"Sweete Nedde, nowe wynne an other wager And Bentley beate, and conquer Knell, Thou still as macheles Ned shall shine! 66 Hart, the actor, was He died in 1683, and Charles Hart was here His will is in the Prero P. 148. It has generally been supposed that Charles descended from Shakespeare, but such is not the fact. was buried at Stanmore, Aug. the 20th, 1683, Mr. interred according to the act for burying in woolin." gative Office. P. 154. "Old Mr. Bowman the player reported from Sir William Bishop that some part of Sir John Falstaff's character was drawn from a townsman of Stratford, who either faithlessly broke a contract, or spitefully refused to part with some land for a valuable consideration adjoining to Shakspeare's in or near that town."-Oldys MSS. P. 162. The following curious order, dated Jan. 21st, 1618-9, alludes to the complaint made against the Blackfriars Theatre in 1596. It is preserved in the archives of the city of London. "Item, this day was exhibited to this Court a peticion by the constables and other officers and inhabitantes within the precinct of Blackfryers, London, therein declaring that in November, 1596, divers honorable persons and others, then inhabiting in the said precinct, made knowne to the Lordes and others of the Privy Councell what inconveniences were likely to fall upon them by a common playhowse then preparing to be erected there, and that their honors then forbad the use of the said howse for playes, and in June, 1600, made certaine orders by which, for many weightie reasons therein expressed, it is limitted there should be only two playhowses tolerated, whereof the one to be on the Banckside, and the other in or neare Golding Lane, exempting thereby the Blackfryers; and that a lettre was then directed from their Lordships to the Lord Maior and Justices, strictly requiringe of them to see those orders putt in execucion, and so to be continued: And nowe, forasmuch as the said inhabitantes of the Blackfryers have in their said peticion complayned to this court, that, contrarie to the said Lordes orders, the owner of the said playehowse within the Black fryers, under the name of a private howse, hath converted the same to a publique playhowse, unto which there is daily so great resort of people, and soe great multitudes of coaches, whereof many are hackney coaches, bringing people of all sortes, that sometimes all their streetes cannot conteyne them, that they endanger one the other, breake downe stalles, throw downe mens goodes from their shopps, hinder the passage of the inhabitantes there to and from their howses, lett the bringing in of their necessary provisions, that the tradesmen and shoppkeepers cannot utter their wares, nor the passengers goe to the common water staires without danger of their lives and lyms, whereby manye times quarrells and effusion of blood hath followed, and the minister and people disturbed at the administracion of the Sacrament of baptisme, and publique prayers in the afternoones; whereupon, and after reading the said order and lettre of the Lordes shewed forth in this court by the foresaid inhabitantes, and consideracion thereof taken, this court doth thinke fitt and soe order that the said playhowse be suppressed, and that the players shall from henceforth forbeare and desist from playing in that howse, in respect of the manifold abuses and disorders complayned of as aforesaid." P. 165. In the plan, B. is a house adjoining New Place belonging to the Corporation; C. house in which Julius Shawe formerly lived; D. two freehold messuages; E. a freehold messuage and garden. P. 209. It has been stated that Shakespeare was in London in October, 1603, on the strength of a letter printed in Mr. Collier's Memoirs of Alleyn, p. 63, but having carefully examined the original, I am convinced it has been misread. The following is now all that remains of a postscript to the letter from Mrs. Allen to her husband, dated October 20th, 1603. The portion of this before the words and inquire is at the bottom of the first page, which is much torn, so that a few words only can be traced, but these are quite sufficient to show that Mr. Collier's interpretation cannot be correct. "Aboute a weeke agoe ther Mr. Frauncis Chalo have bought things for cominge without I would have I bene sur s man S M: token e a youthe who said he was Id have borrow.d x.. to t hym d and inquire after the fellow, and said he had lent hym a horse. I feare me he gulled hym, thoughe he gulled not us. The youthe was a prety youthe, and hansom in appayrell: we know not what became of hym. Mr. Bromffeild commendes hym; he was heare yesterdaye. Nicke and Jeames be well, and commend them: so dothe Mr. Cooke and his weife in the kyndest sorte, and so once more in the hartiest manner farwell. Your faithfull and lovinge weife, JOANE ALLEYNE." P. 218. The following is a copy of the letter at Dulwich College here alluded to: "After our hartie to your Lo. Wheras the Kings Majesties plaiers have given highnes good service in ther quallitie of playinge, and for as moch lickewise as they are at all times to be emploed in that service, whensoever they shalbe comaunded, We thinke it therfore fitt, the time of Lent being now past, that your L. doe permitt and suffer the three companies of plaiers to the King, Queene, and Prince, publicklie to exercise ther plaies in their severall usuall howses for that purpose, and noe other, vz. the Globe scituate in Maiden Lane on the Banckside in the countie of Surrey, the Fortun in Goldinge Lane, and the Curtaine in Hollywelle, in the cowntie of Midlesex, without any lett or interrupption in respect of any former lettres of prohibition heertofore written by us to your Lop. except ther shall happen weeklie to die of the plague above the number of thirtie within the cittie of London and the liberties therof, att which time wee thinke itt fitt they shall cease and forbeare any further publicklie to playe untill the sicknes be again decreaced to the saide number. And so we bid your Lo. hartilie farewell. ffrom the court at Whitehalle, the ix.th of Aprille, 1604. To our verie good L. the Lord Maior of the cittie of London, and to the Justices of the Peace of the counties of Midlesex and Surrey. Your very loving ffrends, Nottingham. Gill Shrowsberie. Ed. Worster. W. Knowles. J. Stanhopp." On this document the following memorandum is written in another hand, perhaps by Allen : Ks. Comp. Burbidge. P. 227. Two copies of the following document are preserved at Dulwich College. The one here used is endorsed, "1609. The estate of the poores booke the 8. of Aprill, ffor the Clinke." "A breif noat taken out of the poores booke, contayning the names of all thenhabitantes of this Liberty which arre rated and assesed to a weekely paimt towardes the relief of the poore. As it standes now encreased, this 60 day of Aprill 1609. Delivered up to Phillip Henslowe esquior, churchwarden, by Francis Carter, one of the late Ovreseers of the same Liberty. Phillip Henslowe esquior assesed at weekely Ed. Alleyn assesed at weekely The Ladye Buckley, weeklye Mr. Cole Mr. Lee Mrs. Cannon Mrs. White Mr. Langwoorthe Mr. Binfeild Mr. Corden Mr. Chauncye vj.d. vj.d. iiij.d. iiij.d. iiij.d. Mr. Griffin Mr. Toppin ij.d. ij.d. Mr. Cevis ij.d. Mrs. Sparrowhauke Mr. Mason Mr. Watfoord Mr. Badger Mr. Heynes P. 273. It is worthy of remark that the Halls inhabited New Place after the death of the poet. Bylles mad to be sealed by moneys to be payd, 3 Februarii, 1617. Mr. Baker, xl.li. to Mr. Hall at Newplace. Mr. Wolner, x.li. to me at Mr. Halles at Newplace. In the Books of Composition for not taking the order of knighthood at the coronation of King Charles I. 1630-2, at the Rolls House, occur the following entries: William Combe of Old Stratford, 26 0 0 Johannes Hall de Burgo Stratford super Avon gen. 10 0 0. P. 278. All the witnesses to the will were neighbours of Shakespeare, and are frequently mentioned in the records of the corporation. Julius Shaw was a near neighbour, and his house, as it now appears, is represented at p. 170. P. 297. The very curious allusion to Shakespeare in the 'Return from Parnassus,' 1606, proves how highly he was in favour with his contemporaries. Kempe is made to say, "Few of the university pen plays well; they smell too much of that writer Ovid, and that writer Metamorphosis, and talk too much of Proserpina and Juppiter. Why, here's our fellow Shakespeare puts them all down; ay, and Ben Jonson too. O, that Ben Jonson is a pestilent fellow; he brought up Horace giving the poets a pill, but our fellow Shakespeare hath given him a purge that made him bewray his credit." P. 298. The following curious anecdote occurs in 'Jocabella, or a Cabinet of Conceits,' 1640, 12mo. "One asked another what Shakespeare's workes were worth, all being bound together: hee answered, not a farthing. Not worth a farthing, said he; why so? He answered that his playes were worth a great deale of money, but he never heard that his workes were worth any thing at all." See Collier's Farther Particulars, 1839, p. 7. P. 298. Shakespeare had many friends. Anthony Scoloker, in his Daiphantus, 4to. 1604, speaks of his "friendly Shakespeare's tragedies." Wood, ii. 155, 576, mentions Thomas Freeman and George Chapman as esteemed and admired by the poet. Augustine Phillips, in his will dated May, 1605, gives "to my fellowe, William Shakespeare, a thirty shillings peece in gould." P. 298. It may be just worth while to make the following extract from a rare jest-book as evidence of the early period at which Stratford on Avon became celebrated as the birthplace of Shakespeare. "One travelling through Stratford upon Avon, a towne most remarkeable for the birth of famous William Shakespeare, and walking in the church to doe his devotion, espied a thing there worthy observation, which was a tombestone laid more than three hundred yeeres agoe, on which was engraven an epitaph to this purpose, I Thomas such a one, and Elizabeth my wife here under lie buried, and know, reader, I R. C. and I Christoph. Q. are alive at this howre to witnesse it."-A Banquet of Jests or Change of Cheare, 12mo. Lond. 1639. |