Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1875, by CLAXTON, REMSEN & HAFFELFINGER, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 91843 J. FAGAN & SON, PHILADELPHIA. SH great sources from whence mankind have realized more of the truths of religion, and of the laws by which men and nations are governed, than all others combined. The Bible is the word of God, hence it is a divine revelation, and those who do not consider it in that light, view it only as an historical work, and live and die as men do without a belief of the great future. The Bible needs no champion; it is the light that shines into the soul, as the sun shines upon the earth, vivifying all beneath its influence, and should either withdraw its radiance, both recipients would suffer. Shakespeare has given us a vast amount of intellectual wealth - he is quoted at the bar, the rostrum, and the pulpit- his original thoughts and ideas have become familiar to us through the medium of the stage, but many of his bright and beautiful gems have shone for ages in different forms in that sacred volume, which contains the revelations of God, the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. How much Shakespeare was indebted to the Bible for many of his most beautiful passages, and how beneath his hand the gems of old were set and to what extent he made use of his knowledge to aid him in the production of plays, it is our purpose to show. anew, Perhaps there are no other works extant that more closely follow that great stream of truth and knowledge, which flows through the pages of the Bible, than those of Shakespeare. As an evidence of which, we quote the following, as one of the most striking illustrations of our subject which is to be found in history: "The Bible and Shakespeare," said one of the best and most esteemed prelates that ever sat upon the English bench-Dr. John Sharp, in the reign of Queen Anne -"The Bible and Shakespeare have made me Archbishop of York.” "This book BIBLE. this holy book, on every line |