SHOTTERY is a small and pleasant hamlet, about a mile from Stratford. There is a tradition, to some extent corroborated by old records, that this was the place of residence of Anne Hathaway before she became the wife of Shakspere. There is even a particular cottage pointed out, which has for very many years been regarded as having been her maiden home. Garrick purchased relics out of it, and subsequently Samuel Ireland, who published "Views on the River Avon," carried off what was called " Shakspere's courting chair.' The genuineness, however, of these and other articles affirmed to have belonged to Shakspere is more than doubtful. The cottage has an antique and picturesque appearance, and still contains some pieces of ancient furniture. The scenery in the neighbourhood is of a retired and peaceful description.

CHARLECOTE, also indissolubly associated with the name of Shakspere, is four miles distant. Leaving Stratford by the great stone bridge, originally built by Sir Hugh Clopton, in the reign of Henry VII., and taking the road which turns to the left, the tourist passes the pleasant villages of Tiddington and Alveston-the latter of which Dr. Parry, on account of its salubrity, pronounced the Montpelier of England. A little to the left is Welcombe, interesting as having been the seat of John Combe, and his brother William, the intimate friends of Shakspere. Rather farther away is Clopton, originally the property of a family of that name. William Howett tells the sad story of a fair member of this family who was prematurely interred in a vault in Stratford Church. Pursuing the main road past Alveston to a distance of nearly four miles from Stratford, a cross road, branching off to the left, skirts Charlecote Park, and affords a view of the ancient family mansion of the Lucys. The park is extensive, finely wooded, and well stocked with deer. The house was erected by Sir Thomas Lucy in the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth. It continued with little alteration till the late George Lucy, Esq., made various improvements, which give evidence of a correct taste. The approach to the mansion is through a spacious but heavy gate-house of brick, with small turrets at the sides. The house itself is a brick building in the Elizabethan style, and probably has much the same aspect which it had at the time of its erection.

Justly or unjustly, Sir Thomas Lucy has been dignified by Shakspere with an immortality of ridicule, as Justice Shallow. Shakspere, as the story runs, had on one or two occasions made free with the knight's deer, a fault for which Sir Thomas

visited him with relentless persecution. The future poet revenged himself by a ballad, said to be his first effort in verse. Only one verse has been preserved, and it is doubtful whether it is his production at all. It is, however, sufficiently curious to deserve quotation :—

"A parliament member, a justice of peace,

At home a poor scare-crow, at London an ass;
If lousy is Lucy, as some volk miscall it,
Then Lucy is lousy, whatever befal it,
He thinks himself great,

Yet an ass in his state,

We allow of his ears but with asses to mate;
If Lucy is lousy, as some volk miscall it,
Sing lousy Lucy, whatever befal it."

The tradition adds that Shakspere attached this ballad to the park gates, that he was compelled to leave Stratford to escape the vengeance of the enraged knight; and that it was thus that, going to London, he at length became "the poet of all time."

There can be no doubt that there is some truth in this story, though doubtless it has been magnified and embellished; it is told by early writers, and Shakspere's portraiture of Justice Shallow and his cousin Slender is such a merciless piece of satire, that it is not difficult to suppose that in depicting them he was revenging his own real or fancied injuries. As this matter is one of some interest, we add a couple of brief quotations from the "Merry Wives of Windsor," that may seem to bear on it :

"Shallow. Sir Hugh, persuade me not; I will make a Star-chamber matter of it: if he were twenty Sir John Falstaffs, he shall not abuse Robert Shallow, esquire.

Slender. In the county of Gloster, justice of peace, and coram.

Shal. Ay, cousin Slender, and Cust-alorum.

Slen. Ay, and ratolorum too; and a gentleman born, master parson, who writes himself, armigero; in any bill, warrant, quittance, or obligation, armigero.

Shal. Ay, that we do, and have done any time these three hundred years.

Slen. All his successors, gone before him, have done't; and all his ancestors that come after him, may, they may give the dozen white luces in their coat.

Shal. It is an old coat.

Evans. The dozen white louses do become an old coat well; it agrees well, passant; it is a familiar beast to man, and signifies love."

The name of Lucy was first assumed by William, the son of Walter de Cherlecote, about the close of the twelfth century. The arms of the family exhibit three luces (pike fish) hauriant

d'argent. The following extract from the same scene may perhaps refer to the offence Shakspere had committed, and the anger of the knight thereupon:

"Falstaff. Now, master Shallow, you will complain of me to the King? Shal. Knight, you have beaten my men, killed my deer, and broke open my lodge.

at."

Fal. But not kissed your keeper's daughter?

Shal. Tut, a pin! this shall be answered.

Fal. I will answer it straight; I have done all this-that is now answered. Shal. The Council shall know this.

Fal. 'Twere better for you, if it were known in counsel, you'll be laughed

Shallow and his cousin Slender are also made to figure in the second part of "King Henry IV." It is right to state, in connection with the tradition just related, that, though the name of Sir Thomas Lucy must always be associated with Justice Shallow, there are some grounds for believing that the portraiture, if indeed intended by Shakspere as such, is unjust. An epitaph to the memory of his wife, in the church of Charlecote, if really written by himself, as it professes to be, would evince him to have been a man of a kind warm heart. Mr. Charles Knight has remarked regarding this epitaph, that it "is honourable alike to the deceased and to the survivor."

The interior of the house, should the tourist be so fortunate as to obtain admission, will be found to contain much that is highly interesting. The great hall is wainscotted with oak, and contains ancient and richly carved furniture. Antique and valuable articles of furniture are in various apartments, among which may be mentioned a spendidly carved cabinet. The house is enriched by a collection of paintings, the most important of which are, portraits of Charles I., Charles II., Archbishop Laud, Sir Thomas Lucy (in his youth), in the Library; Teniers' Wedding, purchased by Mr. Lucy for £1100, Landscapes by Hobbima, Cuyp, Berghem, and Paul Potter, Madonna and Child by Vandyke, and Marketing Parties going and returning by Wouvermans, in the Drawing Room; Battle of a Cock and Turkey by Ulnocbocker, Horses by Wouvermans, Cock and Gardener by Jacob Jordans, in the Dining Room; St. Catherine and a Magdalene, Head of Christ, and a fine painting by an unknown artist, in the Morning Room. There are several fine busts in some of the rooms.

Charlecote Church, originally a chapel to Wellsbourne, was rebuilt by Mrs. Lucy in 1852. It is in the decorated Gothic style. The interior is richly adorned. Adjoining the chancel, which contains ten beautifully carved 'oak stalls, is the Lucy Chapel. It contains some interesting monuments of the Lucy

family. The figure of Sir Thomas Lucy on an altar tomb, along with that of his lady, will especially attract attention. The face of the knight is certainly not such a countenance as we would assign to "Justice Shallow." The windows of stained glass cannot fail to excite admiration.

HAMPTON LUCY is on the opposite side of the Avon, and may be reached by crossing the bridge at Charlecote. There are few more picturesque villages than this in the country. The church, a fine example of modern English church architecture, was rebuilt in 1826, at an expense of £11,050, the whole charge being borne by the late Rev. J. Lucy, who also erected the iron bridge over the Avon. A walk of about two miles will bring the tourist to the Warwick and Stratford turnpike road, crossing which, and proceeding for rather more than a mile, he may reach the pleasant village of

SNITTERFIELD, noted as the residence for many years of the poet Jago, who was vicar of the parish. He is interred in the church, which is a neat building, and contains some ancient carving. Snitterfield is about four miles from Stratford.

ALCESTER is a small market town, near the western boundary of the county, and about 7 miles from Stratford. It may be reached by coach from Stratford, and, through Stratford, from Warwick or Leamington. It is situated at the junction of the Arrow and the Alne. Its name, its position on the Ikenild Street, and the discovery of numerous vestiges of Roman art, make it sufficiently evident that this was a Roman encampment. Among the remains of the Romans found here are bricks, foundations of buildings, and coins. Urns have been frequently found, containing calcined human bones or ashes. Gibson, in his "Additions to Camden," mentions the discovery of an urn containing upwards of 600 pieces of Roman coin. A free school was founded here, in the reign of Elizabeth, by Walter Newport. The town also contains almshouses and a workhouse. The church is a fine Gothic structure, and contains some fine monuments. That of the Marquis of Hereford, by Chantrey, is a splendid example of monumental sculpture. The altar tomb of Sir Fulk Greville and his lady has been well preserved. Several buildings of considerable antiquity remain, but they have been modernized. The Market Hall is a handsome ornamental building. Here the Marquis of Hereford, as Lord of the

Manor, holds his courts. Beneath is a colonnade for the use of the market people. A monastery was founded at Alcester, about 1140, on an insulated spot, enclosed partly by the river Arrow, and partly by a moat. The position of the moat may still be traced, but the building itself has long disappeared.

The principal business caried on in this town is the manufacture of needles, in which about 600 persons are employed. In 1851, the population was 2027; inhabited houses, 439.

Ragley Park, the noble seat of the Marquis of Hereford, is about two miles south-west of Alcester. It was built by Lord Conway, an ancestor of the present possessor, about the middle of last century, but considerably altered and improved by the late Marquis of Hereford, under the direction of Wyatt. It is three storeys high, and has four fronts. This fine mansion will attract admiration both on account of its site and the beauty of its architectural details. The entrance hall is splendid in its proportions, and exquisite in its embellishments. Different apartments contain fine portraits and other paintings, as well as other costly and elegant works of art. The park, which is extensive, contains majestic oaks and other wood, and is adorned with a large and picturesque lake. gardens are probably unsurpassed by those of any other nobleman or gentleman in the kingdom.

The

Coughton Manor, two miles north of Alcester, is a building of considerable antiquity. The estate came by marriage into the Throckmorton family in the reign of Henry IV., and with them it still continues. The mansion was erected about the time of Henry VIII. Originally it was of a quadrangular form, but about the beginning of the present century one side of it was taken down. Subsequently it has undergone various alterations and restorations. The parish church is adorned with stained glass, said to have been brought from Evesham Abbey. It also contains some interesting monuments of the Throckmorton family.