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for thou canst do it, no man better, no man so wel; thou hast a libertie to reproove all, and name none; for one being spoken to, al are offended; none being blamed, no man is injured. Stop shallow water still running, it will rage; tread on a worme, and it will turne; then blame not schollers vexed with sharpe lines, if they reprove thy too much libertie of reproofe. And thou, no lesse deserving then the other two, in some things rarer, in nothing inferiour; driven (as myselfe) to extreame shifts; a little have I to say to thee; and were it not an idolatrous oth, I would sweare by sweet S. George thou art unworthie better hap, sith thou dependest on so meane a stay. Base minded men al three of you, if by my miserie ye be not warned; for unto none of you, like me, sought those burres to cleave; those puppits, I meane, that speake from our mouths, those anticks garnisht in our colours. Is it not strange that I, to whom they al have beene beholding, is it not like that you to whome they all have beene beholding, shall, were ye in that case that I am now, be both at once of them forsaken? Yes, trust them not; for there is an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers, that, with his Tygers heart wrapt in a Players hide, supposes he is as well able to bumbast out a blanke verse as the best of you; and being an absolute Johannes Factotum, is in his owne conceit the onely Shake-scene in a countrie. O that I might intreate your rare wits to be imployed in more profitable courses, and let those apes imitate your past excellence, and never more acquaint them with your admired inventions! I know the best husband of you all will never prove an usurer, and the kindest of them all wil never proove a kinde nurse; yet, whilst you may, seeke

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you better maisters, for it is pittie men of such rare wits should be subject to the pleasures of such rude groomes.

In this I might insert two more, that both have writ against these buckram gentlemen; but let their owne works serve to witnesse against their owne wickednesse, if they persever to maintaine any more such peasants. For other new commers, I leave them to the mercie of these painted monsters, who, I doubt not, will drive the best minded to despise them; for the rest, it skils not though they make a jeast at them.

But now returne I againe to you three, knowing my miserie is to you no news; and let me heartily intreate you to bee warned by my harmes. Delight not, as I have done, in irreligious oaths; for from the blasphemers house a curse shall not depart. Despise drunkennes, which wasteth the wit and making [sic] men all equal unto beasts. Flie lust, as the deathsman of the soule, and defile not the temple of the Holy Ghost. Abhorre those epicures, whose loose life hath made religion. lothsome to your eares; and when they sooth you with tearmes of maistership, remember Robert Greene, whome they have often so flattered, perishes now for want of comfort. Remember, gentlemen, your lives are like so many lighted tapers, that are with care delivered to all of you to maintaine; these with windpuft wrath may be extinguisht, which drunkennes put out, which negligence let fall; for mans time of itselfe is not so short, but it is more shortened by sin. The fire of my light is now at the last snuffe, and the want of wherewith to sustaine it; there is no substance left for life to feede on. Trust not then, I beseech yee, to such weake staies; for they are as changeable in minde

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as in many attires. Well, my hand is tired, and I am forst to leave where I would begin; for a whole booke cannot containe their wrongs which I am forst to knit up in some few lines of words.-Desirous that you should live, though himselfe be dying.—Robert Greene.

30 1596. The next document of importance is undoubtedly the Grant of Arms for which John Shakespeare applied in 1596. This exists in the form of two Drafts at the Heralds' College made out by Dethick and was followed in 1599 by a Draft of a Confirmation of the grant in somewhat similar terms allowing the Shakespeares to impale their arms with those of Arden. There is no evidence, but very strong presumption, that the arms were actually granted, for the Shakespeare family adopted the arms for which John Shakespeare had applied. Mr. Halliwell-Phillipps is of opinion— a probable conjecture—that the application to the Heralds' College was made at the instance of the poet, as it is not likely that John Shakespeare in his then circumstances would have made such a move only a few years before his death. The following is the second draft. The interlineations are marked in italics, and the chief variations of the other draft are placed in brackets or indicated in footnotes.

Draft of a Grant of Arms to John Shakespeare, 1596, MS. Vincent. Coll. Arm. 157 arts. 23, 24.

(The arms are placed at the top of this draft with the motto Non sans droict.)

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FROM THE SECOND DRAFT OF THE GRANT AT THE
COLLEGE OF ARMS.

1596. Shakespere.

To all and singular noble and gentilmen of what estate or degre bearing Arms to whom these presentes

shall come, Willm Dethick Garter principall King of Arms sendeth greeting. Knowe yee that whereas by the authoritie and auncyent pryvelege [and custome] perteyning to my [said] office [of principall King of arms] from the Quenes most excellent Matie and by her highnes most noble and verteious progenitors I am to take general notice and record and to make [publique] declaration and testemonie for all causes of Arms and matters of gentrie thoroughe out all her Mates Kingdoms, dominions, principalites, isles and provinces, To thend that as manie gentilmē by theyre auncyent names and families kyndrede and descente have and enjoy sonderie enssignes and cotes of Arms, so it is expedient unto all ages that some men for theyre valeant faith, magnanimite, vertue, dignites, and deserte, may use and beare suche tokens of honor and worthinesse, whereby theyr name and good fame may be the better knowen and divulged, and theyre children. and posterite in all vertue to the service of theyre prince and contrie encouraged. We therefore being solicited and by credible report informed that John Shakespeare of Stratford upon Avon in the counte of Warwick . . . [whose parentes and late] antecessors (grandfather) [were] for his [valeant and] faithefull and . . . [service advanced and rewarded by the most prudent] prince King Henry the seventh . . . [of famous memorie, sythence whiche tyme] they have continewed at those partes being of good reputation . . . [and credit; and that the] said John hath [having] maryed [Mary,] the daughter... [and one of the heyrs of Robert Arden of Wilmcote, in the said] counte Esquire. . . [In con

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