The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-05-31
SHAKESPEARE, THE GREAT POET
A Great Dea! More Known Of The Great den'us no" I'D" "
the Day of Samuel johnson's Time

80 apa 2oIuma for s.. The large edi-
ti0nS are very numerous ne go
working edition l have ever hanaieu IS
Grant Whites IN three Voi,
umes. His largest edition is lndeeo
.f rare excellence. l have used ire
ouently his three volume EDITION, ana
With much qualification. 1t IS nanny
OF large type and very useiui, tH3
notes sat styling for general purposes
II YOU are, however, OF extensive
learning and use many notes the iarS-
er EDITION will be better. A great deal
more is known OF the worlds greatest
genius now than was known n br-
Samuel Johnson's time, although ne
was nearer to the time Of the great
poet by quite an hundred years tnah
some other editions of the poet. Inc
yry Latin grammar that Shakespeare
studied in the Stratford school Is
known now. and there are one or
more copies still preserved IN Eng
land. and the same school which he
attended is still taught. Ii remem-
Der correctly the grammar referred to
was known as I.iily s-if that is the
correct spelling. The many Latin
grounds, ii is confidently affirmed by
some authorities. for accepting the
story of Rev. John Ward, Of Stratford,
who wrote III 1868. shakespeare hay
ing died in 1870 that Shakespeare
Drayton and Ben Jonson had "a mer-
1IS meeting, ana II seems, UIdIh y
hard. for Shakespeare died Of q fever
there contracted" This story is not
authenticated nor is it sustained by
medical authority. A writer, well
known to me. put it in this wise in re-
futation. He is writing in the New
York Musical Courier-now some ten
years since: Strange TO say, this
obviously spiteful piece Of gossip has
been accepted by all the biographers
down to the present time. Medical
science rejects it. There IS no fever
property so-called which can be con-
plays can nearly all be found in the
the great poet studied in his
bOyhoOd. Ben JonsOn, who loved
and greatly eulogized him. said that
Shakespeare knew small Latin and
less Greek" Jonson knew Latin, but
Shakespeare doubtless could read
Latin if not SO much of a proficient
as his able. gifted friend. who was a
scholar OF no little p~retension.
Jonsonts magnificent eulogy ON the
greater genius is made immortal. be
cause OF the great subject. Shake
speare was but fifty-two years of age
when he died. That was the age also
Of Napoleon, the greatest man, take
him altogether, since Julius Caesar,
in the century before Christ. The
family of Shakespeare did not average
long IN life. There were eight in the
FAMILY, and the average was but TWEEN
,y-one years. His sister, Joan. lived
TO old age. His stock is said to have
been unsound. There are no good
quotations and words in the several
tracted by drinking. and Shakespeare,
death. moreover, occurred two and a
half months after the merrie meet
ing"
The Drayton referred to above as
having that drinking bout with
Shakespeare is Michael Drayton. a
PAnn T MIN
gifts as a writer. He was born in
W~arwickshire. near to S-hakespeare's
Stratford in the Horn. in 1863. He
wrote with a great deal Of verse. his
work called "Polyalbion" being i'm
mense-in thirty ponderous volumes.
IN 1t is some fine poetry, it IS said.
He wrote other volumes of verse,
such as The Baron's Wars" tNym-
phidia. etc. He is buried in West
minister Abbey, in London, among
many other poets. He wrote some
sonnet that have not only survived.
but are treasured for their exquisite
charm to this day by readers who
truly love that form of verse i'm its
happiest manifestations. He hardly
had his equal among the Eliza
poets as u writer of sonnets except
the master OF all-his friend William
SHAKESPEARE. "tfdessi" and Chic
ris" are inspired products Of genius.
Tx
centuries in all good anthologies
The sonnets of Drayton are rich in
imagination, while there is hat rich.
af1uent imagination, While there is
THAT extravaganza Of conceit, Of die
ton, Of thought that distinguished so
many Of the most superb writer's of
that and royal times. They are
full Of ardor and passion, and are as
direct as vigorous Several years ago
l read in the Literary World q
cl = p III ~ HI
Eiizabethan CYCLE
Since the a when it's melody gave
ease to Petrach's wound the sonnet
has ever been a favored refuge for the
lover, and let us hope tina in the pen
ming Of these graceful lines these low
ers Of three hundred years ago found
solace for the pain to which We owe
such present beauty as hat undving
sonnet OF Drayton's,
Since there's no help. come let ,s
kiss and part"