The Lodger Shakespeare: His Life on Silver Street (41 page)

5. /To the v
^th
Interr
ogatory
this depon
e
nt Can saye nothinge more then he hath alreddye deposed./

Daniell Nicholas

DEPOSITION OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

William Shakespeare of Stratford vpon Aven in the Countye of Warwicke gen
tleman
of the Age of xlviij yeres or thereabout
es
sworne and ex
am
ined the daye and yere abouesaid deposethe & sayethe

1. To the first Interr
ogatory
this depon
e
nt sayethe he knowethe the p
ar
tyes pl
ain
t
iff
and deffendt and hathe know[ne] them bothe as he now remembrethe for the space of tenne yeres or thereabout
es
./

2. To the second Interr
ogatory
this depon
en
t sayeth he did know the comp
^t
when he was s
er
vant w
^th
the deffendant, and that duringe the tyme of his the complt
es
service w
^th
the said deffendt he the said Complt to this depon
en
t
es
knowledge did well and honestly behaue himselfe, but to this depont
es
remembrance he hath not heard the deffendt confesse that he had gott any great p
ro
ffitt and comodytye by the s
er
vice of the said compl
ainan
t, but this depon
en
t saith he verely thinckethe that the said compl
ainan
t was a very good and industrious servant in the said s
er
vice. And more he canott depose to the said Interr
ogatory
:/

3. /To the third Interr
ogatory
this depon
en
t sayethe that it did evydentlye appeare that the said deft did all the tyme of the said complt
es
service w
^th
him beare and shew great good will and affecc
i
on toward
es
the said complt, and that he hath hard the defft and his wyefe diu
er
se and su
n
dry tymes saye and reporte that the said complt was a very honest fellowe: And this depont sayethe that the said deffendant did make a moc
i
on vnto the compl
ainan
t of marriadge w
^th
the said Mary in the bill menc
i
oned beinge the said defft
es
sole chyld and daughter and willinglye offered to p
er
forme the same yf the said Compl
ainan
t shold seeme to be content and well like thereof: And further this depon
en
t sayethe that the said defft
es
wyeffe did sollicitt and entreat this depon
en
t to moue and p
er
swade the said Compl
ainan
t to effect the said Marriadge and accordingly this depon
en
t did moue and p
er
swade the compl
ainan
t thervnto: And more to this Interrogat
or
ye he cannott depose:/

4. /To the ffourth Interr this depon
e
nt sayth that the defendt p
ro
missed to geue the said Compl
ainan
t a porc
i
on [
of monie and goodes
deleted] in Marriadg[e] w
^th
Marye his daughter./ but what c
er
tayne porc
i
on he Rememb
er
ithe not./ nor when to be payed [
yf any some weare promissed
, deleted] nor knoweth that the def
endant
p
ro
missed the [
defendt
deleted] pl
ain
t
iff
twoe hundered pound
es
w
^th
his daughter Marye at the tyme of his decease./ But sayth that the pl
ain
t
iff
was dwellinge w
^th
the def
endan
t in his house. And they had Amongeste themselues manye Conferences about there Marriadge w
^ch
[afterwardes] was Consumated and Solempnized. And more he cann[ott depose./]

5. /To the v
^th
Interr
ogatory
this depon
e
nt sayth he can saye noth[inge] touchinge any p
ar
te or poynte of the same Interr
ogatory
for he knoweth not what Implen
^tes
and necessaries of househould stuffe the def
endan
t gaue the pl
ain
t
iff
in Marriadge w
^th
his daughter Marye./

Willm Shak
s
[or Shakp
er
?]

b. Second session, 19 June 1612 [ibid./2]

Inter to bee mynistred to witnesses to bee p
ro
duced on the parte and behalfe of Stephen Bellott Comp
^lt
againste Christopher Mountioy def
^t
.

1. Inpri
mi
s whether doe you knowe the parties p
^lt
. and def
^t
and howe longe haue you knowen them and ither of them?

2. Itm of what estate or ability is the said def
^t
accompted to bee of and what Lease or Leases of howses or ten
emen
t
es
hathe hee, and where doe the said howses or ten
emen
t
es
lye, and what is the yeerely vallue thereof? and what tyme or tymes are to come in the said Leases and whether doe you not thinke that the said def
^t
receiueth fforty pound
es
p
er
ann
um
de claro by his said Leases? or howe muche dothe hee receiue by the same as you haue Credibly heard or verily beleeue in yo
^r
Conscience
to
bee true, and whether hathe not the said def
^t
giuen forthe speaches that hee will rott in prison before hee will giue any thinge vnto the said Comp
^lt
yf the Cause should bee decreed agaynste him in this honorable Courte declare the truthe of yo
^r
knowledge herein as you knowe verily beleeue or haue Credibly heard./

3. Itm who apparelled the said Comp
^lt
. duringe the tyme of his seruice w
^th
the said def
^t
? whether not the ffrends of the said Comp
^lt
. and for howe longe tyme did the said Comp
^ltes
ffrend
es
soe fynde him w
^th
apparell? whether not duringe the terme of two yeares or howe muche longer declare the truthe of yo
^r
knowledge therein.

4. Itm whether did not the said def
^t
or some other by his appointment send you or any other p
er
son to yo
^r
. knowledge vnto the said Comp
^lt
. to make a moc
i
on of marriadge betwixt the said Comp
^lt
. and the said Mary Mountioy beinge the def
^tes
sole Childe and daughter, and what wordes did the said def
^t
vse vnto you or to any other to yo
^r
. knowledge touchinge the marryage of the said Comp
^lt
. w
^th
the said Mary? whether did not the def
^t
then say that yf shee the said Mary did not marry the said Comp
^lt
., that shee the said Mary should not Coste him
n
or haue a groate from him, and whether did not the said def
^t
likewise promise that yf the Comp
^lt
. and the said Mary did marry together then hee would giue a porc
i
on w
^th
the said Mary vnto the said Comp
^lt
.? howe muche was the said porc
i
on that hee then promised, whether not the somme of threescore pounds or what other somme as you thinke in yo
^r
. Conscience to bee true? and before whome did the said def
^t
soe promise the same, whether before you or any other to yo
^r
. knowledge, and whether vppon the said promisses and perswac
ions
did not the said Comp
^lt
. Contracte himselfe w
^th
the said Mary?

5. Itm whether after the marriadge betwixt the said Comp
^lt
. and the said Mary did the said def
^t
giue any goods or howsehold stuffe to the said Comp
^lt
. and his wyffe? yf yea, to what vallue did the said goods or howsehold stuffe amounte vnto, whether vnto the somme of ffiue pounds or to what other somme declare the truthe of yo
^r
. knowledge herein./
^c

SECOND DEPOSITION OF DANIEL NICHOLAS

Dannyell Nicholas of the p
ar
ishe of S
^ct
: Alphadge w
^th
in Criplegate London gent of the Age of threeschore and twoe yeares or thereabout
es
swoorne and examyned the daye and yeare abouesaid deposeth and saythe./

1. /To the ffirste Interr this depon
e
nt sayth he hath knowne the pl
ain
t
iff
twelue yeares, and the defendt about twentye yeares.

2. /To the seconde Interr this depon
e
nt sayth that the defendt is Amongest his neighboures thought to be a Suffitient man in estate and abillitie, and Reporte is amongste the neighboures that he hath Diu
er
se leases neere about wheare he dwelleth and at Braynforde woorthe by reporte thirtye pound
es
p
er
Ann
um
or thereabout
es
. And by reporte he hath latelie takne newe leases of them./ but what yeares are yett to come in them his leases this depon
e
nt knoweth not./ And sayth he thinketh in his Conscyence the defendt Receiveth about thirtye pound
es
yerely Rent de Claro for the same houses/ And sayth he herd one Christopher Weaver saye that the defendt hadd A good estate to paye eu
er
ye man his owne and to geue the pl
ain
t
iff
his porc
i
on yf he pleased./ but the defendt hadd made an othe that Althoughe the Lawe gaue him the pl
ain
t
iff
his porc
i
on, he the deft would Rott in prison before he would geue the pl
ain
t
iff
any one groate thereof./ And more he Cannott depose

3. /To the thirde Interr this depon
e
nt sayth that the pl
tes
ffath
^r
in Lawe [i.e. stepfather] Humphrey ffludd, reported in this depon
e
nt
es
p
re
sent
es
& the p
re
sent
es
of others that he the pl
ain
t
iff
was often and seuerall tymes Apparrelled by him the said Homphrey ffludd and the pl
ain
t
iffes
mother and others of the pl
ain
t
iffes
ffrend
es
, duringe the moste parte of the tyme of his
ser
vice w
^th
the defendt./ And more he cannott depose touchinge the same Interr./

4. To the iiij
^th
Interr this deponnt sayth that the defendt did never send him this deponnt vnto the Compl
ainan
t to make moc
i
on of Marriadge betwixte the Compl
ainan
t and the said Marye Mountioye beinge the defendt
es
sole daughter and Childe but M
^r
: William Shakespeare tould him this depon
e
nt that the defendt sent him the said M
^r
Shakespeare to the pl
ain
t
iff
about suche a marriadge to be hadd betweene them, And Shakespeare tould this depon
e
nt that the defendt tould him that yf the pl
ain
t
iff
would Marrye the said Marye his daughter he would geue hime the pl
ain
t
iff
A some of money w
^th
her for A porc
i
on in Marriadge w
^th
her./ And that yf he the pl
ain
t
iff
did not marry w
^th
her the said Marye and shee w
^th
the pl
ain
t
iff
shee should never coste him the deft her ffather A groat, wherevppon And in Regard M
^r
Shakespeare hadd tould them that they should haue A some of money for a porc
i
on from the fath
^r
they weare made suer by M
^r
Shakespeare by geuinge there Consent, and agreed to Marrye, [
geuinge eache others hand to the hande
deleted]. And did marrye./ But what some yt was that M
^r
[
Shake
deleted] Mountyoye p
ro
missed to geue them he the said M
^r
Shakespeare could not remember, but said yt was ffyftye pound
es
or th
^r
about
es
to his beste Rememb
er
aunce./ And as he Rememb
er
ith M
^r
Shakespeare said he p
ro
missed to geue them A porc
i
on of his good
es
: but what, or to what valewe he Rememberithe not./ And more he Cannott depose./