SHAKESPEARE'S LEARNING.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1648, 29 August 1887, Page 2

SHAKESPEARE'S LEARNING.

Few sabjeots hare given rise to man discussion than the question of the extent of Shakespeare* learning ; and the known facts being soanty, upon few^ subjects have more extravagant conjeotures been indulged m. Ai to where or In what way he received any systematic education, nothing Is reoorded. Ban Jonoon, In his laudatory verses which he wrote upon him, says that "he bad small Latin 'and leas GreikV Jn KU playa, the subjects of whioh are derited from classical souroes, It Is beyond doubt that he worked from translations, not from the original ; and several content porary alluslona make It clear that, as oompared with his brother dramatics of the day, he was regarded as an unlearned man. But It must be remembered that at that time the stage was adorned fry the profound learning of pen Job >on himselfthat Borne of the other dramatists, though ne rivals of Jonaon, were very learned men ; and that most of them had, at least, suoh oulture as a university eduoatlon seourea. The matter being thus, to a certain extent; left at large, one class of oritlos have represented Shakespeare ai »n absolutely illiterate man, while others, with leas excuse, have sought to endow him with a knowledge of all European languages, ancient and modern, and, Indeed, of almost all branches of learning. The truth plainly lies Bomewhere between these two extremes. We oannot reject the testimony of his contemporaries, t£at he was a roan of but scanty- learning, and especially that he was a poor J|ngqist; But it oannot be denied that S,hakespearbhad acquired auch a> degree bf lt'atnirig as was needed for 11 the development of hi* poetloal powers — Home paper.

A Taranaki paper Bays : — A oase of o»n« siderable importanoe to Oddfellows hftf cropped up at ouo o| the looal lod^oir' time ago a member of thlj hboYO frateiriity' was committed to a' lunatic aßylam, •nd'hai recently been discharged aa oared. Thi Publio Trustee has, \ye believe, sect a q|apa for Biokpay during 'the t|me Jhe man w.w 2 the asylum. The lodge all fint resented thji olaim, but has sines, we believe, paid it und« protest, as it oootended the Public Truittf had oq legal right.