THE MAN SHAKESPEARE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 793, 16 April 1910, Page 9

THE MAN SHAKESPEARE.

"I have the honour to present Shakespeare as a man among men," says Dr. Charles William Wallace in his remarkable article on ''New Shakespeare Discoveries" in the March issuo 'of ."Harper's Magazine." The honour is, indeed, a great one, yet Dr. Wallace does not claim it at all immodestly/though his researches "have entailed the close and untiring scrutinyof somo'milljoiis. of clocuments preserved, in the''Public R-ecord Office. For tho first time wo hear how : Shakespeare played a part in making: two young hearts . happy; 'and, moreover, out of ■■the"dried; parchments and dust of tho great national archive of England there is constructed for us•- a new and intimate portrait of one "whom we call poet- and seer and know as friend."

The_ story, says Dr. ; Wallace, is of the simplest , and most ordinary sort, arising out of the life of the most ordinary people. Shakespeare, wo are told, lived at the corner of Silver and Moukswell Street's, with a family named ■.Mountjoy, who' we're 1 -Frerichp possibly Huguenots.. j.,. Ji: _~..~,.._.> : It appears that in 1598 Molintjoy was persuaded to take Stephen Bellott as an apprentice. Bellott's; .parents were' to provide the boy with his clothing, and ! .Mount joy'-.wSs toprbvMo his linen and keep'.- . House and .shop were in one building, and Stephen lived with the family. Tho young man proved an apt pupil and, did his work; with such skill and goodwill .-that ho. won" first the approbation, then tho affection, of his master..- Side by side with : him laboured also another,, Mary, the modest maiden of tho household, only, child of the master. The two grew in skill; :and when at v the end of the sixth-year Stephen had finished his apprentiseship and done his finishing piece or masterwork that proved him worthy of graduation!- to solfrmastership, .the daughter, too, had been made perfect in the same trade!

Stephen afterwards went .to , Spain, to see a little more of the world, but soon returned to' the home : o'tlli'is, sweet-j heart.;-' The course of, love did not at first run, smooth,. but' one day Madame Mountjoy :'laid -the : case before' Shakespears,-, and .; asked \his good, .offices in making two hearts happy. It was also a matter of good practical business.' These two young people were skilled in the same trade, and if'all should go well they . might prosper together. Madame Mountjoy told Shakespeare that if he.could bring the young man to make ' a ... proposal of marriage, a dower-fitting to their station would bo .settled upon , fbem at marriage. This was the fair sum of £50 in money of that time, or approximately £400 in money of to-day.. , ■ ' ■ .. ■ So the greatest poet of all the .world, , moved by the simple impulse of humanity that is.the key. to all he'ever wrote, did the wished-for service among these simple-hearted, \ single-passioned folk. ; Ho and tho members of the family had several conferences. All details/ were satisfactorily arranged, and . the marriage' was . solemnised,-, as the parish, register ..;of. St. Olave, Silver Street,, shows,: November. 19, • 1604.. -.Here Shakespeare's part'in-the affair should properly have ended..'Butevents so shaped themselves by unfortunate conditions that seven and a half years later he was required by peremptory summons to come into court and tell his share, in the,marriage and in fixing the dower. ' ■-

Shakespeare's own deposition in this case is- given in full 'in Professor Wallace s article. It is a document of some length over liis own signature. It opens thus:— ...

"William Shakespeare, of', Stratford : > vpou Aven :in ■ the Comvtyo of War-. ,wicko. gentleman of -the Age of xlviij yores or'therealxiutes swo'rno and examined the days and yere' abouesaid doposetho and sayethe. . v ."■

Then follows the great poet's version of the marriage negotiations. Wo give ono extract :—

the ffourth Jnterrorgatory this .doponnent sayth that the defendant promised geuo tho said Complain- ' ant- a portion-'-in Marriadg [e] wth Maryo his daughter'./ but what certayne portion ho 'β-einemberithe not./ nor when to bo payed, nor knoweth ' that , tho defendant promised the plaintiff twoe hundcred poundes wth . his daughter. Marye at the tyme of his decease./ But sayth that tho plaintiff was dwellinge wth the defendant in his house- Ami they had Amongeste themselves niaiiyo conferences about thero Marriadge wch [afterwards] was Consumated and solcmpnizcH. And more bo cami[ottdepose./]" '~ . ■ -

Eventually . the Court referred tho whole matter in dispute to the French Church of London, making tho final decision there the final decree of the Court.

Dr. Wallace is asking the Master of the Rolls to preserve Shakespeare's signed deposition under -glass in the Museum-'-Room of-the Public Iterord Office. . - •:

Excellent reason is advanced for Shakespeare's choice of a foreigner's house as a place of. residence. "Road ' Henry V again," says Dr. Wallace.

"and you will understand tho reason better than .1 brief word hero may tell. As you read, you seo liira, now. in tho midst of the family, now with some member of it, exchanging .lessons in .Freneh and English, which servo as prototypes for the charming efforts of Kathorino, and Alico and Henry This is confirmatory of the documents ill fixing the beginning of his residence there in 1598, when he wrote Henry V. Ho also honours his host by raising him in tho play to tho dignity of a French Herald under his own namo of Mount!joy.. It was here too in this houso that lio must havo read the Belieforest version of tho story ho made over into the great play, of "Hamlet," as also other French works.". There is a wealth of other interesting matter in tlio article, and the author advances with confidence tho view that "tho mystery that surrounds tho personality of Shakespeare is, after all, made up of our own ignorance Tho truth is, ■ wo have more documentary ' evidence about Shakespeare than about any other dramatist of his time?"