Smyrna times., 1885-10-07
For the Smyrna Times.
Shakespeare as a Prophet.
BY REV. T. o. AYREs.

Alexander returneth into dust
the dust is earth; of earth we make
loan and why of that loan, whereto
he was converted, might they not stop
Il beer barrel ?"
" Imperious Caesar. dead and turned to clay,
Might stop hole to keep the wind away;
0, that that earth, which kept the world in awe
Should patch wall TO eXpel the Winters flaw :"
HAMLET
The above we call prophecy. True,
it was at the time, only cunning and
well-put declaration of the possible turn
which human affairs may take by
which turn the high of to-day may be-
come the LOlO of tomorrow; but time
has converted the declaration into
something near akin to prophecy
which has, in a manner, been fulfilled.
The informed reader will recall the fact
that the cruel reign of Nero came to its
end by the agency of rebellion, and,
that that rebellion was led by Galba.
He in turn, was with PisO, his adopted
successor, slain. Their remains were
burned to ashes and entombed in cost
ly urns and those urns deposited in
splendid monuments. All of this took
place about A. d. SO. Now, about the
year A. D. 1902 Shakespeare wrote the
famous play entitled Hamlet" in
which he represented Hamlet as stand
ing by the grave-diggers who were en-
gagged in digging the grave of OpheIiG.
1t Was then and there that Hamlet is
represented as having indulged in a
revery which amounted to what we
have already set down as akin to a
prophecy. He set forth the vanity
and transitOry character of human
greatness by picking up the skulls
which were thrown up by the spades
of the grave-diggers, and philOsophis
ing on the manner in which an 'imper
iOus Caesar" might make his transit
from his throne to loan and be useC
to stop the joints of a leaky "beer-bar
rel" Now, all of this, we say, was {
sort of prophecy which has in way
been fulfilled in these latter days BY
the act of laborer who was engaged
in digging a cellar in Rome, when thr
tOmbs Of Galba and Piso were lait
bare. The laborer took the ashes iron
the urn and carried them to his wifi
and she used them in making soap.
And now we close this article wit
our musings on the manner in whiCl
an imperial Cesar" may make hi
transit from his throne to a wash-tub
Dead and to ashes burned, imperial Caesar may,
Make u pot of soap to cleanse the dirt away.
And so may we all, but what shoul
it matter to US what use our ashes b
put. There is another part of our re
mains, our souls, which are eternal an
, must live forever. Where are th
souls of Galba and Piso ? echo answer
" Where? ?" OF this much we are reai
onably sure, that their states are una
= terably fixed. Yes, fixed, and that b
their own voluntary acts. Our cast
+ are as yet unfXed and the fixing is
our own hands. Said fixing is
I work that is being carried ON by Ou
e selves. Our voluntary action is doin
t for US what theirs did for them-se
. tling the great question Of our futul
f veal or woe. There may be destin
D shaping our earthly ends, but even tn
4 we doubt, and lay it down as a ru
= that decision is destiny and that IL
. power to decide is ours. Whether th
It will always hold good in our earth
$ matters we are not prepared to say, b.
& < that it does always hold good in OF
/. souls destiny we do most positive
5. affirm. Then let us make that decisiC
! and earn for our souls blissful immo
i tality.