SHAKESPEARE was the greatest of philosophers. He knew the conditions of success—of happiness—the relations that men sustain to each other, and the duties of all. He knew the tides and currents of the heart—the cliffs and caverns of the brain. He knew the weakness of the will, the sophistry of desire—and
"That pleasure and revenge have ears more deaf than
Adders to the voice of any true decision."
He knew that the soul lives in an invisible world—that flesh is but a mask, and that
"There is no art to find the mind's construction
In the face."
He knew that courage should be the servant of judgment, and that
"When valor preys on reason it eats the sword
It fights with."
He knew that man is never master of the event, that he is to some extent the sport or prey of the blind forces of the world, and that
"In the reproof of chance lies the true proof of men."
Feeling that the past is unchangeable, and that that which must happen is as much beyond control as though it had happened, he says:
"Let determined things to destiny
Hold unbewailed their way."