New-York tribune., 1880-06-20

ers would reverently call it. When
the time came for the preacher to go
from the altar to tho pulpit. the gowned
beadle marched before, him carrying
his staff of Office in his hand. l am somewhat
particular in describing this service, because
| suppose that by some spectators 1T would
have been regarded as ntualshc, whereas IL
was simply the. old English choral service
while l listened to it, why Shakespeare Is
always so full of reverence whenever he makes
allusi0n to sacred things, and why most OF
his priests are good men. SO we went out OF
the church. when the service was over,
and into the old churchyard and then
back again with the beadle for closer lnspec-
ton of the poets monument, and OF The bust
which Malone whitewaFhed so stupidly. Ihcn
fell into q train of reflection, with much OF
which need not trouble the reader. % me
the miracle of Shakespeare's genius and pro-
ductiOn appeared moro wOndrus than ever as
| stood near his bones and walked over the
very ground which his footsteps had so often
pressed. The more | thought OF 1t, the more OF
mystery it seemed to me. Here was young
man born of PLAIN parents in small country
town; educated III the grammar school OF the
neighborhooG, but in spite OF all arguments
to the contrary, probably not particularly well
educated drifting apparently by mere accl-
dent into the dramatic professions going TO
London, his majority, scarcely attained; writ
ing there all those wonderful plays, and so
back to StratiOrd, with competence, to die
soon after Of his social habits, OF his per-
sonal character, of his methods OF composition
we know hardly anything. All Is tradition
almost all is conjecture; so that men
have run into the widest theories about
him and about his plays, and L fancy VIII
continue to do so until the end OF the world.
There can be no limit TO biographical guess,
work when there is such II lack of biographical
detail, only it seems time to birdie niue
the idealIty of comment when we Teach the
strange surmse that he did not write MS own
plays AS l stood in the StratfOrd Church,
+ho QhOVe seemed
to be IL cOnvOcatiOn of cOmmentators
noisly propOundng their guesses and CLOSES,
and challenging the world to retute thelr
wonderful theories. They we've quite rs
sensible as old Thomas Rymer or as William
CObbett, the only two men who have had Tile
audacty to declare that Shakespeare was Il
bad writer and not person OF genus aG aIl.
| remember how poor Miss Bacon came Gown
to Stratford and tired TO pass the night Ill
the church, that she might gather fresh lnspl-
Iafion Tor the defence of her dOctlne that
Lord Bacon wrote this play and SIR Malter
Raleigh that and that sweet VIII dld not
write any of them.
at the Red HOrsa Inn, snug and comfortable
tavern, which Washington Irving has rem
dered famous in his account OF his visit to
Stratford, so that all good Amencans go there
as a matter of patriotism. They show You, II
YOU ask for it, the room which he occupied,
and which is decorated with his portrait.
had some geological choice, for there was the
White Lion and also the Golden Lion but
nrelerred the animal with the normal color
We saw, of course, the other lions and par
ticuarly the house i'll which Shakespeare was
born, and which all the world is familiar
with. 1t is now in a somewhat unp!lseaSSantly
perfect state having been restored, If | may
say 50. within an inch OF lts lie, so that IL
will probably last for another five hundred
wears, when | suppose that 1t VIII De restored
again. Perhaps there is not house Ill al the
world, at least OF a private character, which
has been visited by so many people from so
many different parts OF the world. We did
not see the house in Which the man Shakes
pearc lived and died, for the excellent reason
that it has been pulled down.
Everybody mas heard of the Rcy. Francis
GaSkill who was its last owner, and who has
been put in pilory tor all time for an act
OF astonishing vandalism. Inc hevcrena , reno
Francis may have been perfectly plOus man,
but he grew tired of the lion hunters VINO
came to his house to SEQ Shakespeaies null
berry tree. lie took a short, effective way OF
abatlng the nuisance, for he iald the axe 70
the root OF that tree and cut Hown. ms
was in 1856; aftcrward he completed the IT.
| reverent work by pulling down the house,
| having had quarrel with the maglstra'Hes H
| about the assessment. And that Is why you 40
not see the house in which the retlrcu payer
| lived and in which he certainly wrote at least
| one. if not more of his plays. so the not
| tempered divine has achieved an immortality
of a certain kind, and will be remembered SO
| long as Hamlet Is read or OtheliO pliyeu'
| which is quite long enough to satisfy any one
| not particularly fond of the execratiOn or his
race. Just think of being unpleasantiy men
| toned by q long succession OF TOURISTS IVi
| century after century, TO be sure, the null
| berry tree would have been dead long ago
| thrOneh natural decay but New Place might
| have lasted until our time, anu WOuid nave
been source Of perpetual interest because t,
| nearer to the personality OF Shakespeare, tne
| man as we remember him, than the house III
| Henley-st. in which he was born. .
! / could not help thinking as strolled aDout
Stratford that Shakespeare was at the same
| time the most fortunate and most unfortunate
| of literary characters. 1t may be that IN some
RESPECTS lie has gained rather than lost by an
almost complete ignorance oil Ills personal
character and history; but 1t was nara late
| that his immortal works should nave Dcen so
| badly printed. The seventeen quartos were not
edited at all, and the text is frigntluly corrupt
| The first folio was printed Ill the same caiH-
less way. Now, If the first imprint OF lho
| nlavs has been carefully edited, by Shakespeare
himself with the proof read by a competent
proOf-reader, what mass of books, critical
coniectura, cmendatOry, we might nave peeh
saved What heaps OF nonsense WhaI WIZ crazy
suppostiOnsi What never-ending, stlli-DtSin-
plng improvements of the teXtl AS the mat
ter stands it is utterly impossible that we
should ever be sure. AS 6attea-rOyal nave
future. Each new editor will bring his notions,
and most Of the commentators VIII 1cei IL y
| moral duty to contribute some new CORRECTION ;
So Ihen will 90 on until the end OF time, anu
there will be perpetual succession y! NV
editors. Add to this a criticism which is
not verbal, but moral or aesthetic, ana we see see
what awaits the Shakesperean collector OF tue
next age VINO shall undertake to possess HIM
self of everything written upon the subject,
everything good and bad and Indifferent, 4!
And If it were possible, should very, much
like to know what Shakespeare himself wouid
} think of all this. TO say the least he would
I he very much astonlshed, aud find need for
{ all his philosophy.
Alter a long day spent in sightseeing;
! ! went to bed as much tired, may venture to
! ! say, as any man III WaIwickshrc. If were
. not a writer of the strctcst veraclty, might
tell what visions came to me III my sleep.
9 might recount bow pale-faced Hamlet passed
. before me; how Othelo went raging up and
= | hoy loo nj