is shakespeare dead-第7章

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Lord　Penzance　speaks　of　Shakespeare's　〃perfect　familiarity　with　not　only　the　principles；　axioms；　and　maxims；　but　the　technicalities　of　English　law；　a　knowledge　so　perfect　and　intimate　that　he　was　never　incorrect　and　never　at　fault　。　。　。　The　mode　in　which　this　knowledge　was　pressed　into　service　on　all　occasions　to　express　his　meaning　and　illustrate　his　thoughts；　was　quite　unexampled。　　He　seems　to　have　had　a　special　pleasure　in　his　complete　and　ready　mastership　of　it　in　all　its　branches。　　As　manifested　in　the　plays；　this　legal　knowledge　and　learning　had　therefore　a　special　character　which　places　it　on　a　wholly　different　footing　from　the　rest　of　the　multifarious　knowledge　which　is　exhibited　in　page　after　page　of　the　plays。　　At　every　turn　and　point　at　which　the　author　required　a　metaphor；　simile；　or　illustration；　his　mind　ever　turned　FIRST　to　the　law。　　He　seems　almost　to　have　THOUGHT　in　legal　phrases；　the　commonest　of　legal　expressions　were　ever　at　the　end　of　his　pen　in　description　or　illustration。　　That　he　should　have　descanted　in　lawyer　language　when　he　had　a　forensic　subject　in　hand；　such　as　Shylock's　bond；　was　to　be　expected；　but　the　knowledge　of　law　in　'Shakespeare'　was　exhibited　in　a　far　different　manner：　　it　protruded　itself　on　all　occasions；　appropriate　or　inappropriate；　and　mingled　itself　with　strains　of　thought　widely　divergent　from　forensic　subjects。〃　　Again：　　〃To　acquire　a　perfect　familiarity　with　legal　principles；　and　an　accurate　and　ready　use　of　the　technical　terms　and　phrases　not　only　of　the　conveyancer's　office　but　of　the　pleader's　chambers　and　the　Courts　at　Westminster；　nothing　short　of　employment　in　some　career　involving　constant　contact　with　legal　questions　and　general　legal　work　would　be　requisite。　　But　a　continuous　employment　involves　the　element　of　time；　and　time　was　just　what　the　manager　of　two　theatres　had　not　at　his　disposal。　　In　what　portion　of　Shakespeare's　（i。e。　Shakspere's）　career　would　it　be　possible　to　point　out　that　time　could　be　found　for　the　interposition　of　a　legal　employment　in　the　chambers　or　offices　of　practising　lawyers？〃

Stratfordians；　as　is　well　known；　casting　about　for　some　possible　explanation　of　Shakespeare's　extraordinary　knowledge　of　law；　have　made　the　suggestion　that　Shakespeare　might；　conceivably；　have　been　a　clerk　in　an　attorney's　office　before　he　came　to　London。　　Mr。　Collier　wrote　to　Lord　Campbell　to　ask　his　opinion　as　to　the　probability　of　this　being　true。　　His　answer　was　as　follows：　　〃You　require　us　to　believe　implicitly　a　fact；　of　which；　if　true；　positive　and　irrefragable　evidence　in　his　own　handwriting　might　have　been　forthcoming　to　establish　it。　　Not　having　been　actually　enrolled　as　an　attorney；　neither　the　records　of　the　local　court　at　Stratford　nor　of　the　superior　Courts　at　Westminster　would　present　his　name　as　being　concerned　in　any　suit　as　an　attorney；　but　it　might　reasonably　have　been　expected　that　there　would　be　deeds　or　wills　witnessed　by　him　still　extant；　and　after　a　very　diligent　search　none　such　can　be　discovered。〃

Upon　this　Lord　Penzance　comments：　　〃It　cannot　be　doubted　that　Lord　Campbell　was　right　in　this。　　No　young　man　could　have　been　at　work　in　an　attorney's　office　without　being　called　upon　continually　to　act　as　a　witness；　and　in　many　other　ways　leaving　traces　of　his　work　and　name。〃　　There　is　not　a　single　fact　or　incident　in　all　that　is　known　of　Shakespeare；　even　by　rumor　or　tradition；　which　supports　this　notion　of　a　clerkship。　　And　after　much　argument　and　surmise　which　has　been　indulged　in　on　this　subject；　we　may；　I　think；　safely　put　the　notion　on　one　side；　for　no　less　an　authority　than　Mr。　Grant　White　says　finally　that　the　idea　of　his　having　been　clerk　to　an　attorney　has　been　〃blown　to　pieces。〃

It　is　altogether　characteristic　of　Mr。　Churton　Collins　that　he；　nevertheless；　adopts　this　exploded　myth。　　〃That　Shakespeare　was　in　early　life　employed　as　a　clerk　in　an　attorney's　office；　may　be　correct。　　At　Stratford　there　was　by　royal　charter　a　Court　of　Record　sitting　every　fortnight；　with　six　attorneys；　beside　the　town　clerk；　belonging　to　it；　and　it　is　certainly　not　straining　probability　to　suppose　that　the　young　Shakespeare　may　have　had　employment　in　one　of　them。　　There　is；　it　is　true；　no　tradition　to　this　effect；　but　such　traditions　as　we　have　about　Shakespeare's　occupation　between　the　time　of　leaving　school　and　going　to　London　are　so　loose　and　baseless　that　no　confidence　can　be　placed　in　them。　　It　is；　to　say　the　least；　more　probable　that　he　was　in　an　attorney's　office　than　that　he　was　a　butcher　killing　calves　'in　a　high　style；'　and　making　speeches　over　them。〃

This　is　a　charming　specimen　of　Stratfordian　argument。　　There　is；　as　we　have　seen；　a　very　old　tradition　that　Shakespeare　was　a　butcher's　apprentice。　　John　Dowdall；　who　made　a　tour　in　Warwickshire　in　1693；　testifies　to　it　as　coming　from　the　old　clerk　who　showed　him　over　the　church；　and　it　is　unhesitatingly　accepted　as　true　by　Mr。　Halliwell…Phillipps。　　（Vol　I；　p。　11；　and　see　Vol。　II；　p。　71；　72。）　Mr。　Sidney　Lee　sees　nothing　improbable　in　it；　and　it　is　supported　by　Aubrey；　who　must　have　written　his　account　some　time　before　1680；　when　his　manuscript　was　completed。　　Of　the　attorney's　clerk　hypothesis；　on　the　other　hand；　there　is　not　the　faintest　vestige　of　a　tradition。　　It　has　been　evolved　out　of　the　fertile　imaginations　of　embarrassed　Stratfordians；　seeking　for　some　explanation　of　the　Stratford　rustic's　marvellous　acquaintance　with　law　and　legal　terms　and　legal　life。　　But　Mr。　Churton　Collins　has　not　the　least　hesitation　in　throwing　over　the　tradition　which　has　the　warrant　of　antiquity　and　setting　up　in　its　stead　this　ridiculous　invention；　for　which　not　only　is　there　no　shred　of　positive　evidence；　but　which；　as　Lord　Campbell　and　Lord　Penzance　point　out；　is　really　put　out　of　court　by　the　negative　evidence；　since　〃no　young　man　could　have　been　at　work　in　an　attorney's　office　without　being　called　upon　continually　to　act　as　a　witness；　and　in　many　other　ways　leaving　traces　of　his　work　and　name。〃　　And　as　Mr。　Edwards　further　points　out；　since　the　day　when　Lord　Campbell's　book　was　published　（between　forty　and　fifty　years　ago）；　〃every　old　deed　or　will；　to　say　nothing　of　other　legal　papers；　dated　during　the　period　of　William　Shakespeare's　youth；　has　been　scrutinized　over　half　a　dozen　shires；　and　not　one　signature　of　the　young　man　has　been　found。〃

Moreover；　if　Shakespeare　had　served　as　clerk　in　an　attorney's　office　it　is　clear　that　he　must　have　so　served　for　a　considerable　period　in　order　to　have　gained　（if　indeed　it　is　credible　that　he　could　have　so　gained）　his　remarkable　knowledge　of　law。　　Can　we　then　for　a　moment　believe　that；　if　this　had　been　so；　tradition　would　have　been　absolutely　silent　on　the　matter？　　That　Dowdall's　old　clerk；　over　eighty　years　of　age；　should　have　never　heard　of　it　（though　he　was　sure　enough　about　the　butcher's　apprentice）；　and　that　all　the　other　ancient　witnesses　should　be　in　similar　ignorance！

But　such　are　the　methods　of　Stratfordian　controversy。　　Tradition　is　to　be　scouted　when　it　is　found　inconvenient；　but　cited　as　irrefragable　truth　when　it　suits　the　case。　　Shakespeare　of　Stratford　was　the　author　of　the　Plays　and　Poems；　but　the　author　of　the　Plays　and　Poems　could　not　have　been　a　butcher's　apprentice。　Away；　therefore；　with　tradition。　　But　the　author　of　the　Plays　and　Poems　must　have　had　a　very　large　and　a　very　accurate　knowledge　of　the　law。　　Therefore；　Shakespeare　of　Stratford　must　have　been　an　attorney's　clerk！　　The　method　is　simplicity　itself。　　By　similar　reasoning　Shakespeare　has　been　made　a　country　schoolmaster；　a　soldier；　a　physician；　a　printer；　and　a　good　many　other　things　beside；　according　to　the　inclination　and　the　exigencies　of　the　commentator。　　It　would　not　be　in　the　least　surprising　to　find　that　he　was　studying　Latin　as　a　schoolmaster　and　law　in　an　attorney's　office　at　the　same　time。

However；　we　must　do　Mr。　Collins　the　justice　of　saying　that　he　has　fully　recognized；　what　is　indeed　tolerably　obvious；　that　Shakespeare　must　have　had　a　sound　legal　training。　　〃It　may；　of　course；　be　urged；〃　he　writes；　〃that　Shakespeare's　knowledge　of　medicine；　and　particularly　that　branch　of　it　which　related　to　morbid　psychology；　is　equally　remarkable；　and　that　no　one　has　ever　contended　that　he　was　a　physician。　　（Here　Mr。　Collins　is　wrong；　that　contention　also　has　been　put　forward。）　　It　may　be　urged　that　his　acquaintance　with　the　technicalities　of　other　crafts　and　callings；　notably　of　marine　and　military　affairs；　was　also　extraordinary；　and　yet　no　one　has　suspected　him　of　being　a　sailor　or　a　soldier。　　（Wrong　again。　　Why　even　Messrs。　Garnett　and　Gosse　'suspect'　that　he　was　a　soldier！）　　This　may　be　conceded；　but　the　concession　hardly　furnishes　an　analogy。　　To　these　and　all　other　subjects　he　recurs　occasionally；　and　in　season；　but　with　reminiscences　of　the　law　his　memory；　as　is　abundantly　clear；　was　simply　saturated。　　In　season　and　out　of　season　now　in　manifest；　now　in　recondite　application；　he　presses　it　into　the　service　of　expression　and　illustration。　　At　least　a　third　of　his　myriad　metaphors　are　derived　from　it。　　It　would　indeed　be　difficult　to　find　a　single　act　in　any　of　his　dramas；　nay；　in　some　of　them；　a　single　scene；　the　diction　and　imagery　of　which　is　not　colored　by　it。　　Much　of　his　law　may　have　been　acquired　from　three　books　easily　accessible　to　him；　namely　Tottell's　Precedents　（1572）；　Pulton's　Statutes　（1578）；　and　Fraunce's　Lawier's　Logike　（1588）；　works　with　which　he　certainly　seems　to　have　been　familiar；　but　much　of　it　could　only　have　come　from　one　who　had　an　intimate　acquaintance　with　legal　proceedings。　　We　quite　agree　with　Mr。　Castle　that　Shakespeare's　legal　knowledge　is　not　what　could　have　been　picked　up　in　an　attorney's　office；　but　could　only　have　been　learned　by　an　actual　attendance　at　the　Courts；　at　a　Pleader's　Chambers；　and　on　circuit；　or　by　associating　intimately　with　members　of　the　Bench　and　Bar。〃

This　is　excellent。　　But　what　is　Mr。　Collins'　explanation。　　〃Perhaps　the　simplest　solution　of　the　problem　is　to　accept　the　hypothesis　that　in　early　life　he　was　in　an　attorney's　office　（！）；　that　he　there　contracted　a　love　for　the　law　which　never　left　him；　that　as　a　young　man　in　London；　he　continued　to　study　or　dabble　in　it　for　his　amusement；　to　stroll　in　leisure　hours　into　the　Courts；　and　to　frequent　the　society　of　lawyers。　　On　no　other　supposition　is　it　possible　to　explain　the　attraction　which　the　law　evidently　had　for　him；　and　his　minute　and　undeviating　accuracy　in　a　subject　where　no　layman　who　has　indulged　in　such　copious　and　ostentatious　display　of　legal　technicalities　has　ever　yet　succeeded　in　keeping　himself　from　tripping。〃

A　lame　conclusion。　　〃No　other　supposition〃　indeed！　　Yes；　there　is　another；　and　a　very　obvious　supposition；　namely；　that　Shakespeare　was　himself　a　lawyer；　well　versed　in　his　trade；　versed　in　all　the　ways　of　the　courts；　and　living　in　close　intimacy　with　judges　and　members　of　the　Inns　of　Court。

One　is；　of　course；　thankful　that　Mr。　Collins　has　appreciated　the　fact　that　Shakespeare　must　have　had　a　sound　legal　training；　but　I　may　be　forgiven　if　I　do　not　attach　quite　so　much　importance　to　his　pronouncements　on　this　branch　of　the　subject　as　to　those　of　Malone；　Lord　Campbell；　Judge　Holmes；　Mr。　Castle；　K。C。；　Lord　Penzance；　Mr。　Grant　White；　and　other　lawyers；　who　have　expressed　t