15.—Anonymous Article in the _Birmingham Daily Gazette_, of December 17, 1880, headed “Excavations in the Church and Churchyard of Stratford-upon-Avon.” This repeats, on the authority of Washington Irving’s _Sketch Book_, the story recorded by Mr. Halliwell-Phillipps. It is an alarmist article, censuring the Vicar’s excavations, which were made indeed with a laudable purpose, but without the consent, or even the knowledge, of the Lay Impropriators of the Church. 16.—Anonymous Article in the Cincinnati _Commercial Gazette_, of May 26, 1883, headed “Shakspeare at Home,” where it is said “Nor should they [the antiquarians of England] rest until they have explored Shakspeare’s tomb. That this should be prevented by the doggerel engraved upon it, is unworthy of a scientific age. I have heard it suggested that if any documents were buried with Shakspeare, they would, by this time, have been destroyed by the moisture of the earth, but the grave is considerably above the level of the Avon, as I observed to-day, and even any traces connected with the form of the poet would be useful. His skull if still not turned to dust, should be preserved in the Royal College of Surgeons, as the apex of the climbing series of skeletons, from the microscopic to the divine.” 17.—INGLEBY, C. M., _Shakespeare’s Bones_, June, 1883, being the foregoing essay. * * * * * [Picture: Decorative graphic] * * * * * * * * * * Printed by ROBERT BIRBECK, Birmingham. FOOTNOTES {1a} The corrigenda has been applied to this eBook. For example, in the book this phrase is “and its ancient tombs” but is corrected in the corrigenda to “and our ancient tombs”. DP. {1b} See _The Times_, July 14 and August 8, 1881. {2} Jordan’s Meeting-house, near Chalfont St. Giles, Bucks. See _The Times_, July 20, 1881. {19} _The Life of Milton_. London: 1699. P. 149. {20} _Morning Chronicle_, March 18, 1799. {21a} See _Notes and Queries_, 1st S., xi, 496, and xii, 75. {21b} See _Notes and Queries_, 1st S., xi, 496, and xii, 75. {22} _An Account of what appeared on opening the Coffin of King Charles the First in the vault of Henry VIII_, _in_ [_the Tomb House_,] _St. George’s Chapel_, _Windsor_, _on the First of April_, _MDCCCXIII_. {23} It appears that the examiners omitted to utilize this unctuous mask for the purpose of taking a plaster cast: a default which, as we shall see, has been paralleled by those who conducted other examinations of the kind. {24} _Works of Robert Burns_: Bohn, 1842. {26} Prefatory Notice to Cunningham’s larger edition of Ben Jonson’s Works, pp. xviii-xx. For other examples, see _God’s Acre_, by Mrs. Stone, 1858, chapter xiv, and _Notes and Queries_, 6th S., vii, 161. {27a} 2nd S., viii, 354. {27b} _Ibid_, ix, 132.