BROMFLET FAMILY (cxlviii. 459; cxlix. 52). In Wymington Church, Beds., are monumental brasses to:

The Library.

Minutes and Accounts of the Corporation of Stratford-upon-Avon and other Records, 15531620. Transcribed by the late Richard Savage; with Introduction and Notes by Edgar P. Fripp. Vol. III, 1577-1586. (Humphrey Milford, for the Dugdale Society). THE years with which the Stratford-uponAvon records are here concerned include some portion of Shakespeare's boyhood at school, his start in life perhaps as an attorney's clerk in his native town, and his marriage. They also saw the townsmen of Stratford in general, and John Shakespeare in particular formity; and witnessed much going to and fro considerably pestered on the question of uniand activity of county magnates in the business of the musters. Mr. Fripp's notes to the records are excellent. We should suppose there exists nowhere a better example of what annotation of this sort of document should be: minute, full, lavish of reference, disdainful of no dry-seeming particular, but at the same time ready with any relevant matter of and humane. The effect of the whole is curmore obvious interest, and withal readable

(1) Margaret, dau. of Sir Edward St. John, heiress of Lord Vessy, w. of Sir Thos. Brounflet, by whom five sons and one dau., 1407, with shields, Sa. a bend flory counter-iously similar to that of reading contemporary flory or.

(2) Sir Thos. Broun flet, cupbearer to Richard II., treasurer of the Household to Henry IV., 1430, with shields as above, and crest, On a tilting-helm, a wolf's head.

letters: the little town begins to live and hum about one, and the more clearly for this comes out the figure of the youth for whose sake all this is worth spending imagination on.

From the topics which arise out of the records Mr. Fripp selects half-a-dozen for treatment in the Introduction The essay on

William Shakespeare at School, puts forward the claim of the Latin school of the period to be an efficient grounder of boys in Latin, and goes on to marshal the evidence for Shakespeare's real familiarity with Latin and, in particular, his knowledge of Ovid. This is exceedingly well set out, and might well be of Shakespeare's use of the Bible showing that noted for students. Mr. Fripp also gives detail the parts he knew best, or at any rate used most, were the first four chapters of Genesis and the first four chapters of St. Matthew's Gospel. In his third and fourth sections he deals with public affairs: Whitgift's coming into Warwickshire, and the measures taken concerning public discontent at the prospect of a marriage between Elizabeth and Alençon. Strong evidence for William Shakespeare's having worked in an attorney's office has before now been collected from the plays, though a counter-explanation of his undeniable knowledge of law-terms as being derived from his father's many law-suits has also found favour. Mr. Fripp entertains little doubt that this law, which slips from him unawares," and introduces itself often most inappropriately, does, in truth, denote early training. Two points are much in favour of this opinion, apart from copiousness and frequency: first, the law idioms cropping up in the mouths of girls, who, if the words had been relatively unfamiliar to the writer and deliberately

^w.

:

chosen would hardly have been credited phrase. Re-action from the old dramatic with knowing them; secondly. the exaggeration of this natural haranguing, and continued use of law in the later from the old use of unwieldy narrative, has plays, after many years of work and brought critics to limit too narrowly what experience which would surely have effaced they allow and we should be ready to supexact knowledge of speech and usage acquired port Massinger in most of the points where he only on occasion. It is noted that the knowis objected to on this score-even to defendledge shown is that of a clerk. Again the ing my ulcerous soul." Mr. Cruickshank examples from the plays are most tellingly asks, but does not definitely answer, the quesproduced. Mr. Fripp, on Shakespeare's mar- tion whether the play is poetical. He quotes riage, emphasizes-what it is strange should three verses of which (very properly) he ever have been questioned-the regularity, disapproves, and then observes that reading according to contemporary custom, of all the them we feel that the metre has reached a proceedings. He takes it that having been perilous stage; it is on the down grade, and betrothed-whereby offspring were legitimized- will have to be rescued for future use from Shakespeare and his wife proceeded to live complete collapse by the majesty of Milton. together as many people then did, but, when We would submit that this sort of observaa child was to be born, bethought them of mar- tion is out of place in an essay with any riage, which entitled to dowry. His image of serious intent. The poet's actual position in Anne is of one godly, quiet, clinging, frail,' the development of English blank verse is not and he speaks of the "affectionate little discussed. Mr. Cruickshank well points out bequest" of the second-best bed with its Massinger's reliance on the actor: and therein furniture," suggesting that thereby Shakes- probably lies the secret of both deficiencies peare was ensuring to Anne possession of the and merits in his verse. It is such as four-poster and chamber which they had shared in New Place. But he pictures them individual interpretation of character to the be easily spoken; and it impedes an actor's coming as newly-married to take up their minimum degree. Perhaps the plot is overabode in the second of the three tenements praised: the characters two or three times which formed the Shakespeare house in Henley find themselves in presence of Street; and what is there to prevent our without quite sufficient thinking that the second best bed was the appearance. one they had used there, which would thus seem a bequest even more affectionate? The notes on Shakespeare's marriage reveal rather startling instances of inaccuracy in former work on the records concerned. In a recent communication to The Times about a lawsuit between Shakespeare and Burbage which he has recently discovered, Dr. Hotson mentions "-rnshurst" as occurring in his document. Nicholas Barnehurst is a member of the Stratford corporation, whose name frequently finds place in lists of corporation meetings. Massinger's A New Way to Pay Old Debts.' Edited by A. H. Cruikshank. (Oxford, Clarendon Press. 6s. net).

MR.

"

R. CRUICKSHANK quotes at length Hazlitt and Leslie Stephen on the character of Sir Giles Overreach, and adds some good remarks of his own. He does not endorse Leslie Stephen's indictment of Massinger, either in regard to a general weakness in the characters of the plays, or in regard to any failure to project himself fairly into his villain." Mr. Cruickshank's view is sound, we think. There is certainly now-a-days a tendency to make too little in dramatic criticism of the natural impulse to speech-often extended speech-of which any tolerably interested listener may verify the existence any day of his life. Vigorous minds more often than not actually do express themselves vigorously: if they are stirred by passion they may utter this in vehement, eloquent and even well-arranged words, at considerable length, and also with surprising turns of

The Introduction

reasons

can

one another for their

is a pleasant piece of writing, and gives the requisite particulars Michell. An Appendix setting out the stage of Sir Giles Mompesson and Sir Francis history is particularly useful. A few Notes are supplied and an Index. The text follows. verbatim and literatim-as near as may bethe Quarto of 1633.

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recently been worthily dealt with in a bio39 graphy. In 1925, however, there appeared a Life and a critical study of his work from 43 the pen of Señor Miguel Artigas. A review of this book, and therewith a useful study 45 of góngorism" will be found in the new number of Literis, by Mr. Aubrey F. G. Bell. Dr. Schücking's careful discussion of

N Friday, at 20, High Street, High Wycombe, Dr. E. K. Chambers's Elizabethan Stage,