The good is oft interred with their bones ...
At school I never really appreciated William Shakespeare. But, as one of my exam subjects was English literature, I had to study some of his works. The quote above, by Mark Anthony from Julius Caesar, has always stuck in my mind - as there is often an element of truth in this.
I'll leave Shakespeare's works to those who enjoy him. The theme today is coincidences (for a change!) but lighthearted ones.
William Shakespeare, often said to be England's greatest playwright, was born on the 23rd of April 1564, which just happens to also be the English Patron Saint's Day on the 23rd of April - St.George, that is.
But, as Shakespeare was special, he also left this mortal coil on the 23rd of April in 1616. Oh, and 'mortal coil' comes from Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Some wonder if Shakespeare knew he was about to pop his clogs as he made out his Last Will and Testament on the 25th of March 1616, 30 days prior to his death.
There is quite a well known coincidence between the Bible and William Shakespeare.
The King James Bible was published in 1610 when the bard was 46 years old. If we take the aforementioned book and go to Psalm 46 and count the 46th word from the beginning this will be 'shake' - 'though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.'
If we then count 46 words from the end of Psalm 46 the word is spear - 'and cutteth the spear in sunder'.
Put the two words together and we have ..... (no need to send in the answer!)
But there's more, though this is maybe stretching things a little.
As I said, William was 46 in 1610. So if we add 4+6 and we get 10.
Staying with Psalm 46 go to verse 10 (because 4+6=10 or because it's year 10) it says: 'Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted in the earth.'
Okay, now count in 6 words and we get I am, count another 4 words and we get will. Rearrange these chosen words and, yes, we now have William.
So ... was there an 'in' joke going on by the translators and William Shakespeare? Guess it's no less likely than a lot of the other conspiracy stories on the Internet. A long time ago (40+ years) the London Times supposedly reported that 'the insertion of Shakespeare's name was a tribute to him, and a 46th birthday present, by some of the translators, who knew his work and might have known him personally.'
This post was first published on 67 Not Out
More Coincidence Stories:
Date On Her Boyfriends Baby Photo Was Her Birthday
Titanic Coincidence Stories
The Routine Coincidence - But Maybe We Get What We Deserve
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