Quiney, by whom she had three fons and all died already mentioned, and a fon, named Hamnet, of whom Mr. Rowe takes no notice. He was a twin child, born at the fame time with Judith. Hence probably the mistake. He died in the twelfth year of his age, in 1596. MALONE.

ter.

--Judith, the elder, to one Mr. Thomas Quiney,] This also is a mistake. Judith was Shakspeare's youngest daughShe died at Stratford-upon-Avon a few days after she had completed her seventy-seventh year, and was buried there, Feb. 9, 1661-62. She was married to Mr. Quiney, who was four years younger than herself, on the 10th of February, 1615-16, and not as Mr. West supposed, in the year 1616-17. He was led into the mistake by the figures 1616 standing nearly opposite to the entry concerning her marriage; but those figures relate to the first entry in the subsequent month of April. The Register appears thus:

February.

3. Francis Bushill to Isabel Whood.

1616. 5. Rich. Sandells to Joan Ballamy.
10. Tho. Queeny to Judith Shakspere.
April.--

14. Will. Borrowes to Margaret Davies. and the following entries in that and a part of the ensuing page are of 1616; the year then beginning on the 25th of March. Whether the above to relates to the month of February or April, Judith was certainly married before her father's death: if it relates to February, she was married on February 10, 1615-16; if to April, on the 10th of April 1616. From Shakspeare's will it appears, that this match was a stolen one; for he speaks of fuch future "husband as She shall be married to." It is strange that the ceremony should have been publickly celebrated in the church of Stratford without his knowledge; and the improbability of fuch a circumstance might lead us to fuppofe that the married on the 10th of April, about a fortnight after the execution of her father's will. But the entry of the baptifm of her first child, (Nov. 23, 1616,) as well as the entry of the marriage, afcertain it to have taken place in February.

Was

Mr. West, without intending it, has impeached the character of this lady; for her first child, according to his representation, must be supposed to have been born fome months before her marriage; fince among the baptifms I find this enwithout children; and Susanna, who was his far vourite, to Dr. John Hall, a physician of good reputation in that country. She left one child only,

try of the christening of her eldest fon : "1616. Νοv. 23, Skakspeare, filius Thomas Quiney, Gent." and according to Mr. Weft she was not married till the following February. This Shakspeare Quiney died in his infancy at Stratford, and was buried May 8th, 1617. Judith's fecond fon, Richard, was baptized on February 9th, 1617-18. He died at Stratford in Feb. 1638-9, in the 21st year of his age, and was buried there on the 26th of that month. Her third fon, Thomas, was baptized August 29, 1619, and was buried alfo at Stratford, January 28, 1638-9. There had been a plague in the town in the preceding summer, that carried off about fifty perfons. MALONE.

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Dr. John Hall, a physician of good reputation in that country.] Susanna's husband, Dr. John Hall, died in Nov. 1635, and is enterred in the chancel of the church of Stratford near his wife. He was buried on the 26th of November, as appears from the Register of burials at Stratford:

" November 26th, 1635, Johannes Hall, medicus peritiffimus."

The following is a transcript of his will extracted from the Registry of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury:

66

The last Will and Teftament nuncupative of John Hall of Stratford-upon-Avon in the county of Warwick, Gent. made and declared the five and twentieth of November, 1635. Imprimis, I give unto my wife my house in London. Item, I give unto my daughter Nash my house in Acton. Item, I give unto my daughter Nash my meadow. Item, I give my goods and money unto my wife and daughter Nash, to be equally divided betwixt them. Item, concerning my study of books, I leave them, faid he, to you, my fon Nash, to dispose of them as you see good. As for my manuscripts, I would have given them to Mr. Boles, if he had been here; but forafmuch as he is not here present, you may, fon Nash, burn them, or do with them what you please. Witnesses hereunto. Thomas Nash. Simon Trapp."

The teftator not having appointed any executor, adminiftration was granted to his widow, Nov. 23, 1636.

Y

Some at least of Dr. Hall's manuscripts escaped the flames, one of them being yet extant. See p. 26, n. 9.

I could not, after a very careful fearch, find the will of Susanna Hall in the Prerogative-office, nor is it preserved in the Archives of the diocese of Worcester, the Registrar of which diocese at my request very obligingly examined the indexes of all the wills proved in his office between the years 1649 and 1670; but in vain. The town of Stratford-uponAvon is in that diocefe.

The infcriptions on the tomb-ftones of our poet's favourite daughter and her husband are as follows:

" Here lyeth the body of John Hall, Gent. he marr. Sufanna, ye daughter and co-heir of Will. Shakspeare, Gent. he deceased Nov. 25, Ao. 1635, aged 60."

"Hallius hic fitus est, medica celeberrimus arte,

Expectans regni gaudia læta. Dei.

Dignus erat meritis qui Nestora vinceret annis;
" In terris omnes fed rapit æqua dies.

"Ne tumulo quid defit, adeft fidiffima conjux,

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" Et vitæ comitem nunc quoque mortis habet."

These verses should feem, from the last two lines, not to have been infscribed on Dr. Hall's tomb-stone till 1649. Perhaps indeed the last distich only was then added.

Here lyeth the body of Susanna, wife to John Hall, Gent. ye daughter of William Shakspeare, Gent. She deceased the 11th of July, Ao. 1649, aged 66."

"Witty above her fexe, but that's not all,

" Wife to falvation was good Mistriss Hall.

Something of Shakspeare was in that, but this " Wholy of him with whom she's now in bliffe.

" Then, passenger, haft ne're a teare,

"To weepe with her that wept with all:
"That wept, yet set her felfe to chere
" Them up with comforts cordiall.

"Her love shall live, her mercy spread.
"When thou hast ne're a teare to shed."

The foregoing English verses, which are preserved by Dugdale, are not now remaining, half of the tomb-ftone having been cut away, and another half stone joined to it; with the following infcription on it.

"Here lyeth the

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a daughter who was married first to Thomas Nash,

body of Richard Watts of Ryhon-Clifford, in the parish of old Stratford, Gent. who departed this life the 23d of May, Anno Dom. 1707, and in the 46th year of his age.” This Mr. Watts, as I am informed by the Rev. Mr. Davenport, was owner of, and lived at the estate of RyhonClifford, which was once the property of Dr. Hall.

Mrs. Hall was buried on the 16th of July, 1649, as ap pears from the Register of Stratford. MALONE.

$ She left one child only, a daughter, who was married first to Thomas Nash, Esq.] Elizabeth, our poet's grand-daughter, who appears to have been a favourite, Shakspeare having left her by his will a memorial of his affection, though the at that time was but eight years old, was born in February 1607-8, as appears by an entry in the Register of Stratford, which Mr. West omitted in the transcript with which he furnished Mr. Steevens. I learn from the fame register that she was married in 1626: "MARRIAGES, April 22. 1626, Mr. Thomas Nash to Mistress Elizabeth Hall." It should be remembered that every unmarried lady was called Mistress till the time of George I. Hence our outhor's Mistress Anne Page. Nor in speaking of an unmarried lady could her chriftian name be omitted, as it often is at present; for then no diftinction would have remained between her and her mother. Some married ladies indeed were diitinguished from their daughters by the title of Madam.

Mr. Nash died in 1647, as appears by the inscription on his tomb-ftone in the chancel of the church of Stratford. "Here refsteth ye body of Thomas Nashe, Efq. He mar. Elizabeth the daugh. and heire of John Hall, Gent. He died April 4th, A9 1647, aged 53."

"Fata manent omnes; huc non virtute carentem,
"Ut neque divitiis, abftulit atra dies.

" Abftulit, at referet lux ultima. Sifte, viator;
" Si peritura paras, per male parta peris.

The letters printed in Italicks are now obliterated.
By his last will, which is in the Prerogative-office, das
ted August 25th, 1642, he bequeathed to his well beloved
wife, Elizabeth Nash, and her affigns, for her life, (in lieu
of jointure and thirds,) one messuage or tenement, with the

one other

appurtenances, fituate in the Chapel-Street in Stratford, then
in the tenure and occupation of Joan Norman, widow; one
meadow, known by the name of the Square Meadow, with
the appurtenances, in the parish of old Stratford, lying
near unto the great ftone-bridge of Stratford;
meadow with the appurtenances, known by the
of the Wash Meadow; one little meadow with the appur-
tenances, adjoining to the faid Wash Meadow; and alfo all
the tythes of the manor or lordship of Shottery. He de-
vises to his kinsman Edward Nash, the fon of his uncle
George Nash of London, his heirs and affigns (inter alia)
the meffuage or tenement, then in his own occupation, called
The New-Place, fituate in the Chapel-Street, in Stratford;
together with all and tingular houses, outhouses, barns, sta-
bles, orchards, gardens, casements, profits, or commodities,
to the fame belonging; and also four-yard land of arable
land, meadow, and pasture, with the appurtenances, lying
and being in the common fields of Old Stratford, with all
the easements, profits, commons, commodities, and here-
ditaments, to the fame four-yard lands belonging; then in
the tenure, use, and occupation of him the faid Thomas
Nash; and one other messuage or tenement, with the ap-
purtenances, fituate in the parish of --, in London, and
called or known by the name of The Wardrobe, and then
in the tenure, use and occupation of -- Dickes. And
from and after the death of his faid wife, he bequeaths the
meadows above named, and devised to her for life, to his
faid coufin, Edward Nash, his heirs and affigns for ever.
After various other bequests, he directs that one hundred
pounds, at the least, be laid out in mourning gowns, cloaks,
and apparel, to be distributed among his kindred and friends,
in such manner as his executrix shall think fit. He appoints
his wife Elizabeth Nash his refiduary legatee, and fole ex-
ecutrix, and ordains Edmund Rawlins, William Smith, and
John Easton, overseers of his will to which the witnesses
are John Such, Michael Jonfon, and Samuel Rawlins.

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