New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-11-06
SHAKESPEARE'S LAST ILLNESS.
VICTIM OF A ."MERRY MEETING" WITH JoNsoN
AND DRAYTON.
From The London Telegraph.

From The London Telegraph.
The work of the 10th session OF the MedicA
Society, Of London. was begun on MOhuay
evening at the rooms Of the society. IN rs
president. Edmund owen. surgeon to ST. Maiy
Hospital, who remarked that among tne
many treasures of their library were e., hi len
volumes Of manuscript, which formed the dlary
or commonplace book OF the Rev John Naru'
NJ. A.. OXon, who was VicaE or otfatiord-4 3li
Avon from 1862 to lGSl Having taken ms
NJ. A. degree In 1862. Ward left oxford for Lon
don TO study anatomy at the Barber-Chyrur-
geons' Hall. in Monkwell-st. (where DR.. scar
borough, the friend Of Harvey. was giving dem
onstrations). and to acquire a general kno"i-
edge Of the healing art.
Not very many years ago IL was quite usual
for the professions of divinity and medicine 70
De combined in the one individual. and 1t was 10
be admitted that the custom still fingered IN the
persons of certain Wears and vicaresses VINO
were unable to keep themselves from daDDllne
in parochial medicine and quack remedies MOI
few country villages still contained such unor-
thOdox practitioners. who dispensed medical
advice to the peril of their too-conhding PARISH
toner's and often to the annoyance or the local
doctor But the Rev. John Ward was not an
empiric of this sort. He had worked diligently
20 acquire q knowledge OF the medical PROBES
sion. and was doubtless wei ntted 10 practiSe
it und r the license which he probably received
from his bishop at the time that he entered
upon his clerical duties. In his diary ward
asked himself specially to remember that ne
must "studie such diseases az are peculiar TO
women and also to children. so as to be ready
at them when | come into the country. lie
evidently meant % be a good. all-round man.
But the point 20 which Mr.. owen specially 70
ferred was that On taking up his work IN STRAIT
fOrd-on-Avon IN the fOrty-sixth year AFTER
Shakespeare's death. Ward must. both as vicar
and doctor, have been told Of many facts con-
corning the bard by those who had been init
mately acquainted with him. Unfortunately he
did not record much about him in those memo
randum books: what he did say had been seized
upon BY the ind trious Haiwell -Philiipp5' ana
duly recorded IN his Life Of Shakespeare
This vas one Of the extracts. and. corning as
lt did from highly educated man. who had
lived in the village Of the Shakespeares, It was
Of undOubted biographical value. / have heard
that Mr. Shakespeare was natural wit, with
out any art at alt; he' frelNented the plays all
his younger time. but in his elder days lived
at Stratford. and supplied the stage with two
ance so large that he spent at the rate OF
il 900 year'-which in those times was
A very considerable amount corresponding.
perhaps % e.; 900 or 1900 Of to-day. An
other extract ran follows: shakespeare.
DraytOn and Ben JOnson had merry meeting.
and 1t seems drank 100 hard. for Shakespeare
died Of A Favour there contracted" In those
times. SAID Mr.. oven, 4 was customary 70 call
obscure diseases "feaYours just as they were
now called ''influenZas" or "neurOses" but
whatever .he actual cause Of Shakespeare i
death might have been. i vas evident that local
tradition ascribei Il, rightly " wrongly, - The
effects Of thar merry meeting" And. doubt =
less. il was 4 merry meeting one had only
- think OF those three CHEEKY friends together.
Shakespeare Ben JOnson and Drayt5n - be
assured that It was a pity. however. that
Ward unperceived could not have been there
With his notebooks.