sensitive, that had thought so much, and expressed thought with such
startling power on all the mysteries of death, the grave, and the future
world, should have found nothing else to inscribe on his own grave but
this:--

Good Friend for Iesus SAKE forbare
To digg T-E Dust EncloAsed HERe
Blese be T-E Man T spares T-Es Stones
Y
And curst be He T moves my Bones
Y

It seems that the inscription has not been without its use, in averting
what the sensitive poet most dreaded; for it is recorded in one of the
books sold here, that some years ago, in digging a neighboring grave, a
careless sexton broke into the side of Shakspeare's tomb, and looking in
saw his bones, and could easily have carried away the skull had he not
been deterred by the imprecation.

There is a monument in the side of the wall, which has a bust of
Shakspeare upon it, said to be the most authentic likeness, and supposed
to have been taken by a cast from his face after death. This statement
was made to us by the guide who showed it, and he stated that Chantrey
had come to that conclusion by a minute examination of the face. He took
us into a room, where was an exact plaster cast of the bust, on which he
pointed out various little minutiae on which this idea was founded. The
two sides of the face are not alike; there is a falling in and
depression of the muscles on one side which does not exist on the other,
such as probably would never have occurred in a fancy bust, where the
effort always is to render the two sides of the face as much alike as
possible. There is more fulness about the lower part of the face than is
consistent with the theory of an idealized bust, but is perfectly
consistent with the probabilities of the time of life at which he died,
and perhaps with the effects of the disease of which he died.

All this I set down as it was related to me by our guide; it had a very
plausible and probable sound, and I was bent on believing, which is a
great matter in faith of all kinds.

It is something in favor of the supposition that this is an authentic
likeness, that it was erected in his own native town within seven years
of his death, among people, therefore, who must have preserved the
recollection of his personal appearance. After the manner of those times
it was originally painted, the hair and beard of an auburn color, the
eyes hazel, and the dress was represented as consisting of a scarlet
do