Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-05-21
Mr.. BAYARD'S TALKS
ON SHAKESPEARE.

Following is the full text OF the adj
dress delivered by Ambassador Thomas
Il. Bayard at the celebration of the
$500 anniversary of the birth of Will
liam Shakespeare, at Stratford-on-
Avon, England, on April 23d:
When in dream by night God said
to the Hebrew King, ASK, what
shall give thee," the wisest answer of
all time was made Give Thy servant
an understanding heart To-day We
are gathered in the heart of England,
in the quiet inland nook where, 1872
years ago, the most wonderfully en-.
lowed man Of the English speaking
race was born--in humble cottage,
with no feature of luxury or refine
ment. but few of moderate comforts
taccording to modern standards), and
with none of the reasonable aids and
stimulants to intellectual and literary
cultivation. Amid such surroundings,
here in rural simplicity and plain
English mode of living, be grew to
manhood. And now through this
memorial window, illuminated with
scriptural scenes, streams the SUMS
rays, to decorate and crown the tomb
which contains the dust of that tene-
ment of clay once informed by ian
understanding heart - Close beside
us--so close that our living hands
may rest upon it is the tomb OF
Shakespeare, and with such memories
surrounding us, expressive silence"
might well seem more fitting than
speech. Some of US are from lands far
distant beyond the sea, the existence
OF which, If known to Shakespeare,
were barely known, and only as an I'M
explored, untrodden wilderness, ON
whose shores Raleigh never actually set
his foot, although he gave TO the region
the name of the Virgin Queen, under
whose warrant he was to plant her
standard, and found her new colony Of
Virginia. 1t is this fact that Ameri.
cans Join with their British kindred
which gives special significance to this
commemoration of the birthday of
Shakespeare, and that we come with
eager feet and willing hands to bear
our country's tribute of love, admira-
ton and gratitude, typified by this
window to the great dramatist and poet
OF our race, to gather with you around
his grave and join in the chorus of his
praise which swells in the general heart
of man, increasing with each succeed
ing generation. Could the gift of
prophecy have been added to his many
gifts, could he but have imagined the
development of the mighty power of
the Press of the letters of almost every
known language filled with countless
editions of his written words, and his
winged thoughts embalmed in the
hearts and minds of nations then un-
born, in mystical vision he would have
hailed those myriad faces, and sung in
the words of one Of his American in.
heritors--.
Ring. bells, in unreared steeples,
The Joy of unborn peoples:
Sound trumpets, far.of blown,
Your triumph is my own.
However tempting the attraction and
natural and easy the paths of dsquisi-
ton and commentary, yet / will to-day
resolutely close the gates and bar the
entrances to the broad and enticing
fields of quotation and commentary
upon his writings. Ii he is to be
illustrated, it can justly be only By
himself, and his own words are alone
fit to clothe his thoughts, and his own
thoughts soar and range through the
air and over the earth, brushing with
their wings, or pressing with their
feature of human HSistence Let us
then seek the head Of the fountain.
ana in the cool sequesterod Wales Of rural
England, here in the very nook, which
was ordained to be tho birthplace and
home of this marvellous human being.
That this wonderful man 80 lived and
died hero we may rest assured, but of
his actual daily mode Of living we can
be sure Of little and almost of nothing.
His plays were publicly acted, his
poems anu dramas were printed and
published by him in his own name.
and of this We have day the ocular
and tangible proof, by taking ia our
hands the original imprints in the
quarto volumes now eStant, and which
enrich libraries public and private, in
this country and in the United States,
The time OF his birth, tina full account
OF his ancestry and narentage, his mar
riage, the birth OF his children and of
their descendants, his occupation in
London, his habitual return in every
year TO the scenes Of his childhood, his
purchase Of real estate and residence
upon 1t IN this town are proven with
every circumstances of legal and moral
attestation. There is nothing 10 stIa.
tain the belief that Shakespeare over
travelled beyond the limits Of those
islands, There is no proof. and but
slight suggestion, that he over at
tracted royal favor or court patronage.
or made alliance with the priyileged
classes of this realm Of wealth, tltle
power, learning or political distinction
Among hls contemporaries we find
the lllustrlous names of Bacon, Spenser
and Sir Philip Sidney, but in their
writings no reference to him finds
place Burton, ii his ANATOMY. J,
published Just after Shakespcare,s
death, quotes Bacon, Sidney, 5penser
and almost every scholar of claggic his-
tory, but IS silent as IL SAakespeare
Dy others OF commanding force and
lame his contemporaries and com
panions = notably Ben Johnson and
Michael Drayton, ho was intimately
known, beloved and honored. this
side idoatry as much as any,, as the
inscriptions around u attest. But he
was IN iTuth England s own child, aud
ID every iipre OF his body an English
man. Ills genlality won the love ii ali
afouha MN, and, az Jonson said, "He
was indeed honest ana of an ourn
nature. " The reward Of his diIipenrs
and persistent lub0rs was mn,rst
competence, invested in his birthpiara
and little recognition and honor ia Aim
is recorded, for Fame was mute. and
as to him the echoes Of hor trumnot
only posthumuus. As Of the one DINER
comparable poet it was said.
Seven cities claimed him dead
Through which theliying Homer besgea ii.
bread - -
So 9 century and half after Shakes.
roare,s death Johnson repeats tho ID
proach. But Shakespeare, the son Of