much later, in 1700, and the St. Petersburg Academy was first
established in 1725 by Catherine I, widow of Peter the Great. One
society, the Academia Secretorum Naturæ of Naples, goes back to 1560,
and the Accademia dei Lincei of Prince Federico Cesi was founded at
Rome in 1603. But of these Shakespeare could have known little or
nothing.

That the poet knew, more or less vaguely, of America as a source of
precious stones, as were the Indies, comes out in the farcical lines
from _The Comedy of Errors_ (Act iii, sc. 2), when one of the
Dromios, in locating the various lands of the world on parts of his
mistress's body, to the query of Antipholus: "Where America, the
Indies?" replies: "Oh, sir, upon her nose, all o'er embellished with
rubies, carbuncles, sapphires". This is the only mention of America
in the plays.

A coincidence having its own significance is that April 23, the day of
Shakespeare's death and also his birthday, was the day dedicated to
St. George, the patron saint of Merry England. The war-cry of England
is given several times by Shakespeare, as, for example:


Cry, God for Harry, England and Saint George!
_Henry V_, Act iii, sc. 1.
First Folio, "Histories", p. 77, col. B, line 51.
God and Saint George! Richmond and Victory!
_Richard III_, Act v, sc. 3.
First Folio, "Histories", p. 203, col. A, line 31.