Produced by Florian Hofmann, Stephanie Eason and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net. (Illustration images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) SHAKESPEARE THE PILGRIM BOOKS WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE THE PILGRIM BOOKS _General Editor_-- S. L. BENSUSAN 1. SHAKESPEARE 2. LAMB 3. WORDSWORTH _Others in Preparation_ =THE ELY PALACE PORTRAIT AT SHAKESPEARE'S BIRTHPLACE= WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE HIS HOMES AND HAUNTS BY S.L. BENSUSAN WITH TWELVE DRAWINGS IN CRAYON BY A. FORRESTIER AND FOUR PORTRAITS LONDON: T. C. & E. C. JACK 16 HENRIETTA STREET, W.C. AND EDINBURGH HUNC LIBELLUM REVERENDISSIMO M. GASTER, PH.D. VIRO ERUDITISSIMO PRAECEPTORI PERITISSIMO AMICO FIDELISSIMO MAGNA CUM REVERENTIA D.D.D. OLIM DICIPULUS CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I. STRATFORD-ON-AVON 1 II. THE POET'S YOUTH 8 III. NATURE ROUND STRATFORD AND SHOTTERY 15 IV. FIRST DAYS IN LONDON 20 V. SHAKESPEARE'S LONDON 24 VI. THE STAGE IN SHAKESPEARE'S DAY 28 VII. SHAKESPEARE'S EARLY PLAYS 35 VIII. THE ELIZABETHAN TAVERNS 41 IX. THE MIDDLE PERIOD 46 X. THE LATEST PLAYS 50 XI. BACK AGAIN IN STRATFORD 55 XII. THE POET'S DOMESTIC LIFE 64 XIII. STRATFORD AS IT WAS 72 XIV. THE CLOSE OF LIFE 81 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS THE ELY PORTRAIT AT SHAKESPEARE'S BIRTHPLACE _Frontispiece_ THE HOME OF JOHN SHAKESPEARE, SNITTERFIELD _Facing p._ 4 ANNE HATHAWAY'S COTTAGE--INTERIOR " 12 MARY ARDEN'S COTTAGE " 16 THE EARL OF SOUTHAMPTON " 20 ANNE HATHAWAY'S COTTAGE " 24 GUILD CHAPEL AND SCHOOL " 28 HOLY TRINITY CHURCH AND THE AVON, STRATFORD " 32 BEN JONSON " 36 CHARLECOTE HALL " 40 INTERIOR OF ST. SAVIOUR'S AT SOUTHWARK " 44 THE FIRST GLOBE THEATRE " 48 MICHAEL DRAYTON " 52