One member of the company should leave the room, while those who remain
determine what celebrated author he is to represent.
On his return, he must in all respects be treated as that author
would be were he the guest of the evening. He must be entertained by
conversation and questions which would be of interest. Neither the
conversation nor the questions may be misleading, but on the contrary
helpful to the discovery of himself. He may be Shakespeare or Kirk
Monroe, or if a girl she may be Lucy Larcom or Mary E. Wilkins.
Suppose Shakespeare is the distinguished guest. Of course all polite
people would rise to receive him, and the hostess would offer him the
most comfortable chair; every one’s manner would indicate that they
were in the presence of greatness.
The conversation would naturally be of England and the changes that had
come to her within the last three hundred years. That the town in which
he was born had changed greatly; that the streets once so full of mud
and refuse were now not only clean and tidy but almost uncomfortable
with too great cleanliness and neatness. That the town owned a very
pretty theatre, ornamented with statues of heroes and heroines. That a
fine drinking fountain had lately been put there by a philanthropic
visitor from Philadelphia, now dead. That the townspeople had been
known to express their delight over the fact that he had been so
obliging as to be born there.
He might be asked how he liked Queen Elizabeth, and if it was true she
was as fond of him as had been expressed, and if so why didn’t he write
something In Memoriam of her?
If the company discovers that the person who is personating Shakespeare
is not able, after a few minutes of opportunity, to guess who he
is, they should then throw on more light, by either asking him more
prominent questions, or in connection with each other indicate more
clearly. Ask some such question as, How far was the Mermaid Tavern from
the home of John Milton? and, Did you meet Ben Jonson there? or did you
call for each other and go and dine together?
There is great difference of opinion as to the correct way to spell
your name. In the register which marks your birth, we noticed in
reading the surname, that the letter E was left out of the first
syllable. Do you put it in the last syllable, or is it out of that
also? Did the boys ever call you Bill? Isn’t Warwickshire beautiful?
What do you think of the river Avon? In what year did Bacon write
Hamlet?
Of course, by this time, the celebrated Author would be guessed and
some one else would leave the room, another Author be selected, and the
game proceed as before.