The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1910-03-10
new SHAKESPEARE
Z DOCUMENT FOUND
Poet Acted as Matrimonial
Agent, According to His
Own Deposition.

l1TSt account OF his OF new
documents which constitute toe most
important addition to our knowledge of
ShakSspeare's life that has been made
In the past $50 years. The story of
Shakespeare's life in London is reveal
ed. and his part in a curious love story
is told in his own deposition. ,rhe
story in brief is this:
shakespeare lived in the family of
a man named Mountjoy-a wigmaker.
In 1912 Mountjoy's so~n-in-law, a young
man named Stephen Bellott, brought
him into court as defendant. and
Shakespeare was called as a witness.
In the hearing of the case against
Mountjoy the history of the preceding
10 or IL years Is r%ecounted.
1T appears that in 1893 Mountjoy
was persuaded to take Stephen Bellott
as an apprentice. Bellott's parents
were to provide the boy with his cloth
ing, and Mountjoy was to provide his
In one building, and Stephen lived with
the family. The young man proved an
apt pupil and did his work with such
skill and good will that he won frst
Interpretation. then the affection of
his master. Apparently the master for
find the boy clothes, for he not only did
it himself, but was we'll content with
his apprentice and liked him much,
gaining, 1t seems, greatly increased
profits in his business through the
young mans skill and diligence.
Young stephen loved his work. But
there was also an added inspiration
that gave skill to the hand and zest to
labor. Side by side with him labored
also another. Mary, the modest maiden
of the household, only child of the mas
ter. The two grew In skill; and when
at the end Of the sixth veal Stephen
had finished his apprenticeship and
done his finishing piece Of MASTER
work that proved him worthy of gradu-
alton to self-mas,ership, the daughter
too had been made perfect In the same
trade. The father declared he had
made ner perfect in that art. But we,
watching Stephen and Mary from day
to day at their work for six years, see
and understand better than he.
And Mary liked Stephen well, yet
held her secret guarded save from her
mother and father only. But Stephen
now having finished his apprenticeship
longed for the world, and wished to
al funds and Mountjoy was good
enough to provide him with Sc for the
journey, which, however, Stephen later
declares urgently he did not do.
Near the close of 1904, Stephen,
after a short time in Spain, returned
to the house and shop that had been
home to him for six years. 1t was a
question what the young man should
Go, now that he was his own master.
stephen seems not to have seen the
way with perfect clearness, or did not
have the COURAGE to put his vision into
words. But Mary's mother understood.
II fher wisdom did not embrace tha
rade of man. it did at least comprehend.
the case before her. Her philosophy
was very simple and very practical.
Shapespeare was then living in the
Mountjoy home. and went among them
from day to day. His nature and cap
abilities appealed to her, and she VEN
tured to ask him to act as intermediary
IN q matter where native modesty and
delicacy on the one hand and awesome
faint-hartedness common to man ON
h other forbade speech.
Zone day Madam Mountjoy laid the
case before Shakespeare, and asked his.
good offices in making two hearts hap;
py. 1t was also a matter of good prac-
tical business. These two young peo-
pie We're skilled in h same trade, and,
If all should &c well they might pros
per together. Madame Mountjoy told
Shakespeare that IL he could bring the
young man to make a proposal of mar,
riage, a dover fitting to their station
would be settled upon them at mar
(nearly $4,000 in Observation-Disclosures
riage. This was the fair sun. of Atty
pounds in money Of that time, or APP
proxinately 9400 (nearly 81, OOU) in
money Of today.
"Shakespeare's traditional reputation
for ~gentleness of spirit and good will
and winning disposition is here exem-.
pllfied in the first actual instance that
had reached us.
Shakespeare himself knew the fam
lily well. and was on terms Of Intimacy
with them. He knew young Stephen
also as an honorable, honest, capable
young fellow In his trade. Why should;
not these two wed?
so the greatest poet Of all the world
moved by the simple impulse of human
tty that is the key to all he ever wrote,
did the W~ished-for service among these
simple-hearted, single-passioned folk.
He went to Stephen and told him that
II he would make the offer Of marriage
there was good hope that Mary would
accept and the old folks be willing, ev-
en- to the extent of giving with the
daughter a dover Of ESQ on the day Of
marriage. This was quite agreeable to
Stephen. So he and the members of the
family a several conferences, doubt
less with pleasing anticipations on all
hands, concerning h marriage. Shake
speare was present at some of these
conferences. according to his own testi-
mony. All details were satisfactorily
arranged, and the marriage was SOL
emnized, as the parish register of st.
Olave, Silver street, shows, November
10, 1904.
Here Shakespeare's part in the af-
fair should properly have ended. But
events so shaped themselves by unfor-
tunate conditions that seven and a half
years later he was required gy peremp-,
tory to come into court and
tell his share in the marriage and in
fixing the dover.
Hearing Of the cause was set for
Easter term, 1872. May 7th the court
issued "A compulsory to William Shake
speare gent and others ad testificadum
inter Stephanum Bellott querentem ct
Christoferum Mountjoy deft,' and label
led it r%eturnable Immediately. -Four
days later Shakespeare and two other
witnesses were examined in court in
hehalf Of Bellott.'
S~hakespeare's own deposition in this
case Is given in full in Professor Wall
lace's article. 1t is a document Of some
length over w signature, and tells
the story practically in his w words.
A Model Husband.
From the Independent.