124 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2-4 S. VII. Feb. 12. '59. 



A Shdkspcare Autograph ? — The subjoined ac- 

 count of an autofjrapb, supposed to be that of the 

 poet, is extracted from the Manchester Guardian 

 of Monday, 10th January, 1859, where it occurs 

 in a notice of the objects exhibited at the last 

 meeting of " The Brotherhood," a literary and 

 antiquarian society of that city : — 



" A description was given of two autographs in a Bible, 

 purchased a few j-ears ago by Mr. William Sharp, of 

 Roman Place, Higher Broughton, of a man named James 

 Butterworlh, of Heywood. The first of the two auto- 

 graphs which give interest to the volume is ' William 

 Shakspere, 1614,' written on the blank, or verso, of the 

 title-page to the New Testament. The other is written 

 inside the end-back of the volume, and is ' Willm. Shah- 

 spere, off S. O. A. his Bible, 1613.' Of the few admit- 

 tedlj' authentic autograpli signatures of Shakspeare, these 

 most resemj)le that written in the copy of Florio's edition 

 of Montaigne's Essays. The next writing in date to these 

 is * John Fox off Warwick was the owners off this Bible, 

 Ano. Dom. 1633.' There is much writing in the book, 

 especially of births, baptisms, and deaths of two families 

 — of Bradshaws, of Bradshaw in this county [Lancashire] 

 1664—1681, and of Halls of Failsworth, 1727—1790, with 

 quotations from Scripture, verses of hymns, &c. The 

 title to the Old Testament is gone ; that to the New has 

 the imprint ' Imprinted at London, by Robert Barker, 

 printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty, 1611.' 

 The title-page to the metrical version of the Psalms, by 

 Sternhold and Hopkins, shows that this portion of the 

 volume was ' printed at Lond(ft, for the Compauv of 

 Stationers, 1612.' 



From the particulars which are given, it ap- 

 pears possible, perhaps I might even say probable, 

 that the Bible thus described was really in the 

 possession of the great dramatist ; but it will re- 

 main for the practised archaeologist to determine 

 by actual inspection and examination whether it 

 be genuine. Should the result of such examina- 

 tion be favourable, would it not be desirable that 

 such an interesting relic of one of England's 

 greatest names should be secured for some pro- 

 vincial city, in preference to depositing it in the 

 British Museum, where the concentration of all 

 that is valuable in arts and letters appears already 

 to have been carried to an extent which is incon- 

 venient and unwieldy ? Arterus. 



Dublin. 



" Baccare :'* "Soud! soud!" Was Shakspeare 

 ever in Italy ? — In the Taming of the Shrew, Act 

 II. Sc. 1., Gremio says to Petruchio : 



" Let us, that are poor petitioners, speak too : 

 Baccare ! you are marvellous forward." 



This word has generally been considered to 

 mean stand back, or go back ; but I think Shak- 

 speare would never have coined such a word, 

 especially as Gremio does not want Petruchio to 

 go away, but rather to stand still, and give them 

 an opportunity to speak. The Italians are very 

 fond of invoking Bacchus, a custom they no doubt 

 have derived from classical times. The old deity 

 furnishes them with materials for semi-oaths, or 



swearing, as Hotspur says, " like a comfit-maker's 

 wife ; " and you hear " body of Bacchus," " visage 

 of Bacchus," and sometimes even " nose of Bac- 

 chus," apostrophised with every variety of tone and 

 gesticulation. May it not be " Bacc' are," "altars 

 of Bacchus ? " The name of the town of Baccha- 

 rach on the Rhine is said to have been derived 

 from this phrase. 



In Act IV. Sc. 1., when Petruchio brings the 

 lady home, and is impatient for his supper, he 

 says : — 

 " Where are those . Sit down, Kate, and welcome. 



Soud, soud, soud, soud " 



This word seems to have baffled all the com- 

 mentators. Malone supposed it to be a word in- 

 vented to express weariness ; but Petruchio is 

 anything but weary, as we see in the sequel. Is 

 not the word the Italian " su," mispelt ? " Su, su, 

 sii," is " Up, up, be active," — a word you hear on 

 board ship, or anywhere where there is or ought to 

 be a bustle. I remember being much struck when I 

 first heard the phrase, and immediately thought of 

 this passage. He evidently means : " Where are 

 those idle loitering fellows ? Come ! up ! up ! with 

 you, bring up supper!" On board ship the 

 phrase " su ! sii ! " is equivalent to our " Come ! 

 tumble up, lads ! " 



I often think Shakspeare must have been in 

 Italy. He was evidently fond of travelling ; and 

 in the prime of his life must have been in easy 

 circumstances, and have had leisure to indulge his 

 curiosity. He seems to have understood the lan- 

 guage well, even better than French. He appears 

 to have been acquainted with the topography of 

 the country. There are none of the slips of the 

 pen as to Verona, Padua, Mantua, or Venice, that 

 there are when he writes of Bohemia, Illyria, or 

 Epidamnum. The character of the Italian gen- 

 tleman is so natural. He is difierent from Prince 

 Henry, Hotspur, Falconbridge, or the French 

 Biron, or Bertram. The manner of the servants, 

 too, towards their masters, and the way in which 

 they offer their adieus and mingle with the con- 

 versation is so very Italian. In short, there are 

 numerous undefinable traits of manners and cha- 

 racters that lead me to the conclusion that Shak- 

 speare must have travelled in Italy. A. A. 



Commentators on Shakspeare and Dante, Stee- 

 vens and Lombardi, a Parallel. — The comment of 

 the former on the passage of Shakspeare, " There 

 is a divinity that shapes our ends," &c. is too well- 

 known to need repetition in the pages of " N. & 

 Q." The parallel absurdity of Lombardi will, I 

 have no doubt, be new to many of your readers : — 

 " Mostrocci un' ombra dall' un canto sola, 

 Dicendo : colui fesse in grembo a Die 

 Lo cuor, che 'n su '1 Tamigi ancor si cola." 



Dante's Inferno, xii. 118. 

 "Nell' anno 1270 Guide, Conte di Monforte, nella citti 



