Entered at the Post-office at New York, N. Y., as second-class matter. Copyright, 1916, by The Mentor Association, Inc.
The Shakespeare[1] Country, Warwickshire, is situated nearly in the center of England, and the birthplace of Shakespeare, Stratford-upon-Avon, is situated in the southern part of Warwickshire. A pleasant way in which to enter the Shakespeare Country is to travel by rail from London to Warwick, and then drive from Warwick to Stratford. There are two roads for the drive, one twelve miles long, the other eight. Both are agreeable; but the longer is the better, because more can be seen by the way. The traveler is wise who lodges for a few days at Warwick, in order to visit Warwick Castle, St. Mary’s Church, the ancient Gates, and the hospital for twelve aged men founded in 1571 by Queen Elizabeth’s favorite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (the scene of Hawthorne’s singular posthumous romance, “Dr. Grimshawe’s Secret”), and incidentally to make excursions northward to Kenilworth and Coventry.
[1] There are 4,000 variations in the spelling of the name “Shakespeare.” An entire book has been made up on the subject.
CLOPTON BRIDGE, STRATFORD
All those places, in themselves interesting, are associated with the Shakespeare Story, and a view of them gradually imparts to the observer’s mind a sympathetic comprehension of the environment in which Shakespeare was born and reared. The face of the country has, of course, been changed since his time, because little villages, fine villas, fertile farms, spacious parks, and blooming meadows now exist where once there was a woodland called the Forest of Arden (the indubitable forest, memories of which colored Shakespeare’s fancy when he wrote “As You Like It”), extending for many miles northward and westward from a point near Stratford and along the river Avon. Some things survive, however, which can be seen much as the poet saw them more than 300 years ago.
KENILWORTH AND WARWICK
THE MILL, GUY’S CLIFF NEAR WARWICK
The name is derived from Guy, Earl of Warwick, who once lived as a hermit, in a cave below the house, and was buried there