PAGE 37. Julius Shaw's house, Stratford 38. Autograph of Thomas Quiney, Shakespeare's son-in-law 39. Seal and autograph of Richard Quiney 170 174 178 40. Direction of letter addressed to Shakespeare 179 41. Carved bas-relief formerly at the Boar's Head tavern 192 46. Docket of action brought by Shakespeare for malt sold in 1604 208 63. Writing supposed to be in the autograph of Shakespeare 283 From the original MS in the possession of the Earl of Ellesmere. at Sundrie hynod His other hath to name William Wakefears and Kay are both of one counted and indodde allmost of one towne both are right fanson's, families Coung both marned and of good reputation) as rooll at orphemes of fans of their wad follows. You HS Pogia vera THERE are few subjects in the whole range of English literature presenting greater opportunities for a variety of discursive criticism than are offered to the writer of a Life of SHAKESPEARE; so numerous, indeed, that if he accepted them all in their full extent, no one in these days of condensed learning would reasonably be expected to do justice to the labours of the biographer. Genealogical details, obscure allusions, identities, disputed readings, chronological arguments, and other matters of a like kind, some of great interest, others palpably uninstructive, afford, each in its turn, subjects for dispute which have been argued by editors writing with an especial object, and generally biassed in their consideration of evidence, to an extent altogether unnecessary; for, omitting all controversy not absolutely required by the documents on which our knowledge of the Life is established, the materials which have now been unfolded to us are sufficiently extensive to render their arrangement and discussion a formidable labour in comparison with what would be necessary to perform a similar office for contemporary poets. It is quite a fallacy in these days to repeat the extravagant dictum of Steevens, or complain how little we are acquainted with William Shakespeare's worldly career and character. We should, on the contrary, be thankful we know more of him than we do of Spenser or of many others, the history of whose lives would probably be so interesting and valuable; and most grateful for the singularly unexpected discoveries of modern times dispelling so much of the darkness and clouds that rested on his personal history. If, bearing in mind the evil above alluded to and endeavouring to avoid it, a new torch is now lighted in "the dark backward" of Shakespeare's time, which shall discover recesses yet unknown to the explorer, and again unfold every path; before its holder is accused of attempting to relumine well-known passages, let it be borne in mind no one has yet told the world the whole of the means by which discoveries have been made. In other words, the evidences on which the history of Shakespeare's life is founded have never been fully exhibited to the public, and this it shall be my endeavour to accomplish in the following pages; not, indeed, without entering into subjects of discussion that to the casual observer might probably appear irrelevant, but, I trust, without exceeding my proper duties by introducing circumstances not essential to the discourse or argument. Our earliest attention will of course be directed to the ancestry of the poet. The Shakespeares were settled in Warwickshire as early as the fourteenth century, and shortly afterwards we find the name spread through the country, appearing in most of the documentary evidence of any extent we now have relating to that part of England from the time of Henry VI. All the arguments for and against the study of pedigree and genealogy might now be repeated. Shakespeare has told us that "nature cannot choose his origin ;" and, failing in |