16-is shakespeare dead-第6章

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case　get　more　than　45　out　of　them；　and　in　nine　cases　out　of　ten

he　will　get　just　the　proper　31。



Let　me　try　to　illustrate　the　two　systems　in　a　simple　and

homely　way　calculated　to　bring　the　idea　within　the　grasp　of　the

ignorant　and　unintelligent。　　We　will　suppose　a　case：　　take　a　lap…

bred；　house…fed；　uneducated；　inexperienced　kitten；　take　a　rugged

old　Tom　that's　scarred　from　stem　to　rudder…post　with　the

memorials　of　strenuous　experience；　and　is　so　cultured；　so

educated；　so　limitlessly　erudite　that　one　may　say　of　him　〃all

cat…knowledge　is　his　province〃；　also；　take　a　mouse。　　Lock　the

three　up　in　a　holeless；　crackless；　exitless　prison…cell。　　Wait

half　an　hour；　then　open　the　cell；　introduce　a　Shakespearite　and　a

Baconian；　and　let　them　cipher　and　assume。　　The　mouse　is　missing：

the　question　to　be　decided　is；　where　is　it？　　You　can　guess　both

verdicts　beforehand。　　One　verdict　will　say　the　kitten　contains

the　mouse；　the　other　will　as　certainly　say　the　mouse　is　in　the

tom…cat。



The　Shakespearite　will　Reason　like　this（that　is　not　my

word；　it　is　his）。　　He　will　say　the　kitten　MAY　HAVE　BEEN　attending

school　when　nobody　was　noticing；　therefore　WE　ARE　WARRANTED　IN

ASSUMING　that　it　did　so；　also；　it　COULD　HAVE　BEEN　training　in　a

court…clerk's　office　when　no　one　was　noticing；　since　that　could

have　happened；　WE　ARE　JUSTIFIED　IN　ASSUMING　that　it　did　happen；

it　COULD　HAVE　STUDIED　CATOLOGY　IN　A　GARRET　when　no　one　was

noticingtherefore　it　DID；　it　COULD　HAVE　attended　cat…assizes　on

the　shed…roof　nights；　for　recreation；　when　no　one　was　noticing；

and　have　harvested　a　knowledge　of　cat　court…forms　and　cat　lawyer…

talk　in　that　way：　　it　COULD　have　done　it；　therefore　without　a

doubt　it　DID；　it　COULD　HAVE　gone　soldiering　with　a　war…tribe　when

no　one　was　noticing；　and　learned　soldier…wiles　and　soldier…ways；

and　what　to　do　with　a　mouse　when　opportunity　offers；　the　plain

inference；　therefore；　is　that　that　is　what　it　DID。　　Since　all

these　manifold　things　COULD　have　occurred；　we　have　EVERY　RIGHT　TO

BELIEVE　they　did　occur。　　These　patiently　and　painstakingly

accumulated　vast　acquirements　and　competences　needed　but　one

thing　moreopportunityto　convert　themselves　into　triumphal

action。　　The　opportunity　came；　we　have　the　result；　BEYOND　SHADOW

OF　QUESTION　the　mouse　is　in　the　kitten。



It　is　proper　to　remark　that　when　we　of　the　three　cults　plant

a　〃WE　THINK　WE　MAY　ASSUME；〃　we　expect　it；　under　careful　watering

and　fertilizing　and　tending；　to　grow　up　into　a　strong　and　hardy

and　weather…defying　〃THERE　ISN'T　A　SHADOW　OF　A　DOUBT〃　at　last

and　it　usually　happens。



We　know　what　the　Baconian's　verdict　would　be：　　〃THERE　IS　NOT

A　RAG　OF　EVIDENCE　THAT　THE　KITTEN　HAS　HAD　ANY　TRAINING；　ANY

EDUCATION；　ANY　EXPERIENCE　QUALIFYING　IT　FOR　THE　PRESENT　OCCASION；

OR　IS　INDEED　EQUIPPED　FOR　ANY　ACHIEVEMENT　ABOVE　LIFTING　SUCH

UNCLAIMED　MILK　AS　COMES　ITS　WAY；　BUT　THERE　IS　ABUNDANT　EVIDENCE

UNASSAILABLE　PROOF；　IN　FACTTHAT　THE　OTHER　ANIMAL　IS　EQUIPPED；

TO　THE　LAST　DETAIL；　WITH　EVERY　QUALIFICATION　NECESSARY　FOR　THE

EVENT。　　WITHOUT　SHADOW　OF　DOUBT　THE　TOM…CAT　CONTAINS　THE　MOUSE。〃





VI



When　Shakespeare　died；　in　1616；　great　literary　productions

attributed　to　him　as　author　had　been　before　the　London　world　and

in　high　favor　for　twenty…four　years。　　Yet　his　death　was　not　an

event。　　It　made　no　stir；　it　attracted　no　attention。　　Apparently

his　eminent　literary　contemporaries　did　not　realize　that　a

celebrated　poet　had　passed　from　their　midst。　　Perhaps　they　knew　a

play…actor　of　minor　rank　had　disappeared；　but　did　not　regard　him

as　the　author　of　his　Works。　　〃We　are　justified　in　assuming〃　this。



His　death　was　not　even　an　event　in　the　little　town　of

Stratford。　　Does　this　mean　that　in　Stratford　he　was　not　regarded

as　a　celebrity　of　ANY　kind？



〃We　are　privileged　to　assume〃no；　we　are　indeed　OBLIGED　to

assumethat　such　was　the　case。　　He　had　spent　the　first　twenty…

two　or　twenty…three　years　of　his　life　there；　and　of　course　knew

everybody　and　was　known　by　everybody　of　that　day　in　the　town；

including　the　dogs　and　the　cats　and　the　horses。　　He　had　spent　the

last　five　or　six　years　of　his　life　there；　diligently　trading　in

every　big　and　little　thing　that　had　money　in　it；　so　we　are

compelled　to　assume　that　many　of　the　folk　there　in　those　said

latter　days　knew　him　personally；　and　the　rest　by　sight　and

hearsay。　　But　not　as　a　CELEBRITY？　　Apparently　not。　　For　everybody

soon　forgot　to　remember　any　contact　with　him　or　any　incident

connected　with　him。　　The　dozens　of　townspeople；　still　alive；　who

had　known　of　him　or　known　about　him　in　the　first　twenty…three

years　of　his　life　were　in　the　same　unremembering　condition：　　if

they　knew　of　any　incident　connected　with　that　period　of　his　life

they　didn't　tell　about　it。　　Would　the　if　they　had　been　asked？　　It

is　most　likely。　　Were　they　asked？　　It　is　pretty　apparent　that

they　were　not。　　Why　weren't　they？　　It　is　a　very　plausible　guess

that　nobody　there　or　elsewhere　was　interested　to　know。



For　seven　years　after　Shakespeare's　death　nobody　seems　to　have　been

interested　in　him。　　Then　the　quarto　was　published；　and　Ben　Jonson

awoke　out　of　his　long　indifference　and　sang　a　song　of　praise　and

put　it　in　the　front　of　the　book。　　Then　silence　fell　AGAIN。



For　sixty　years。　　Then　inquiries　into　Shakespeare's　Stratford

life　began　to　be　made；　of　Stratfordians。　　Of　Stratfordians

who　had　known　Shakespeare　or　had　seen　him？　　No。　　Then　of

Stratfordians　who　had　seen　people　who　had　known　or　seen

people　who　had　seen　Shakespeare？　　No。　　Apparently　the　inquires

were　only　made　of　Stratfordians　who　were　not　Stratfordians　of

Shakespeare's　day；　but　later　comers；　and　what　they　had　learned

had　come　to　them　from　persons　who　had　not　seen　Shakespeare；　and

what　they　had　learned　was　not　claimed　as　FACT；　but　only　as　legend

dim　and　fading　and　indefinite　legend；　legend　of　the　calf…slaughtering

rank；　and　not　worth　remembering　either　as　history　or　fiction。



Has　it　ever　happened　beforeor　sincethat　a　celebrated

person　who　had　spent　exactly　half　of　a　fairly　long　life　in　the

village　where　he　was　born　and　reared；　was　able　to　slip　out　of

this　world　and　leave　that　village　voiceless　and　gossipless　behind

himutterly　voiceless。；　utterly　gossipless？　　And　permanently　so？

I　don't　believe　it　has　happened　in　any　case　except　Shakespeare's。

And　couldn't　and　wouldn't　have　happened　in　his　case　if　he　had

been　regarded　as　a　celebrity　at　the　time　of　his　death。



When　I　examine　my　own　casebut　let　us　do　that；　and　see　if

it　will　not　be　recognizable　as　exhibiting　a　condition　of　things

quite　likely　to　result；　most　likely　to　result；　indeed

substantially　SURE　to　result　in　the　case　of　a　celebrated　person；

a　benefactor　of　the　human　race。　　Like　me。



My　parents　brought　me　to　the　village　of　Hannibal；　Missouri；

on　the　banks　of　the　Mississippi；　when　I　was　two　and　a　half　years

old。　　I　entered　school　at　five　years　of　age；　and　drifted　from　one

school　to　another　in　the　village　during　nine　and　a　half　years。

Then　my　father　died；　leaving　his　family　in　exceedingly　straitened

circumstances；　wherefore　my　book…education　came　to　a　standstill

forever；　and　I　became　a　printer's　apprentice；　on　board　and

clothes；　and　when　the　clothes　failed　I　got　a　hymn…book　in　place

of　them。　　This　for　summer　wear；　probably。　　I　lived　in　Hannibal

fifteen　and　a　half　years；　altogether；　then　ran　away；　according　to

the　custom　of　persons　who　are　intending　to　become　celebrated。　　I

never　lived　there　afterward。　　Four　years　later　I　became　a　〃cub〃

on　a　Mississippi　steamboat　in　the　St。　Louis　and　New　Orleans

trade；　and　after　a　year　and　a　half　of　hard　study　and　hard　work

the　U。S。　inspectors　rigorously　examined　me　through　a　couple　of

long　sittings　and　decided　that　I　knew　every　inch　of　the

Mississippithirteen　hundred　milesin　the　dark　and　in　the　day

as　well　as　a　baby　knows　the　way　to　its　mother's　paps　day　or

night。　　So　they　licensed　me　as　a　pilotknighted　me；　so　to　speak

and　I　rose　up　clothed　with　authority；　a　respo