r the Poet's death.

for the most part, by Betterton the expressly for that ineteen years after actor before 1660," died in 1710. At own. It is to be erton's authorities certain, however, vere accessible in ad daughter, lived Eer, till 1670; and nad known Shakewhich Betterton

g was added till I most industrious Drought to light a n very important, in our own day with very great cess; though, unby him has been 1 whom there is lliwell has given o the same task, stock.

on the paternal his grandfather. ks of brave old n Warwickshire

KESPEARE, who 1552. He was age three miles akespeare living

there in 1550, and occupying a house and land owned by
Robert Arden, the maternal grandfather of our Poet. This
appears from a deed executed July 17, 1550, in which
Robert Arden conveyed certain lands and tenements in
Snitterfield, described as being "now in the tenure of one
Richard Shakespeare," to be held in trust for three daugh-
ters "after the death of Robert and Agnes Arden."

An entry in a Court Roll, dated April, 1552, ascertains
that John Shakespeare was living in Stratford at that
time. And an entry in the Bailiff's Court, dated June,
1556, describes him as "John Shakespeare, of Stratford in
the county of Warwick, glover." In 1558, the same John
Shakespeare, and four others, one of whom was Francis
Burbadge, then at the head of the corporation, were fined
four pence each "for not keeping their gutters clean."

There is ample proof that at this period his affairs were in a thriving condition. In October, 1556, he became the owner of two copyhold estates, one of them consisting of a house with a garden and a croft attached to it, the other of a house and garden. As these were estates of inheritance, the tenure was nearly equal to freehold; so that he must have been pretty well-to-do in the world at the time. For several years after, his circumstances continued to improve. Before 1558, he became the owner, by marriage, of a farm at Wilmecote, consisting of fifty-six acres, besides two houses and two gardens; moreover, he held, in right of his wife, a considerable share in a property at Snitterfield. Another addition to his property was made in 1575, - a freehold estate, bought for the sum of £40, and described as consisting of "two houses, two gardens, and two orchards, with their appurtenances."

Several other particulars have been discovered, which go to ascertain his wealth as compared with that of other Stratford citizens. In 1564, the year of the Poet's birth, a malignant fever, called the plague, invaded Stratford. Its hungriest period was from the last of June to the last of December, during which time it swept off two hundred and

thirty-eight persons out of a population of about four hundred. None of the Shakespeare family are found am its victims. Large draughts were made upon the char of the town on account of this frightful visitation. August, the citizens held a meeting in the open air, f fear of infection, and various sums were contributed for relief of the poor. The High-Bailiff gave 3 s. 4 d., the he alderman 2s. 8d.; John Shakespeare, being then onl burgess, gave 12 d.; and in the list of burgesses there w but two who gave more. Other donations were made the same cause, he bearing a proportionable share in the

We have seen that in June, 1556, John Shakespeare termed a glover. In November of the same year he found bringing an action against one of his neighbours unjustly detaining a quantity of barley; which natura infers him to have been more or less engaged in agric tural pursuits. It appears that at a later period agricultu was his main pursuit, if not his only one; for the to records show that in 1564 he was paid three shillings fo piece of timber; and we find him described in 1575 a "yeoman." Rowe gives a tradition of his having been considerable dealer in wool." It is nowise unlikely th such may have been the case. The modern divisions labour and trade were then little known and less regarde several kinds of business being often carried on togethe which are now kept distinct; and we have special pro that gloves and wool were apt to be united as articles (

I must next trace, briefly, the career of John Shakespea as a public officer in the Stratford corporation. After hol ing several minor offices, he was in 1558, and again in 155 chosen one of the four constables. In 1561, he was a se ond time made one of the four affeerors, whose duty it wa to determine the fines for such offences as had no penaltie prescribed by statute. The same year, 1561, he was chose one of the chamberlains of the borough, a very responsibl office, which he held two years. Advancing steadily in th

of about fourteen -y are found among upon the charities ful visitation. In the open air, from Contributed for the 3 s. 4 d., the headDeing then only a rgesses there were ons were made for ble share in them. Shakespeare was same year he is mis neighbours for ; which naturally ngaged in agriculperiod agriculture ne; for the town ree shillings for a cribed in 1575 as is having been "a ise unlikely that lern divisions of

nd less regarded; ried on together, ave special proof ted as articles of

ohn Shakespeare ion. After hold

ad again in 1559, 61, he was a sechose duty it was had no penalties 1, he was chosen very responsible g steadily in the

public confidence, he became an alderman in 1565; and in
1568 was elected Bailiff, the highest honour the corporation
could bestow. He held this office a year. The series of
local honours conferred upon him ended with his being
chosen head-alderman in 1571; which office also he held a
year. The rule being "once an alderman always an alder-
man," unless positive action were taken to the contrary,
he retained that office till 1586, when, for persevering non-
attendance at the meetings, he was deprived of his gown.
After all these marks of public consequence, the reader
may be surprised to learn that John Shakespeare, the father
of the world's greatest thinker and greatest poet, could not
write his name! Such was undoubtedly the fact; and I
take pleasure in noting it, as showing, what is too apt to be
forgotten in these bookish days, that men may know sev-
eral things, and may have witty children, without being
initiated in the mysteries of pen and ink. In the borough
records for 1565 is an order signed by nineteen aldermen
and burgesses, calling upon John Wheler to undertake the
office of Bailiff. Of these signers thirteen are markmen,
and among them are the names of George Whately, then
Bailiff, Roger Sadler, head-alderman, and John Shakespeare.
So that there was nothing remarkable in his not being able
to wield a pen. As Bailiff of Stratford, he was ex officio a
justice of the peace; and two warrants are extant, granted
by him in December, 1568, for the arrest of John Ball and
Richard Walcar on account of debts; both of them bear-
ing witness that "he had a mark to himself, like an honest,
plain-dealing man." Several other cases in point are met
with at later periods; some of which show that his wife
stood on the same footing with him in this respect. In
October, 1579, John and Mary Shakespeare executed a
deed and bond for the transfer of their interest in certain
property; both of which are subscribed with their several
marks, and sealed with their respective seals.

John Shakespeare's good fortune seems to have reached
its height about the year 1575, after which time we meet

MY OF MICHIGAN FIRRADIES

UNIVERSITY O

with many clear tokens of his decline. It is not in able that his affairs may have got embarrassed fro having too many irons in the fire. The registry c Court of Record, from 1555 to 1595, has a large nu of entries respecting him, which show him to have engaged in a great variety of transactions, and to hav more litigation on his hands than would now be the either creditable or safe. But, notwithstanding his de of fortune, we have proofs as late as 1592 that he still ret the confidence and esteem of his fellow-citizens. From time forward, his affairs were doubtless taken care of b who, as we shall see hereafter, was much interested n let them suffer, and also well able to keep them in good He was buried September 8, 1601; so that, supposing to have reached his majority when first heard of in 155 must have passed the age of threescore and ten.

On the maternal side, our Poet's lineage was of a hi rank, and may be traced further back. His mother MARY ARDEN, a name redolent of old poetry and roma The family of Arden was among the most ancient in wickshire. Their history, as given by Dugdale, spr over six centuries. Sir John Arden was squire of the l to Henry the Seventh; and he had a nephew, the son younger brother, who was page of the bedchamber to same monarch. These were at that time places of siderable service and responsibility; and both the uncle the nephew were liberally rewarded by their royal ma By conveyances dated in December, 1519, it appears Robert Arden then became the owner of houses and lan Snitterfield. Other purchases by him of lands and houses recorded from time to time. The Poet's maternal gra father, also named Robert, died in 1556. In his will, d November 24th, and proved December 17th, of that y he makes special bequests to his "youngest daughter Ma and also appoints her and another daughter, named A "full executors of this my last will and testament." the whole, it is evident enough that he was a man of g

RE.

e. It is not improb mbarrassed from his The registry of the has a large number him to have been ons, and to have had ald now be thought standing his decline that he still retained -citizens. From that taken care of by one eh interested not to them in good trim. that, supposing him heard of in 1552, he and ten. age was of a higher - His mother was

landed estate. Both he and Richard Shakespeare appear
to have been of that honest and substantial old English yeo-
manry, from whose better-than-royal stock and lineage the
great Poet of Nature might most fitly fetch his life and
being. Of the Poet's grandmother on either side we know
nothing whatever.

Mary Arden was the youngest of seven children, all of
them daughters. The exact time of her marriage is un-
certain, no registry of it having been found. She was not
married at the date of her father's will, November, 1556.
Joan, the first-born of John and Mary Shakespeare, was
baptized in the parish church of Stratford-on-Avon, Sep-
tember 15, 1558. We have seen that at this time John
Shakespeare was well established and thriving in business,
and was making good headway in the confidence of the
Stratfordians, being one of the constables of the borough.
On the 2d of December, 1562, while he was chamberlain,
his second child was christened Margaret. On the 26th of
April, 1564, was baptized "WILLIAM, son of John Shake-
speare." The birth is commonly thought to have taken
place on the 23d, it being then the usual custom to present
infants at the Font the third day after their birth; but we
have no certain information whether it was observed on
this august occasion. We have seen that throughout the
following Summer the destroyer was busy in Stratford,
making fearful spoil of her sons and daughters; but it
spared the babe on whose life hung the fate of English
literature. Other children were added to the family, to the
number of eight, several of them dying in the mean time.
On the 28th of September, 1571, soon after the father be-
came head-alderman, a fourth daughter was baptized Anne.
Hitherto the parish register has known him only as John
Shakespeare: in this case it designates him “Master Shake-
speare." Whether Master was a token of honour not ex-
tended to any thing under an ex-bailiff, does not appear;
but in all cases after this the name is written with that
significant prefix.

oetry and romance. st ancient in War - Dugdale, spreads squire of the body phew, the son of a bedchamber to the me places of conboth the uncle and their royal master. 19, it appears that houses and land in nds and houses are s maternal grandIn his will, dated 17th, of that year, t daughter Mary," ater, named Alice, testament." On as a man of good

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UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LUBRARIES