and the use and profit thereof coming shall be paid to my said sister Joan, and after her decease the said fifty pounds shall remain amongst the children of my said sister to be divided amongst them; but if my said daughter Judith be living at the end of the said three years, or any issue of her body, then my will is and so I devise and bequeath the said hundred and fifty pounds to be set out by my executors and overseers for the best benefit of her and her issue, and the stock not to be paid unto her so long as she shall be married and covert baron; but my will is that she shall have the consideration yearly paid unto her during her life, and, after her decease, the said stock and consideration to be paid to her children, if she have any, and if not, to her executors or assigns, she living the said term after my decease, Provided that if such husband as she shall at the end of the said three years be married unto, or at any after, do sufficiently assure unto her and the issue of her body lands answerable to the portion by this my will given unto her, and to be adjudged so by my executors and overseers, then my will is that the said one hundred and fifty pounds shall be paid to such husband as shall make such assurance, to his own use. Item, I give and bequeath unto my said sister Joan twenty pounds and all my wearing apparel, to be paid and delivered within one year after my decease; and I do will and devise unto her the house with the appurtenances in Stratford,

wherein she dwelleth, for her natural life, under the yearly rent of twelve pence. Item, I give and bequeath unto her three sons, William Hart, . . Hart, and Michael Hart, five pounds apiece, to be paid within one year after my decease. Item, I give and bequeath unto the said Elizabeth Hall all my plate except my broad silver and gilt bowl, that I now have at the date of this my will. Item, I give and bequeath unto the poor of Stratford aforesaid ten pounds; to Mr. Thomas Combe my sword; to Thomas Russell esquire five pounds, and to Francis Collins of the borough of Warr. in the county of Warr., gent., thirteen pounds, six shillings, and eight pence, to be paid within one year after my decease. Item, I give and bequeath to Hamlet Sadler twenty-five shillings and eight pence to buy him a ring; to William Reynolds, gent., twenty-six shillings eight pence to buy him a ring; to my god-son William Walker twenty shillings in gold; to Anthony Nash gent. twenty-six shillings eight pence, and to Mr. John Nash twenty-six shillings eight pence; and to my fellows, John Hemynges, Richard Burbage, and Henry Cundell, twenty-six shillings eight pence apiece to buy them rings. Item, I give, will, bequeath and devise unto my daughter Susanna Hall, for better enabling of her to perform this my will, and towards the performance thereof, all that capital messuage or tenement, with the appurtenances, in Stratford aforesaid, called the New Place, wherein I now dwell, and two mes

suages or tenements with the appurtenances, situate lying and being in Henley Street within the borough of Stratford aforesaid; and all my barns, stables, orchards, gardens, lands, tenements and hereditaments whatsoever, situate, lying and being, or to be had, received, perceived, or taken, within the towns, hamlets, villages, fields and grounds of Stratford-uponAvon, Old Stratford, Bushopton, and Welcombe, or in any of them in the said county of Warr. And also all that messuage or tenement with the appurtenances wherein one John Robinson dwelleth, situate lying and being in the Blackfriars in London near the Wardrobe; and all other my lands, tenements, and hereditaments whatsoever, To have and to hold all and singular the said premises with their appurtenances unto the said Susanna Hall for and during the term of her natural life, and after her decease, to the first son of her body lawfully issuing, and to the heirs males of the body of the said first son lawfully issuing, and for default of such issue, to the second son of her body lawfully issuing, and to the heirs males of the body of the said second son lawfully issuing, and for default of such heirs, to the third son of the body of the said Susanna lawfully issuing, and of the heirs males of the body of the said third son lawfully issuing, and for default of such issue, the same so to be and remain to the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh sons of her body lawfully issuing one after another, and to the heirs males of the bodies

of the said fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh sons lawfully issuing in such manner as it is before limited to be and remain to the first, second and third sons of her body, and to their heirs males, and for default of such issue, the said premises to be and remain to my said niece Hall, and the heirs males of her body lawfully issuing, and for default of such issue, to my daughter Judith, and the heirs males of her body lawfully issuing, and for default of such issue, to the right heirs of me the said William Shakespeare forever. Item, I give unto my wife my second best bed with the furniture. Item, I give and bequeath to my said daughter Judith my broad silver gilt bowl. All the rest of my goods, chattels, leases, plate, jewels, and household stuff whatsoever, after my debts and legacies paid, and my funeral expenses discharged, I give, devise, and bequeath to my son-in-law, John Hall, gent., and my daughter Susanna, his wife, whom I ordain and make executors of this my last will and testament. And I do entreat and appoint the said Thomas Russell, esquire, and Francis Collins, gent., to be overseers hereof, and do revoke all former wills, and publish this to be my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto put my hand the day and year first above written. By me William Shakespeare.

"Witness to the publishing hereof,-Fra: Collyns; Julius Shawe; John Robinson; Hamnet Sadler; Robert Whattcott." (1)

CHAPTER FIVE.

POEMS ASCRIBED TO SHAKESPEARE OF STRATFORD.

There is little to be said about the verses attributed to Shakespeare of Stratford. As poetry it is not in my biographical province to criticise them. Whether or not they are authentic it is impossible to determine: one can only guess. The modern biographers incline to agree to disbelieve that Shakespeare was their author; that is, of all but the gravestone lines. It may be that it is necessary to imagine that these were written by Shakespeare in order to assume that his body is contained in the ground beneath them. Oral tradition (by oral tradition I mean that not written down, so far as can be ascertained, during Shakespeare's lifetime) says that he lies there, and that he composed the rhyme. Oral tradition also declares that the other poetry printed in this chapter was written by Shakespeare. It may be so: we do not know.

A man who lived near Stratford and who died in 1703, at the age of ninety or so, is said to have remembered hearing several old people at Stratford tell the anecdote of Shakespeare's