The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-06-13

MS tStdtt noI1dSlHd oDtdlIltu pOS-
session Of W leasehold properties
which she made over to her father,
John Hemings, to be held in trust for
herself. BY reason Of John Hemings's
alleged maladministration of this
trust a lawsuit against him was
brought by Thomasina and as a con-
siderable portion of his worldly goods
consisted of shares Of the Globe and
the Blackfriars it developed that
Shakespeare was Joined as the owner
of one-seventh Of the Blackfriars The
atre and one-fourteenth of the Globe
Theatre and the Court Of Chancery
so recognized his holdings in those
two theatres.
And in the record of quite another
lawsuit discovered by Or. Wallace,
Taylor against Hemings. also con-
corning theatrical matters costumes
and the like), this valuation is con-
firmed. But the above discoveries,
startling as they are. are immeasur-
ably eclipsed by DR.. Wallace's next
find which reveals Shakespeare as a
witness in a court Of record as a
sort OF Involuntary John Alden in a
love AFFAIR, and adds one more to the
few Of his authentic autograph sigma
lures We possess.
The whole story, II I had time to
give II to you, reads like a romance
and develops a trait in the dramatist's
character which the world had not
credited him with. But ] may sum-
Marie 1t in the briefest way
"In 1912. -four years before Shake
speare's death. he took lodgings in n
house at the corner OF Mugwell and
Silver streets. London. The occupant
Of the house was a Huguenot refugee
named Christopher Mountjoye. who
pursued his calling Of tire maker
tthat IL, a wig maker-and he may
probably have also been a barber) on
the first floor Of those premises. This
Mountjoye had living in his house
hold his wife. an only child. a daugh-
ter. Marie Mountjoye. and a young
apprentice named Stephen Belott.
Now as Christopher Mountjoye had
no son to leave his business to. 1t oc-
CURED to him that II this young APP
prentice Belott would marry Marie
he could succeed to the business. But
young Behott II seems did not want to
marry Marie Mountjoye and would
not do any of the counting necessary
to advance such a marriage, so Mount
joye called in his n%eighbors and
friends and asked them to labor with
stephen Belott and induce him TO
marry Marie. And among the friends
whom NJ. Mountjoye begged to use
their best offices to bring stephen up
to the point Of proposing for the honor
Of Marie's hand was William Shake
speare,
THE neighbors and friends. possibly
Shakespeare among them. but this
does not appear in the testimony. were
successful and Stephen did marry
Marie Mountjoye after her father had
made certain promises TO give this
son-in-law certain goods and chattels
and $50 as a marriage portion. But
after six years had elapsed the son-in-
law had received none Of the prop
critics promised nor even the $50 and
he began suit FOR specific performance
or for the sun OF 1900 in lieu thereof.
THE pleadings in this suit-Belott
vs.. Mountjoye-Dr. Wallace did not
discover and from their absence and
from the abseDre Of n JUDGMENT or
final decree ii is guessed that the suit
may have been referred To the pastor
Of the Huguenot Church in London
(as the custom was among this peoplc)
and so settled out of court. Iut the
startling point is that the suit ~
I;elott ". Mountjoye was actually
tried-up to a certain point at least
upon i~nterrogatories and that five
sets Of these Undergraduates and
the returns thereto are found. And
among these in~terrucatorie and
these returns is 4 set of ques-
tiOns submitted TO William Shake
speare Of Stratford-super-Avon in
the County Of Warwick, gentleman.
Of the age Of forty-eicht years o:
thereabout' who was sworn and eX-
amined the day and year above said
MAY II. in the fourteenth yea OF
King J~dmes-l6l2).
"S~hakespeare's answers are anus
ingly non-commlttal. He admits that
he knew the p~arties-that the com
%plainant Mountjoie was very fond of
his ~son-in-law, who was a most ad-
mirable n popular young man'-and
"A very honest fellow But as to
the matters at issue as to Mountjoie's
promises and his performance or non
performance thereof. Shakespeare de-
MES any knowledge or Information
sufficient to form a belief. He lodges
all questions as to his efforts t. pro-
mote the courtship. and he signs his
deposition 'Willm. Shaks.'
These are marvellous discoveries.
And DR.. Wallace has covered himself
with reputation. and future Shake
spearian scholars will do full justice
10 his achievements. But, alas, he
has had little or no credit for them