ing to the rate aforefaid: and if she die within the faid term without iffue of her body, then my will is, and I do give and bequeath one hundred pounds thereof to my niece Elizabeth Hall, and the fifty pounds to be fet forth by my executors during the life of my fifter Joan Harte, and the use and profit thereof coming, fhall be paid to my faid fifter Joan, and after her decease the faid fifty pounds fhall remain amongst the children of my faid fifter, equally to be divided amongst them; but if my faid daughter Judith be living at the end of the faid three years, or any iffue of her body, then my will is, and fo I devife and bequeath the faid hundred and fifty pounds to be fet out by my executors and overfeers for the beft benefit of her and her iffue, and the stock not to be paid unto her fo long as fhe fhall be married and covert baron; but my will is, that fhe fhall have the confideration yearly paid unto her during her life, and after her deceafe the faid ftock and confideration to be paid to her children, if the have any, and if not, to her executors and affigns, the living the faid term after my decease; provided that if fuch hufband as fhe fhall at the end of the faid three years be married unto, or at and after, do fufficiently affure unto her, and the iffue of her body, land anfwerable to the portion by this my will given unto her, and to be adjudged fo by my executors and overfeers, then my will is, that the faid hundred and fifty pounds fhall be paid to fuch husband as fhall make fuch affurance, to his own ufe. Item, I give and bequeath unto my faid fifter Joan twenty pounds, and all my wearing apparel, to be paid and delivered within one year after my decease; and I do will and devife unto her the house, with the appurtenances, in Stratford, wherein fhe dwelleth, for her natural life, under the yearly value of twelve pence. Item, I give and bequeath unto her three fons, 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 faid Elizabeth Hall ali my plate that I now have, except my broad filver and gilt boxes, at the date of this my will. Item, I give and bequeath unto the poor of Stratford aforefaid ten pounds; to Mr. Thomas Combe my fword; to Thomas Ruffel, efq. five pounds; and to Francis Collins of the borough of Warwick, in the county of Warwick, gent. thirteen pounds fix fhillings and eight pence, to be paid within one year after my decease. Item, I give and bequeath to Hamlet Sadler twenty-fix hillings eight pence to buy him a ring; to William Reynolds, gent. twenty-fix fhillings eight pence to buy him a ring; to my godfon William Walker twenty fhillings in gold; to Anthony Nafh, gent. twenty-fix fhillings eight pence; and to Mr. John Nath twenty-fix fhillings eight pence; and to my fellows John Hemynge, Richard Burbage, and Henry Cundell twenty-fix fhillings eight pence apiece to buy them rings. Item, I give, will, bequeath, and devife unto my daughter Sufannah Hall, for the better enabling of her to perform this my will, and towards the performance thereof, all that capital meffuage or tenement, with the appurtenances, in Stratford aforefaid, called The New Place, wherein I now dwell, and two meffuages or tenements, with the appurtenances, fituate, lying, and being in Henley-ftreet, within the borough of Stratford aforefaid; and all my barns, stables, orchards, gardens, lands, tenements, and hereditaments whatfoever, fituate, lying, and being, or to be had, referved, preferved, or taken within the towns, hamlets, villages, fields, and grounds of Stratford upon Avon, Old Stratford, Bufhaxton, and Welcombe, or in any of them, in the said county of Warwick; and alfo all that meffuage or tenement, with the appurtenances, wherein one John Robinfon dwelleth, fituate, lying, and being in the Black-Friers in London near the Wardrobe; and all other my lands, tenements, and hereditaments whatfoever; to have and to hold all and fingular the faid premifes, with their appurtenances, unto the faid Sufannah Hall, for and during the term of her natural life; and after her decease to the firft fon of her body lawfully iffuing, and to the heirs males of the body of the faid firft fon lawfully iffuing; and for default of fuch iffue, to the second fon of her body lawfully ifluing, and to the heirs males of the body of the faid fecond fon lawfully iffuing; It appears from the registers in Doctors' Commons, that Burbage died in 1629. The wills of Hemynge and Cundell I could not meet with, though I fought for them as low as the year 1641. Several wills indeed I found with the names of J. Hemynge and Henry Cundell annexed, but they contain nothing characteristick of Shakespeare's affociates. STEEVENS. and and for default of fuch heirs to the third fon of the body of the faid Sufannah lawfully iffuing, and of the heirs males of the body of the faid third fon lawfully iffuing; and for default of fuch iffue, the fame to be and remain to the fourth, fifth, fixth, and feventh fons of her body, lawfully iffuing one after another, and to the heires males of the bodies of the faid fourth, fifth, fixth, and feventh fons lawfully iffuing, in fuch manner as it is before limited to be, and remain to the firft, fecond, and third fons of her body, and to their heirs males; and for default of fuch iffue, the faid premifes to be and remain to my faid niece Hall, and the heirs males of her body lawfully iffuing; and for default of fuch issue, to my daughter Judith, and the heirs males of her body lawfully iffuing; and for default of fuch iffue, to the right heirs of me the faid William Shakespeare for ever. Item, I give unto my wife my brown beit bed with the furniture *. Item, I give and bequeath to my faid daughter Judith my broad filver gilt bole. All the rest of my goods, chattels, leafes, plate, jewels, and houfhold-ftuff whatfoever, after my debts and legacies paid, and my funeral expences difcharged, I give, devife, and bequeath to my fon-in-law, John Hall, gent. and my daughter Sufannah his wife, who Iordain and make executors of this my lat will and testament. And I do intreat and appoint the said Thomas Ruffel, efq. and Francis Collins, gent. to be overfeers hereof. And do revoke all former wills, and publifh this to be my last will and teftament. In witnefs whereof I have * It appears, in the original will of Shakespeare (now in the Prerogative Office Doctors' Commons) that he had forgot his wife; the legacy to her being expreffed by an interlineation, as well as thofe to Hemynge, Burbage, and Condell. The will is written on three fleets of paper, the two laft of which are undoubtedly fubfcribed with Shakespeare's own hand. The first indeed has his name in the margin, but it differs fomewhat in fpelling as well as manner, from the two fignatures that follow. The reader will find a fac-fimile of all the three, as well as those of the wineffes, over-leaf. This information was not obtained till it was too late to correct the mode in which our author's name has hitherto been printed, except in the title pages, where it now ftands as it fhould be given -SHAKSPEARE, STEEVENS. hereunto put my hand, the day and year firft above-written, by me William Shakspeare. Witness to the publishing hereof, Fra. Collins, Julius Shaw, John Robinfon, Hamlet Sadler, Robert Whattcott. Probatum coram Magiftro William Byrde, Legum Dolore To To the foregoing Accounts of SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE, I bave only one Passage to add, which Mr. Pope related, as communicated to him by Mr. Rowe. IN IN the time of Elizabeth, coaches being yet uncommon, and hired coaches not at all in ufe, thofe who were too proud, too tender, or too idle to walk, went on horfeback to any diftant business or diverfion. Many came on horfeback to the play, and when Shakespeare fled to London from the terror of a criminal profecution, his first expedient was to wait at the door of the play-houfe, and hold the horfes of thofe that had no fervants, that they might be ready again after the performance. In this office he became fo confpicuous for his care and readinefs, that in a fhort time every man as he alighted called for Will. Shakefpeare, and scarcely any other waiter was trufted with a horfe while Will. Shakespeare could be had. This was the first dawn of better fortune. Shakefpeare, finding more horfes put into his hand than he could hold, hired boys to wait under his infpection, who, when Will. Shakefpeare was fummoned, were immediately to prefent themfelves, I am Shakespeare's boy, Sir. In time Shakespeare found higher employment; but as long as the practice of riding to the play-houfe continued, the waiters that held the horfes retained the appellation of, Shakespeare's boys †. JOHNSON. Mr. "The * Plays were at this time performed in the afternoon. pollicie of plaies is very neceffary, howfoever some shallow-brained cenfurers (not the deepest fearchers into the fecrets of government) mightily oppugne them. For whereas the afternoone being the idleft time of the day wherein men that are their own masters (as gentlemen of the court, the innes of the court, and a number of captains and foldiers about London) do wholly bestow themfelves upon pleasure, and that pleasure they devide (how vertuoufly it fkills not) either in gaming, following of harlots, drinking, or feeing a play, is it not better (fince of four extreames all the world cannot keepe them but they will choose one) that they fhould betake them to the leaft, which is plaies ?" Nath's Pierce Pennileffe bis Supplication to the Devil, 1595. STEEVENS. + I cannot difmifs this anecdote without obferving that it seems to want every mark of probability. Though Shakespeare quitted Stratford |