The Lodger Shakespeare: His Life on Silver Street (40 page)

Raf Wormlaighton

d. Mountjoy’s Rejoinder, undated [ibid./4]

The reioy
n
d
^r
of Christopher Mountioy defendn
^t
to the Replica
cion
of Stephen Belot Compl
ainant

The sayd Defendaunte not acknowledgeing any thing in the sayd Replecation materially alledged to be trew in such sort as in and by the sayd Replication is aledged for reioynd
^r
thervnto sayth in all thing
es
as in his Aunsweare he hath sayd and doth and will averr mayntayne and prove his sayd Aunsweare and every matter Artickle and thinge therein Contayned to be true Certaine and sufficient to be Replyed vnto in manner and fo
r
me as therein is sett forth affirmed and Declared with that that this Defendaunt will mayntaine and prove that the sayd Complainnant
es
frend
es
did promis to fynde the sayd Complaynaunte apparrell as in and by this Defendaunt
es
ausweare is affirmed and that this Defendaunt did furnish the sayd Complainaunte with mony at the time of his travell
es
into Spayne and that this Defendaunte and his then wife was then moved and and earnestly solisited by the sayd Complaynaunte to Consente to his Marynge of theire Daughter and the Complainanaunte not drawene therevnto by this Defendaunte, and that this Defendaunte did give vnto the sayd Complainaunte houshould stuffe and oth
^r
good
es
and Did make such Conclusion
es
and agreement
es
w
^th
the sayd Compla
ina
nte as in and by the sayd aunsweare is truly affirmed and this Defendaunte was also desiered by the Complaynaunte to pay vnto the Bruer three pound
es
for the Debt of the sayd Complaynaunt and payd it as in his sayd Defendaunt
es
Aunswer is lykewyse most truly affirmed w
^th
out that that this Defendaunte did ev
^r
p
ro
mise three score pound
es
or any other somes of mony vnto the sayd Complainaunte eith
^r
in marriage with his sayd Daughter or after his Death or is indebted vnto the Complaynaunte in the somme of fforty pound
es
or any other some what soever as in and by the sayd Bill and Replication is falsly surmysed all which matters this Defendaunte is ready to averr mayntayne and prove as this Honorable Courte shall award and humbly prayeth as in his sayd Answeare he hath prayed.

George Hartoppe

2. DEPOSITIONS

a. First session, 11 May 1612 [TNA Pro REQ 4/1/4/1]

Interrogatories to bee mynistred to Wittnesses to bee p
ro
duced on the parte and behalf of Stephen Belott Complt. against Christopher Mountioye Deft.

1. Imprimis whether doe you knowe the parties plt. and deft. and howe longe haue you knowne them and either of them.

2. Item whether did you knowe the Complt when he was servant w
^th
the said deft howe and in what sort did he behaue himselfe in the service of the said deft and whether did not the said deft. Confesse that hee had got great p
ro
fitt and Comodytie by the service of the said Complt.

3. Item whether did not the said deft seeme to beare great good will and affecc
i
one toward
es
the said Complt during the time of his said service and what report did he then giue of the said Complt touching his said service and whether did not the said deft make a moc
i
on vnto the said Complt of marriage w
^th
the said Mary in the Bill menc
i
oned being the said deft
es
sole Child and daughter and willingly offer to p
er
forme the same yf the said Complt. should seeme to be content and well lyke thereof. and whether did not hee lykewise send anie p
er
son or noe to p
er
swade the said Complt. to the same, declare the truthe of yo
^r
knowledge herin.

4. Item what some or somes of moneye did the said deft p
ro
mise to giue the said Complt. for a porc
i
on in marriage w
^th
the said Marye his daughter whether the some of threscore pownd
es
or what other somme as you knowe or haue hard and when was the same to be paied whether at the daie of Marriage of the said Complt and the said Marye or what other tyme and what further porc
i
on did the said deft p
ro
mise to giue vnto the said Complt w
^th
the said Marye at the tyme of his decease whether the some twoe hundred pound
es
or what other somes and whether vppon the said p
er
swac
i
ones and promisses of the said deft. did not the said Complt shortly after marrye w
^th
her the said Marye declare the truthe herein as you knowe verylie believe or haue Credybly hard.

5. Item what p
ar
cells of good
es
or houshold stuffe did the defendt promise to geue vnto the compl
ainant
in Marriadge w
^th
his said wiefe And what p
ar
cells of good
es
did he geue him in Marriage w
^th
his said wyffe did he not geue them these p
ar
cels (vizt.) One ould ffetherbed, one oulde ffether boulster, A flocke boulster, a thine greene Rugg, two ordanarie blanckett
es
woven, two paire sheetes, A dozine of napkines of Course Dyap
er
, twoe short table Clothes, six short Towelles & one longe one, An ould drawinge table, two ould Joyned stooles, one Wainscott Cubberd, one Twistinge wheele of woode, twoe paire of litle Scyssers, one ould Truncke and a like ould Truncke./ One Bobbine box: And what doe youe thincke in yo
^r
Conscyence all these said parcelles might be woorthe at the tyme when they weare deliu
er
ed by the defendaunt
es
appoyntm
^t
, vnto the pl
ain
t
iffes
declare the truthe hearein at lardge./

DEPOSITION OF JOAN JOHNSON

Johane Johnsone the wyffe of Thomas Johnsone of the p
ar
ishe of Elinge in the Countye of Midd
lesex
Baskettmaker of the Age of ffortye yeres or th’about
es
sworne and examyned the daye and yere abouesaid deposeth and say[th]

1/ To the ffirst Interr
ogatory
this depon
ent
sayth she knoweth the pl
ain
t
iff
and [hath] knowne him about Eight yeres./ and the deft about Eight yeres./

2/ To the seconde Interr this depont sayth shee did knowe the pl
ain
t
iff
when he served the deft, And sayth he behaved him selfe well and in good sorte when he served the defendt for shee was servant to the deft at the tyme./ but shee never herd the deft confesse and saye that he had greate p
ro
ffitt and Comoddytie by the pl
ain
t
iffes
service./ And more shee cannot depose.

3/ To the thirde Interr
ogatory
this depon
e
nt sayth that the defendt seemed to beare greate good will and affection toward
es
the pl
ain
t
iff
when he served him, geuinge him reporte to be A verry good servaunte for pl[ ] his service./ But that the deft moved the pl
ain
t
iff
to Marrye w
^th
his daughter Marye she knoweth not./. But sayth that there was a shewe of goodwill betweene the pl
ain
t
iff
and deft
es
daughter Marye w
^ch
the deft
es
wyffe did geue Countenaunce vnto and thinke well of./ And as shee Rememb
er
eth the deft did send and p
er
swade one M
^r
Shakespeare that laye in the house to p
er
swade the pl
ain
t
iff
to the same Marriadge./ And more shee cannott depose

4/ To the iiij
^th
Interr
ogatory
this depon
e
nt sayth shee never herd her [M
^r
] the def
endan
t p
ro
ffer the pl
ain
t
iff
any some of money in Marriadge [w
^th
] his daughter Marye. but yt was Reported in the house that the pl
ain
t
iff
was to haue w
^th
her in marriadge the some of ffyftye pound
es
. but what tyme of paym
^t
was th
^r
of appoynted or agreed vppon shee knoweth not, nor of any p
ro
mise of any other or furth
^r
porc
i
on to be payed the pl
ain
t
iff
eyther at the tyme of marriadge between them, or at the tyme of the deft
es
deceas[e] but [that] they after married togeathe
^r
./And more shee cannott [depose]

5/ To the v
^th
Interr this depon
e
nt sayth shee knoweth not what p
ar
celles of good
es
and houshould stuffe the defendt p
ro
missed to geue vnto the pl
ain
t
iff
in marriadge w
^th
his wyffe./ But sayth the deft gaue in marriadge w
^th
her to the def
enda
t [sic] the seu
er
all p
ar
cells [of] good
es
in the Interr
ogatory
menc
i
oned./ but the valewe of them she certaynlie knoweth not, but thinketh they were woorth some Eight pound
es
./ or thereabout
es
./ And more shee cannot depose./

X [her mark]

DEPOSITION OF DANIEL NICHOLAS

Danyell Nycholas of the p
ar
ishe of S
^ct
: Olphadge w
^th
in Criplegate London gent of the Age of ffyftye twoe yeres or th
^r
about
es
sworne and examyned the daye and yere aboue said deposeth and sayth

1. /To the ffirste Interr this depon
e
nt sayth he hath knowne the pl
ain
t
iff
about twenty yeres and deft about twelue yeres
^b

2. /To the seconde Interr
ogatory
this depon
e
nt sayth he knewe the pl
ain
t
iff
servaunte vnto the def
endan
t who behaved him selfe verry well in the defendant
es
service for any thinge he eu
er
herd to the contrary. And hath herd that the deft p
ro
fitted well by the plt
es
service w
^th
him. And more he Cannott depose./

3. To the thirde Interr
ogatory
this depon
e
nt sayth he herd one W
^m
: Shakespeare saye that the deft did beare A good opinn
i
on of the pl
ain
t
iff
and affected him well when he served him, And did move the pl
ain
t
iff
by him the said Shakespeare to haue [a] marriadge betweene his daughter Marye Mountioye [and] the pl
ain
t
iff
. And for that purpose sent him the said Sh[akespeare] to the pl
ain
t
iff
to p
er
swade the pl
ain
t
iff
to the same, as Shakespere tould him this depon
e
nt w
^ch
was effected and Solempnized vppon p
ro
mise of a porc
i
on w
^th
her./ And more he cannott depose./

4. To the iiij
^th
Interr
ogatory
this deponnt sayth that the pl
ain
t
iff
did Requeste him this deponnt to goe w
^th
[
him
deleted] his wyffe to Shakespe[are] to vnd
^r
stande the truthe howe muche and what the def
endan
t did promise [to] bestowe on his daughter in marriadge w
^th
him the pl
ain
t
iff
, who did soe./ And askinge Shakespeare th
^r
of, he Answered that he promissed yf the pl
ain
t
iff
would marrye w
^th
Marye his the deft
es
onlye daughter, he the defendt would by his p
ro
mise as he Remembered geue the pl
ain
t
iff
w
^th
her in marriadge about the some of ffyftye pound
es
in money and Certayne Houshould stuffe./ And more he cannott depose touchinge the said Interr
ogatory
to his Rememberaunce for he remembereth not any daye sett downe for paym
^t
of the porc
i
on or deliu
er
ye of the houshould Stuffe. but only that he would geue her soe much at the tyme of her marriadge./