he fleet. Is it possible that he
was among the prest?" (p. 5).

It was a time of exaltation of all things pertaining to sea things; and
it is no wonder that the playwrights of the day, Heywood for one, made
frequent use of sea words. "The wonder is that without professional
acquaintance" Shakspere "should always use these terms correctly," (p.
18). He abounds in "Elizabethan sailor talk pure and simple." And a
little later Mr. Whall draws attention to the fact that "sea expressions
crop up in quite unexpected places"--just as theatrical expressions crop
up; "and that they are all phrased _as by a sailor_," (p. 19). Then Mr.
Whall quotes a remark from another master mariner, Captain Basil Hall,
who had earlier noticed this striking characteristic: "One would like to
know how Shakspere pickt it up."

When he comes to deal with the 'Tempest' Mr. Whall cites the saying of
Lord Mulgrave, some time first Lord of the Admiralty: "The first scene
of the 'Tempest' is a very striking instance of the great accuracy of
Shakspere's knowledge in a professional science." With this Mr. Whall
disagrees: "Now this does not of necessity follow. A playwright with any
sense would, if about to write such a scene, obtain professional
assistance unless he himself had professional knowledge to steer clear
of error. The whole scene is graphic, accurate and correct in the terms
of nautical speech.... But it is by no means such a proof of the
writer's sea knowledge as are the scattered and wholly unexpected
nautical references in many other plays, every one of which might have
been written by an experienced seaman."

The most recent and the most careful consideration of Shakspere's
acquaintance with seafaring life is contained in Mr. L. G. Carr
Laughton's essay on 'The Navy: Ships and Sailors,' contributed to
'Shakspere's England,' (Oxford University Press, 1916), 141-170.

A. H. T.

OF THIS BOOK THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-THREE COPIES WERE PRINTED FROM
TYPE BY CORLIES, MACY AND COMPANY IN SEPTEMBER : MCMXVI

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