16-is shakespeare dead-第8章

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again；　I　had　a　fine　view　of　the　scene。　　From　where　I　stood；　the

two　vessels　seemed　nothing　but　spars　and　sails；　while　their

narrow　decks；　far　below；　slanting　over　by　the　force　of　the　wind

aloft；　appeared　hardly　capable　of　supporting　the　great　fabrics

raised　upon　them。　　The　CALIFORNIA　was　to　windward　of　us；　and　had

every　advantage；　yet；　while　the　breeze　was　stiff　we　held　our　own。

As　soon　as　it　began　to　slacken　she　ranged　a　little　ahead；　and　the

order　was　given　to　loose　the　royals。　　In　an　instant　the　gaskets

were　off　and　the　bunt　dropped。　　〃Sheet　home　the　fore…royal！〃

〃Weather　sheet's　home！〃〃Lee　sheet's　home！〃〃Hoist　away；　sir！〃

is　bawled　from　aloft。　　〃Overhaul　your　clew…lines！〃　shouts　the

mate。　　〃Aye…aye；　sir；　all　clear！〃〃Taut　leech！　belay！　　Well　the

lee　brace；　haul　taut　to　windward！〃　and　the　royals　are　set。





What　would　the　captain　of　any　sailing…vessel　of　our　time　say

to　that？　　He　would　say；　〃The　man　that　wrote　that　didn't　learn　his

trade　out　of　a　book；　he　has　BEEN　there！〃　　But　would　this　same

captain　be　competent　to　sit　in　judgment　upon　Shakespeare's

seamanshipconsidering　the　changes　in　ships　and　ship…talk　that

have　necessarily　taken　place；　unrecorded；　unremembered；　and　lost

to　history　in　the　last　three　hundred　years？　　It　is　my　conviction

that　Shakespeare's　sailor…talk　would　be　Choctaw　to　him。　　For

instancefrom　〃The　Tempest〃：





MASTER。　　Boatswain！



BOATSWAIN。　　Here；　master；　what　cheer？



MASTER。　　Good；　speak　to　the　mariners：　　fall　to　't；　yarely；

or　we　run　ourselves　to　ground；　bestir；　bestir！

（ENTER　MARINERS。）



BOATSWAIN。　　Heigh；　my　hearts！　cheerly；　cheerly；　my　hearts！

yare；　yare！　　Take　in　the　topsail。　　Tend　to　the　master's　whistle。

。　。　。　　Down　with　the　topmast！　yare！　lower；　lower！　　Bring　her　to

try　wi'　the　main　course。　。　。　。　　Lay　her　a…hold；　a…hold！　　Set　her

two　courses。　　Off　to　sea　again；　lay　her　off。



That　will　do；　for　the　present；　let　us　yare　a　little；　now；

for　a　change。





If　a　man　should　write　a　book　and　in　it　make　one　of　his

characters　say；　〃Here；　devil；　empty　the　quoins　into　the　standing

galley　and　the　imposing…stone　into　the　hell…box；　assemble　the

comps　around　the　frisket　and　let　them　jeff　for　takes　and　be　quick

about　it；〃　I　should　recognize　a　mistake　or　two　in　the　phrasing；

and　would　know　that　the　writer　was　only　a　printer　theoretically；

not　practically。



I　have　been　a　quartz　miner　in　the　silver　regionsa　pretty

hard　life；　I　know　all　the　palaver　of　that　business：　　I　know　all

about　discovery　claims　and　the　subordinate　claims；　I　know　all

about　lodes；　ledges；　outcroppings；　dips；　spurs；　angles；　shafts；

drifts；　inclines；　levels；　tunnels；　air…shafts；　〃horses；〃　clay

casings；　granite　casings；　quartz　mills　and　their　batteries；

arastras；　and　how　to　charge　them　with　quicksilver　and　sulphate　of

copper；　and　how　to　clean　them　up；　and　how　to　reduce　the　resulting

amalgam　in　the　retorts；　and　how　to　cast　the　bullion　into　pigs；

and　finally　I　know　how　to　screen　tailings；　and　also　how　to　hunt

for　something　less　robust　to　do；　and　find　it。　　I　know　the　argot

and　the　quartz…mining　and　milling　industry　familiarly；　and　so

whenever　Bret　Harte　introduces　that　industry　into　a　story；　the

first　time　one　of　his　miners　opens　his　mouth　I　recognize　from　his

phrasing　that　Harte　got　the　phrasing　by　listeninglike

ShakespeareI　mean　the　Stratford　onenot　by　experience。　　No　one

can　talk　the　quartz　dialect　correctly　without　learning　it　with

pick　and　shovel　and　drill　and　fuse。



I　have　been　a　surface　minergoldand　I　know　all　its

mysteries；　and　the　dialects　that　belongs　with　them；　and　whenever

Harte　introduces　that　industry　into　a　story　I　know　by　the

phrasing　of　his　characters　that　neither　he　nor　they　have　ever

served　that　trade。



I　have　been　a　〃pocket〃　minera　sort　of　gold　mining　not

findable　in　any　but　one　little　spot　in　the　world；　so　far　as　I

know。　　I　know　how；　with　horn　and　water；　to　find　the　trail　of　a

pocket　and　trace　it　step　by　step　and　stage　by　stage　up　the

mountain　to　its　source；　and　find　the　compact　little　nest　of

yellow　metal　reposing　in　its　secret　home　under　the　ground。　　I

know　the　language　of　that　trade；　that　capricious　trade；　that

fascinating　buried…treasure　trade；　and　can　catch　any　writer　who

tries　to　use　it　without　having　learned　it　by　the　sweat　of　his

brow　and　the　labor　of　his　hands。



I　know　several　other　trades　and　the　argot　that　goes　with

them；　and　whenever　a　person　tries　to　talk　the　talk　peculiar　to

any　of　them　without　having　learned　it　at　its　source　I　can　trap

him　always　before　he　gets　far　on　his　road。



And　so；　as　I　have　already　remarked；　if　I　were　required　to

superintend　a　Bacon…Shakespeare　controversy；　I　would　narrow　the

matter　down　to　a　single　questionthe　only　one；　so　far　as　the

previous　controversies　have　informed　me；　concerning　which

illustrious　experts　of　unimpeachable　competency　have　testified：

WAS　THE　AUTHOR　OF　SHAKESPEARE'S　WORKS　A　LAWYER？a　lawyer　deeply

read　and　of　limitless　experience？　　I　would　put　aside　the　guesses

and　surmises；　and　perhapes；　and　might…have…beens；　and　could…have…

beens；　and　must…have…beens；　and　we…are…justified…in…presumings；

and　the　rest　of　those　vague　specters　and　shadows　and

indefintenesses；　and　stand　or　fall；　win　or　lose；　by　the　verdict

rendered　by　the　jury　upon　that　single　question。　　If　the　verdict

was　Yes；　I　should　feel　quite　convinced　that　the　Stratford

Shakespeare；　the　actor；　manager；　and　trader　who　died　so　obscure；

so　forgotten；　so　destitute　of　even　village　consequence；　that

sixty　years　afterward　no　fellow…citizen　and　friend　of　his　later

days　remembered　to　tell　anything　about　him；　did　not　write　the　Works。



Chapter　XIII　of　THE　SHAKESPEARE　PROBLEM　RESTATED　bears　the

heading　〃Shakespeare　as　a　Lawyer；〃　and　comprises　some　fifty　pages

of　expert　testimony；　with　comments　thereon；　and　I　will　copy　the

first　nine；　as　being　sufficient　all　by　themselves；　as　it　seems　to

me；　to　settle　the　question　which　I　have　conceived　to　be　the

master…key　to　the　Shakespeare…Bacon　puzzle。







VIII



Shakespeare　as　a　Lawyer　＇1＇





The　Plays　and　Poems　of　Shakespeare　supply　ample　evidence

that　their　author　not　only　had　a　very　extensive　and　accurate

knowledge　of　law；　but　that　he　was　well　acquainted　with　the

manners　and　customs　of　members　of　the　Inns　of　Court　and　with

legal　life　generally。



〃While　novelists　and　dramatists　are　constantly　making

mistakes　as　to　the　laws　of　marriage；　of　wills；　of　inheritance；　to

Shakespeare's　law；　lavishly　as　he　expounds　it；　there　can　neither

be　demurrer；　nor　bill　of　exceptions；　nor　writ　of　error。〃　　Such

was　the　testimony　borne　by　one　of　the　most　distinguished　lawyers

of　the　nineteenth　century　who　was　raised　to　the　high　office　of

Lord　Chief　Justice　in　1850；　and　subsequently　became　Lord

Chancellor。　　Its　weight　will；　doubtless；　be　more　appreciated　by

lawyers　than　by　laymen；　for　only　lawyers　know　how　impossible　it

is　for　those　who　have　not　served　an　apprenticeship　to　the　law　to

avoid　displaying　their　ignorance　if　they　venture　to　employ　legal

terms　and　to　discuss　legal　doctrines。　　〃There　is　nothing　so

dangerous；〃　wrote　Lord　Campbell；　〃as　for　one　not　of　the　craft　to

tamper　with　our　freemasonry。〃　　A　layman　is　certain　to　betray

himself　by　using　some　expression　which　a　lawyer　would　never

employ。　　Mr。　Sidney　Lee　himself　supplies　us　with　an　example　of

this。　　He　writes　（p。　164）：　　〃On　February　15；　1609；　Shakespeare　。

。　。　obtained　judgment　from　a　jury　against　Addenbroke　for　the

payment　of　No。　6；　and　No。　1；　5s。　0d。　costs。〃　　Now　a　lawyer　would

never　have　spoken　of　obtaining　〃judgment　from　a　jury；〃　for　it　is

the　function　of　a　jury　not　to　deliver　judgment　（which　is　the

prerogative　of　the　court）；　but　to　find　a　verdict　on　the　facts。

The　error　is；　indeed；　a　venial　one；　but　it　is　just　one　of　those

little　things　which　at　once　enable　a　lawyer　to　know　if　the　writer

is　a　layman　or　〃one　of　the　craft。〃



But　when　a　layman　ventures　to　plunge　deeply　into　legal

subjects；　he　is　naturally　apt