Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-03-17

once lawn; lis now uncared Tor, ana over
grown with rank high grass. The building
that stood when the elder BOOTH bought the
farm quarter of century ago, is given
over to squad of negroes, who labor on the
place, while the dwelliug-honse, some six
years old, has constituted until recently the
abode of his family. They now prefer a
town residence, and when We reached the
building it had not been occupied, nor in
deed, opened for many months.
We had the keys, however, and after
giving our horses in charge of venerable
black who declared he had '.Massa Edwin
himself in charge more than once" enter
ed the mansion. Twas nearly dark and
cobwebs reached across the door; most of the
furniture had been removed; in fact, all but
few book cases and tables. We ransacked
| drawers and closets for old books and letters.
| and journals and pamphlets, and we found
them. Books in every language; Latin and
| Greek, French, Spanish Italian, Portuguese.
! English, all thumbed and marked. and full of
| opposite quotations; the classics of each Ian
guage, with plays aud dramas by all sorts
| of people in all sorts of tongues. Terence
and LOpe de Vega. Shakespeare and TAFT,
Ben Jonson and Racine lay side by side on
the shelves with the productions of some
nameiess vagabond who had sent his effort
in manuscript to old BooTH for inspection.
Plays whose names alone were familiar to
me;sOme of which had never heard as read;
some that had been performed; some that had
| been damned; some marked for the stage.
with the blank page interviewed and full of
directions, some with wonderful autographs
on the fly leaves, some with uncut leaves.
Then there were novels and poems, and me-
taphysical works, and especially the master
pieces of Spanish literature. The Koran,
too, we found, and pored over it, getting
| authority for all sorts of wickedness; and
concluded 'twOuld be a much pleasanter Uade
naec1an for young men than the religious book
I of the giaours.
Before long, darkness overlook US; but we
were prepared for all emergencies. and had
brought candles from country shop on the
road. What to stick them in the ques-
ton. Mambrino's basin did service better
than when it was transformed into helmet
and the experience of my comrade suggested
other eXpedients for lighting the scene. One
was that should serve as candlestick after
the fashion of the martyrs in Nero's time; he
had seen something of the sort on the stage,
suppose This however did not take my
fancy it did his, and we compromised by
sticking the candle in an old shoe. Then we
sat on the floor together. in an old closet,
and reveled over our treasures. First one
would cry out at fresh discovery; then the
other exclaimed as he struck a vein or came
upon placer.
Letters and journals, as well as books, were
open to the scrutiny. Engagements offered
to Junius Booth nearly half a century ago;
particulars of his quarrel with Edmund
kean; invitations 10 the box of the elder
Mathews; witty notes from Eilison were
tumbled by turns out of trunks and corners
where they had lain till they were mouldy.
The piles of play-blls had wonderful
fascination for me. The first appearance of
Edmund Kean and Junius Brutus Booth in
the same piece was announced; the debut OF
Booth in America; the first night of the
"Apostate" in which the son now plays the
part the father once declined. 1t was strange
TO look at these bills that were ffrst handled
fifty years ago, and three thousand miles
away; that told of the pleasures of people
long since in their graves. Manager and
actor and audience, all have passed away.
and here were we two young men wondering
and gossipping over all that remained Of
what was once so interesting. These little
bits of paper called up the scene very wildly
| could imagine the crowded houses and the
green curtain, and the applauding audience.
as they must have appeared long before |
was born; and as l looked up at the face of
my companion, all aglOw with interest il was
no difficult task to summon the handsome eX-
pressive couGtenance his own is said to be so
like. and to fancy the person and powers of
the great actor whose genius as well as
whose beauty he inherits. The PLAYS were
many of them the very same in which young
Booth eXcels.
| saw the bills printed when the father was
at the exact age of his son to-day; Sir Giles
Overreach, Richard H. Sir Edward Mortimer
were in as much demand in England in rs, as
they are in America in '58. So | thought of
the long career of triumph the father had
gone through, and wondered whether fate had
in store for the youth at my side CORES
ponding history. as she had already showered
on him corresponding gifts. There was a
tinge of soDerness in our mirth. The glee
with which we glOated over these strange
treasures could not but be tinctured by
thoughts of the utter oblivion into which
much of what had once been so intensely
present had forever sunk; and saw the
parts familiar cast to names we never
heard, though we talked not much of senti-
ment, am sure we both felt it. Then, too,
in the midst of these mOmentoes of the father,
we came upon pile of play-bills belonging
to the son and compared the casts; we thought
of the time when some youngsters would be
looking overe these very lists. and we should
have long since mOuldered. The candles
were getting low, you see. We were neither
of us good at snuffing them: and more than
once overturned stand and all in our illjudged
attempts, besides backing our fingers. The
time passed away very quickly, and when
Hamlet took out his watch and made me
guess the hour. said 10 o'clock though ii
was past 2. We had made no arrangements
for sleeping; there was no bedding in the
house; but we were having a night of it. and
concluded the adventure bravely. Armed
with candles, we roamed around the rooms, |
and finally put two sofas together. and dis
covered an old mattress. But the night was |
cool, and we must have some covering. 20 |
Roscius got into the old wardrobe of his |
father. pulled out an ermine cloak that be- |
longed to Macbeth, and some of the trapp'ngS /
of ShylOck or Lear, and tossed them TO me.
/ made pillow out of the very mantle of |
Cesar through which the enviOus dagger ran,
and slumbered quietly enough, though Mac
beth had murdered sleep in the robe that /
kept me warm.
We talked away long after our candles had /
burned out previous TO which | Induced /
Hamlet to read me some funny stories, and /
when he got tired of reading, to tell me mor,.:
so / fell into n doZe, with his voice in my cars /
and he may tell of having put one author TO
sleep by his monotonous delivery. Warrant
You. some Of his fair admirers would not have
slept, 80 long as he talked. and doubtless they
envy me my snooze on his arm. But twas
dark and couldn't see his eyes, and besides,
had seen them all day.
Next morning we rose late; the bed was so
good that not I'LL eleven did hear the TRACE
dian rouse NE with the first words that Sir
Edward Mortimer speaks in the play We
went out TO the pump 10 make our ioilettes,
and opened n tin kettle containing sandw ichrs
we bad brought from the country tavern.
The negroes gave US milk but we had no
confidence in their cleanliness, and washed a
broken cup and an old plate we found. for
ourselves. This breakfast equpage was dis
posed on a garden table, aud Hamlet did the
honors very gracefully. The banqueting
scene was not disturbed; no ghost entered
with gray locks; but you should have seen
Lear washing tea cup, and Romeo making
the beds. However, he bad a way Of doing
even that that was worth looking at; aud
moody, and morose, and quiet, as be often Is,
-. Il III l