Beautiful　Stories　from　Shakespeare
  by　E。　Nesbit
  〃It　may　be　said　of　Shakespeare；　that　from　his　works　may　be　collected　a　system　of　civil　and　economical　prudence。　　He　has　been　imitated　by　all　succeeding　writers；　and　it　may　be　doubted　whether　from　all　his　successors　more　maxims　of　theoretical　knowledge；　or　more　rules　of　practical　prudence　can　be　collected　than　he　alone　has　given　to　his　country。〃Dr。　SAMUEL　JOHNSON。
  PREFACE
  The　writings　of　Shakespeare　have　been　justly　termed　〃the　richest；　the　purest；　the　fairest；　that　genius　uninspired　ever　penned。〃
  Shakespeare　instructed　by　delighting。　　His　plays　alone　（leaving　mere　science　out　of　the　question）；　contain　more　actual　wisdom　than　the　whole　body　of　English　learning。　　He　is　the　teacher　of　all　good　pity；　generosity；　true　courage；　love。　　His　bright　wit　is　cut　out　〃into　little　stars。〃　　His　solid　masses　of　knowledge　are　meted　out　in　morsels　and　proverbs；　and　thus　distributed；　there　is　scarcely　a　corner　of　the　English…speaking　world　to…day　which　he　does　not　illuminate；　or　a　cottage　which　he　does　not　enrich。　　His　bounty　is　like　the　sea；　which；　though　often　unacknowledged；　is　everywhere　felt。　　As　his　friend；　Ben　Jonson；　wrote　of　him；　〃He　was　not　of　an　age　but　for　all　time。〃　　He　ever　kept　the　highroad　of　human　life　whereon　all　travel。　　He　did　not　pick　out　by…paths　of　feeling　and　sentiment。　　In　his　creations　we　have　no　moral　highwaymen；　sentimental　thieves；　interesting　villains；　and　amiable；　elegant　adventuressesno　delicate　entanglements　of　situation；　in　which　the　grossest　images　are　presented　to　the　mind　disguised　under　the　superficial　attraction　of　style　and　sentiment。　　He　flattered　no　bad　passion；　disguised　no　vice　in　the　garb　of　virtue；　trifled　with　no　just　and　generous　principle。　　While　causing　us　to　laugh　at　folly；　and　shudder　at　crime；　he　still　preserves　our　love　for　our　fellow…beings；　and　our　reverence　for　ourselves。
  Shakespeare　was　familiar　with　all　beautiful　forms　and　images；　with　all　that　is　sweet　or　majestic　in　the　simple　aspects　of　nature；　of　that　indestructible　love　of　flowers　and　fragrance；　and　dews；　and　clear　watersand　soft　airs　and　sounds；　and　bright　skies　and　woodland　solitudes；　and　moon…light　bowers；　which　are　the　material　elements　of　poetry；and　with　that　fine　sense　of　their　indefinable　relation　to　mental　emotion；　which　is　its　essence　and　vivifying　souland　which；　in　the　midst　of　his　most　busy　and　tragical　scenes；　falls　like　gleams　of　sunshine　on　rocks　and　ruinscontrasting　with　all　that　is　rugged　or　repulsive；　and　reminding　us　of　the　existence　of　purer　and　brighter　elements。
  These　things　considered；　what　wonder　is　it　that　the　works　of　Shakespeare；　next　to　the　Bible；　are　the　most　highly　esteemed　of　all　the　classics　of　English　literature。　　〃So　extensively　have　the　characters　of　Shakespeare　been　drawn　upon　by　artists；　poets；　and　writers　of　fiction；〃　says　an　American　author；〃So　interwoven　are　these　characters　in　the　great　body　of　English　literature；　that　to　be　ignorant　of　the　plot　of　these　dramas　is　often　a　cause　of　embarrassment。〃
  But　Shakespeare　wrote　for　grown…up　people；　for　men　and　women；　and　in　words　that　little　folks　cannot　understand。
  Hence　this　volume。　　To　reproduce　the　entertaining　stories　contained　in　the　plays　of　Shakespeare；　in　a　form　so　simple　that　children　can　understand　and　enjoy　them；　was　the　object　had　in　view　by　the　author　of　these　Beautiful　Stories　from　Shakespeare。
  And　that　the　youngest　readers　may　not　stumble　in　pronouncing　any　unfamiliar　names　to　be　met　with　in　the　stories；　the　editor　has　prepared　and　included　in　the　volume　a　Pronouncing　Vocabulary　of　Difficult　Names。　　To　which　is　added　a　collection　of　Shakespearean　Quotations；　classified　in　alphabetical　order；　illustrative　of　the　wisdom　and　genius　of　the　world's　greatest　dramatist。
  E。　T。　R。
  A　BRIEF　LIFE　OF　SHAKESPEARE。
  In　the　register　of　baptisms　of　the　parish　church　of　Stratford…upon…Avon；　a　market　town　in　Warwickshire；　England；　appears；　under　date　of　April　26；　1564；　the　entry　of　the　baptism　of　William；　the　son　of　John　Shakspeare。　　The　entry　is　in　Latin〃Gulielmus　filius　Johannis　Shakspeare。〃
  The　date　of　William　Shakespeare's　birth　has　usually　been　taken　as　three　days　before　his　baptism；　but　there　is　certainly　no　evidence　of　this　fact。
  The　family　name　was　variously　spelled；　the　dramatist　himself　not　always　spelling　it　in　the　same　way。　　While　in　the　baptismal　record　the　name　is　spelled　〃Shakspeare；〃　in　several　authentic　autographs　of　the　dramatist　it　reads　〃Shakspere；〃　and　in　the　first　edition　of　his　works　it　is　printed　〃Shakespeare。〃
  Halliwell　tells　us；　that　there　are　not　less　than　thirty…four　ways　in　which　the　various　members　of　the　Shakespeare　family　wrote　the　name；　and　in　the　council…book　of　the　corporation　of　Stratford；　where　it　is　introduced　one　hundred　and　sixty…six　times　during　the　period　that　the　dramatist's　father　was　a　member　of　the　municipal　body；　there　are　fourteen　different　spellings。　　The　modern　〃Shakespeare〃　is　not　among　them。
  Shakespeare's　father；　while　an　alderman　at　Stratford；　appears　to　have　been　unable　to　write　his　name；　but　as　at　that　time　nine　men　out　of　ten　were　content　to　make　their　mark　for　a　signature；　the　fact　is　not　specially　to　his　discredit。
  The　traditions　and　other　sources　of　information　about　the　occupation　of　Shakespeare's　father　differ。　　He　is　described　as　a　butcher；　a　woolstapler；　and　a　glover；　and　it　is　not　impossible　that　he　may　have　been　all　of　these　simultaneously　or　at　different　times；　or　that　if　he　could　not　properly　be　called　any　one　of　them；　the　nature　of　his　occupation　was　such　as　to　make　it　easy　to　understand　how　the　various　traditions　sprang　up。　　He　was　a　landed　proprietor　and　cultivator　of　his　own　land　even　before　his　marriage；　and　he　received　with　his　wife；　who　was　Mary　Arden；　daughter　of　a　country　gentleman；　the　estate　of　Asbies；　56　acres　in　extent。　　William　was　the　third　child。　　The　two　older　than　he　were　daughters；　and　both　probably　died　in　infancy。　　After　him　was　born　three　sons　and　a　daughter。　For　ten　or　twelve　years　at　least；　after　Shakespeare's　birth　his　father　continued　to　be　in　easy　circumstances。　　In　the　year　1568　he　was　the　high　bailiff　or　chief　magistrate　of　Stratford；　and　for　many　years　afterwards　he　held　the　position　of　alderman　as　he　had　done　for　three　years　before。　　To　the　completion　of　his　tenth　year；　therefore；　it　is　natural　to　suppose　that　William　Shakespeare　would　get　the　best　education　that　Stratford　could　afford。　　The　free　school　of　the　town　was　open　to　all　boys　and　like　all　the　grammar…schools　of　that　time；　was　under　the　direction　of　men　who；　as　graduates　of　the　universities；　were　qualified　to　diffuse　that　sound　scholarship　which　was　once　the　boast　of　England。　　There　is　no　record　of　Shakespeare's　having　been　at　this　school；　but　there　can　be　no　rational　doubt　that　he　was　educated　there。　　His　father　could　not　have　procured　for　him　a　better　education　anywhere。　　To　those　who　have　studied　Shakespeare's　works　without　being　influenced　by　the　old　traditional　theory　that　he　had　received　a　very　narrow　education；　they　abound　with　evidences　that　he　must　have　been　solidly　grounded　in　the　learning；　properly　so　called；　was　taught　in　the　grammar　schools。
  There　are　local　associations　connected　with　Stratford　which　could　not　be　without　their　influence　in　the　formation　of　young　Shakespeare's　mind。　　Within　the　range　of　such　a　boy's　curiosity　were　the　fine　old　historic　towns　of　Warwick　and　Coventry；　the　sumptuous　palace　of　Kenilworth；　the　grand　monastic　remains　of　Evesham。　　His　own　Avon　abounded　with　spots　of　singular　beauty；　quiet　hamlets；　solitary　woods。　　Nor　was　Stratford　shut　out　from　the　general　world；　as　many　country　towns　are。　　It　was　a　great　highway；　and　dealers　with　every　variety　of　merchandise　resorted　to　its　markets。　　The　eyes　of　the　poet　dramatist　must　always　have　been　open　for　observation。　　But　nothing　is　known　positively　of　Shakespeare　from　his　birth　to　his　marriage　to　Anne　Hathaway　in　1582；　and　from　that　date　nothing　but　the　birth　of　three　children　until　we　find　him　an　actor　in　London　about　1589。
  How　long　acting　continued　to　be　Shakespeare's　sole　profession　we　have　no　means　of　knowing；　but　it　is　in　the　highest　degree　probable　that　very　soon　after　arriving　in　London　he　began　that　work　of　adaptation　by　which　he　is　known　to　have　begun　his　literary　career。　To　improve　and　alter　older　plays　not　up　to　the　standard　that　was　required　at　the　time　was　a　common　practice　even　among　the　best　dramatists　of　the　day；　and　Shakespeare's　abilities　would　speedily　mark　him　out　as　eminently　fitted　for　this　kind　of　work。　　When　the　alterations　in　plays　originally　composed　by　other　writers　became　very　extensive；　the　work　of　adaptation　would　become　in　reality　a　work　of　creation。　　And　this　is　exactly　what　we　have　examples　of　in　a　few　of　Shakespeare's　early　works；　which　are　known　to　have　been　founded　on　older　plays。
  It　is　unnecessary　here　to　extol　the　published　works　of　the　world's　greatest　dramatist。　　Criticism　has　been　exhausted　upon　them；　and　the　finest　minds　of　England；　Germany；　and　America　have　devoted　their　powers　to　an　elucidation　of　their　worth。
  Shakespeare　died　at　Stratford　on　the　23rd　of　April；　1616。　　His　father　had　died　before　him；　in　1602；　and　his　mother　in　1608。　　His　wife　survived