same word in a similar position and with the same contrac tion in a rent-roll of the College of Stratford, 34 Hen. VIII, still preserved in the archives in the council chamber, "Johannes Purs glover pro duobus ten. per annum vj.s. viij.d." It is thus established, on the best possible evidence, that John Shakespeare, the father of the poet, was a glover in the year 1556.* He was, however, engaged in other occupations even at this period, for on November 19th, in the same year, we find him bringing an action against Henry Fyld, for unjustly detaining a quantity of barley. In the chamberlain's accounts for 1564, the following entry occurs: Item, payd to Shakspeyr for a pec tymbur, iij. s.” These circumstances lead directly to the conclusion that John Shakespeare was occupied in agricultural pursuits, and in 1579 he seems to have been entirely engaged in them; for in a deed executed in that year he is styled "Johannes Shackspere I am quite at a loss to discover on what evidence Mr. Harness founds the singular assertion that there were innumerable John Shakespeares at Stratford in 1556, for there is no entry whatever to be discovered in the Corporation books or church register, showing even two John Shakespeares of that town at so early a period. The shoemaker of that name is not mentioned till many years afterwards, and the reader will find in a subsequent part of this volume how impossible it is that this celebrated entry could have applied to him. и свой говорио tr de Stratford uppon Avon in comitatu Warwici yoman.” We may now return to Rowe's statement that he was a considerable dealer in wool" without being accused of violating the probabilities of the case. It was by no means unusual for a burgess of Stratford, in Shakespeare's time, to deal in gloves and wool. In "the trwe inventory of the goodes of Joyce Hobday, late of Stratford upon Avon in the county of Warwycke, wydowe, decessed, taken the 3. day of Apriell, 1602," we have the following entries in the list of debts: George Shacleton oweth for woll, xxiiij.s. John Edwards oweth for ij. pere of gloves, viij.d.* And why should not John Shakespeare have dealt in the commodity which we are told "is the flower and strength, the revenue and bloud of England; a bond uniting the people into societies and fraternities for their own utility; the milk and honey of the grasier, and countreyman; the gold and spices of the West and East India to the merchant and citizen; in a word, the exchequer of wealth, and scepter of protection to them all as well at home as abroad, and therefore of full merit to be had in perpetual remembrance, defence, and encouragement."+ The ancient records of Stratford are so voluminous that we may conclude with tolerable safety the establishment of the Shakespeares in that town did not take place before the middle of the sixteenth century, from the fact of the name not occurring in the archives of the borough previously to that period. The old subsidy rolls do not give us any information respecting them, and the earliest notice of the * There is another copy of this inventory which gives these entries rather more fully: xxiiij.s. iiij.s. viij.d. Inp. George Shacleton oweth me for woll Shakespeare family at Stratford-on-Avon was found by Mr. Hunter* in a Court Roll dated April 29th, 1552, preserved in the Carlton Ride Record Office: Stratford Visus franci plegii cum cur. illustrissimi principis Domini Edwardi S Burgus. Sexti, Dei gratia Angliæ, Franciæ, et Hiberniæ, regis, Fidei defensoris, et in terra ecclesiæ Anglicanæ et Hibernicæ supremi capitis, ibidem tent. xxix die Aprilis anno regni sui sexto. Item, [juratores] present. super sacramentum suum quod Humfrudus Reynoldes (xij.d.) Adrianus Quyney (xij.d.) et Johannes Shakyspere (xij.d.) fecerunt sterquinarium in vico vocato Hendley Strete contra ordinationem curiæ. Ideo ipsi in misericordia, ut patet. We thus find Shakespeare's father living in the very street in which the poet's birthplace is still traditionally pointed out as early as the year 1552. Henley street even in these days is not particularly to be recommended for its beauty or general effect, but at this time John Shakespeare was not the only inhabitant who offended against the local bye-laws, by permitting the accumulation of filth in the public road. It was a very common offence, and one of those most frequently visited by fines in the Stratford court. In 1558, John Shakespeare was fined four pence for not keeping his gutters clean,-" Francis Berbage, master baly that now ys, Adreane Quyny, Mr. Hall, Mr. Clopton, for the gutter alonge the chappell in Chappell Lane, John Shakspeyr, for not kepynge of their gutters cleane, they stand amerced." The following orders made at a court held in 1553, exhibit in a very curious manner the state of Stratford at that time, and illustrate the notices of John Shakespeare in the extracts just given. * New Illustrations, vol. i. p. 18. Mr. Hunter has not given the extract so fully as I think its curiosity deserves; neither has he stated the repository of the original document, for which I had an unsuccessful search at Stratford, and only found after a variety of inquiries. Stratford. Cur. viij.to die Octobr: primo a. Marie primo. The xij. men do present that Adrean Quyny, William Rosar, Frauncis Arbadge, Thomas Samwell, and John Pyrre, for ther dogges goynge at lardge and not moseled, they ar amersyd in vj.d. apece, and that no person from hensffurthe dwellynge within the toune of Stratford suffer hys or ther dogges beynge bandogges in the day tyme to go abrod unmoselyd, and in the nyght to kep them in ther houssez in peyne of forfetynge vj.s. viij.d. every offendar. Item, that all and everyche officer and other persones from hensffurthe be obeydyent unto the hye beyly in peyn of every offender to forfet and losse for every defallt xx.s. and that no persone be so hardy to revell or rebell ageynst eny offecer in lyke peyn, and to have iij. days and iij. nyghtes ponyshement in the opon stox. Item, that no ynhabytaunte dwellynge within this lyberty from hensfurthe receve nor have eny ynmak but only suche persones as shalbe apwntyd and admyttyd by the hy beyly constabull and other thoffeceres and the xij. men, in peyne of every offendor forfet and losse for every offence xx s. and ther bodyez to remayne in the open stokes iij. day and iij. nyghtes, and that no housholdar receve eny straunger nor to lodge eny by nyght without a specyall lycence of the hye beyly in lyke peyne. Item, that no jurneyman prentes nor eny maner servaunt be forthe of ther or his master hous by the nyght after the our of nyne by the clok in peyne of iij. days and iij. nyghtes ponyshement in the open stokes, and to forfet and pay xx.s. and that no mane receve eny suche person so offendynge in lyke peyne. Item, that no man have hys or ther shyp goynge or pasturynge in the bancroft over and above on oure in a day in peyn of every offendor to forfet and losse for every falt xij.d. only excepte straungeres for ther bayt, and that no man have eny swyne goynge ther unryngyd in lyke peyne. Item, that no persone from hensfurthe do dyge eny gravell in Tyncar Lane within viij. footes of the hye way, in peyne of forfetynge for every offence iij.s. iiij.d. Item, that every tenaunt in Chapell lane or Ded lane do scour and kep cleane ther gutteres or dyches in the same lane befor thassencyon day, and so from thensfurthe from tyme to tyme to kepe the same in peyn of every offender to forfet for every deffalt iij.s. iiij.d. and that every tenaunt do ryd the soyelles in the stretes of logges and blokes ther lyenge and beynge to the noysaunce of the kynges leage people by the same day in lyke peyne. Item, that Henry Sydnall (xx.d) for havynge and kepynge onlauffull bowlynge in hys baksyed he standes amersyd, and that the same Henry Sydnall from hensfurthe have no more bowlynge nor receve nor have eny jurneymen nor menservauntes unlaufully in hys hous in peyn of xx.s. and that he amove hys kydfyn which lyethe over the chapell wall gardyn befor thassencyon day and set the same kydfyn at the least a yard from the wall in lyke peyne. Item, that no toune dwellar excepte he be a comen bacar bak eny bred to syll furthe of his hous in peyn of xx.S. Item, that the hye beyly that now ys four tymez in the yere do ryd and make cleane his mukhyll and the same honestly be kept in peyn of xx.s. and that no other mukhylles be mayntayned kept nor made within the toune but only thos that be appwntyd in lyke peyne. Item, that the bochares from hensfurth do carry furthe ther garbage after the our of ix. by the clok in the afternone, and non to be leyed within the toune nother on nor in the dunghylles nor other places, in peyn of every offendor to forfet and losse xx.s. Item, that all bacares bakynge bred for to syll shall syll iiij. loves for a penny ij. loves a penny, a loffe for a penny, and bultyd with a lauffull bulter and syez to be kepte in peyn of every offendor to forfet and losse for every defalt xx.s. Item, that all brwares that shall brwe ale to syll shall syll new ale under the hear syve for ij.d. the galon, and xij. galons to the doson and ij.d. ob. staell, ij. galons of small drynke for a penny good and wholsum in peyn of every offendor to forfet for every defalt xx.s. and that no brwar syll ale furthe by the pot nor set out eny alestak in lyke peyne, and that no person nor persones presume to be a vyttelar or a typlar but only thos that are or shalbe admyttyd or appwyntyd by the kynges justice or offecers in lyke payne of xx.S. Item, that John Henshawe befor thassencyone day do pyche and set the mound bytwen hys ground and Whelares, and he do suffer Whelar to have and enjoy the elme at thupper end of the same mound, in peyn of xx.s. and further that John Henshaw do suffer the kynges tenaunt to set and have the mound bytwen the kynges ground and hys ground within on wyk next after the court in lyke peyne. Item, that no jorneyman craftesman or prentes weyr eny weypon, that ys to say sword, dager, or other weypone, within the toune, uppon peyn of forfetynge the same weypon to be taken from hyme by an offecer, and yf he resyst the offecer then to be ponyshed in the opon stokes by the space of on day and a nyght. It appears from a deed dated 20th April, 1 and 2 Phil. et Mar. 1555, that John Shakespeare was not then a member of the Corporation of Stratford, and Malone alludes to a document which proves he had not attained that distinction on Michaelmas day, 1557. He was certainly chosen a burgess very shortly after this latter date. On April 30, 1557, he was marked one of the jury of the Court Leet, but not sworn, his name being crossed out in the original record ; and he was on a similar jury on September 30th, 1558. In 1557, he was chosen an ale-taster, "an officer appointed in every Court Leet, and sworn to look to the assize and goodness of bread and ale, or beer, within the precincts of |