. William Shakespeare; poet, dramatist, and man . ecurring evidences thatthe poet knew Virgil and Ovid, and had not for-gotten Lilys grammar and the Sententiae Pue-riles, which the schoolboys of his time committedto memory as a matter of course. In a numberof instances he used the substance of French andItalian books of which English translations hadnot been made in his time. The command ofFrench and Italian for reading purposes, to a boyof Shakespeares quickness of mind and power ofrapid assimilation, with his knowledge of Latinand the widespread interest among men of hisclass in the literatu
. William Shakespeare; poet, dramatist, and man . ecurring evidences thatthe poet knew Virgil and Ovid, and had not for-gotten Lilys grammar and the Sententiae Pue-riles, which the schoolboys of his time committedto memory as a matter of course. In a numberof instances he used the substance of French andItalian books of which English translations hadnot been made in his time. The command ofFrench and Italian for reading purposes, to a boyof Shakespeares quickness of mind and power ofrapid assimilation, with his knowledge of Latinand the widespread interest among men of hisclass in the literature of both countries, was easilyacquired. It must be remembered that for thirtyyears Shakespeare was on intimate terms withmen of scholarly tastes and acquirements. Themost splendid tribute among the many which hereceived from his contemporaries came from themost thoroughly trained of his fellow-dramatists;one who stood preeminently for the classical tra-dition in the English drama. Shakespeare wasneither by instinct nor opportunity a scholar in. BIRTH AND BREEDING 47 the sense in which Ben Jonson was a scholar; buthe had considerable familiarity with four languages;he had access to many books; he had read someof them with the most vital insight; and he wasexceptionally well informed in many directions. He knew something of law, medicine, theology,history, trade; and this knowledge, easily acquired,was readily used for purposes of illustration; some-times used inaccurately as regards details, as menof imagination have used knowledge in all timesand are using it to-day; but used always withdivination of its spiritual or artistic careful study of Shakespeares opportunitiesand a little common sense in reckoning with hisgenius will dissipate the confusion of mind whichhas made it possible to regard him as uneducatedand therefore incapable of writing his own statement that he understood Latinpretty well is abundantly verified by the plays;they also furni
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectshakesp, bookyear1901
