Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-12-24

oneself back into the time in which he
lived and remember that Stratford was
really farther away from London. as
far as regards convenience of com
munication. than that faraway island
in the South Seas in which r. L.
Stevenson spent his last days.
1t is worthy of note that the death
of Beaumont, though ne died in har-
ness in London in the same year, ex-
cited no more interest than did that
of Shakespeare. Indeed, 1t is open to
doubt if his decease evoked the need
of one melodious tear" even from
Fletcher. though, being Beaumont.
he found a grave along with his
brother in Westminster Abbey" The
| case of John Webster, who comes
nearer to Shakespeare, is also oppo-
site, "the brilliant poet and still more
brilliant writer of plays, and whose
life for all that is wrapped in an al
most impenetrable mystery"
Ben Johnson alone of all the dra-
matists of that era collected and pub
lished his plays-for which he was
much ridiculed. Between the years
1876 and 1912 over $500 plays, ex
cluding Mosques, were put on the
stage, and mot one original manu-
script of even a single play of this
vast number has survived" Few plays
had more than one consecutive repre-
sentation, but were constantly altered
and furbished up 20 suit the popular
demand for variety. 1t was in that
way that Shakespeare learned his art,
he being the absolute Johannes
Factotum," whom Greene denounced in
his "Groatsworth Of Wit; and 1t has
been conjectured that part of the tri-
logy of Henry VI was founded on
plays of which Greene was part au-
thor, and which were improved, alt
cred and made into tremendous sue
cesses by Shakespere-hence Greene's s
savage outburst and paraphrase of the
line 20 tigers heart wrapped in a wo-
mans hide into players hide"
! Some little time ago 1 purchased at
an auction an uncut copy of "Shak-
spere." which was published by the
house of Cassell in the early COS, and
which was edited by Charles and
Mary Cowden Clarke. Both the
Clarkes were noted Shakesperian crit
| les at that time, but he will, perhaps.
be best remembered as that friend OF
Keats who first taught him "all the
| sweets of song" and to whom Keats
wrote one of his famous epistles. The
| SHAKESPEARE referred to contains a life
| of the poet, which is interesting be-
| cause the we'll known lines commenc-
/ ing
/ Renowned Chaucer, lie thought more
| nigh
To rare Beaumond, and learned Beau
mond lie
! A little nearer Spenser, to make room
For SHAKESPEARE in your threefold,
/ fourfold tomb
are by the Clarkes attributed to DR..
Donne, the celebrated poet and dean
of St. Paufs. Modern criticism has,
of course, decided 90 that Basse' and
not Our James" royal chaplain, was
| their author; and I was Informed a
few months ago by a celebrated writ
! er, since passed over, that he was
afraid the Clarkes didn't count.
/ Whether this be so or not Is not 1oi
| me to say; but what does make th'
question interesting is statement IL
/ the Life. said to be made by DR.. Donn'
in answer to an application made q
| him fer an epitaph on SHAKESPEARE
| Said he: IF you had commanded mt
to have waited on his body N Scot
land and preached there / would hav'
! embraced your obligation with muci
| alacrity;. but / thank you that yo'
would command me that which L wa
Ioatner to do, for even that hath giVeI
a tincture of merit to the obedlenc'
of your poor friend and servant. Ad
rnitting That Basse was the author O
the epitaph, did Donne write the word
quoted? If not, who did?
A circumstance which adds interes
TO DR.. Donne's evidence is that Their
philio Henslowe. the old theatrica
was direct link between him ant
manager and play producer, who ha
been well named 1.-The George Ed
wardes of his day." for he was on
of tine principal proprietors OF IN
Swan, the Rose, the Hope, the play
house at Newington Butts, the For
;. tune, and a bear-garden or two a.
we'll" AS will be familiar to student
of stage literature of the period, Ed
ward Alleyn, the famous actor, 1oine'
for a short time the Lord Strange
| company and acted with them at tn
newly built Rose Theatre, which mus
have brought him into daily contac
with SHAKESPEARE. Alleyn, who was
partnership with Henslowe and close
4 lv associated with him for many years
4 married Henslowes stepdaughter, DO
an woodward; that lady died in 162s
and a few months later Alleyn marrie'
DIR. Donne's daughter, Constance. Hen
stoves famous diary after his dealt
passed into Alleyn's hands and wa
by him lodged in the college he found
ed at Dulwich. 1t is probable-na'
certain-that for some years befor
Shakespere's death other HANDS wer
supplying the Globe company wit
plays; Fletcher, we know, took Shakes
pere's place on his retirement.
All this would tend to take Shak
spere from the public mind. 1t ha
also to be remembered that his tran
scendent merits were not realized Il
his lifetime to anything like the ex
tent they have been since his death
IT was not really until the first foil
was published by players Heminge an
Condell, in 1923, that Shakspere pesal
| to come into his own.
Furthermore, players and dramatlst
were then looked upon as little bette
than "rogues and vagabonds"; no the
atre was allowed inside the city