is shakespeare dead1-第6章

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ult；　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　responsible　servant　of　the　United　States　Government。

Now　then。　　Shakespeare　died　younghe　was　only　fifty…two。　He　had　lived　in　his　native　village　twenty…six　years；　or　about　that。　　He　died　celebrated　（if　you　believe　everything　you　read　in　the　books）。　　Yet　when　he　died　nobody　there　or　elsewhere　took　any　notice　of　it；　and　for　sixty　years　afterward　no　townsman　remembered　to　say　anything　about　him　or　about　his　life　in　Stratford。　　When　the　inquirer　came　at　last　he　got　but　one　fact　no；　LEGENDand　got　that　one　at　second　hand；　from　a　person　who　had　only　heard　it　as　a　rumor　and　didn't　claim　copyright　in　it　as　a　production　of　his　own。　　He　couldn't；　very　well；　for　its　date　antedated　his　own　birth…date。　　But　necessarily　a　number　of　persons　were　still　alive　in　Stratford　who；　in　the　days　of　their　youth；　had　seen　Shakespeare　nearly　every　day　in　the　last　five　years　of　his　life；　and　they　would　have　been　able　to　tell　that　inquirer　some　first…hand　things　about　him　if　he　had　in　those　last　days　been　a　celebrity　and　therefore　a　person　of　interest　to　the　villagers。　　Why　did　not　the　inquirer　hunt　them　up　and　interview　them？　　Wasn't　it　worth　while？　　Wasn't　the　matter　of　sufficient　consequence？　　Had　the　inquirer　an　engagement　to　see　a　dog…fight　and　couldn't　spare　the　time？

It　all　seems　to　mean　that　he　never　had　any　literary　celebrity；　there　or　elsewhere；　and　no　considerable　repute　as　actor　and　manager。

Now　then；　I　am　away　along　in　lifemy　seventy…third　year　being　already　well　behind　meyet　SIXTEEN　of　my　Hannibal　schoolmates　are　still　alive　today；　and　can　telland　do　tell　inquirers　dozens　and　dozens　of　incidents　of　their　young　lives　and　mine　together；　things　that　happened　to　us　in　the　morning　of　life；　in　the　blossom　of　our　youth；　in　the　good　days；　the　dear　days；　〃the　days　when　we　went　gipsying；　a　long　time　ago。〃　　Most　of　them　creditable　to　me；　too。　　One　child　to　whom　I　paid　court　when　she　was　five　years　old　and　I　eight　still　lives　in　Hannibal；　and　she　visited　me　last　summer；　traversing　the　necessary　ten　or　twelve　hundred　miles　of　railroad　without　damage　to　her　patience　or　to　her　old…young　vigor。　　Another　little　lassie　to　whom　I　paid　attention　in　Hannibal　when　she　was　nine　years　old　and　I　the　same；　is　still　alivein　Londonand　hale　and　hearty；　just　as　I　am。　And　on　the　few　surviving　steamboatsthose　lingering　ghosts　and　remembrancers　of　great　fleets　that　plied　the　big　river　in　the　beginning　of　my　water…careerwhich　is　exactly　as　long　ago　as　the　whole　invoice　of　the　life…years　of　Shakespeare　numbersthere　are　still　findable　two　or　three　river…pilots　who　saw　me　do　creditable　things　in　those　ancient　days；　and　several　wh