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Show Was Shakespeare a Classical Student? Tho denial to Shakespeare of any knowledgo of tho classics Is. ns Mr. Collins Col-lins reminds us In his first sentenco, nmong tho traditions which tho world appears ap-pears to have made up Its mind to accept without Inquiry, and which, by a strango superstition seem to be exempted even from debate This belief he now assails, maintaining that Shakespeare could almost al-most certainly read Latin with as much facility as n cultivated Englishman of our own time reads French; that with some nt lenst of tho principal Iatln classics ho was Intimately acquainted; that through tho Latin language ho had acceos to tho Greek classics; and tbAt of the Greek classics In the Latin erslons he had, In all probability, a remarkably cx-tcnslvo cx-tcnslvo knowledge An argument, which extends to nearly a hundred pages, most of which arc taken up by the citation of evidence, cannot well bo summarized In a few lines, but Its general gen-eral course may perhaps be sufficiently Indicated. Mr Collins begins by bringing to light the Instability of tho foundation on which tho common tradition Is based. To Ben Johnson, he suggests, "small Latin and less Greok" would connote what It would connoto to Scallger or to Casau-bon; Casau-bon; it meant simply that Shakespeare was not a Hcholar In tho technical, academic, and ono might almost say pedantic pe-dantic sense. Next, by uso of tho data of the history of education In England, Eng-land, we arc shown the typical curriculum of such grammar schools of the time as that which Shakespearo attended at Stratford-on-Avon, and we thus find that Latin was normally a pnrt of the course, with Greek frequently, tho latter depending mainly upon tho character of the head-master. There Is reason to believe be-lieve that tho classical teaching at Stratford-on-Avon was above tho average. After tho ground has thus been prepared for the Inquiry, Mr. Churton Collins pro-coeds pro-coeds to the evldcnco afforded by Shakespeare's own writings. Ilia first point is that Shakespeare, with minute particularity of detail, baaed a poem and a play on a poem of Ovid and a comedy of Plnutus which he must have rend In the original, as no English translations, so far as wo know, existed at the time. Ho certainly makes out a strong case for this connection, ono's only hesitation bo-lng bo-lng that Induced by the proviso, "so far as wc know." Illustrations are then given of Shakespeare's knowledge of certain cer-tain writings of Seneca, Horace, Juvenal, Perslus, Lucretius and Cicero, which also al-so appear to have been accessible only In tho originals, as well as of patnagea In Plato, accessible only In Latin versions. ver-sions. A further most Interesting argument argu-ment Is drawn from a collection of parallel passages showing thjit. lu many Instnnces, when nn English translation of a Iitlu writer was in his hands. Shakespeare made use not only of the translation, but of tho original as well. Herbert V. Horwlll. In the Forum. |