is shakespeare dead-第6章

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her　off。


That　will　do；　for　the　present；　let　us　yare　a　little；　now；　for　a　change。

If　a　man　should　write　a　book　and　in　it　make　one　of　his　characters　say；　〃Here；　devil；　empty　the　quoins　into　the　standing　galley　and　the　imposing　stone　into　the　hell…box；　assemble　the　comps　around　the　frisket　and　let　them　jeff　for　takes　and　be　quick　about　it；〃　I　should　recognize　a　mistake　or　two　in　the　phrasing；　and　would　know　that　the　writer　was　only　a　printer　theoretically；　not　practically。

I　have　been　a　quartz　miner　in　the　silver　regionsa　pretty　hard　life；　I　know　all　the　palaver　of　that　business：　　I　know　all　about　discovery　claims　and　the　subordinate　claims；　I　know　all　about　lodes；　ledges；　outcroppings；　dips；　spurs；　angles；　shafts；　drifts；　inclines；　levels；　tunnels；　air…shafts；　〃horses；〃　clay　casings；　granite　casings；　quartz　mills　and　their　batteries；　arastras；　and　how　to　charge　them　with　quicksilver　and　sulphate　of　copper；　and　how　to　clean　them　up；　and　how　to　reduce　the　resulting　amalgam　in　the　retorts；　and　how　to　cast　the　bullion　into　pigs；　and　finally　I　know　how　to　screen　tailings；　and　also　how　to　hunt　for　something　less　robust　to　do；　and　find　it。　　I　know　the　argot　of　the　quartz…mining　and　milling　industry　familiarly；　and　so　whenever　Bret　Harte　introduces　that　industry　into　a　story；　the　first　time　one　of　his　miners　opens　his　mouth　I　recognize　from　his　phrasing　that　Harte　got　the　phrasing　by　listeninglike　ShakespeareI　mean　the　Stratford　onenot　by　experience。　　No　one　can　talk　the　quartz　dialect　correctly　without　learning　it　with　pick　and　shovel　and　drill　and　fuse。

I　have　been　a　surface…minergoldand　I　know　all　its　mysteries；　and　the　dialect　that　belongs　with　them；　and　whenever　Harte　introduces　that　industry　into　a　story　I　know　by　the　phrasing　of　his　characters　that　neither　he　nor　they　have　ever　served　that　trade。

I　have　been　a　〃pocket〃　minera　sort　of　gold　mining　not　findable　in　any　but　one　little　spot　in　the　world；　so　far　as　I　know。　　I　know　how；　with　horn　and　water；　to　find　the　trail　of　a　pocket　and　trace　it　step　by　step　and　stage　by　stage　up　the　mountain　to　its　source；　and　find　the　compact　little　nest　of　yellow　metal　reposing　in　its　secret　home　under　the　ground。　　I　know　the　language　of　that　trade；　that　capricious　trade；　that　fascinating　buried…treasure　trade；　and　can　catch　any　writer　who　tries　to　use　it　without　having　learned　it　by　the　sweat　of　his　brow　and　the　labor　of　his　hands。

I　know　several　other　trades　and　the　argot　that　goes　with　them；　and　whenever　a　person　tries　to　talk　the　talk　peculiar　to　any　of　them　without　having　learned　it　at　its　source　I　can　trap　him　always　before　he　gets　far　on　his　road。

And　so；　as　I　have　already　remarked；　if　I　were　required　to　superintend　a　Bacon…Shakespeare　controversy；　I　would　narrow　the　matter　down　to　a　single　questionthe　only　one；　so　far　as　the　previous　controversies　have　informed　me；　concerning　which　illustrious　experts　of　unimpeachable　competency　have　testified：　WAS　THE　AUTHOR　OF　SHAKESPEARE'S　WORKS　A　LAWYER？a　lawyer　deeply　read　and　of　limitless　experience？　　I　would　put　aside　the　guesses；　and　surmises；　and　perhapses；　and　might…have…beens；　and　could…have　beens；　and　must…have…beens；　and　we…are　justified…in…presumings；　and　the　rest　of　those　vague　spectres　and　shadows　and　indefinitenesses；　and　stand　or　fall；　win　or　lose；　by　the　verdict　rendered　by　the　jury　upon　that　single　question。　　If　the　verdict　was　Yes；　I　should　feel　quite　convinced　that　the　Stratford　Shakespeare；　the　actor；　manager；　and　trader　who　died　so　obscure；　so　forgotten；　so　destitute　of　even　village　consequence　that　sixty　years　afterward　no　fellow…citizen　and　friend　of　his　later　days　remembered　to　tell　anything　about　him；　did　not　write　the　Works。

Chapter　XIII　of　The　Shakespeare　Problem　Restated　bears　the　heading　〃Shakespeare　as　a　Lawyer；〃　and　comprises　some　fifty　pages　of　expert　testimony；　with　comments　thereon；　and　I　will　copy　the　first　nine；　as　being　sufficient　all　by　themselves；　as　it　seems　to　me；　to　settle　the　question　which　I　have　conceived　to　be　the　master…key　to　the　Shakespeare…Bacon　puzzle。



CHAPTER　VIII



Shakespeare　as　a　Lawyer　｛2｝

The　Plays　and　Poems　of　Shakespeare　supply　ample　evidence　that　their　author　not　only　had　a　very　extensive　and　accurate　knowledge　of　law；　but　that　he　was　well　acquainted　with　the　manners　and　customs　of　members　of　the　Inns　of　Court　and　with　legal　life　generally。

〃While　novelists　and　dramatists　are　constantly　making　mistakes　as　to　the　laws　of　marriage；　of　wills；　and　inheritance；　to　Shakespeare's　law；　lavishly　as　he　expounds　it；　there　can　neither　be　demurrer；　nor　bill　of　exceptions；　nor　writ　of　error。〃　　Such　was　the　testimony　borne　by　one　of　the　most　distinguished　lawyers　of　the　nineteenth　century　who　was　raised　to　the　high　office　of　Lord　Chief　Justice　in　1850；　and　subsequently　became　Lord　Chancellor。　　Its　weight　will；　doubtless；　be　more　appreciated　by　lawyers　than　by　laymen；　for　only　lawyers　know　how　impossible　it　is　for　those　who　have　not　served　an　apprenticeship　to　the　law　to　avoid　displaying　their　ignorance　if　they　venture　to　employ　legal　terms　and　to　discuss　legal　doctrines。　　〃There　is　nothing　so　dangerous；〃　wrote　Lord　Campbell；　〃as　for　one　not　of　the　craft　to　tamper　with　our　freemasonry。〃　　A　layman　is　certain　to　betray　himself　by　using　some　expression　which　a　lawyer　would　never　employ。　　Mr。　Sidney　Lee　himself　supplies　us　with　an　example　of　this。　　He　writes　（p。　164）：　〃On　February　15；　1609；　Shakespeare　。　。　。　obtained　judgment　from　a　jury　against　Addenbroke　for　the　payment　of　No。　6；　and　No。　1。　5s。　0d。　costs。〃　　Now　a　lawyer　would　never　have　spoken　of　obtaining　〃judgment　from　a　jury；〃　for　it　is　the　function　of　a　jury　not　to　deliver　judgment　（which　is　the　prerogative　of　the　court）；　but　to　find　a　verdict　on　the　facts。　　The　error　is；　indeed；　a　venial　one；　but　it　is　just　one　of　those　little　things　which　at　once　enable　a　lawyer　to　know　if　the　writer　is　a　layman　or　〃one　of　the　craft。〃

But　when　a　layman　ventures　to　plunge　deeply　into　legal　subjects；　he　is　naturally　apt　to　make　an　exhibition　of　his　incompetence。　　〃Let　a　non…professional　man；　however　acute；〃　writes　Lord　Campbell　again；　〃presume　to　talk　law；　or　to　draw　illustrations　from　legal　science　in　discussing　other　subjects；　and　he　will　speedily　fall　into　laughable　absurdity。〃

And　what　does　the　same　high　authority　say　about　Shakespeare？　　He　had　〃a　deep　technical　knowledge　of　the　law；〃　and　an　easy　familiarity　with　〃some　of　the　most　abstruse　proceedings　in　English　jurisprudence。〃　　And　again：　　〃Whenever　he　indulges　this　propensity　he　uniformly　lays　down　good　law。〃　　Of　Henry　IV。；　Part　2；　he　says：　〃If　Lord　Eldon　could　be　supposed　to　have　written　the　play；　I　do　not　see　how　he　could　be　chargeable　with　having　forgotten　any　of　his　law　while　writing　it。〃　　Charles　and　Mary　Cowden　Clarke　speak　of　〃the　marvelous　intimacy　which　he　displays　with　legal　terms；　his　frequent　adoption　of　them　in　illustration；　and　his　curiously　technical　knowledge　of　their　form　and　force。〃　　Malone；　himself　a　lawyer；　wrote：　　〃His　knowledge　of　legal　terms　is　not　merely　such　as　might　be　acquired　by　the　casual　observation　of　even　his　all…comprehending　mind；　it　has　the　appearance　of　technical　skill。〃　　Another　lawyer　and　well…known　Shakespearean；　Richard　Grant　White；　says：　　〃No　dramatist　of　the　time；　not　even　Beaumont；　who　was　the　younger　son　of　a　judge　of　the　Common　Pleas；　and　who　after　studying　in　the　Inns　of　Court　abandoned　law　for　the　drama；　used　legal　phrases　with　Shakespeare's　readiness　and　exactness。　　And　the　significance　of　this　fact　is　heightened　by　another；　that　it　is　only　to　the　language　of　the　law　that　he　exhibits　this　inclination。　　The　phrases　peculiar　to　other　occupations　serve　him　on　rare　occasions　by　way　of　description；　comparison　or　illustration；　generally　when　something　in　the　scene　suggests　them；　but　legal　phrases　flow　from　his　pen　as　part　of　his　vocabulary；　and　parcel　of　his　thought。　　Take　the　word　'purchase'　for　instance；　which；　in　ordinary　use；　means　to　acquire　by　giving　value；　but　applies　in　law　to　all　legal　modes　of　obtaining　property　except　by　inheritance　or　descent；　and　in　this　peculiar　sense　the　word　occurs　five　times　in　Shakespeare's　thirty…four　plays；　and　only　in　one　single　instance　in　the　fifty…four　plays　of　Beaumont　and　Fletcher。　　It　has　been　suggested　that　it　was　in　attendance　upon　the　courts　in　London　that　he　picked　up　his　legal　vocabulary。　　But　this　supposition　not　only　fails　to　account　for　Shakespeare's　peculiar　freedom　and　exactness　in　the　use　of　that　phraseology；　it　does　not　even　place　him　in　the　way　of　learning　those　terms　his　use　of　which　is　most　remarkable；　which　are　not　such　as　he　would　have　heard　at　ordinary　proceedings　at　nisi　prius；　but　such　as　refer　to　the　tenure　or　transfer　of　real　property；　'fine　and　recovery；'　'statutes　merchant；'　'purchase；'　'indenture；'　'tenure；'　'double　voucher；'　'fee　simple；'　'fee　farm；'　'remainder；'　'reversion；'　'forfeiture；'　etc。　　This　conveyancer's　jargon　could　not　have　been　picked　up　by　hanging　round　the　courts　of　law　in　London　two　hundred　and　fifty　years　ago；　when　suits　as　to　the　title　of　real　property　were　comparatively　rare。　　And　beside；　Shakespeare　uses　his　law　just　as　freely　in　his　first　plays；　written　in　his　first　London　years；　as　in　those　produced　at　a　later　period。　　Just　as　exactly；　too；　for　the　correctness　and　propriety　with　which　these　terms　are　introduced　have　compelled　the　admiration　of　a　Chief　Justice　and　a　Lord　Chancellor。〃

Senator　Davis　wrote：　　〃We　seem　to　have　something　more　than　a　sciolist's　temerity　of　indulgence　in　the　terms　of　an　unfamiliar　art。　　No　legal　solecisms　will　be　found。　　The　abstrusest　elements　of　the　common　law　are　impressed　into　a　disciplined　service。　　Over　and　over　again；　where　such　knowledge　is　unexampled　in　writers　unlearned　in　the　law；　Shakespeare　appears　in　perfect　possession　of　it。　　In　the　law　of　real　property；　its　rules　of　tenure　and　descents；　its　entails；　its　fines　and　recoveries；　their　vouchers　and　double　vouchers；　in　the　procedure　of　the　Courts；　the　method　of　bringing　writs　and　arrests；　the　nature　of　actions；　the　rules　of　pleading；　the　law　of　escapes　and　of　contempt　of　court；　in　the　principles　of　evidence；　both　technical　and　philosophical；　in　the　distinction　between　the　temporal　and　spiritual　tribunals；　in　the　law　of　attainder　and　forfeiture；　in　the　requisites　of　a　valid　marriage；　in　the　presumption　of　legitimacy；　in　the　learning　of　the　law　of　prerogative；　in　the　inalienable　character　of　the　Crown；　this　mastership　appears　with　surprising　authority。〃

To　all　this　testimony　（and　there　is　much　more　which　I　have　not　cited）　may　now　be　added　that　of　a　great　lawyer　of　our　own　times；　viz。：　　Sir　James　Plaisted　Wilde；　Q。C。　created　a　Baron　of　the　Exchequer　in　1860；　promoted　to　the　post　of　Judge…Ordinary　and　Judge　of　the　Courts　of　Probate　and　Divorce　in　1863；　and　better　known　to　the　world　as　Lord　Penzance；　to　which　dignity　he　was　raised　in　1869。　Lord　Penzance；　as　all　lawyers　know；　and　as　the　late　Mr。　Inderwick；　K。C。；　has　testified；　was　one　of　the　first　legal　authorities　of　his　day；　famous　for　his　〃remarkable　grasp　of　legal　principles；〃　and　〃endowed　by　nature　with　a　remarkable　facility　for　marshalling　facts；　and　for　a　clear　expression　of　his　views。〃

Lord　Penzance　speaks　of　Shakespeare's　〃perfect　familiarity　with　not　only　the　principles；　axioms；　and　maxims；　but　the　technicaliti