Evening star., 1931-12-13

~~N-1NNNoN~N
discovery Of some long g-buried, worm
eaten documents in the Public Record Office in
London diScloses the fact that Shakespeare's
romance blossomed the more brightly and in
tensely because it grew in the midst of financial
distress and disturbing quarrels in his own
home.
Digging and delving into the thousands of
350-year-old yellowed papers and parchments
to find out about the private life and family
surroundings in which Shakespeare grew up
and fell in love, has been favorite pastime
of Englishmen these many years.
But to young American, equipped with
extraordinary detective ability, belongs the
credit for unearthing and important facts
about the doings of John Shakespeare, Wills
father, at the very time when young love
sprouted in the poets heart.
native of Snitterfield town near STRAIT
ford, John Shakespeare came to live on the
Avon a glovemaker by trade He also dealt
from time to time in farm produce, managing to
make comfortable living and buy several good
sized properties.
For some time, it has been known that the
elder Shakespeare before the birth of his genius
son. was appointed one of the two town cham
berlains to whom the finances of the provin-
cial town of Stratford intrusted. The year
after young Wills birth his father became
high bailiff and justice of the peace, job like
that of mayor today.
THIS John Shakespeare was well established
as one of the leading citizens of a not un-
important English market town in the 1570s.
His wife the former Mary Arden came of
wealthy family. 1t no wonder then that
the boy Will growing up in well-to-do home
attended an excellent grammar school, where
he learned some Latin and French.
When William Shakespeare reached the age
of 13. however, his fathers fortune took sud-
den downward turn. Report has it that win
was put to work in his fathers shop. John
Shakespeare was forced to mortgage his home
and he found himself plunged into series of
financial difficulties.
There is no record of general depression in
England at the time, and scholars have search
ed in vain for a clue that would clear up the
mystery Of why the name of John Shakespeare,
burgess who had been rich and honored in
high places should have been removed
abruptly and completely from the list of alder
men of Stratford in 1886.
DR.. Leslie Hotson, who this Fall began to
give courses in Shakespeare and English liter
ature at Hayerford College in Pennsylvania, is
the literary Sherlock Holmes who has had the
good fortune to solve the puzzling mystery
For two years he had been burrowing in the
Controlment Rolls of the Court of Queens
Bench for the reigns of Elizabeth and ia nes 1
of England Suddenly he came upon petition
for sureties of the peace which explained what
had befaen the elder Shakespeare and made
new setting for the courtship of the 18-year
old poet and Anne Hathaway.
~ /E know that after 1877" Dr. Hotson ex-
w planned, Alderman Shakespeare sud-
denly stopped attending town meetings in the
halls Of the corporation"
Financial straits were advanced as the cause
of this retirement from public life, but the rea-
son was not satisfactory one. The document
which DR.. Hotson found, however throws an
entirely new and startling light upon the sit
uation.
1t proves that in the Spring of 1892 the very
year when the pair of lovers were strolling
through the luxuriant meadows and blossoming
country orchards together John Shakespeare
was engaged in violent quarrel with a number
of Stratford's most influential townsmen
The exciting document is one of many records
OF quarrels in which blows perhaps given
and threats of violence uttered. The offended
party allowed to take his oath in court to
the effect that he was in actual fear of death
and violence and then the court would bind the
offender to keep the peace by making him enter
bond against breaking it.
DIR. Hotson was lucky enough to find just
such a bond with the of Johannes
Shakespeare upon 1t. Translated from the legal