men whose liking for sack and good ale was notorious.

Players from London brought some added amusement in the summer, but as
Stratford grew more and more puritanical, a very deliberate effort,
already referred to in the preceding chapter, was made to penalise
actors, and some years after Shakespeare's death it is recorded that the
king's players were bribed by the corporation to leave the town without
giving any performances. The gardens of Stratford were very productive.
They were separated from each other by mud walls, and were carefully
cultivated. Shakespeare delighted in his gardens and his plays speak of
his sound knowledge of the gardener's craft. People who could afford to
plant orchards took a pride in doing so; the poorer folk generally
boasted a few fruit-trees, and gave no small part of their garden plot
to raising herbs and simples for use against the various ailments that
troubled them from time to time. The furniture in the house was
primitive. Table, stools, a chair or two, and a bench would furnish a
living-room. Carpets were not often met with; mattresses, bolsters, and
pillows were stuffed with feathers. Sheets and table-cloths were of flax
or hemp; dishes were of brass or pewter. Wooden trenchers and pewter
spoons were in common use, and most houses held the necessary equipment
for baking bread, brewing ale, and weaving wool. Cooking was primitive;
good cooks were not required unless the occasion was an extraordinary
one. People rose early and retired early; there was no temptation to be
out late in filthy, ill-lighted streets, and bed was the only
comfortable place in a house after nightfall. Doubtless the conditions
were favourable to deep drinking among those who were not limited to the
ale-house, and consequently could escape from the vigilant eye of
authority.

The apprentice system was in vogue at Stratford in Shakespeare's time,
and though the condition of apprentices was not always creditable to
their employers, the system ensured a thorough knowledge of any business
that a man sought to establish. The apprenticeship was a legal
condition, precedent to setting up in business, and until a lad had
fulfilled his indentures he could not open a shop on his own account or
claim the rights of a freeman. Apprentices had their rights and
privileges, including certain holidays, but they might not carry arms,
might not visit ale-houses, and might not stay out after nine o'clock.
For lads who did not