Page:A life of William Shakespeare (IA lifeofwilliamsha02lees).pdf/22

the Heralds' College strictly accorded with the contemporary etiquette and aspiration of the theatrical profession.

The second of the two heraldic manuscripts which came into my hands was a paper book of seventeen leaves, containing desultory notes grants of arms which (it was urged with satiric vehemence) had been erroneously made by Sir William Dethick, Garter King, at the end of Queen Elizabeth's reign. Two handwritings figure in these pages, one of which I have not succeeded in identifying but the other is the autograph of Ralph Brooke, York Herald, who was repeatedly exposing alleged malpractices of his colleagues. At the lefthand corner of the outside page is a list in Brooke's handwriting of the surnames of twenty-three persons whom he charged with having received coats-of-arms on false pretences. Fourth on the list stands the surname of 'Shakespeare,' and twelfth on the list stands that of 'Cowley,' who may be identified with Shakespeare's actor-friend, Richard Cowley, the creator of Verges in Much Ado about Nothing. Unluckily the alleged heraldic offences are only described at length in the case of thirteen recent grants, and Shakespeare is not one of those persons whose delinquencies are set out in full. Details are missing of the strictures passed on the claims which Shakespeare advanced to gentility. But such indictments as are unabridged supply pertinent suggestion of the