lures nobility was stamped that lofty forehead
spake ofinteecual superiority the eye, though sub
| dued and somewhat downCast through the minds
abstraction, had that searching glance which canread
mems souls the broWs were drawn from their nat
ural arch almost to straight lines and gave to his ply
sognomy expression of sternness, which, however,
was redeemed by the humor that lurked around the
| thin-lpped, handsome mouth the jetty beard was
short and peeked conical hat with single feather
adorned his head his d0ubet was slashed, and Of
the finest brOadcloth his RIFLES were of rich Fl0n-
ders lace and the ht of his straight sword-a pres
ent from the Qneen-was set with rubies, And this
was the deer-stalker Of Stlatfordon-AVon-this was
Shakespeare.
/ The great dramatst was now in the summer Of his
days, and, If we may be allowed the metaphor, the
| aloe OF his renown had begnn to put forth those
leaves the beauty and freshness of which have en-
dured Tor three centuries Genius as regards its ado
ration OF the sex, is sometimes content to feed on
dreams OF ideal beauty. But at this period of his
lte the Bard OF Avon, it would seem, was not salts
| he'd with wOrshipping phantasy. Petrarch and his
patonGs afforded nothing suited to his temperament
and be yielded to the passions that will enthra ord
nary men. Love for an object warm, breathing, liv.
| ing had kndled its fire in his heart Cold seemed
the creatures of his plastic fancy to this lovely incar
nation of all his poetic dreamings-the sweet palpa
pie shrine OF the immortal spirit and to pour forth
his love vows and to press the lily hand OF his sweet
Jessie, did Shakespeare, on the night in question: urge
| his Wherry down the Thames.
Jessie was the daughter of the despised people who
regard Abraham as their great progentor Her father
was an usurer and jeweer, and hung out his sign on
the old London Bridge. 1t inst above the third
| erected his water works, that old Manasseh dwelt
There were but two things in the world dear unto him
| his money and his daughter. From her extreme
loyeliness Jessie had obtained the sobrquet of the
Beauty OF London Bridge Many of the illustrous
OF her tribe had sought her hand in marriage but
Jessie was deaf to each overture. Several Chris ans
also offered TO lay their titles and riches at her feet
but here Manasseh angrily interposed, since, from
principle, as well inclination, be bitterly oathed
the followers of one whom his nation stigmatzes as
the false Messiah. Yes til jew would have acted
/ ii possible, aserner part than Virginius-he would
have stanged his beloved and only child ere he seen
| her polluted by an union with Christian.
| Shakspeares wherry gded on, and in a few min
utes having entered the deep shadow of the arch, he
| landed on the wide, projecting starting Jessie's
sleeping apartment was far above but the girl IN
known to her father, had the key OF a lower cham.
Der which opened upon a small balcony ; and thence
let herself down into the hands Of the enaored poet
Shakespeare resigned bis sGulls to To his young at
tendant who knew his duty too we'll to listen to the
conversation of the lovers The beautiful Jewess was
wrapped in velvet mantle, bOrlered with mnYer.
Her large, dark passionate eyes were now raised to
the heaven, spangled with stars, and now fixed in
melting tenderness on him who sat by her side, And
thus they glided on--s0ft light above, murmurng
| waters mountaineering in tremulous whispers
and experiencing in those stolen moments of reepro
| Gated affection, all the bliss that man is capable OF
wringtng from the deeting hours Of this fevered ex
/ istenGe.
We shall not detail at length the conversation which
! passed between Shakespeare and his Jessie. Thus
| nlgubly Qdu Lney met, ana DfeatleQ their OF
faith and in each others presence had forgotten the
world and all its cold restrictions. Jessie only trem.
bled lest her father should discover her amour for
| rarely day passed without Mannasseh's bitterly
reViling, and heaping curses on the Christians
=" If thou dost love me said Shakespeare pressing
the maidens hand "thou will never again enter the
habitation Of one who, harsh, bgoted and cruel is
unworthy to call thee daughter Jessie dear one,
fond one, true one! flee with this night | will
protect thee against Thousand fathers, This bosom
shall be thy home; and, in RETURN thy love shall be
my paradise"
. Not yet, said the girl timdlY al will pray to
him will strive to bend his willard perhaps he
will relent, Moreover, harsh though he be- / love my
father and would not desert him in his old years.
Sweet one distress not thyself-be true to thy
Vow-continue to love me, as l worship thee and
Whatever betde, shall be happy
The moon had nearly SET and deep gloom was
falling over the river. Jessie was anxious to return
and the wherry shot back to the bridge. As they
approached Shakespeare perceived the figure OF
residence.
"Its only Waterman love there, he is gone he
has sprung, doubt not, into his boat
Jessie trembled, but The man had indeed disap.
peared around buttress, giving them reason to be-
eye that he was no other than the individual named.
The beautiful Jewess was lifted by Shakespeare out of
the wherry the startling was damp through the
splashing Of the rising tide, and he threw his rich
donblet on the woodwork for the girlto step upon.
Farewell, love, forget me not whispered the poet
OF Avon, kissing Jesses fair forehead; but at that
instant Shakespeare started, for he felt his arm seized
and compressed, as in vice, by sinewy hand while
words like the following were Kissed in his ear
| "Christian dog heEhound have found thee ~
| Shakespeare, by violent effort flung the human
viper from him; and as the setting moon shed
| giimmerng ray through the granite arch, he recog-
nized the father of his Jessie His first impulse was
TO draw his sword, but he instantly placed rein on
his inclination. The Hebrew was So conVulsed by
the passions which ragged within him that for some
minutes, he unable to address his trembling
daughter or her lover the former taking advantage
Of the silence Of her father fell on her knees before
him aud beseeched him to restrain bis anger But
the Jew waved his hand, while his fury ut length
burst forth in words.
"Begone! thou disgrace of thy tribe thou re.
proach to thy father or | shall say thee =
The girl, shuddering and overawed, crept to the
little balcony and in few minutes disappeared, The
| jew seemed suddenly to have formed d resolution
his eyes in the darkness of the night, burned like
Goals OF fire. he muttered nooherent words, aud
snatching from his gaberdine long dagger, dashed
| forward, eXclaming
"Unbeleyer CONTENDER Of the law of Moses Oh
pressor of our race it will be no crime to send thee
now to that he'll whittier thou would'st hut % at