brated。　　I　never　lived　there　afterward。　　Four　years　later　I　became　a　〃cub〃　on　a　Mississippi　steamboat　in　the　St。　Louis　and　New　Orleans　trade；　and　after　a　year　and　a　half　of　hard　study　and　hard　work　the　U。S。　inspectors　rigorously　examined　me　through　a　couple　of　long　sittings　and　decided　that　I　knew　every　inch　of　the　Mississippithirteen　hundred　milesin　the　dark　and　in　the　day　as　well　as　a　baby　knows　the　way　to　its　mother's　paps　day　or　night。　　So　they　licensed　me　as　a　pilotknighted　me；　so　to　speak　and　I　rose　up　clothed　with　authority；　a　responsible　servant　of　the　United　States　Government。
  Now　then。　　Shakespeare　died　younghe　was　only　fifty…two。　He　had　lived　in　his　native　village　twenty…six　years；　or　about　that。　　He　died　celebrated　（if　you　believe　everything　you　read　in　the　books）。　　Yet　when　he　died　nobody　there　or　elsewhere　took　any　notice　of　it；　and　for　sixty　years　afterward　no　townsman　remembered　to　say　anything　about　him　or　about　his　life　in　Stratford。　　When　the　inquirer　came　at　last　he　got　but　one　fact　no；　LEGENDand　got　that　one　at　second　hand；　from　a　person　who　had　only　heard　it　as　a　rumor　and　didn't　claim　copyright　in　it　as　a　production　of　his　own。　　He　couldn't；　very　well；　for　its　date　antedated　his　own　birth…date。　　But　necessarily　a　number　of　persons　were　still　alive　in　Stratford　who；　in　the　days　of　their　youth；　had　seen　Shakespeare　nearly　every　day　in　the　last　five　years　of　his　life；　and　they　would　have　been　able　to　tell　that　inquirer　some　first…hand　things　about　him　if　he　had　in　those　last　days　been　a　celebrity　and　therefore　a　person　of　interest　to　the　villagers。　　Why　did　not　the　inquirer　hunt　them　up　and　interview　them？　　Wasn't　it　worth　while？　　Wasn't　the　matter　of　sufficient　consequence？　　Had　the　inquirer　an　engagement　to　see　a　dog…fight　and　couldn't　spare　the　time？
  It　all　seems　to　mean　that　he　never　had　any　literary　celebrity；　there　or　elsewhere；　and　no　considerable　repute　as　actor　and　manager。
  Now　then；　I　am　away　along　in　lifemy　seventy…third　year　being　already　well　behind　meyet　SIXTEEN　of　my　Hannibal　schoolmates　are　still　alive　today；　and　can　telland　do　tell　inquirers　dozens　and　dozens　of　incidents　of　their　young　lives　and　mine　together；　things　that　happened　to　us　in　the　morning　of　life；　in　the　blossom　of　our　youth；　in　the　good　days；　the　dear　days；　〃the　days　when　we　went　gipsying；　a　long　time　ago。〃　　Most　of　them　creditable　to　me；　too。　　One　child　to　whom　I　paid　court　when　she　was　five　years　old　and　I　eight　still　lives　in　Hannibal；　and　she　visited　me　last　summer；　traversing　the　necessary　ten　or　twelve　hundred　miles　of　railroad　without　damage　to　her　patience　or　to　her　old…young　vigor。　　Another　little　lassie　to　whom　I　paid　attention　in　Hannibal　when　she　was　nine　years　old　and　I　the　same；　is　still　alivein　Londonand　hale　and　hearty；　just　as　I　am。　And　on　the　few　surviving　steamboatsthose　lingering　ghosts　and　remembrancers　of　great　fleets　that　plied　the　big　river　in　the　beginning　of　my　water…careerwhich　is　exactly　as　long　ago　as　the　whole　invoice　of　the　life…years　of　Shakespeare　numbersthere　are　still　findable　two　or　three　river…pilots　who　saw　me　do　creditable　things　in　those　ancient　days；　and　several　white…headed　engineers；　and　several　roustabouts　and　mates；　and　several　deck…hands　who　used　to　heave　the　lead　for　me　and　send　up　on　the　still　night　the　〃SixfeetSCANT！〃　that　made　me　shudder；　and　the　〃M…a…r…k　TWAIN！〃　that　took　the　shudder　away；　and　presently　the　darling　〃By　the　d…e…e…pFOUR！〃　that　lifted　me　to　heaven　for　joy。　＇1＇　　They　know　about　me；　and　can　tell。　　And　so　do　printers；　from　St。　Louis　to　New　York；　and　so　do　newspaper　reporters；　from　Nevada　to　San　Francisco。　　And　so　do　the　police。　　If　Shakespeare　had　really　been　celebrated；　like　me；　Stratford　could　have　told　things　about　him；　and　if　my　experience　goes　for　anything；　they'd　have　done　it。
  1。　　Four　fathomstwenty…four　feet。
  VII
  If　I　had　under　my　superintendence　a　controversy　appointed　to　decide　whether　Shakespeare　wrote　Shakespeare　or　not；　I　believe　I　would　place　before　the　debaters　only　the　one　question；　WAS　SHAKESPEARE　EVER　A　PRACTICING　LAWYER？　and　leave　everything　else　out。
  It　is　maintained　that　the　man　who　wrote　the　plays　was　not　merely　myriad…minded；　but　also　myriad…accomplished：　　that　he　not　only　knew　some　thousands　of　things　about　human　life　in　all　its　shades　and　grades；　and　about　the　hundred　arts　and　trades　and　crafts　and　professions　which　men　busy　themselves　in；　but　that　he　could　TALK　about　the　men　and　their　grades　and　trades　accurately；　making　no　mistakes。　　Maybe　it　is　so；　but　have　the　experts　spoken；　or　is　it　only　Tom；　Dick；　and　Harry？　　Does　the　exhibit　stand　upon　wide；　and　loose；　and　eloquent　generalizingwhich　is　not　evidence；　and　not　proofor　upon　details；　particulars；　statistics；　illustrations；　demonstrations？
  Experts　of　unchallengeable　authority　have　testified　definitely　as　to　only　one　of　Shakespeare's　multifarious　craft…　equipments；　so　far　as　my　recollections　of　Shakespeare…Bacon　talk　abide　with　mehis　law…equipment。　　I　do　not　remember　that　Wellington　or　Napoleon　ever　examined　Shakespeare's　battles　and　sieges　and　strategies；　and　then　decided　and　established　for　good　and　all　that　they　were　militarily　flawless；　I　do　not　remember　that　any　Nelson；　or　Drake；　or　Cook　ever　examined　his　seamanship　and　said　it　showed　profound　and　accurate　familiarity　with　that　art；　I　don't　remember　that　any　king　or　prince　or　duke　has　ever　testified　that　Shakespeare　was　letter…perfect　in　his　handling　of　royal　court…manners　and　the　talk　and　manners　of　aristocracies；　I　don't　remember　that　any　illustrious　Latinist　or　Grecian　or　Frenchman　or　Spaniard　or　Italian　has　proclaimed　him　a　past…master　in　those　languages；　I　don't　rememberwell；　I　don't　remember　that　there　is　TESTIMONYgreat　testimonyimposing　testimony　unanswerable　and　unattackable　testimony　as　to　any　of　Shakespeare's　hundred　specialties；　except　onethe　law。
  Other　things　change；　with　time；　and　the　student　cannot　trace　back　with　certainty　the　changes　that　various　trades　and　their　processes　and　technicalities　have　undergone　in　the　long　stretch　of　a　century　or　two　and　find　out　what　their　processes　and　technicalities　were　in　those　early　days；　but　with　the　law　it　is　different：　　it　is　mile…stoned　and　documented　all　the　way　back；　and　the　master　of　that　wonderful　trade；　that　complex　and　intricate　trade；　that　awe…compelling　trade；　has　competent　ways　of　knowing　whether　Shakespeare…law　is　good　law　or　not；　and　whether　his　law…court　procedure　is　correct　or　not；　and　whether　his　legal　shop…talk　is　the　shop…talk　of　a　veteran　practitioner　or　only　a　machine…made　counterfeit　of　it　gathered　from　books　and　from　occasional　loiterings　in　Westminster。
  Richard　H。　Dana　served　two　years　before　the　mast；　and　had　every　experience　that　falls　to　the　lot　of　the　sailor　before　the　mast　of　our　day。　　His　sailor…talk　flows　from　his　pen　with　the　sure　touch　and　the　ease　and　confidence　of　a　person　who　has　LIVED　what　he　is　talking　about；　not　gathered　it　from　books　and　random　listenings。　　Hear　him：
  Having　hove　short；　cast　off　the　gaskets；　and　made　the　bunt　of　each　sail　fast　by　the　jigger；　with　a　man　on　each　yard；　at　the　word　the　whole　canvas　of　the　ship　was　loosed；　and　with　the　greatest　rapidity　possible　everything　was　sheeted　home　and　hoisted　up；　the　anchor　tripped　and　cat…headed；　and　the　ship　under　headway。
  Again：
  The　royal　yards　were　all　crossed　at　once；　and　royals　and　sky…sails　set；　and；　as　we　had　the　wind　free；　the　booms　were　run　out；　and　all　were　aloft；　active　as　cats；　laying　out　on　the　yards　and　booms；　reeving　the　studding…sail　gear；　and　sail　after　sail　the　captain　piled　upon　her；　until　she　was　covered　with　canvas；　her　sails　looking　like　a　great　white　cloud　resting　upon　a　black　speck。
  Once　more。　　A　race　in　the　Pacific：
  Our　antagonist　was　in　her　best　trim。　　Being　clear　of　the　point；　the　breeze　became　stiff；　and　the　royal…masts　bent　under　our　sails；　but　we　would　not　take　them　in　until　we　saw　three　boys　spring　into　the　rigging　of　the　CALIFORNIA；　then　they　were　all　furled　at　once；　but　with　orders　to　our　boys　to　stay　aloft　at　the　top…gallant　mast…heads　and　loose　them　again　at　the　word。　　It　was　my　duty　to　furl　the　fore…royal；　and　while　standing　by　to　loose　it　again；　I　had　a　fine　view　of　the　scene。　　From　where　I　stood；　the　two　vessels　seemed　nothing　but　spars　and　sails；　while　their　narrow　decks；　far　below；　slanting　over　by　the　force　of　the　wind　aloft；　appeared　hardly　capable　of　supporting　the　great　fabrics　raised　upon　them。　　The　CALIFORNIA　was　to　windward　of　us；　and　had　every　advantage；　yet；　while　the　breeze　was　stiff　we　held　our　own。　As　soon　as　it　began　to　slacken　she　ranged　a　little　ahead；　and　the　order　was　given　to　loose　the　royals。　　In　an　instant　the　gaskets　were　off　and　the　bunt　dropped。　　〃Sheet　home　the　fore…royal！〃　〃Weather　sheet's　home！〃〃Lee　sheet's　home！〃〃Hoist　away；　sir！〃　is　bawled　from　aloft。　　〃Overhaul　your　clew…lines！〃　shouts　the　mate。　　〃Aye…aye；　sir；　all　clear！〃〃Taut　leech！　belay！　　Well　the　lee　brace；　haul　taut　to　windward！〃　and　the　royals　are　set。
  What　would　the　captain　of　any　sailing…vessel　of　our　time　say　to　that？　　He　would　say；　〃The　man　that　wrote　that　didn't　learn　his　trade　out　of　a　book；　he　has　BEEN　there！〃　　But　would　this　same　captain　be　competent　to　sit　in　judgment　upon　Shakespeare's　seamanshipconsidering