Shakespeare's comedy of The merchant of Venice . the third day after birth,the tradition which makes his birthday the 23d has been com-monly accepted. His father, John Shakespeare, seems tohave belonged to the class of yeomen, and to have been aglover by trade. His mother, Mary Arderne, or Arden, cameof a good old Warwickshire family, and brought her husbanda considerable estate as dower, John Shakespeare wasfor many years an alderman, and twice filled the office ofHigh Bailiff, or chief magistrate, but later in life he appearsto have become quite poor. 2 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF Of a family of f
Shakespeare's comedy of The merchant of Venice . the third day after birth,the tradition which makes his birthday the 23d has been com-monly accepted. His father, John Shakespeare, seems tohave belonged to the class of yeomen, and to have been aglover by trade. His mother, Mary Arderne, or Arden, cameof a good old Warwickshire family, and brought her husbanda considerable estate as dower, John Shakespeare wasfor many years an alderman, and twice filled the office ofHigh Bailiff, or chief magistrate, but later in life he appearsto have become quite poor. 2 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF Of a family of four sons and four daughters, William wasthe third child, but the eldest son. He was in all probabili-ty sent to the free-school of his native town, and after leav-ing school may have spent some time in an attorneys in 1582, when he was only 18, he married Anne Hath-away, of the parish of Shottery, near Stratford, a woman someeight years older than himself A daughter was soon bornto him, and, two years later, twins—a boy and a ROOM IN THE HOUSE IN HENLEY STREET, WHERE SHAKESPEARE WAS BORN. As nearly as can be made out, it was in the next year, 1586,that Shakespeare, then 22, went to London, where he becamefirsf an actor, then -a writer for the stage. As an actor heseems to have made no special mark, but as a writer he verysoon distinguished himself, and in a few years had won theforemost rank among the dramatists of his time. In 1598,Francis Meres, in his Wifs Treasury^ speaks of him as the SHAKESPEARE. 3 most excellent among the English for both kinds of tragedyand comedy. His works became not only widely popular,but they brought him special marks of favor and approvalfrom Queen Elizabeth and her successor, James, and gainedfor him the patronage and friendship of some of the most ac-complished men of rank of that day. INNER COURT OF THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL, STRATFORD. But while thus prosperous and honored in London, Shake-speare continued to look upon Stratford a
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