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                    THE MENTOR 1916.06.01, No. 108,
                         Shakespeare’s Country

                            LEARN ONE THING
                               EVERY DAY

                    JUNE 1 1916      SERIAL NO. 108

                                  THE
                                MENTOR

                             SHAKESPEARE’S
                                COUNTRY

                           By WILLIAM WINTER
                            Poet and Critic

                   DEPARTMENT OF            VOLUME 4
                   TRAVEL                   NUMBER 8

                         FIFTEEN CENTS A COPY




Stratford Impressions


It is the everlasting glory of Stratford-upon-Avon that it was
the birthplace of Shakespeare. Situated in the heart of beautiful
Warwickshire, it nestles cosily in an atmosphere of tranquil
loveliness, and it is surrounded by everything that gentle rural
scenery can provide to soothe the mind and to nurture contentment. It
stands upon a plain, almost in the center of England, through which,
between low green hills that roll away on either side, the Avon flows,
in many capricious windings, to the Severn, and so to the sea.

The golden glory of the setting sun burns on the gray spire of
Stratford church, and on the ancient graveyard below,--wherein
the mossy stones lean this way and that, in sweet and orderly
confusion,--and on the peaceful avenue of limes, and on the burnished
water of silver Avon. The tall, pointed, many- windows of the
church glint in the evening light. A cool, fragrant wind is stirring
the branches and the grass. The songbirds, calling to their mates or
sporting in the wanton pleasure of their airy life, are circling over
the church roof or hiding in little crevices of its walls. On the
vacant meadows across the river stretch away the long, level shadows of
the stately elms.

It is an accepted tradition in Stratford-upon-Avon that the bell of the
Guild Chapel was tolled on the occasion of the death and also of the
funeral of Shakespeare.

    Sweet bell of Stratford, tolling slow,
    In summer gloaming’s golden glow,
    I hear and feel thy voice divine,
    And all my soul responds to thine.

    As now I hear thee, even so
    My Shakespeare heard thee, long ago,
    When lone by Avon’s pensive stream
    He wandered in his haunted dream.

From “Shakespeare’s England,” by William Winter




[Illustration: WARWICK CASTLE, WARWICK]




Shakespeare’s Country

WARWICK CASTLE

Monograph Number One in The Mentor Reading Course


No one should come abruptly upon Stratford, the home of Shakespeare, as
Mr. Winter says. It is wiser and pleasanter to approach it gradually
by way of Warwick and Kenilworth. Both these castles have a place in
Shakespeare’s plays, and it is well worth while for the visitor to see
them.

Warwick is a quaint old town. Its population is about 12,000, and it
lies on a hill rising from the river Avon. Far back in antiquity it was
a settlement of the Britons, and, afterward, it was occupied by the
Romans. Its present name is of Saxon origin. Many of the houses retain
their medieval appearance; and in fact two of the old gates of the town
are still standing.

The prevailing quality of the town of Warwick is a sweet, solemn peace.
The people live there as in a gentle dream of repose. The little rows
of cottages breathe contentment; ivy embowers them, and roses cluster
about their windows.

The Church of St. Mary at Warwick as it now stands was rebuilt after
a fire in 1694. The Lord Leicester Hospital was established by Robert
Dudley, Earl of Leicester, in 1571. He founded it for the reception of
twelve poor men. This building contains several interesting relics, one
of which is a Saxon chair said to be a thousand years old; and another
is a piece of needle-work by Amy Robsart, the heroine of Sir Walter
Scott’s novel, “Kenilworth.”

On a commanding position overlooking the Avon rises Warwick Castle,
the ancient and stately home of the Earls of Warwick. This castle is
one of the finest and most picturesque feudal residences in England.
It probably dates from Saxon times; but the oldest part now standing
is the tall Cæsar’s Tower, 147 feet high, which was probably built
soon after the Norman conquest. In 1871 a great fire almost completely
destroyed the castle; but it was restored in the old style. The most
important event in the history of the building was its successful
defence by the Parliamentarians during the Civil War in England.

The interior of the castle contains an interesting collection of
paintings, old armor, and other curiosities.