New-York tribune., 1896-10-18

u.,,,ar ,h.r the hearty. thoughtless village boys
trooped b, and cried Come. VIII. prithee go
a.hshing" he was obliged too oiteh ~ Iep's ,''
nav: sec those fruit trees all unpruheo, anu '''',
wholesome herbs swarming with caterp''i'is u
,hor ,c would go a-iishing when his garden was
~ ~, ,, ,ust a. he Is pictured i'm this book
s o,,,d Geo nnumerabie things and rcremoer
,h, ir., because there was nobody to distract his
attention. or vary
Thus IL can be argued that he was never 'e's
decpy Interested in his netghbors on t"''' wv. "
o,.nt He saw them better and urders'oou 'h.'"
more clearly at little distance. II wo'''o NC
oroeahc >, thor than otherwise to learn that "'
royer saw y hear-baiting nor indulged In many Vi
the games OF boyhood more than once 40 'oy''
as he saw what II was in such th'hsS l"" -,
them attractive to others, his curiosity ma. "'''
bc,n satisfied and so he went his way hhe '"e
A,honIans of old. always In search OIL So"' III"
thing Mr.. Rolfc agrees with others III '"e i"n.'
thar Shakespeare tho Roy may have been pit OF d
story teller like the little prince In Ihc Winter
Tale" But il is as we'll 10 think OF him not 'aiHe'
but listening listening to nature, to the peoP'e' ~
tho lore of tn, fireside. and making ah 'h''' ~"
hoard sorve some new purpose In MS thought
Even in his maturity as writer Shakespeare "an
no noteworthy in mere narration lie was sun
tho listener in some sort. taking the outlines tna'
others gave him. and filling In all thht Kho"e"S'
Of human character Of trait Of bird ana beast, co'or
OF flower or turn OF lear
ROlfr observes that IL is cNiy 'h' paw INV w
the under side of willow leaves that Shakespeare
has recorded. The fact ia characteristic. his eye
had caught the one feature OF tho tree that must
identify II to every Imagination. 1t is needless 10
say shat instances Of this concentration ot p''"'
are many in Shakespeare. But tiiey All poi''' ~
the Inference that he had habituai aler'ness oi
the senses which with most people is only occa-
sonal II you will call to mind the ecstasy ''''
accompanied some vivid discovery in nature in your
own childhood. you will understand why Snake
spearc must have been silent In youth nc co"''
not have had the time to talk when the WoTin WIFI
In nj, ken was full Of discoveries for nm ta' IL
took all the rest of his life 10 find words for them.
That one thought about the tint Of the WHO"
leaves had to wait all the interval between some
day of boyish wandering on the avon III ophena
death to get its proper setting.
Mr. Rolfe does not give overmuch credence to the
famous story of Shakespoares arrest Tor poachlhg'
But even II it be true 1t does not prove that SNAKE
speare was addicted To field sports lie might nave
been caught in his first trespass He evinces as
much knowledge OF hawking as of any other sports
Of his time but hawking must surely nave peeh
only a matter o. observation to him as BOY. An
other aspect OF S,raford lie. that OF the festivals
could have been completed in MS memory by
single annual round OF saints days. church days
markets. fairs and 40 on. In some word cr verse
or phrase me preserved his impression. and Mr..
Roife's pages OF antique lore attest the multtude
OF customs 20 which Shakespeare alluded The
important. fact for apprecatng Shakespearcs
knowledge OH these matters IS that there was htte
Of English custom or superstition history but
had loft its trace I'm Warwickshre. The two great
est castles Of English history and romance war
v,,ck and tcniiworth we're there. Church life,
guild life school life the same there as IN
other places outside of the great towns II IN any
one ASPECT. even in school, Shakespcare's eA-
perience WAS brief, still IL manifold touching
English fe at cyy porR nere %ai SnI Ihe
sea; ard to ieel the grandeur OF the ocean even
Shakespeare may have done well to walt TIL ne be-
cal A