is shakespeare dead-第15章

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ns；　cooks；　freaks；　philosophers；　burglars；　highwaymen；　journalists；　physicians；　surgeonsyou　can　get　the　life…histories　of　all　of　them　but　ONE。　　Just　onethe　most　extraordinary　and　the　most　celebrated　of　them　allShakespeare！

You　may　add　to　the　list　the　thousand　celebrated　persons　furnished　by　the　rest　of　Christendom　in　the　past　four　centuries；　and　you　can　find　out　the　life…histories　of　all　those　people；　too。　　You　will　then　have　listed　1500　celebrities；　and　you　can　trace　the　authentic　life…histories　of　the　whole　of　them。　　Save　onefar　and　away　the　most　colossal　prodigy　of　the　entire　accumulationShakespeare！　About　him　you　can　find　out　NOTHING。　　Nothing　of　even　the　slightest　importance。　　Nothing　worth　the　trouble　of　stowing　away　in　your　memory。　　Nothing　that　even　remotely　indicates　that　he　was　ever　anything　more　than　a　distinctly　common…place　persona　manager；　an　actor　of　inferior　grade；　a　small　trader　in　a　small　village　that　did　not　regard　him　as　a　person　of　any　consequence；　and　had　forgotten　all　about　him　before　he　was　fairly　cold　in　his　grave。　　We　can　go　to　the　records　and　find　out　the　life…history　of　every　renowned　RACE…　HORSE　of　modern　timesbut　not　Shakespeare's！　　There　are　many　reasons　why；　and　they　have　been　furnished　in　cartloads　（of　guess　and　conjecture）　by　those　troglodytes；　but　there　is　one　that　is　worth　all　the　rest　of　the　reasons　put　together；　and　is　abundantly　sufficient　all　by　itselfHE　HADN'T　ANY　HISTORY　TO　RECORD。　　There　is　no　way　of　getting　around　that　deadly　fact。　　And　no　sane　way　has　yet　been　discovered　of　getting　around　its　formidable　significance。

Its　quite　plain　significanceto　any　but　those　thugs　（I　do　not　use　the　term　unkindly）　is；　that　Shakespeare　had　no　prominence　while　he　lived；　and　none　until　he　had　been　dead　two　or　three　generations。　The　Plays　enjoyed　high　fame　from　the　beginning；　and　if　he　wrote　them　it　seems　a　pity　the　world　did　not　find　it　out。　　He　ought　to　have　explained　that　he　was　the　author；　and　not　merely　a　nom　de　plume　for　another　man　to　hide　behind。　　If　he　had　been　less　intemperately　solicitous　about　his　bones；　and　more　solicitous　about　his　Works；　it　would　have　been　better　for　his　good　name；　and　a　kindness　to　us。　　The　bones　were　not　important。　　They　will　moulder　away；　they　will　turn　to　dust；　but　the　Works　will　endure　until　the　last　sun　goes　down。

MARK　TWAIN。


P。S。　　March　25。　　About　two　months　ago　I　was　illuminating　this　Autobiography　with　some　notions　of　mine　concerning　the　Bacon…　Shakespeare　controversy；　and　I　then　took　occasion　to　air　the　opinion　that　the　Stratford　Shakespeare　was　a　person　of　no　public　consequence　or　celebrity　during　his　lifetime；　but　was　utterly　obscure　and　unimportant。　　And　not　only　in　great　London；　but　also　in　the　little　village　where　he　was　born；　where　he　lived　a　quarter　of　a　century；　and　where　he　died　and　was　buried。　　I　argued　that　if　he　had　been　a　person　of　any　note　at　all；　aged　villagers　would　have　had　much　to　tell　about　him　many　and　many　a　year　after　his　death；　instead　of　being　unable　to　furnish　inquirers　a　single　fact　connected　with　him。　　I　believed；　and　I　still　believe；　that　if　he　had　been　famous；　his　notoriety　would　have　lasted　as　long　as　mine　has　lasted　in　my　native　village　out　in　Missouri。　　It　is　a　good　argument；　a　prodigiously　strong　one；　and　a　most　formidable　one　for　even　the　most　gifted；　and　ingenious；　and　plausible　Stratfordolater　to　get　around　or　explain　away。　　To…day　a　Hannibal　Courier…Post　of　recent　date　has　reached　me；　with　an　article　in　it　which　reinforces　my　contention　that　a　really　celebrated　person　cannot　be　forgotten　in　his　village　in　the　short　space　of　sixty　years。　　I　will　make　an　extract　from　it：


Hannibal；　as　a　city；　may　have　many　sins　to　answer　for；　but　ingratitude　is　not　one　of　them；　or　reverence　for　the　great　men　she　has　produced；　and　as　the　years　go　by　her　greatest　son　Mark　Twain；　or　S。　L。　Clemens　as　a　few　of　the　unlettered　call　him；　grows　in　the　estimation　and　regard　of　the　residents　of　the　town　he　made　famous　and　the　town　that　made　him　famous。　　His　name　is　associated　with　every　old　building　that　is　torn　down　to　make　way　for　the　modern　structures　demanded　by　a　rapidly　growing　city；　and　with　every　hill　or　cave　over　or　through　which　he　might　by　any　possibility　have　roamed；　while　the　many　points　of　interest　which　he　wove　into　his　stories；　such　as　Holiday　Hill；　Jackson's　Island；　or　Mark　Twain　Cave；　are　now　monuments　to　his　genius。　　Hannibal　is　glad　of　any　opportunity　to　do　him　honor　as　he　has　honored　her。

So　it　has　happened　that　the　〃old　timers〃　who　went　to　school　with　Mark　or　were　with　him　on　some　of　his　usual　escapades　have　been　honored　with　large　audiences　whenever　they　were　in　a　reminiscent　mood　and　condescended　to　tell　of　their　intimacy　with　the　ordinary　boy　who　came　to　be　a　very　extraordinary　humorist　and　whose　every　boyish　act　is　now　seen　to　have　been　indicative　of　what　was　to　come。　Like　Aunt　Beckey　and　Mrs。　Clemens；　they　can　now　see　that　Mark　was　hardly　appreciated　when　he　lived　here　and　that　the　things　he　did　as　a　boy　and　was　whipped　for　doing　were　not　all　bad　after　all。　　So　they　have　been　in　no　hesitancy　about　drawing　out　the　bad　things　he　did　as　well　as　the　good　in　their　efforts　to　get　a　〃Mark　Twain　story；〃　all　incidents　being　viewed　in　the　light　of　his　present　fame；　until　the　volume　of　〃Twainiana〃　is　already　considerable　and　growing　in　proportion　as　the　〃old　timers〃　drop　away　and　the　stories　are　retold　second　and　third　hand　by　their　descendants。　　With　some　seventy…three　years　young　and　living　in　a　villa　instead　of　a　house　he　is　a　fair　target；　and　let　him　incorporate；　copyright；　or　patent　himself　as　he　will；　there　are　some　of　his　〃works〃　that　will　go　swooping　up　Hannibal　chimneys　as　long　as　gray…beards　gather　about　the　fires　and　begin　with　〃I've　heard　father　tell〃　or　possibly　〃Once　when　I。〃


The　Mrs。　Clemens　referred　to　is　my　motherWAS　my　mother。

And　here　is　another　extract　from　a　Hannibal　paper。　　Of　date　twenty　days　ago：


Miss　Becca　Blankenship　died　at　the　home　of　William　Dickason；　408　Rock　Street；　at　2。30　o'clock　yesterday　afternoon；　aged　72　years。　The　deceased　was　a　sister　of　〃Huckleberry　Finn；〃　one　of　the　famous　characters　in　Mark　Twain's　Tom　Sawyer。　　She　had　been　a　member　of　the　Dickason　familythe　housekeeperfor　nearly　forty…five　years；　and　was　a　highly　respected　lady。　　For　the　past　eight　years　she　had　been　an　invalid；　but　was　as　well　cared　for　by　Mr。　Dickason　and　his　family　as　if　she　had　been　a　near　relative。　　She　was　a　member　of　the　Park　Methodist　Church　and　a　Christian　woman。


I　remember　her　well。　　I　have　a　picture　of　her　in　my　mind　which　was　graven　there；　clear　and　sharp　and　vivid；　sixty…three　years　ago。　She　was　at　that　time　nine　years　old；　and　I　was　about　eleven。　　I　remember　where　she　stood；　and　how　she　looked；　and　I　can　still　see　her　bare　feet；　her　bare　head；　her　brown　face；　and　her　short　tow…　linen　frock。　　She　was　crying。　　What　it　was　about；　I　have　long　ago　forgotten。　　But　it　was　the　tears　that　preserved　the　picture　for　me；　no　doubt。　　She　was　a　good　child；　I　can　say　that　for　her。　　She　knew　me　nearly　seventy　years　ago。　　Did　she　forget　me；　in　the　course　of　time？　　I　think　not。　　If　she　had　lived　in　Stratford　in　Shakespeare's　time；　would　she　have　forgotten　him？　　Yes。　　For　he　was　never　famous　during　his　lifetime；　he　was　utterly　obscure　in　Stratford；　and　there　wouldn't　be　any　occasion　to　remember　him　after　he　had　been　dead　a　week。

〃Injun　Joe；〃　〃Jimmy　Finn；〃　and　〃General　Gaines〃　were　prominent　and　very　intemperate　ne'er…do…weels　in　Hannibal　two　generations　ago。　Plenty　of　gray…heads　there　remember　them　to　this　day；　and　can　tell　you　about　them。　　Isn't　it　curious　that　two　〃town…drunkards〃　and　one　half…breed　loafer　should　leave　behind　them；　in　a　remote　Missourian　village；　a　fame　a　hundred　times　greater　and　several　hundred　times　more　particularized　in　the　matter　of　definite　facts　than　Shakespeare　left　behind　him　in　the　village　where　he　had　lived　the　half　of　his　lifetime？

MARK　TWAIN。



Footnotes：

｛1｝　　Four　fathomstwenty…four　feet。

｛2｝　　From　chapter　XIII　of　〃The　Shakespeare　Problem　Restated。〃




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