New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-08-30
.-..na on this very spot-where

- NAV vet be found on tins very 'p'
."hodv has expected to ma ~ - ,;nr.rv which.
n0y wa.oss,er is rich also in superb
~ kindness OF Mr.. Hooper, '',o .s'o ~,
oy '"r Moved 4, explore, in tie roo, VI wv -
wes IL This collection OF DOORS "n'os
Oa,,' ooo consists mostly OF 'ohos' many "
~ W. '...,,s rrntcd in France lhey keep IT ~
wh"" - oak-tmbcred room, the triioriuih u '"e
long, ' .,s,s Of the nave. The approach Is py
SUI" .;replar stone staircase In "h ""'e.'ooii
io". -. Ibrarv l saw piece OF tna ancieh' norO'
"" :, ,h;s church, about half oil ia fragment
ao.s haok 20 the tine of Bishop wakeheio' 1881
oauhs III" IL s,ll affixed piece Of the SKIN oil Il
10 W., - The tradition is that Dane com
hup"n Ssor;Isge BIZ stealing the Sanctuary lie
m'''u II;rS Altar, and was thereupon Mayed
from ~, Wv th;s crime and the SKIN OF nm was
any a. the Cathedral door In the library
l"S''n,s ,or magnificent editions OF Aristotle ana
tur"e" .,.sscs. the works Of all the Fathers OF
c'hcr 0" ~. beautiful illuminated manuscript of
the .n '. -WiclIlife's- written on vel
the sss, and several books, in splendid pres
lum' :" from the press of Caxton and that of
e s,,,srsn dc Worde. The world moves-but no
-, ;s better done now than il was then.
H. ghrsyv. which is for the use of the clergy of
-. y. ocese of Worcester, was founded by Bishop
rornenter in l46l, and originally was stored in
,hs chanel Of the charnelhouse.
There is more 10 be said about the Faithful
citv but reverting TO the subject OF old
documents let me say word mere
shont the registers in Trinity Church at
Stra,ford. On the last night OF the London
Lyceum season June 29l at midnight meeting
Of friends upon that stage, a young actor was
n,eased TO sheer at thoe records and to cast dis
credit upon them, by calling them copies
This sort of pertness in the discussion OF Shake
spearean subjects is not uncommon in these days,
when quaolIs and noodles are allowed freely 70
besmirch the great and splendid memory OF Shake
speare, in their wildly foolish advocacy OF wha'
they call the Bacon theory Of the authorship OF
Shakespeare's works. The facts about the Stra'-
ford Registers may. perhaps, usefully be stated
by one who has many times held them IN his
hands and explored their quaint pages. lhose
records are contained in twenty-five volumes
They begin with the first reign Of Queen ElZa-
beth 055s), and they end, as 10 the old parch-
ment FORM in 1912. From 155S TO 16OO the en-
tries were made in a paper book, OF the oiu-
fashioned ouarto style, still occasionally 10 De
found in ancient parish churches. In looo HI
,order-in-codicn was madey commanding hnan
those entries should be copied into parchment
volumes, for their better preservation. ms was
done The parchment volumes, which are the
volumes now shown lat least they have been
freely shown to me by my good friend william
Butcher. the parish clerk Of Stafford, date back
10 1900 The handwriting of the copied por-
ton, covering the period from 1853 70 1000, Is
careful and uniform. Each page is certified. rs
10 its literal accuracy by the vicar and the church
wardens After 1000 the handwrtingS vary.
In the register Of Marriage new handwriting
appears on September ! that year. and in the
registers of Baptism and Burial it appears on Sep
TENDER 90 The sequences of marriages is complete
until 1856: that Of baptisms and bnrials until
1912, when in each case q book of printed forms
comes into use, and the expeditions march OF
the new age begins The entry of Shakespeare's
TERED that he was born on April %, is extant as
certified copy from the earlier paper book. The
,ntyy of Shakespeares burial is the original ELL
try made in the original register
Some time ago a mare s-nest was found in these
records by an American writer, who chose to de-
clare that Shakespare's widow-seven years biz
senior at the start and, therefore, fiftynine years
Old when he died-subse quently contracted an
husband seven years dying at the age of sixtysiX-
The entry in the Stratford register Of burial con-
aims, against the date of 1923, August 20, the
lame of Mrs. Shakespeare and Anna, uXor
Richard James. These two names, written one
hove the other, are connected by bracket, on
he left side and this is the evidence that Shake
peare's widow married again. The use of the
,rackct could not possibly mislead anybody pos
A. H. al x.iSfpn hon n
more persons were baptized, or buried, on the
same day, the parish clerk, in making the requi-
ute entry in the register, connected their names
with bracket. | noticed three instances OF this
practice upon a single page OF the register, IN
the same handwriting, close u tie page that
records the burial, on the same day, OF Mrs.
Shakespeare widow, and Anna, the wife of Rich
,rd James. But human folly needs only slen-
der hook on which 10 hang itself w. W.
THE TREASURES or DELPHI