ON THE PROBABILITY OF THE GOLDEN LION INN, AT FULHAM, HAVING BEEN FREQUENTED BY SHAKESPEARE ABOUT THE YEARS 1595 AND 1596.

It is certainly extraordinary that of the personal history of a man whose writings are of so high an order of genius that they may almost be considered as works of inspiration, we should know so little, and that conjecture should have to supply so much, as in the biography of William Shakespeare.

Pilgrims as are we at this moment to the birth-place and the tomb of the highest name in the literature of this country, we all feel that we now tread the cla.s.sic ground of England-ground too rich in unquestionable memories of Shakespeare, to admit of any feeling of jealousy in an attempt to connect his fame by circ.u.mstantial evidence with any other locality. I therefore venture to call attention to the two following entries in the parish records of Fulham, a village in the county of Middles.e.x, on the Thames, about four miles west of London, and where the Bishop of London has a seat.

In an a.s.sessment made on the 12th October, 1625, for the relief of the poor of Fulham side, John Florio, Esq., was rated at six shillings, for his house in Fulham Street.

And in the same a.s.sessment upon the "Northend" of the parish, the name of Robert Burbage occurs.

Meagre as this appears to be, and wide of the date at which I aim by thirty years, it is all that I can produce in the shape of novel doc.u.mentary evidence for an attempt to connect the name of Shakespeare with Fulham; the other points which I have to offer in evidence being admitted facts, although no result has been deduced from them.

In the High Street of Fulham stands a cleanly-looking brick house, square in form and newly built, called the Golden Lion, where any suburban traveller requiring refreshment may be supplied with a mug of excellent ale and bread and cheese, in a parlour having a sanded floor, the room, it must be confessed, smelling rather strongly of tobacco smoke:-

"You may break, you may ruin the vase if you will- But the scent of the roses will hang round it still;"-

And so it is, to my mind, with the tobacco smoke of the Golden Lion, which stands upon the site of an old hostelry, or inn, of the Tudor age, which was pulled down in April, 1836, and was described soon afterwards in the 'Gentleman's Magazine.' While the work of destruction [Picture: Ancient tobacco pipe] was going on, a tobacco pipe of ancient and foreign fashion was found behind the old wainscot. The stem was a crooked shoot of bamboo, through which a hole had been bored, and a bra.s.s ornamental termination (of an Elizabethan pattern) formed the head of the pipe.-Why may not this have been the pipe of that Bishop of London who had risen into Elizabeth's favour by attending Mary on the scaffold at Fotheringay, and who, having fallen into disgrace in consequence of a second marriage at an advanced period of his life, sought, we are told, in the retirement of his house at Fulham, "to lose his sorrow in a mist of smoke,"-and actually died there suddenly on the 15th June, 1596, "while sitting in his chair and smoking tobacco?"

Could this have been the tobacco pipe produced at "Crowner's 'quest"

a.s.sembled at the Golden Lion to inquire into the cause of his lordship's sudden death? It is not even impossible that it may have been produced there by his son, John Fletcher, whose name is a.s.sociated with that of Francis Beaumont in our literature.

Mr. Charles Knight has set the example of an imaginary biography of Shakespeare, and has brought many probable and some improbable things together on the subject.-Why, then, has he overlooked the Golden Lion in Fulham? The name of John Fletcher naturally leads to this question. At the time of his father's death, he was in his twentieth year; and who will doubt that, at that period of his life, his father's (the Bishop's) house was his home. That he may have resorted to the Golden Lion, and there have met with Shakespeare, is, therefore, quite as probable as that our great dramatist a.s.sociated with Fletcher at the Falcon or the Mermaid, if good cause can only be shown for Shakespeare's having had as much reason to frequent Fulham as the Bank-side-or Borough of London.

I have already stated that Florio's house was a.s.sessed for the poor-rate in Fulham Street, on the 12th October, 1625, the year of Florio's death; and be it remembered that Florio was the translator of Montaigne's Essays, of which a copy of the original edition, bearing Shakespeare's very rare autograph, was not very long since purchased by the British Museum, at what was considered to be a very large price. When the genuineness of that autograph was keenly discussed among antiquaries, and the probable date at which the 'Tempest' was written, became a question, no one presumed to deny that the coincidences between the pa.s.sage in the 2nd Act of the 'Tempest' where Gonzalo says-

"I' the commonwealth I would by contraries Execute all things; for _no kind of traffic_ Would I admit; _no name of magistrate_; Letters should not be known: _riches_, _poverty_, _And use of service_, none: contract, _succession_; Bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none; No use of metal, corn or wine or oil; No occupation; all men idle, all; And women too; but innocent and pure: No Sovereignty:"-

is but an echo of the following in Florio's translation of Montaigne:-

-"It is a nation, would I answer Plato, that hath _no kind of traffic_, no knowledge of letters, no intelligence of numbers, _no name of magistrate_, nor of politic superiority; no _use of service_, of _riches_, or of _poverty_; no _contracts_, no _successions_; no occupation, but idle, no respect of kindred but common; no apparel, but natural; no manuring of lands, no use of wine, corn, or metal,"

etc.

There are other coincidences also, free from the very great difficulty of reconciling satisfactorily printed dates with an imaginary career-which coincidences are too remarkable to have escaped the host of ingenious commentators upon the supposed sources of Shakespeare's information-of his observation what shall I say?

The coincidence between pa.s.sages in Daniel's "Civil Warres,"

published in 1595, and pa.s.sages in Shakespeare's Richard II., induce Mr. Charles Knight to observe that "We"-thereby meaning himself-"have looked at this poem with some care, and we cannot avoid coming to the conclusion that, with reference to parts of the conduct of the story, and in a few modes of expression, each of which differs from the general narrative and the particular language of the chroniclers, there are similarities betwixt Shakespeare and Daniel which would lead to the conclusion either that the poem of Daniel was known to Shakespeare, or the play of Shakespeare was known to Daniel."

This position is, indeed, established by Mr. Knight, who arrives satisfactorily enough for his own conclusion, that of fixing the date of the composition of Shakespeare's play to 1597; adding, candidly enough, that "the exact date is really of very little importance; and we should not have dwelt upon it had it not been pleasant to trace resemblances between contemporary poets, who were themselves personal friends."

Now, with regard to dates, and the disputed dates of the composition of the 'Tempest,' it is important to ascertain who John Florio and Samuel Daniel were.

We know that Florio was the Italian scholar of his day, and the Court favourite. We know that Daniel, whose name is now scarcely popularly remembered, was helped into the office of poet-laureat by his connection with Florio as his brother-in-law, by Florio's recommendations to be the successor of "that poor poet, Edmund Spenser." Here, at once, by admitting Shakespeare's personal intimacy with Florio and Daniel, with his knowledge of their writings, there can be no question; and supposing that he had seen Florio's translation of Montaigne in MS., much difficulty about dates is got rid of, and we can account for Shakespeare's acquaintance with Italian literature.

And allow me to add to this the fact noticed by Mr. Collier, in his memoirs of the princ.i.p.al actors in the plays of Shakespeare, printed for the Shakespeare Society, that Shakespeare's fellow-player, Henry Condell, did some time sojourn at Fulham; for a tract printed in 1625, ent.i.tled 'The Runaway's Answer to a book "A Rod for Runaways,"'

in reply to a pamphlet published by Decker, is inscribed "to our much respected and very worthy friend, Mr. H. Condell, at his country house at Fulham." Again, couple with the name of Condell that of Burbadge, in 1625, at Fulham; is not the a.s.sociation most extraordinary, although there is no further agreement in the Christian name than the first letter, Robert being that in the Fulham a.s.sessment of poor-rates, Richard that of Shakespeare's fellow-actor.

The family name of Burbadge, however, belongs not to Middles.e.x, but to Warwickshire. Alas! for the credit sake of 'Robert Burbadge, of Northend, Fulham,' in the place in the poor-rate a.s.sessment of 1625, where the sum should have been inserted, there is a blank; although twenty-two of his neighbours at North End are contributors of sums varying from 6s. 8d. to 1s.

Joshua Sylvester, who was born in 1563 or 1564, and died in 1618, thus describes the village of North End, Fulham, where his uncle Plumbe resided, and he (Sylvester) formed the attachment which is the subject of his poem:-

I was wont (for my disport) Often in the summer season, To a Village to resort Famous for the rathe ripe peason, Where beneath a _Plumb_-tree shade Many pleasant walks I made.

And Norden, whom we consider as the father of English topography, dates the address "to all courteous gentlemen," prefixed to his account of Middles.e.x and Hertfordshire, from his "poore home, near Fulham, 4th November, 1596."

Here, then, we have a ma.s.s of facts, which render it impossible for us to doubt that the Golden Lion, Fulham, must have been, according to the custom of the times, frequented by Florio and his brother-in-law Daniel; by Fletcher; by Henry Condell, Shakespeare's fellow-player; by some one of the name of Burbadge; by Joshua Sylvester, and John Norden, about the years 1595 and 1596. Is there not, then, every reasonable presumption that our immortal Shakespeare was also a member of this clique?

[Picture: Fireplaces in the old Golden Lion]

On the pulling down of the Old Inn by Mr. Powell, the panelling was purchased by Mr. Street, of Brewer Street, and was afterwards sold to Lord Ellenborough, for the fitting up of his Lordship's residence, Southam House, Cheltenham.

Fulham High Street, which extends from the London Road to Church Row, appears to have been denominated Bear Street, and is called in the more ancient parish books Fulham Street. The direct approach to Fulham Church is by Church Row, which branches off to the right of the High Street. On the left of the churchyard entrance is the Vicarage. The present vicar is the Rev. R. G. Baker. Opposite the vicarage is a piece of ground, which was consecrated in 1843 by Bishop Blomfield, who is buried there.

Upon this recent addition to the burial-ground formerly stood Miss Batsford's seminary for young gentlemen. There are several curious old monuments in the church, which have been described and engraved by Faulkner, to whose work the curious reader may be referred. In the churchyard are the tombs and monuments of several of the old bishops of London-Compton, Robinson, Hayter, Gibson, Terrick, Lowth, Sherlock, and Randolph.

The grave of that distinguished author and brilliant wit, Theodore Hook, is immediately opposite the chancel window. The stone bears the plain inscription "Theodore Edward Hook, died 24th August, 1841, in the fifty-third year of his age."

[Picture: Old entrance to Pryor's Bank, 1844] {188b}

Leaving the church by the other entrance, we are in Church Lane. The first house opposite the gate of the churchyard is Pryor's Bank, to which a separate chapter of our little volume is devoted, so that we can pa.s.s on immediately to the next house, Thames Bank, the present residence of Mr. Baylis, whose well-known taste will no doubt soon change its present aspect. Granville Sharp's {188a} House stood opposite. It was pulled down about twenty-five years ago. John's Place (erected 1844) is on the site.

Next to Thames Bank, formerly stood Egmont Villa, the residence of Theodore Hook, and the house in which he died, now pulled down, the back of which, is shown in the annexed sketch. This house, though of the smallest dimensions, was fitted up with much good taste. [Picture: Back of Egmont Villa] There was a small boudoir on the side of the drawing-room, which was very rich in articles of virtu, more especially in some remarkably fine carvings, attributed to Cellini, Brustolini, and others. These were left to Hook by his brother, the late Dean of Worcester. As an improvisatore, Hook was unapproachable. In regard to his literary merits, let the following suffice, taken from the late Mr.

Barham's life of Hook, published in 1848:-

"There can be no need," says the Editor, "at this day to enter upon any lengthened criticism of Theodore Hook's merits as a novelist; they have been discussed over and over again, with little variety of opinion, by every reviewer of the kingdom. Indeed, both his faults and his excellencies lie on the surface, and are obvious and patent to the most superficial reader; his fables, for the most part ill knit and insufficient, disappoint as they are unfolded; repet.i.tions and omissions are frequent: in short, a general want of care and finish is observable throughout, which must be attributed to the hurry in which he was compelled to write, arising from the multiplicity and distracting nature of his engagements. His tendency to caricature was innate; but even this would probably have been in a great measure repressed, had he allowed himself sufficient time for correction: while, on the contrary, in detached scenes, which sprang up as pictures in his mind, replete with comic circ.u.mstance, in brilliant dialogue and portraiture of character, not to mention those flashes of sound wisdom with which ever and anon his pages are lighted up, his wit and genius had fair play, revelling and rioting in fun, and achieving on the spur of the moment those lasting triumphs which cast into the shade the minor and mechanical blemishes to which we have adverted."

Hook was a successful dramatist, and an extensive journalist. Of his novels, 'Gilbert Gurney' may be considered to be the most remarkable.

Hook's furniture was sold by George Robins, in September, 1841. In 1855 the aqueduct was erected by the Chelsea Water Works Company, for conveying the water from Kingston-upon-Thames to the metropolis, and it was necessary that the contractor, Mr. Brotherhood, should get possession of Egmont Villa, to enable them to erect the tower on the Fulham side.

Here the piles and timbers of the old Bishop's Ferry, used for the conveyance of pa.s.sengers across the river from Putney to Fulham, before the old bridge was built, were discovered. It was subsequently considered desirable to pull the villa down; and there now remains no trace of the house in which Hook lived and died, and which stood within a few paces of his grave. Bowack mentions that Robert Limpany, Esq., "whose estate was so considerable in the parish that he was commonly called the Lord of Fulham," resided in a neat house in Church Lane. He died at the age of ninety-four. Beyond the Pryor's Bank on the right, is the Bishop's Walk, which runs along the side of the Thames for some little distance, and from hence a view of the Bishop's Palace is obtained. This palace has been from a very early period the summer residence of the Bishops of London. The land consists of about 37 acres, and the whole is surrounded by a moat, over which are two bridges.

Following the course of the Bishop's Walk, we come to the road leading to Craven Cottage, originally built by the Margravine of Ans.p.a.ch, when Countess of Craven, and since altered and improved by Walsh Porter, who occasionally resided in it till his death in 1809. Craven Cottage was considered the prettiest specimen of cottage architecture then existing.

The three princ.i.p.al reception-rooms were equally remarkable for their structure, as well as their furniture. The centre, or princ.i.p.al saloon, supported by large palm-trees of considerable size, exceedingly well executed, with their drooping foliage at the top, supporting the cornice and architraves of the room. The other decorations were in corresponding taste. The furniture comprised a lion's skin for a hearth-rug, for a sofa the back of a tiger, the supports of the tables in most instances were four twisted serpents or hydras: in fact, the whole of the decorations of the room were of a character perfectly unique and uniform in their style. This room led to a large Gothic dining-room of very considerable dimensions, and on the front of the former apartment was a very large oval rustic balcony, opposed to which was a large, half-circular library, that became more celebrated afterwards as the room in which the highly-gifted and talented author of 'Pelham' wrote some of his most celebrated works.

Craven Cottage was the residence of the Right Hon. Sir E. Bulwer-Lytton, from whom it pa.s.sed to Mr. Baylis, now of Thames Bank, who parted with it to Sir Ralph Howard, its present occupant, who removed the door shown in the annexed cut, through which the library is seen.

[Picture: Door of Egyptian Hall at Craven Cottage]

Returning to Church Lane, we come out at the bridge, built in 1729, and close to which is Willow Bank, the late residence of Mr. Delafield and General Conyers. The Ferry belonged to the See of London, and it was necessary that the consent of the Bishops should be had, for the erection of the bridge and consequent destruction of their Ferry; it was, therefore, stipulated for the right of themselves, their families, and all their dependents, that they should pa.s.s over the bridge toll free, which right exists at the present time; and pa.s.sengers are often very much astonished at hearing the exclamation of "Bishop!" shouted out by the stentorian lungs of bricklayers, carpenters, or others, who may be going to the palace, that being the pa.s.s-word for the privilege of going over. The architect of the bridge was the eminent surgeon, W. Cheselden, who died in 1752, and is buried in the graveyard attached to Chelsea Hospital. His tomb is close to the railings of the new road, leading from Sloane Street to the Suspension Bridge at Chelsea. Cheselden was for many years, surgeon of Chelsea Hospital.

[Picture: The Swan Tavern]

Standing by the Ferry is the Swan Tavern, a characteristic old house, with a garden attached, looking on to the river, and scarcely altered in any of its features since Chatelaine published his views of "The most agreeable Prospects near London," about 1740. It is a good specimen of a waterside inn, and appears to have been erected about the time of William III.

At the foot of the bridge is 'The Eight Bells' public-house, where the Fulham omnibuses leave for London.

[Picture: Approach to Putney Bridge]

Bridge Street brings us to the point at which we turned off at the termination of the High Street, and on the right-hand side as we look towards London is Church Street (formerly Windsor Street, according to Faulkner), leading up to the Ship Tavern, and thence into the King's Road.

The Charity School is in Church Street. This building was erected in 1811.