Shakespeare, his heires, executours, administratours, and assignes, and every of them, by theis presents hath bargayned and soulde, and by theis presents doth fullie cleerlie and absolutlie bargayne and sell unto the said William Shakespeare, William Johnson, John Jackson, and John Hemmyng, their heires and assignes for ever, all that dwelling house or tenement with thappurtenaunces situate and being within the precinct, circuit and compasse of the late Blackffryers, London, sometymes in the tenure of James Gardyner esquior, and since that in the tenure of John ffortescue gent. and now or late being in the tenure or occupacion of one William Ireland or of his assignee or assignes, abutting upon a streete leading downe to Pudle Wharffe on the East part, right against the Kinges Majesties Wardrobe; part of which said tenement is erected over a great gate leading to a capitall mesuage which sometyme was in the tenure of William Blackwell esquior deceased, and since that in the tenure or occupacion of the right Honorable Henry now Earle of Northumberland; and also all that plott of ground on the West side of the same tenement, which was lately inclosed with boordes on two sides thereof by Anne Bacon, widowe, soe farre and in such sorte as the same was inclosed by the said Anne Bacon, and not otherwise; and being on the thirde side inclosed with an olde brick wall; which said plott of ground was sometyme parcell and taken out of a great peece of voyde ground lately used for a garden; and also the soyle whereuppon the said tenement standeth, and also the said brick wall and boordes which doe inclose the said plott of ground; with free entrie, accesse, ingresse, egresse, and regresse, in by and through the said greate gate and yarde thereunto the usuall dore of the said tenement; and also all and singuler cellours, sollers, romes, lightes, easiamentes, profittes, commodities, and hereditamentes whatsoever, to the said dwelling house or tenement belonging or in any wise apperteyning; and the reversion and reversions whatsoever of all and singuler the premisses, and of every parcell thereof; and also all rentes and yearlie profittes whatsoever reserved and from hensforth to growe due and paiable upon whatsoever lease, dimise or graunt, leases, dimises, or grauntes, made of the premisses or of any parcell thereof; and also all the state, right, title, interest, propertie, use, possession, clayme, and demaunde whatsoever, which hee the said Henry Walker now hath, or of right may, might, should, or ought to have, of in or to the premisses or any parcell thereof; and also all and every the deedes, evidences, charters, escriptes, minimentes, and writinges whatsoever, which hee the said Henry Walker now hath, or any other person or persons to his use have or hath, or which hee may lawfullie come by without suite in the lawe, which touch or concerne the premisses onlie, or onlie any part or parcell thereof, togeither with the true coppies of all such deedes, evidences, and writinges as concerne the premisses (amounges other thinges), to bee written and taken out at the onlie costes and charges of the said William Shakespeare, his heires or assignes; which said dwelling house or tenement, and other the premisses above by theis presents mencioned to bee bargayned and soulde, the said Henry Walker late purchased and had to him, his heires and assignes, for ever, of Mathie Bacon of Graies Inne in the countie of Middlesex gentleman, by indenture bearing date the fifteenth

day of October in the yeare of our Lord God one thowsand six hundred and fower, and in the yeares of the reigne of our said sovereigne lord king James of his realmes of England ffraunce and Ireland the second, and of Scotland the eight and thirtith: To have and to holde the said dwelling house or tenement, shopps, cellours, sollers, plott of ground, and all and singuler other the premisses above by theis presentes mencioned to bee bargayned and soulde, and every part and parcell thereof, with thappurtenaunces, unto the said William Shakespeare, William Johnson, John Jackson, and John Hemmyng, their heires and assignes for ever, to thonlie and proper use and behoofe of the said William Shakespeare, William Johnson, John Jackson, and John Hemyng, their heires and assignes for ever. And the said Henry Walker, for himselfe, his heires, executours, administratours, and assignes, and for every of them, doth covenaunt, promisse and graunt to and with the said William Shakespeare, his heires and assignes, by theis presentes, in forme following, that is to saie, that hee the said Henry Walker, his heires, executours, administratours, or assignes, shall and will cleerlie acquite, exonerate, and discharge, or otherwise from tyme to tyme and at all tymes hereafter well and sufficientlie save and keepe harmles, the said William Shakespeare, his heires and assignes and every of them, of for and concernyng the bargayne and sale of the premisses, and the said bargayned premisses and every part and parcell thereof with thappurtenaunces, of and from all and al manner of former bargaynes, sales, guiftes, grauntes, leases, statutes, recognizaunces, joyntures, dowers, intailes, lymittacion and lymittacions of use and uses, extentes, judgmentes, execucions, annuities, and of and from all and every other charges, titles, and incumbraunces whatsoever, wittinglie and wilfullie had, made, committed, suffered, or donne by him the said Henrye Walker, or any other under his authoritie or right, before thensealing and deliverye of theis presents, except the rentes and services to the cheefe lord or lordes of the fee or fees of the premisses from hensforth, for or in respecte of his or their seigniorie or seigniories onlie to bee due and donne.* And further the saide Henry Walker, for himselfe, his heires, executours, and administratours, and for every of them, doth covenaunt promisse and graunt to and with the said William Shakespeare, his heires and assignes, by theis presentes in forme following, that is to saie, that for and notwithstanding any acte or thing donne by him the said Henry Walker to the contrarye, hee the said William Shakespeare, his heires and assignes, shall or lawfullie maye peaceablie and quietlie have, holde, occupie and enjoye the said dwelling house or tenement, cellours, sollers, and all and singuler other the premisses above by theis presentes mencioned to bee bargayned and soulde, and every part and parcell thereof with thappurtenaunces, and the rentes, yssues, and profittes thereof, and of every part and parcell thereof, to his and their owne use receave perceave take and enjoye from hensforth for ever without the lett, troble, eviccion or interrupcion of the said Henry Walker, his heires, executours or administratours or any of them, or of or by any other person or persons which have, or may before

*

A few lines in the original document have here been carefully erased.

the date hereof pretende to have, any lawfull estate, righte, title, use, or interest, in or to the premisses or any parcell thereof, by from or under him the said Henry Walker. And also that hee, the said Henry Walker, and his heires,

and all and every other person and persons and their heires, which have or that shall lawfullie and rightfullie have or clayme to have any lawfull and rightfull estate, right, title, or interest, in or to the premisses or any parcell thereof, by from or under the said Henry Walker, shall and will from tyme to tyme and at all tymes from hensforth, for and during the space of three yeares now next ensuing, at or upon the reasonable request and costes and charges in the lawe of the said William Shakespeare, his heires and assignes, doe make knowledge and suffer to bee donne made and knowledgede all and every such further lawfull and reasonable acte and actes, thing and thinges, devise and devises in the law whatsoever, for the conveying of the premises, bee it by deed or deedes inrolled or not inrolled, inrolment of theis presentes, fyne, feoffament, recoverye, release, confirmacion, or otherwise, with warrantie of the said Henry Walker and his heires against him the said Henry Walker and his heires onlie, or otherwise without warrantie, or by all any or as many of the wayes, meanes, and devises aforesaid, as by the said William Shakespeare, his heires or assignes, or his or their councell learned in the lawe shalbee reasonablie devised or advised, ffor the further, better, and more perfect assurance, suertie, suermaking and conveying of all and singuler the premisses, and every parcell thereof, with thappurtenaunces, unto the saide William Shakespeare, his heires and assignes, for ever, to th❜use and in forme aforesaid; And further that all and every fyne and fynes to bee levyed, recoveryes to bee suffered, estates and assurances at any tyme or tymes hereafter to bee had made, executed or passed by or betweene the said parties of the premisses, or of any parcell thereof, shalbee, and shalbee esteemed, adjudged, deemed, and taken to bee, to thonlie and proper use and behoofe of the said William Shakespeare, his heires and assignes, for ever, and to none other use, intent, or purpose. In witnesse whereof the said parties to theis indentures interchaungablie have sett their seales. Yeoven the day and yeares first above written.

Sealed and delivered by the said William Shakespeare, William Johnson, and John Jackson, in the presence of Will Atkinson.*

Ed. Overy.

Robert Andrewes Scr.

Henry Lawrence, servant to the same scr.

* This witness was clerk to the Brewer's Company, and Mr. Vines has confirmed the authenticity of this autograph by a reference to others attached to deeds executed about the same period. If the present document requires any

[Mortgage made by Shakespeare, 11 March, 1612-3.]

This Indenture made the eleventh day of March, in the yeares of the reigne of our Sovereigne Lorde James, by the grace of God, king of England, Scotland, Fraunce, and Ireland, defender of the Faith &c. that is to say, of England, Fraunce and Ireland the tenth, and of Scotland the six and fortieth, Between William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon in the countie of Warwick, gentleman, William Johnson, citizen and vintener of London, John Jackson, and John Hemyng of London, gentleman, of thone partie, and Henry Walker, citizen and minstrell of London, of thother partie: Witnesseth, that the said William Shakespeare, William Johnson, John Jackson, and John Hemyng, have demised, graunted and to ferme letten, and by theis presentes do demise, graunt, and to ferme lett unto the said Henry Walker, all that dwelling house or tenement, with thappurtenaunces, situate and being within the precinct, circuit and compasse of the late Black ffryers, London, sometymes in the tenure of James Gardyner, esquire, and since that in the tenure of John Fortescue, gent., and now or late being in the tenure or occupation of one William Ireland, or of his assignee or assignees, abutting upon a streete leading downe to Puddle Wharfe, on the East part, right against the Kings Majesties Wardrobe; part of which said tenement is erected over a greate gate leading to a capitall messuage, which sometyme was in the tenure of William Blackwell, esquire, deceased, and since that in the tenure or occupation of the right honourable Henry now Earle of Northumberlande: and also all that plott of ground on the West side of the said tenement, which was lately inclosed with boords on two sides thereof, by Anne Bacon, widow, so farre and in such sorte as the same was inclosed by the said Anne Bacon, and not otherwise, and being on the third side inclosed with an old brick wall; which said plott of ground was sometyme parcell and taken out of a great voyde peece of ground lately used for a garden; and also the soyle whereupon the said tenement standeth, and also the said brick wall and boords which doe inclose the said plott of ground, with free entrie, accesse, ingresse, and regresse, in, by, and through, the said great gate and yarde there, unto the usual dore of the said tenement, and also all and singular cellors, sollers, romes, lights, easiamentes, profittes, commodities, and appurtenaunces whatsoever to the said dwelling-house or tenement belonging or in any wise apperteyning to have and to holde the said dwelling-house or tenement, cellers, sollers, romes, plott of ground, and all and singular other the premisses above by theis presentes mentioned to bee demised, and every part and parcell thereof, with thappurtenaunces, unto the said Henry Walker, his executours, administratours, and assignes, from the feast of thannunciacion of the blessed Virgin Marye next coming after the date hereof, unto thende and terme of one

testimony to its genuineness, it may be as well to state that it may be seen enrolled word for word in the Close Rolls 11 Jac. I. 31 pars. at the Rolls Chapel,-" et memorandum quod undecimo die Marcii anno suprascript. præfat. Henricus Walker venit coram dicto domino rege in cancellar. sua, et recogn. indentur. prædict. ac omnia et singula in eadem content. et specificat. in forma supradicta."

hundred yeares from thence next ensuing, and fullie to be compleat and ended, withoute impeachment of or for any manner of waste: yelding and paying therefore yearlie during the said terme unto the said William Shakespeare, William Johnson, John Jackson, and John Hemyng, their heires and assignes, a pepper corne at the feast of Easter yearly, yf the same be lawfullie demaunded, and noe more; provided alwayes, that if the said William Shakespeare, his heires, executours, administratours, or assignes, or any of them, doe well and truelie paie or cause to be paid to the said Henry Walker, his executours, administratours or assignes, the sum of threescore pounds of lawfull money of England, in and upon the nyne and twentieth day of September next coming after the date hereof, at, or in, the nowe dwelling-house of the said Henry Walker, situate and being in the parish of Saint Martyn near Ludgate, of London, at one entier payment without delaie, that then and from thenesforth this presente lease, demise and graunt, and all and every matter and thing herein conteyned (other then this provisoe) shall cease, determine, and bee utterlie voyde, frustrate, and of none effect, as though the same had never beene had ne made, theis presentes or any thing therein conteyned to the contrary thereof in any wise notwithstanding. And the said William Shakespeare, for himselfe, his heires, executours, and administratours, and for every of them, doth covenaunt, promisse and graunt to and with the said Henry Walker, his executours, administratours, and assignes, and everie of them, by theis presentes, that he the said William Shakespeare, his heires, executours, administratours or assignes, shall and will clearlie acquite, exonerate, and discharge, or from tyme to tyme, and at all tymes hereafter, well and sufficientlie save and keepe harmless the said Henry Walker, his executours, administratours, and assignes, and every of them, and the said premisses by theis presentes demised, and every parcell thereof, with thappurtenaunces, of and from all and al manner of former and other bargaynes, sales, guiftes, grauntes, leases, jointures, dowers, intailes, statuts, recognizaunces, judgmentes, executions, and of and from all and every other charge, titles, troubles, and incumbrances whatsoever by the said William Shakespeare, William Johnson, John Jackson, and John Hemyng, or any of them, or by their or any of their meanes, had, made, committed or done, before thensealing and delivery of theis presentes, or hereafter before the said nyne and twentieth day of September next comming after the date hereof, to bee had, made, committed or done, except the rentes and services to the cheef lord or lords of the fee or fees of the premisses, for or in respect of his or their segnorie or seignories onlie, to bee due and done.

In witnesse whereof the said parties to theis indentures interchangeablie have sett their scales. Yeoven the day and years first above written.

Wm. Shakspere.

Wm. Johnson.

Jo. Jackson.

Ensealed and delivered by the said William Shakespeare, William Johnson, and John Jackson, in the presence of

Will. Atkinson.

Ed. Overy.

Robert Andrews scr.

Henry Lawrence, servant to the said scr.