The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-07-24

Danish traditions and of French
novel by Belleforest. An old play
probably existed by that name and IL
referred to in 1889, perhaps in 1887, by
Nash in his Epistlix, preixed to
Greene's Menaphon, and again in 1896
by Lodge, where he alludes to the
wizard of ghost which cried so misera-
bly, at the theater, Hamlet, revenge."'
Beside the old play of Hamlet Shake
speare also doubtless had access to the
prose Hystorie of Hamblet, translated
from Belleforest. The story had been
told, as stated above, hundreds of years
before in the Historical Danica of Saxo
Grammaticus Q1S0-120S). The Ham
let of the Hystorie, after a fierce re-
venge, becomes king of Denmark. The
date of this play is probably about 1902,
for in July of that year the printer
entered in the Stationers' Register,
The Revenge of Hamlet, Prince of
Denmark, as we latelie was acted by
bLC Lulu NuhulDClldlu MS SCI NahbCo3
and the next year the play was printed"
The foregoing agrees with the view
usually given by Shakespearean edit
ors of the historical foundation of
Hamlet. So, also, there were the early
English chronicles from which he drew
the material for his English historical
plays, and Plutarch's Lives, which gave
him the foundation for his Roman
tragedies. But all these materials were
to the finished plays hardly more than
is the canvas to the completed work of
a master artist. This is especially true
of Hamlet. When once we have come
under its spell we care little whether
any other Hamlet ever lived. This
one is henceforth a living presence in
thoughts; or, as Hazlitt says, " it is
re who are Hamlet" A little book,
recently published, entitled "The HUI
man Mystery in Hamlet" takes the
ground. that this play "refects the
typical spiritual life of man in this
world" and that Shakespeare meant it
to set forth the struggle that is con-
stantly going on in every soul between
ones will and passions and sense of
duty.
"Peach- blow" contributes the fol-
lowing Shakespearean enigma, which
some of the boys and girls may be in
terested to solve who have not fol-
lowed our other studies:
am composed of siXty-eight letters,
and form a quotation from Shakes
peare:
1.-The undiscovered II, As, 50, AZ, 10,
6, 63, from whose 30, ?, 80, 66, 10 no
traveller returns"
"What fools these 80, IS, %, 81, 5,
e., 81 bel"
go, how full of 80, %, "a, IS, 6, A
is this working.day 3, 60, &c, II, 1917
How good 20, 80, GO, 81, 81, IA, Al,
26, 50 wait on appetite, and l, 16, "a,
81, 10, "a on BOTH"
All that 46, 81, u, 80, 10, %, %,
81 is not 60, AZ, 10, So"
"The s, 33, 40, 6, CPS, II, 40, 81
and the Z, 20, As, 80, rs, 0, 81, 80
natural shocks that 4, Is, 43, SO, 81 is
heir to-"
"To thine 2, GA, AZ self be %, g.
50, 81"
"Smooth runs the ~, Sc, 10, %,
where the brook is deep"
"The 16, AZ, 6S crowns all"
Before going further with these
studies the Scribe would say to any
who have not a copy of Shakespeare a
hand that John B. Alden, 1903 Pear
street, New York, advertises an edi-
ton of Hamlet by itself, in good bind
ing, for twenty cents. He also offers
all the single plays of Shakespeare
probably in paper covers-for sever
cents apiece, or twenty plays for {
dollar. Better editions are offered TO
three and six dollars, and these may b,
accompanied by a glossary and Con
cordance of Shakespeare for fifty cent
additional.
Besides the enigma we will have tn,
following questions: Q What wa
Hamlet's purpose in the play within
the play? (2) What was its effect OF
the king?
Address Scribe" No is South Lor
ing street, Lowell, Mass.
u
The Noble Art of Self-Defense.
" Do you think it would be wrong TO-
me to learn the noble art of self-de.
feDSe?p a VOunU convert asked solicit