Evening star., 1931-12-13

other in the peace and quiet of the night and
1t is certainly natural that the eager courtship
should have resulted in speedy marriage In
the very same year in which the older Shake
speare had his great quarrel.
Father Shakespeares declining years we're
more peaceful than his middle age He is
mentioned as merry -cheekt" man who liked
to crack a joke with his son, for after 1896
young William was successful enough to keep
his father from money worries.
There is another important document which
DR.. Hotson unearthed. This one brings new
light upon the character of the poet himself.
He, too as well as his father had his name
upon the court records But in young Wills
case sureties of the peace were asked against
him as the offending party.
IN the roll of entries for the Autumn term Of
1896, when William Shakespeare was 80,
there appeared, among the records of numerous
brawls which DR.. Hotson was studying one
which reads as follows:
England. Be it known that william Wayte
Graves sureties of the peace against William
Shakespeare, Francis Langley, Dorothy Soer
wife Of John Seer, and Anne Lee, for fear of
death and so forth"
Now Shakespeare enthusiasts have for long
time known that Francis Langley owned the
Swan Theater where Shakespeare plays were
performed but it was DR.. Hotson who dscov-
friends. Who the two women were has not as
yet been found out
Under the cross-reference system EMPLOYED
by all good detectives, DR.. Hotson uncovered a
surety of the peace that had been sworn out
by Francis Langley against this same William
Wayte some time before the one containing
Shakespeares name.
Wayte turned out to be the stepson of Will
liam Gardiner high sheriff of Surrey and
Sussex who had a reputation for being a
usurer, scoundrel and mean liar. Gardiner
cheated Wayte out of his rightful inheritance
and used him in his own private quarrel against
Langley and Shakespeare who were then living
and performing in Surrey
Gardiner wanted Langley's Swan Theater
pulled down. He managed to have his stepson,
who was stupid enough to do his bidding
blindly and admire him all the while, threaten
Langley and then be threatened by him in
turn.
h IATURALLY, Shakespeare, who was Lang
leys friend, was incensed against Justice
Gardiner
DR.. Hotson goes still further. For many years
gossip has been current to the effect that win
Shakespeare poached red deer on the incIosed
park OF Sir Thomas Lucy, squire of Charlecote
an offense for which it was thought he was
"whipt and imprisoned" He is supposed to
have written ballad called Lousy Lucy" after
his punishment
from tnlS rumor 1t was concluded that the
malicious portrait of Justice" Shallow in "The
Merry Wives of Windsor" which Shakespeare
wrote and performed in 1897 was the dra-
matist's revenge SANDERS f1attering reference
TO the 'luces" in Justice Shadows coat of arms
Were thought to allude to the three ish-the
Wnite pike or "luces" in the coat of arms Of Sir
Thomas Lucy
whether Shakespeare ever poached or not
Dr. Hotson makes it certain that he could never
nave poached on Sir Thomas Lucys park for
TINS noble knight never had an inclosed estate
until long after Shakespeare wrote "The Merry
wives OF Windsor" DR.. Hotson concludes that
IL was William Gardiner whom Shakespeare
iampooned with his witty pen as the character
Justice Shallow, and not the man of spotless
reputation, Sir Thomas Lucy
Furthermore when Dr. Hotson remembered
that William Wayte's mother and Gardeners
wife was born Luce, he rushed to the British
Museum and there he found that William Car
diner used his wife's three white Iuces or pike
on his coat OF arms along with his own griffin
This explained the luces in Justice Shadows
coat OF arms and proved even more concIusiyely
what Shakespeare meant to do.
Finding new facts about the life of Eng
lands greatest poet and playwright, discover
ing the environment which led to his $50 SON.
nets of passionate love and his gallery Of
famous scoundrels," says DR.. Hotson, "is fasci-
mating work, requiring all the detective ability
that one can muster, in knowing where to Iopk
and what to search for"