If any persons be found to dispute the fact that the reply "No"
to the question "Art thou learned?" meant in Queen Elizabeth's day "I
cannot read one line of print" such persons must be totally unacquainted
with Law literature.[9]
The play "As You Like it" confirms Ben Jonson's characterisation of
Shakespeare being "an essential clowne." Next let us turn to Ratsei's
_Ghost_ (see p. 49), which, as Mr. Sidney Lee, in his "Life of William
Shakespeare," p. 159, 1898 ed., confesses, refers to Shakespeare. Ratsei
advises the young actor to copy Shakespeare, "and to feed upon all men,
to let none feede upon thee" (meaning Shakespeare was a cruel usurer).
As we shew, page 53, Grant White says: "The pursuit of an impoverished
man for the sake of imprisoning him and depriving him both of the power
of paying his debts and supporting himself and his family, is an
incident in Shakespeare's life which it requires the utmost allowance
and consideration for the practice of the time and country to enable us
to contemplate with equanimity--satisfaction is impossible."
Ratsei continues, "Let thy hand be a stranger to thy pocket" [like the
miser, Shakespeare], "thy hart slow to perform thy tongues promise"
[like the lying rascal Shakespeare], "and when thou feelest thy purse
well lined, buy thee a place of lordship in the country" [as Shakespeare
had bought New Place, Stratford] "that, growing weary of playing, thy
mony may there bring thee to dignitie and reputation" [as Shakespeare
obtained a coat of arms], "then thou needest care for no man, nor not
for them that before made thee prowd with speaking their words upon the
stage.
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