tations from Shakspere, designedly leaving the reader to
trace and find for himself a liberal education by studying the wisdom of
the Divine Bard.

There are many things in this volume that the ordinary mind will not
understand, yet I only contract with the present and future generations to
give rare and rich food for thought, and cannot undertake to furnish the
reader brains with each book!

J. A. J.

CONTENTS.

Page
Sweepstakes ix

CHAPTER I.
Birth. School Days. Shows 1

CHAPTER II.
Launched. Apprentice Boy. Ambition 11

CHAPTER III.
Farm. Life. Sporting. Poaching on Lucy 19

CHAPTER IV.
In Search of Peace and Fortune 27

CHAPTER V.
London. Its Guilt and Glory 37

CHAPTER VI.
Taverns. Theatres. Variegated Society 45

CHAPTER VII.
Theatrical Drudgery. Compositions 53

CHAPTER VIII.
Growing Literary Renown. Royal Patrons 61

CHAPTER IX.
Bohemian Hours. Westminster Abbey. "Love's
Labor's Lost" 73

CHAPTER X.
Queen Elizabeth. War. Shakspere in Ireland 82

CHAPTER XI.
Rural England. "Romeo and Juliet" 91

CHAPTER XII.
"Julius Caesar" 110

CHAPTER XIII.
Two Tramps. By Land and Sea 130

CHAPTER XIV.
Windsor Park. "Midsummer Night's Dream" 156

CHAPTER XV.
The Jew. Shylock. "Merchant of Venice" 175

CHAPTER XVI.
The Supernatural. "Hamlet" 202

CHAPTER XVII.
Death of Queen Elizabeth. Coronation of King
James 233

CHAPTER XVIII.
Shakspere as Monologist. King James 244

CHAPTER XIX.
Stratford. Shakspere's Death. Patriotism Down
the Ages 270

* * * * *

FACSIMILE PAGES.

Autograph Letter of Shakspere xxiii

Autograph Poem of Shakspere 170

Autograph Letter of King James 248

Autograph Epitaph of Shakspere 280

SWEEPSTAKES.

Shakspere was the greatest delver into the mysterious mind of man and
Nature, and sunk his intellectual plummet deeper into the ocean of thought
than any mortal that ever lived, before or after his glorious advent upon
the earth. He was a universal ocean of knowledge, and th