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for searching only. - SHAKSPERE'S HISTORY 577
know the chief source of Shakspere's information, as in the Roman plays, our assumption that this was the sole source has been very unwise and wholly unwarranted. Human beings are not constructed that way and it still seems probable that Shakspere was a human being.
Such evidence as we have, therefore, makes it likely that Shakspere knew something of the writings of Caesar, but does not indicate whether the knowledge was in detail or whether it was derived directly from either the original or the translations. At least one story of Livy Shakspere knew from the original. Most likely one of his items of information is derived eventually from Florus. Certainly this knowledge is not remarkable for a "learned grammarian." The Livy indicates that Shakspere had once such command over one Latin passage as a "learned grammarian" was supposed to have acquired. He may well have acquired this much knowledge of the historians in grammar school. He ought to have acquired at least this much there. But we have not yet made the proper analyses to determine the extent of his knowledge in this branch of study.
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