St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-17

| twenty years, at least two studies of similar
character have been published one by John,
Lord Campbell; called Shakspeare's Legal
Requirements Considered, and still another is
added by Massachusetts lawyer within a few
months. In his illustration of Shakspeare's
legal erudition Mr.. Davis is unlike any other
writer in the same speciality, and there is no
bias Of precedent.
Exposition, instruction, citation, and pol
ished 'phraseology are interfused with the
largeness and warmth of conviction in the
great dramatist's ''diyine plenitude of power
compact of all intuitions-a conviction
which does not deny that there were men
more learned than Shakespeare coeval with
him, but never one with so much knowledge.
Read this finely tempered contrast between
Shak espeare and Bacon.
"The differences between these most august
OF intellectual beings are manifest.
both were sages; one was poet, the 9TH
er philosopher. 1t is the difference between
Homer and Plato. Both had great magma
tons, but Bacon's was reasoning magma
ton, which disclosed its reasoning processes.
''That of Shakespeare was intuitive, and
left little trace of its trackless paths of devel
opment.
"Itis the difference between two continents
OF vast area, watered by great and fertilizing
rivers, full throughout of natures wonders;
but one is temperate, orderly, subject to lit
tie variation, while the other is tropical, raw
aged by storms; the home of the greatest
beauties sleeping in the very dens of the
gre atest terrors, and both benefcent and
enduring. Each was a discoverer.
''But Bacon made his quest inthe material
world, while Shakespeare voyaged through the
mind and soul of man, and reached their
destinies.''
Gone is the Columbus, and the other the
Dante of thought
We Minnesotians knew what to expect
from the comprehensive summary of Shak-
sperian power in Mr.. Davis argument in the
Page impeachment but the Introductory
paper in this book from first to last where
he proves the inherent improbability of all
claims to the poets fame belongs to the liter
allure of power.
One of the statements which is quoted as
remarkable in Lord Campbell's book is:
Nulle uoVeuSIS ana uranaIlSLS are COLI
stantly making mistakes as to the law of
marriage, of wills, and of inheritance.-to
Shakspeare's law, lavishly as he propounds
it, there can neither be demurrer nor bill of
exceptions, nor writ of error"
Mr.. Davis, too, makes very memorable,
striking and wholly novel assertion when he
tells US of Shakespeare, that, SIN all his works
there is not one direct word for liberty of
speech, thought, religion,-those rights
which in his age were the very seeds of time,
into which his eye, of all mems, could best
look to see which grain would grow, and
which would not. In all ages great men and
great women have died for humanity, but
none of these have been commemorated by
him. The fire of no martyr CLEANS in his
pages < He was silent concern
ing those great agitations for personal right
and liberty which so shortly after he died,
subverted the monarchy, put aside the peer
age, overthrow the church, and forever es-
tablished that the state is made for man and
not man for the state.''
As a finale the words of Hawthorne con-
corning Shakespeare will be more appropriate
than anything else that might be written.
"There is no exhausting the various inter
probation of his symbols; and thousand
years hence, world of new readers will pos
sess whole library of new books, as we our
selves do, in these volumes old alreadyn