t regaled us with
reminiscences of life in London, and recited certain passages from
his melancholy history of Hamlet, prince of Denmark, the same being
a new and full mournful tragedic of mightie excellence."--The
Tidings, May 13th, 1600.

In the London News-Letter, September 6th, 1600, there occurred this
personal notice: "At the Sweet Briar coffee-house Mr. A. Wilwhite,
from Stratford-on-Avon, sojourneth as the guest of William
Shack-speyr, player." About the same time Ben Jonson wrote to Dick
Craven at Canterbury: "Andrew Wilwhite hath been with us amid great
cheer and merriment, the same being that he saith he was the one
that discovered our master, Will Shackpur, and that I do for a
verity believe, for that Shakspur is vastly beholden unto him, and
speaketh of him as he were a twin-brother or one by some great
office bounden unto him."

Wilwhite went on Shakespeare's bond in 1604, in certain property
transfers involving what was then regarded as a considerable sum of
money. The same year an infant Shakespeare was named after Wilwhite,
the second daughter in the family having already been christened
Elizabeth Wilwhite. From 1605 up to the time of the poet's death,
eleven years later, nearly every issue of The Tidings bristled with
friendly notices of "our eminent townsman," "our world-famed
Shakespeare," and "our immortal poet." Shakespeare lived in
Stratford those last years; he was well-to-do; he had prospered, and
his last days were passed serenely. The musty files of that rurally
candid little paper bear pleasing testimony to the Arcadian
simplicity of the noble bard's declining years. They tell us with
severe brevity of the trifling duties and recreations that engaged
the poet. We learn that "a new and handsome front gate has been put
up on the premises of our famous Shakspear"; that "our honored
townsman-poet hath graciously contributed three-and-sixpence toward
the mending of the town pump"; that "a gloom hath been cast over the
entire community by the bone-felon upon Mr. Shaikspur's left thumb";
that "our immortal Shakespeere hath well discharged the onerous
offices of road-overseer for the year past"; that "our sweete
friend, Will Shakespear, will go fishing for trouts to-morrow with
his good gossip, Ben Jonson, that hath come to be his guest a little
season"; that "Master W. Shackspur hath a barrow that upon the
slaughtering di