title-page. The Stratford effigy and this engraving are the only unquestionably authentic representations of the living Shakespeare that are known to exist, not one of the numerous others, for which claims to the distinction have been advanced, having an evidential pedigree of a satisfactory character. But in like manner as there have arisen in these days critics who, dispensing altogether with the old contemporary evidences, can enter so perfectly into all the vicissitudes of Shakespeare's intellectual temperament that they can authoritatively identify at a glance every line that he did write, and, with equal precision, every sentence that he did not ;-even so there are others to whom a picture's history is not of the slightest moment, their reflective instinct enabling them, without effort or investigation, to recognise in an old curiosity shop the dramatic visage that belonged to the author of Hamlet. Lowlier votaries can only bow their heads in silence,

THE LATER THEATRES.

The following are copies of documents which relate to the Blackfriars and Globe Theatres, the establishments with which the great dramatist was specially connected in the later period of his metropolitan career.

I. Deed of Feoffment from Sir William More of Loseley, co. Surrey, to James Burbage, 4 February, 1596, conveying to the latter that portion of a large house in Blackfriars which was afterwards converted by him into a theatre.

This indenture made the fourth daye of Februarie, in the eighte and thirtyth yeare of the raigne of our Soveraigne lady Elizabeth, by the grace of God Queene of Englande, Fraunce and Irelande, Defendor of the Fayth, &c., betwene Sir William More of Loseley in the county of Surrey, knight, of thone partye, and James Burbage of Hollowell in the countye of Middlesex, gentleman, of thother partye, Witnesseth that the said Sir William More, for and in consideracyon of the some of sixe hundreth poundes of lawfull money of England to him by the said James Burbage at and before thensealinge of theis presentes truelye payd, whereof and wherewith he, the said Sir William More, dothe acknowledge and confesse himselfe fully satysfied and paid, and thereof and of every parte thereof doth cleirely acquite and discharge the said James Burbage, his heyres, executors and administrators, and every of them, by theis presentes hath bargayned, sold, alyened, enfeoffed and confirmed, and by theis presentes doth fully and cleirelye bargaine, sell, alyen, enfeoffe and confirme to the said James Burbage, his heires and assignes, for ever, all those seaven greate upper romes as they are nowe devided, beinge all uppon one flower and sometyme beinge one greate and entire rome, with the roufe over the same covered with lead; together also with all the lead that doth cover the same seaven greate upper roemes, and also all the stone stayres leadinge upp unto the leades or roufe over the said seaven greate upper romes out of the said seaven greate upper romes; and also all the greate stone walles and other walles which doe enclose, devide and belonge to, the same seaven greate upper romes; and also all that greate payre of wyndinge stayres, with the stayre-case thereunto belongeinge, which leadeth upp unto the same seaven greate upper romes out of the greate yarde there which doth lye nexte unto the Pype Office; which said seaven greate upper romes were late in the teanure or occupacyon of William de Lawne, Doctor of Phisick, or of his assignes, and are scituate, lyeinge and beinge within the prescincte of the late Blackfryers Preachers nere Ludgate in London; together also with all the waynescott, glasse, dores, lockes, keyes and boltes to the same seaven greate upper romes and other the premisses by theis presentes bargayned and sold incident or apperteyninge, or beinge fixed or fastened thereunto; togeather also with the easemente and commoditie of a vaulte beinge under some parte of the sayde seaven greate upper romes, or under the entrye or voyde rome lyeinge betwene those seaven greate upper romes and the sayde Pipe Office, by a stole and tonnell to be made into the same vault in and out of the greate stone wall in the ynner side thereof next and adjoyneinge to the said entry or voide rome, beinge towardes the south; and alsoe all those romes and lodginges, with the kitchin thereunto adjoyninge, called the Midle Romes or Midle Stories, late beinge in the tenure or occupacion of Rocco Bonnetto, and nowe beinge in the tenure or occupacyon of Thomas Bruskett, gentleman, or of his assignes, conteyninge in length fyftic twoo foote

of assize more or lesse, and in bredith thirtie seaven foote of assize more or lesse, lyeing and beinge directlye under parte of those of the sayd seaven greate upper romes which lye westwardes; which said Mydle Romes or Mydle Stories doe extende in length southwardes to a parte of the house of Sir George Cary, knight; and also all the stone walles and other walles which doe enclose, devide and belonge to, the same Midle Romes or Midle Stories, together alsoe with the dore and entrey which doe lye nexte unto the gate entringe into the house of the said Sir George Cary, and used to and from the said Midle Romes or Midle Stories out of a lane or waye leadinge unto the house of the sayd Sir George Cary, with free waye, ingres, egres and regres, into and from the said Midle Romes or Midle Stories in, by and through the waies nowe used to the said house of the said Sir George Cary; and also all those twoo vaultes or sellers late beinge in thoccupacyon of the said Rocco Bonnetto, lyeinge under parte of the said Midle Romes or Midle Stories at the north end thereof, as they are nowe devided, and are nowe in the teanure or occupacion of the said Thomas Bruskett and of John Favor, and are adjoyneinge to the twoo lytle yardes nowe in thoccupacyons of Peter Johnson and of the sayd John Favor, together also with the stayres leadinge into the same vaultes or cellers out of the foresaid kitchen in thoccupacyon of the said Thomas Bruskett; and also all those two upper romes or chambers with a lyttle butterey at the north end of the said seaven greate upper romes and on the weste side thereof, nowe being in thoccupacyon of Charles Bradshawe, together with the voyd rome, waye and passage, nowe thereunto used from the said seaven greate upper romes; and also all those twoo romes or loftes now in thoccupacion of Edward Merry, thone of them lyeinge and beinge above or over the said two upper romes or chambers in thoccupacion of the said Charles Bradshawe, and on thest and north parte thereof, and havinge a chimney in it, and thother of them lieinge over parte of the foresaid entrey or voyde rome next the foresaid Pipe Office, together with the stayres leadinge from the foresaid romes in thoccupacion of the foresaid Charles Bradshawe upp unto the foresaid two romes in thoccupacyon of the said Edward Merry; and also all that lytle rome now used to laye woode and coles in, being aboute the midle of the said stayers westwardes, which said litle rome laste mencyoned is over the foresaid buttrey nowe in thoccupacyon of the sayd Charles Bradshawe, and is now in thoccupacyon of the said Charles Bradshawe; and also all that rome or garrett lyeinge and beinge over the said twoo romes or loftes laste before mencyoned in thoccupacyon of the said Edward Merry, together with the dore, entrye, void grounde, waye and passage and stayres leadinge or used to, with or from the said romes in thoccupacyon of the said Edward Merry up unto the said rome or garrett over the said twoo romes in thoccupacyon of the said Edward Merrie; and also all those twoo lower romes, now in thoccupacyon of the said Peter Johnson, lyinge directlye under parte of the said seaven greate upper romes; and also all those twoo other lower romes or chambers nowe beinge also in the tenure or occupacion of the said Peter Johnson, being under the foresaid romes or chambers in thoccupacyon of the said Charles Bradshawe; and also the dore, entry, waye, voyd grounde and passage leadinge and used to and from the said greate yard next the said Pipe Office into and from the said fouer lower romes or chambers; and also all that litle yard adjoyneinge to the said lower romes as the same is nowe enclosed with a bricke wall, and nowe beinge in thoccupacyon of the said Peter Johnson, which said foure lower romes or chambers and litle yard doe lye betwene the said greate yard nexte the sayd Pipe Office on the north parte, and an entery leadinge into the messuage which Margaret Pooley, widdow, holdeth for terme of her lyefe, nowe in the occupacyon of the said John Favor, on the west parte, and a wall devidinge the said yard now in thoccupacyon of the said Peter Johnson and the yard nowe in thoccupacion of the said John Favor on the south parte; and also the stayres and staire-case leadinge from the said litle yard nowe in thoccupacyon of the sayde Peter Johnson up unto the foresaid chambers or romes nowe in thoccupacyon of the said Charles Bradshawe; and alsoe all that litle yard or peice of void grounde,

with the bricke wall thereunto belongeinge, lyeinge and beinge nexte the Queenes highewaye leadinge unto the ryver of Thamis, wherein an old privy nowe standeth, as the same is nowe enclosed with the same bricke wall and with a pale, next adjoyneinge to the house of the said Sir William More, nowe in thoccupacyon of the right honorable the Lord Cobham, on the east parte, and the streete leadinge to the Thamys there on the west parte, and the said yarde nexte the said Pipe Office on the south parte, and the house of the saide Lorde Cobham on the north parte,-All which premisses before in theis presentes mencyoned to be hereby hargayned and sold are scituate, lyeinge and beinge, within the saide prescincte of the said late Blackfryers Preachers; together also with all libertyes, priveledges, lightes, watercourses, easementes, commodities and appurtenaunces to the foresaid romes, lodginges and other the premisses before in theis presentes mencyoned to be hereby bargained and sold belongeinge or in any wyse apperteyninge. And also the sayd Sir William More, for the consyderacyon aforesayd, hath bargayned, sold, alyened, enfeoffed and confirmed, and by theis presentes doth bargayne, sell, alyen, enfeoffe and confirme unto the said James Burbage, his heires and assignes for ever, free and quiett ingres, egres and regres, to and from the streete or waye leadeing from Ludgate unto the Thamys over, uppon and thoroughe, the same greate yarde next the said Pipe Office by the wayes nowe thereunto used into and from the sayde seaven greate upper romes, and all other the premisses before in and by theis presentes mencyoned to be bargayned and sold, and to and from every or any parte or parcell thereof, together alsoe with free libertye for the said James Burbage, his heires and assignes, to laye and discharge his and their wood, cole and all other carriages, necessaries and provisions, in the same greate yarde laste before mencyoned for conveniente tyme, untill the same maye be taken and carried awaie from thence unto the premisses before by theis presentes mencyoned to be bargayned and sold, and so from tyme to tyme and at all tymes hereafter the sayd James Burbage, his heyres and assignes, leavinge convenyent waies and passages to goe and come in, uppon and throughe, the said greate yarde from tyme to tyme to and from the said Pipe Office, and to and from the garden and other houses and romes of the said Sir William More not hereby bargayned and sold out of the streete leadeinge to the said ryver of Thamys, so that the said wood, cole, carriages and provisyons so layed and discharged in the said yarde last mencyoned by the said James, his heyres or assignes, be removed and avoided out of and from the said yarde within three dayes next after it shal be broughte thither, without fraude or further delaye. And further, the said Sir William More, for the consideracion aforesaid, doth by theis presentes graunte, bargayne and sell, unto the said James Burbage, his heyres and assignes, for ever, the revercyon and revercyons, remainder and remainders, of all and singuler the premisses before by theis presentes mencyoned to be heareby bargained and sold, and every parte and parcell thereof, excepte and reserved unto the said Sir William More, his heyres and assignes, one rome or stole as the same is now made in and out of the foresaide wall nexte the said entrey adjoyneinge to the said Pipe Office into the foresaid vault. All which said seaven greate upper romes, and all other the premisses with thappurtenaunces above by theis presentes mencyoned to be bargayned and sold, amonge others Sir Thomas Cawarden, knighte, deceased, late had to him, his heyres and assignes, for ever, of the guifte and graunte of the late Kinge of famous memorie Edwarde the Sixte, late Kinge of England, as in and by his letters Patentes under the Greate Seale of Englande, beareinge date at Westminster the twelveth daye of Marche, in the fourth yeare of his raigne, more at lardge appeareth; and all which said premisses above by theis presentes mencyoned to be bargayned and sold, the said Sir Thomas Cawarden, in and by his last will and testamente in writing, beareinge date in the daye of St. Barthilmew the appostle in the yeare of our Lord God, 1559, amonges other thinges dyd will and declare his intente to be that his executors, with the consente of his overseers. should have full