bail for a party," Thomas Tetherton comparuit per Willielmum Courte atturn. suum ad sect. Willielmi Tetherton in placito transgr. super casum querens narr. et deff. li. lo. Johannes Shaxpere, shumaker, m. pro deff.," and in the register of the corporation proceedings, no difficulty whatever is found in distinguishing between the two.* We have already had a curious instance of identifying with more than usual clearness, when Shakespeare's father was intended, in an entry quoted at p. 45. So many theories regarding the early life of Shakespeare have been founded on the alleged circumstances of his father, that the pains here taken to remove some of the doubts relating to the history of the latter, and to distinguish between him and his namesake, with more accuracy than has yet been accomplished, will be found of essential service in forming the most probable theory on the manner in which the poet's youth was passed. We are, unfortunately, without the means of attaining beyond a probability in this matter; for more than a century elapsed before any one committed to paper any intelligence on the subject, Shakespeare's contemporaries and immediate successors, who alone could have told much, passing away without suspecting how earnest would be the curiosity of posterity. About the year 1680, an inveterate gossip, who recorded every statement and anecdote that came in his way, and has, as * Malone is so very inaccurate in his interpretation of the regnal years, that it would almost seem he based his calculations on a wrong formula. The dates in the part of his work which relates to this Shakespeare are extremely erroneous. At a hall held on 29 March, 1582, the following entries were made: "A note of Mr. Okens money and to whom yt ys lent, and the names of theire sureties, and also of Bakers money. Bakers money; Thomes Fourde, shuemaker, in v.li. for 1.s. and Henrie Rogers, butcher, and John Shaxpere, shuemaker, his suerties. Okens money; John Fysher, shuemaker, in x.li. for v.li. and Humffrey Wheler and Humffrey Cowper, shuemakers, his suerties: Philippus Grene in x.li. for v.li. Henrie Rogers, butcher, and John Shaxpere, shuemaker, his suerties." Manuscripts at the Rolls House mention a John Shakespeare, a bit-maker in London in 1620 and 1621, and Thomas Shakspere, one of the Quenes Majesties messengers of the chamber," is alluded to in a paper dated 1571 in the same office. might be expected, left us a legacy of biographical history where the glimmerings of truth are scarcely visible from amidst the corrupted ground that overwhelms them, favoured Shakespeare by becoming his first biographer. In Aubrey's MSS. at the Ashmolean Museum, are contained the following curious memoranda, and however little they are deserving of credit, it is necessary the reader should be put in full possession of their contents. In this, as in every similar instance, instead of quoting a document by fragments, I shall insert it entire, and refer to it where necessary. A small part of Aubrey's narrative relates to Shakespeare's early life, but the reader will be enabled to judge much better of the value of the evidence by having it before him at once, than if I were merely to quote it as occasion served : Mr. William Shakespear was borne at Stratford upon Avon in the county of Warwick; his father was a butcher, and I have been told heretofore by some of the neighbours that when he was a boy he exercised his father's trade, but when he kill'd a calfe he would doe it in a high style, and make a speech. There was at that time another butcher's son in this towne, that was held not at all inferior to him for a naturall witt, his acquaintance and coetanean, but dyed young. This Wm., being inclined naturally to poetry and acting, came to London I guesse about 18, and was an actor at one of the play-houses, and did act exceedingly well. Now B. Johnson was never a good actor, but an excellent instructor. He began early to make essayes at dramatique poetry, which at that time was very lowe, and his playes tooke well. He was a handsome well shap't man, very good company, and of a very readie and pleasant smooth witt. The humour of . . . . . the cunstable, in Midsomer Night's Dreame, he happened to take at Grendon in Bucks, which is the roade from London to Stratford, and there was living that constable about 1642, when I first came to Oxon. I thinke it was Midsomer night that he happened to lye there. Mr. Jos. Howe is of that parish, and knew him. Ben: Johnson and he did gather humours of men dayly whereever they came. One time, as he was at the tavern at Stratford super Avon, one Combes, an old rich usurer, was to be buryed, he makes there this extemporary epitaph, Ten in the hundred the devill allowes, But Combes will have twelve he sweares and vowes; If any one askes who lies in this tombe, Hoh! quoth the devill, 'Tis my John o' Combe! He was wont to goe to his native countrey once a yeare. I thinke I have been told that he left 2 or 300 lib. per annum there and thereabout to a sister. I have heard Sir Wm. Davenant and Mr. Thomas Shadwell (who is counted the best comœdian we have now) say that he had a most prodigious witt (v. his Epitaph in Dugdale's Warw.), and did admire his naturall parts beyond all other dramaticall writers. He (Ben Johnsons Underwoods) was wont to say that he never blotted out a line in his life; sayd Ben Johnson, "I wish he had bloted out a thousand." His comœdies will remaine witt as long as the English tongue is understood, for that he handles mores hominum: now our present writers reflect so much upon particular persons and coxcombeities, that twenty yeares hence they will not be understood. Though, as Ben Johnson sayes of him that he had but little Latine and lesse Greek, he understode Latine pretty well, for he had been in his younger yeares a schoolmaster in the countrey. From Mr. Beeston. The authority of Mr. Beeston, which is here quoted, does not refer to the whole account, but only to the last paragraph, which seems to have been added after the other part of the manuscript had been written. This circumstance is of importance, and worth careful notice, for it explains in some measure the inconsistency in the two accounts of Shakespeare's having been a butcher and a schoolmaster in his youth. Aubrey put down the first story as he heard it, or as he thought he had heard it, and this Mr. Beeston told him some time afterwards the poet had occupied himself in scholastic duties. This of course is also noted down, and if Aubrey had been told a dozen more accounts, we should also have had them recorded in the same farrago of unsubstantial gossip. The only safe plan of dealing with a writer of this mischievous class is to read, be amused, then examine his inconsistencies, and believe nothing. Aubrey's narrative must be considered as exhibiting very indistinctly and imperfectly the floating Shakespearian traditions of his time, and little more. It is sufficiently evident the poet's father was not a butcher; but it is a "Anno This might be abundantly illustrated from Aubrey's works, e. g. 1670, not far from Cyrencester, was an apparition. Being demanded whether a good spirit or a bad, returned no answer, but disappeared with a curious perfume and most melodious twang."-Miscellanies, ed. 1696, p. 67. singular circumstance that the parish clerk of Stratford in 1693, then more than eighty years old, asserted that Shakespeare was bound apprentice to that trade.* This we have on unimpeachable authority, and it shows whence the first part of Aubrey's account was originally obtained. It shows more than this; for, however it may shock our fancy, it cannot be denied but that the best authority for the nature of the profession that Shakespeare was first engaged in exhibits him occupied under no poetic circumstances, unless killing a calf "in a high style" can be so interpreted. This authority was a native of Stratford, in a position that argues him likely to have been well informed, whose memory could most probably date back with accuracy from a time when the history of the case was well known. On April 10th, 1693, a person of the name of Dowdall addressed a small treatise in the form of a letter to Mr. Edward Southwell, endorsed by the latter "Description of severall places in Warwickshire," in which he gives the following account of Shakespeare, including information nowhere else to be met with:-t The first remarkable place in this County that I visitted was Stratford super Avon, where I saw the effigies of our English tragedian Mr. Shakspeare; parte of his epitaph I sent Mr. Lowther, and desired he would impart it to you, which I finde by his last letter he has done: but here I send you the whole inscription. Just under his Effigies in the wall of the chancell is this written. Judicio Pylum, genio Socratem, arte Maronem, Terra tegit, populus morett, Olympus habet. Stay, passenger, why goest thou by soe fast? Read, if thou canst, whome envious death hath plac't *Malone discovered a notice of Thomas Shakespeare, a butcher, living at Warwick in 1610, and it is barely possible the tradition may have originated from the trade of that person. The original manuscript is in my possession, and an account of it may be seen in Thorpe's Catalogue of MSS. for 1836, p. 395. It is of great curiosity as one of the earliest independent authorities for the life of Shakespeare. It was published in 8vo. 1838, under the title of 'Traditionary Anecdotes of Within this monument: Shakspeare, with whome Leaves liveing art but page to serve his witt. Obii A. Dni. 1616. Etat. 53, Die 23 Apr. Neare the wall where his monument is erected lyeth a plaine free stone, underneath which his bodie is buried with this epitaph, made by himselfe a little before his death. Good friend, for Jesus sake forbeare To digg the dust inclosed here! Blest be the man that spares these stones, The clarke that shew'd me this church is above 80 years old; he says that this Shakespear was formerly in this towne bound apprenti[c]e to a butcher, but that he run from his master to London, and there was received into the playhouse as a serviture, and by this meanes had an oppertunity to be what he afterwards prov'd. He was the best of his family, but the male line is extinguishd: not one for feare of the curse abovesaid dare touch his grave-stone, tho his wife and daughters did earnestly desire to be layd in the same grave with him. It was probably somewhere about the same period that Betterton the actor collected the biographical particulars on which Rowe founded his Life of Shakespeare in 1709, the latter informing us that "his veneration for the memory of Shakespeare engaged him to make a journey into Warwickshire on purpose to gather up what remains he could of a name for which he had so great a veneration." Rowe is altogether silent respecting the tradition above alluded to, but he gives a very intelligible account of Shakespeare's youth. "His father," he says, "who was a considerable dealer in wool, had so large a family, ten children in all, that though he was his eldest son, he could give him no better education than his own employment. He had bred him, it is true, for some time at a free-school, where, it is probable, he acquired what Latin he was master of; but Shakespeare; but as the orthography was modernized, and several lines omitted, besides many inaccuracies, I am well pleased to have the opportunity of giving a faithful copy of that portion of it which relates to our poet. |