casian Christian has never hesitated to rob and
murder anybody anywhere for cash and country!

Look over the world to-day, and you behold nothing but diplomatic cheating,
domestic and foreign robbery and international murder for individual
ambition and national territorial expansion! The official hypocrite is the
greatest liar of the century!

England, Germany, France, Russia and the United States are this very day
competing with each other in the race for universal empire! Considering
that "Uncle Sam" has had only one hundred and twenty-six years of national
life, he has forged to the front amazingly, and has become the grandest
"General" on the globe! He does things!

The "gentle reader" (confidentially speaking) may think this a slight
digression from the "Merchant of Venice," which was enacted at the Globe
Theatre, London, on the first Saturday in December, 1599. The "gentle
reader" may also have found out by this time that the "subscriber" pays
little attention to the "unities of time and place," as a thousand years
are but short milestones in the life of the "Strulbug" family!

What the "gentle reader" needs more than anything else is _knowledge and
truth_; and he observes, if he observes at all, that I give bits of the
most eloquent and philosophic speeches in all the plays of Shakspere,
besides the true personal transactions and escapades of the Bard of Avon!

The enactment of the various scenes of the "Merchant of Venice" takes place
in the great water city--Venice, "Queen of the Adriatic," that ruled the
commercial world two thousand years ago.

Antonio, the Christian merchant, and Shylock, the usurious Jew, are the
principal characters of the play, while Portia, the wealthy heiress, and
Jessica, the daughter of Shylock, with Bassanio and Lorenzo carry the
thread of Shakspere's argument trying to prove that it is Christian justice
to steal an old man's money and daughter, and punish him for demanding his
legal rights!

In speaking privately to William I tried to have him change the logic and
morals of the play, but his curt answer was:

"Jack, the dramatic demand and tyrant public must be satisfied."

Burbage took the part of Antonio, Jo Taylor played Shylock, William played
Portia, Condell acted Bassanio, Heming represented Lorenzo and Field played
Jessica, Poole played Gratiano, Slye played the Duke.

The Globe Theatre was packed from pit to loft by the greatest variety
audience I had ever seen; lo