NINTH DAY: MONDAY.

The weather, so long fine, began to show signs of change. Rain fell heavily on Sunday night, but despite this unpropitious appearance the news of the pageant, which had got abroad, had so roused the country people that they crowded in thousands to Stratford-upon-Avon. Every train brought hundreds, whilst vehicles of all shapes and designs poured laden with visitors into the town. Mr. Ginnett had arrived with his circus. A number of other parties were engaged for impersonation of characters in the pageant, and the whole strength of the company, having mustered about ten o'clock, were arranged and marshalled in about an hour afterwards.

By this time it had pleased the aërial potentates to grant fair weather to the people's festival, and amid the crashing of martial music the procession started from "Ginnett's Grand National Pavilion," near the Unicorn Hotel. The streets at the time were crowded to inconvenience; the flags still floated and glittered from the house tops and windows, and the pageant presented no such ridiculous appearance as may have been supposed by those who only read descriptions of it. Of course there is always in the best of such displays something to laugh at, and the cynic, like the jealous, makes the meat he feeds on; but those who are best acquainted with the getting up of such spectacles are well aware that however absurd they may appear to the grave or sour, the true philosopher knows they amuse the people, and make lasting impressions on their memories and feelings.

Having set out from the Unicorn, the pageant, arranged according to the programme above quoted, passed up Bridge Street, and along Henley Street to the birth-place of Shakespeare, "where solemn and appropriate Shakespearian music" by Dr. Arne was played. It then passed round the corner of the Old Post Office, along the Guild Pits, Union Street, High Street, Chapel Street, Church Street, Bull Lane, Sanctus Street, College Street, Old Town, Bree Street, Rother Street, Ely Street, Sheep

Street, Upper Water Side, the left side of Bridge Street, Wood Street, Rother Street, Windsor Street, Guild Street, Tyler Street, Payton Street, Warwick Road, and so back to the "National Pavilion."

Some of the characters were very fairly represented— the dresses were good, and considering the short time at the disposal of the Committee, their labours were meritorious, and must have been useful to their fellow tradesmen by the crowds which they attracted to Stratford. A funny incident occurred as the procession passed through the town.

Mad

Tom, in " Lear, was personated by a very clever Irish

ballad singer, who happened to be amongst the illustrious strangers in Stratford at the period in question. He was representing the character admirably, when one of the police force who doubtless thought the part ought to be sustained with "all the nice conduct of a clouded cane went up to him and cautioned him to "keep step," and refrain from his disorderly deportment in the ranks!

At two o'clock there was a concert at the great pavilion, and a performance at Ginnett's pavilion. The latter, a very large and beautiful tent, was attended by some fifteen hundred spectators. The band of the Royal Scots Greys attracted a good audience at the Committee's pavilion, and several fantasias on the flute by Master J. C. Arlidge elicited loud applause. There was a ball in the evening which was well attended.

TENTH DAY: TUESDAY.

The weather remained steadily fine. The procession again passed through the town by the route above named. As on the previous day the streets were crowded. Indeed, it was said that a greater number of people visited Stratford on these two days than had been present during the whole week before. Equestrian and other performances and entertainments amused the people. The balloon had proved a failure. Gas in sufficient quantity could not be obtained to inflate it, and it had to be taken down, packed up and carried back to London. In the evening the tragedy

of "Othello" was played to a very large audience in the pavilion. The principal characters were cast as follows:

Old Stratford to-day began to resume something of her wonted quietude. The flags and banners had coiled themselves round their staves, as if weary of the fluttering and flapping they had had for nearly a fortnight. People talked of the tercentenary celebration as over at last, but there was still a concluding and very respectable performance to take place.

66

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

was played at the pavilion this evening.

Benedick

Don Pedro .

Claudio.

Leonato.

Dogberry

Verges

Mr. CRESWICK.

Mr. JAMES BENNETT.

Mr. HERMANN VEZIN.

Mr. NANTON.

Mr. VOLLAIRE.

Mr. WARBOYS.

Prices of Admission to these performances were-Lower Tier and Pit, One Shilling; Upper Tier, Two Shillings; Reserved Seats and Area Stalls, Three Shillings. The doors opened at Six o'clock, the curtain rose at Seven precisely. Excursion Trains ran on the Great Western, and London and North Western Railways from Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and Worcester.

For these performances the ladies and gentlemen were engaged professionally, the gratuitous services being confined to the first week. Entrusted to the management of Mr. Creswick, it is needless to say the "mounting" of the plays on the last three evenings was as perfect as possible under the circumstances, or that the characters in which he appeared were sustained in a manner worthy of the position he occupies. Mr. Bennett's Iago and Shylock have been long favourably known in the provinces; and in the present state of the profession, Mrs. Young can scarcely be said to have a rival. Amongst the other members of the company several well known names bear their own commendations, so that these concluding entertainments, as may be readily supposed, elicited as much applause and proved fully as successful as any of their predecessors during the celebration.

THE FINALE.

With the fall of the curtain over the fourth act of the "Merchant of Venice," the Shakespeare tercentenary celebration terminated. The event of the year 1864 in Stratford was fortunate in many respects. It was favoured with glorious weather; it was a splendid, a peaceful, and most orderly demonstration-a petty squabble implicating but one individual, being the only case during the entire festival calling for magisterial enquiry. But the festival was specially blessed in this, that of the many thousands engaged as promoters or patrons of it not one sustained the slightest personal injury. No widow or orphan associates his or her bereavement with this joyful occasion.

The magnitude of the conception and the indomitable energy with which, despite hindrances and irritating disappointments, the great undertaking was carried out, are

worthy of high and abiding commendation. Stratford-uponAvon has certainly earned for itself the lasting admiration of the country, for never did any town of its size and resources plan and realise so grand a festival. Some clever discerning people beheld in the speculative eye of the Stratfordians nothing throughout the business but selfaggrandisement; others charitably thought they were all mad! But these legitimate descendants of the old gentleman who "hung out in a tub," never felt a throb of pure patriotism, and never were gifted with the power of appreciating "the genius of our isle," or they would have known that no jubilee, however stupendous or magnificent, could adequately honour the memory of the man whose works will live when those of kings, emperors, poets, philosophers, and heroes have faded away like the mirage of the desert. His works, I am thankful to say, are growing more popular daily; and one great result of the late celebration will be to increase the number of their readers, and, let me hope, the patrons also of the theatres at which they shall be worthily performed. For my own part, my knowledge of them is but limited and superficial. There is employment for the leisure of my life in reading and studying them, and at last I shall probably feel with Newton, " I have only been playing with pebbles on the strand, whilst before me lay the unexplored ocean." But from what I do know of his works, I can say with all due reverence, blessed be God for Shakespeare.

In subjoining a list of the contributors to the late festival and the ulterior objects contemplated, I regret that I have not been able to attach the Committee's balance sheet, although I have detained the issue of this book in hopes of being able to do so. In the meantime, rumours have got abroad that there will be a serious deficit in the exchequer, arising, in some measure, from unexpected demands on the part of those eminent artistes who were announced as giving their services gratuitously on the occasion. I am not aware of a case of the kind, nor do I think any has occurred-save one, arising out of a supposed slight or want of appreciation on the part of the Committee,