remembraunce of the valeant facts and verteous dispositions of worthie men have been made knowne and divulged by certeyne shields of arms and tokens of chevalrie; the grant and testemonie whereof apperteyneth unto us by vertu of our offices from the Quenes most Exc. Majestie, and her Highenes most noble and victorious progenitors: wherefore being solicited, and by credible report informed that JOHN SHAKSPERE, now of Stratford upon Avon, in the counte of Warwick, gent. whose parent, great grandfather, and late antecessor, for his faithefull and approved service to the late most prudent prince, king Henry VII. of famous memore, was advaunced and rewarded with lands and tenements, geven to him in those parts of Warwickshere, where they have continewed by some descents in good reputacion and credit; and for that the said John Shakspere having maryed the daughter and one of the heyrs of Robert Arden, of Wellingcote in the said countie, and also produced this his auncient cote of arms, heretofore assigned to him whilest he was her Majesties officer and baylefe of that towne. In consideration of the premisses, and for the encouragement of his posterite, unto whom suche blazon of arms and achevements of inheritance from theyre said mother by the auncyent custome and lawes of arms, maye lawfully descend; We the said Garter and Clarencieulx have assigned, graunted, and by these presents exemplefied unto the said John Shakspere, and to his posterite, that shield and cote of arms, viz. In a field of gould upon a bend

sables,

sables, a speare of the first, the poynt upward, hedded argent; and for his crest or cognizance, A falcon with his wyngs displayd, standing on a wrethe of his coullers supporting a speare armed hedded, or steeled sylver, fyxed uppon a helmet with mantell and tassells, as more playnely maye appeare depected on this margent; and we have likewise uppon on other escucheon impaled the same with the auncyent arms of the said Arden * of Wellingcote, signifieng therby that it maye and shalbe lawful for the said John Shakspere, gent. to beare and use the same shield of arms, single or impaled, as aforsaid, during his naturall lyffe; and that it shalbe lawfull for his children, yssue, and posteryte (lawfully begotten) to beare, use, and quarter, and show forth the same, with theyre dewe differences, in all lawfull warlyke facts and civile use or exercises, according to the lawes of arms, and custome that to gentlemen belongethe, without let or interuption of

* It is said by the modern editor of Arden of Feversham (first published in 1592, and republished in 1770) that Shakspere descended by the female line from the gentleman whose unfortunate end is the subject of this tragedy. But the assertion appears to want support, the true name of the person who was murdered at Feversham being Ardern and not Arden. Ardern might be called Arden in the play, for the sake of better sound, or might be corrupted in the chronicle of Hollingshed; yet it is unlikely that the true spelling should be overlooked among the Heralds, whose interest it is to recommend, by ostentatious accuracy, the trifles in which they deal. STEEVENS,

any

any person or persons, for use or bearing the same. In wyttnesse and testemonye wherof we have subscrebed our names, and fastened the seals of our offices, geven at the Office of Arms, London, the daye of in the xlii yere of the

reigne of our most gratious Sovraigne Ladye Elizabeth, by the grace of God Quene of Ingland, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith, &c. 1559.

SHAKSPERE'S