Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-09-09

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Had made his course 10 illaIme tina, n.r,
Where now IL burns"
Hamlet, Act l., Scene I.
IL her breath were as terrible as her
examinations. 49,
There were no living near her:
one would infect TO the North STAR
-Much ADO About Nothing. Act H., Sc. l.
Cassius beseeches Julius Caesar to re-
peal the Punishment OF Publius Climber.
Caesar, proud OF his fame. and desiring "a
show his firm determination. compares his
glory and constancy to the North Star.
Il am constant as the northern star.
81 whose true-1Xd and resting quality
There is no fellow I'm the trmemenf
The skies are painted with nnumtero
sparks;
They are all Are and every one doth.
shine.
But there's but one in all doth hold hi.
place.
So in the world"
Julius Caesar. Act III, Scene 7.
Caesars majestic language becor aes
tragically serious, when IL is remembe red
that ms words were spoken just be ore
his assassination.
Astrology.-Shaksspeare's writings, so
FAR as they concern, the heavens. a re so
mixed with astronomy and astr ology.
that II seems impossible 10 treat f'llly of
the former without touching upon the lat
ter.
His mention of e~clipses, comets. and
meteors is nearly always colOred with
astroIogy, and we have seen that the
same is largely true OF the planets. He
makes most of his characters believe in
astrology, although there is now and then
an exception.
Kent says:
1T is the stars,
The stars above US govern our condi-
Lear. Act ". Scene III
And Gloucester y
"These late e~clipses of the Sun and Moon
portend no good to us"
Lear, Act l.. Scene III.
The following passages are in the same
tone:
And wherefore gaze this goodly COM
pany,
AS If they saw some wondrous monu-
ment,
Some comet or unusual prodigy?'
Tanning Of the Shrew. Act III, Scene II.
Bedford, lamenting the death of Henry
v, exclaims:
Comets. imparting change Of times and
states,
Brandish your crystal tresses in the sky.
And with them scourge the bad, revolt
Ing stars
That have consented unto Henry's
DEATH"
First Part Henry VI, Act L, Scene 1.
Calpurnia tries to keep julius Caesar
AVA from the capital by pointing 10 the
p0rtends in the heavens:
when beggars die, there are no comets |
seen;
The heavens themselves blaze forth the
death Of princes"
Julius Caesar, Act H., Scene III.
And in Hamlet, Horatio refers to the !
evil signs in the heavens, little before
Caesars death:
STARS with trains of fire and Jews of
blood,
Disasters in the sun; and the moist star
Upon whose influence Neptune's empire
Was sick almost to doomsday with
eclipse"
Hamlet. Act l., Scene 1.
Hermione says:
There some i'll planet reigns;
/ must be patient till the heavens look
With an aspect more favorable
Winters Tale. Act H., Scene L.
And Ulysses, philosophic as he was, in
dulges the fancy:
"When the planets
In evil mixture TO disorder wander,
What plaques and what portents.'
and Cressida, Act L.. Scene III.
Meteors mingled their terrors with
comets, and with unusual appearances Of
the sun and moon:
THE bay trees in our country are all
And meteors fright the fixed stars of
The paie-fac'd Moon looks bloody on the
Earth
And lean look'd prophets whisper fearful
change"
Richard H., Act H., Scene ".
This shower, blown up by tempest of
the soul.
Startles mine eyes. and makes me more
amazed
Than had | seen the vaulty top Of Hea-
Figured quite Ger with burning meteors."
king John, Act ", Scene III.
But in the following passage the planets
shed their kindly influences:
Antiochus. pTaising the virtues or MS !
says: |
The Senate-house of planets all did sit,
20 knit in her their best perfections.'
-Pericles, Prince Of Tyre, Act J., Scene l.
Now let US hear the talk OF some char
.cters who did not believe the supersti-
ions Of astrOlOgy. Z
Cassius says to Brutus: :
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our (
stars, G
Julius Caesar, Act l., Scene IL G
And Edmund does not blame the hea- G
ems for his disgraceful birth: j
9TH IS the excellent foppery Of the
,orld. that, when we are SICK in fortune -.
ften the surfeit of our W behavior |
- make guilty Of our disasters the sun, G
~ Moon, and the stars. l should I
ave been that 1 am, had the maidenliest ,
tar in the armament twinkled on my u
astardizing." Y
Lear. Act l.. Scene II. n
Coming to Sh~akespeare's personal opln- b
m. we have seen that he confesses he
adj astronomy but not to tell OF good
, evil luck. Sonnet XIV). a
Poetry Of the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS "
Ills US: !,
The poet's eye. in a fine frenzy rolling. -
gIance from Heaven to Earth, from -
Earth TO Heaven" M
Midsummer Nights Dream, Act W. "a
Scene l.
Some of the thoughts that came 10 !.
m through his glances at the heavens It
20 heen given in the foregoing pages. "a
THESE thoughts have been stated more u
in regard to the scientific aspect OF u
- Heavens than with rega-d TO their al
.o,rv Though many Of the passages m
reaSv cited contain good poetry. de- as
In conclusion TO extend this feature 10
our subject a little further. CT
Shakespeare has enchanted the worlu III
Nh his wonderful pictures OF human ,
sracter. However strong our adhi- i
It. Tor him in this respect, our admi- IN
49, masses into sublime reverence VI
ZEN we are brought under the spell Us
ought by his highest poetlcal nights Sc
e. a remarkable fact thai When ne ap
sbad 70 arouse the finer feelings or our an
1,,re ne found no materials more USE re
70 MIN than the sun, moon, and stars sc
5roteus TO show how his love Tor Julla ca
g nassed 10 a higher love Tor SILVIA ma
US: