, 1874-02-21
LOCAL MISCELLANY.

GERALD MASSEY ON SHAKspEARE.
Grows 0pera-House WAS moderately filed
last evening by an audience who were attentive
listeners to Gerald Massey's lecture On s'Shnk-
speare." As A1r. Massey has devoted many
years to the study and Analysis Of the erent au-
thor's works and character, and has published q
volume giring his conclusions, the excerpts
made below arc but little indication OF the inter-
eat and saluo of the facts, both new md old,
which he detailed in a rapidly-spoken effort of
an hour.
The lecturer began iy saying that IN the con-
stellation Of brilliant men vino lived in the
Elizabethan era, none arc remembered a. lg
William Shakespeare, Of whom TAackeray had
sald that he wished that he could have blacked
his boots that he might have looked into bis
face. Of his history little WAS known except
that be WAS born at Stratford, went to London
to live. and returned to pass his latter days IN
his birthplace. That 6hakspearo's family must
have been in INDECENT circumstances WAS wit
messed by the fact that IN 1889 his father was
fined four pence for not keeping his gutter
clean. He seemed to have been d
man who knew everything Doctors
ould say that he know medicine. Lawyers he
was full OF law. Another claimed him as q
sailor, and another as a. butcher from reading
those familiar lines, "There is divinity TINT
shapes cur ends, rough hew them as We WILL
Baying that he alluded therein to the sSewers 11,r
pcare took the first glimpse OF tho dramatic
vision which WIS to BECOME his lifes study. In
1915, whon he was q boy Of IL years, the pleas
ures ut kenilworth Castle were on foot, and in
the :" Midsummer Nights Dream . ne sho"eo' W
It vas thought by some TINT Shakespeare mar
ricd hastily, Grant White became perfectly
vixenich about this great mistake as he termed it,
As his wife begged to be laid in the same grave
will, him. the speaker did not believe his mar
IL Annfhnr tradition HAid
ho had to leave Stratford because OF the deer
scrape but as his own dear presented him with
twins about that time, it was more probable he
had to find larger field for action to support
London his fathef was aont to prison for debt,
which argued that he WAS then poor: In l598
he was able to buy one Of the best houses IN
Stratford, and Lad share III the Globe Theatre:
lie probably left the stage in 1895, and IN l6lo
lie died.
Many that we're now nameless were set above
Shakespeare in his lifetime, and wore onvlous q y,
him. Green called him tim upstart crow. +"
Harvey prnised him; Marston, in the lines,
"A man, nun, "a Kingdom g.n nar;a 1of m1a, r5o
1,1s' wrote the epieratn Of Devastating, com
planned that some playwright had put him
to shame Shakespeare certainly rctallated, Tor
this man was pioried Us Malvolio IN Twelfth
Night Davis vas 1ad pn5tan "a so,voo a'''A
The lecturer then drew so1ne subtle analo-
9es showing that Essex "! was 41 tue study .se for
tavo I heard aud do in part believe" The read
ing Of the passage in Hamlet which refers to
two eclipscs was explained. the speaker stating
THAI he had found it necessary to have the u.s.
trononers at Greenwich trace it back, and they
had discovered that in 1898 there YRS total
eclipse OF the moon in February, and ID the
March following tho sun was darkencd.
Shakespeare was not moody Hamlet sort OF
| man, as the Germans thought, but his art was
dedicated rather to joy; his early poems. writ
ten in the Of yoath showed that 1t. his g.
| was d thorough Englishman. He loved tho
| birds and flowers, aud had expressed their very
| spirit.
man. beautiful picture was thet, drawn OF the
latter days OF tile great bard, waiting Tor the
died Of drinking bout, but ho saw no trace OF
! delirium tremens in his lust signature. His Life
was rounded out as he had lived, and ho passed
away suddenly as II his task were done, and
| there was no need to lnge7. An analogy OF hiE
ep,ritual condition v1s then drawn, and tho leo
tl1re concluded with fino poetic peroratlon