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Shakespeare's legal acquirements considered
Shakespeare's legal acquirements considered Author:John Campbell Campbell Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: In Act i. Sc. 2, Shakespeare makes the lively Eosalind, who, although well versed in poesy and books of chivalry, had probably never seen a bond or a law-pa.... more » per of any sort in her life, quite familiar with the commencement of all deeds poll, which in Latin was, Noverint universi per presentes, in English, "Be it known to all men by these presents : " -- Le Beau. There comes an old man and his three sons, -- Gel. I could match this beginning with an old tale. Le Beau. Three proper young men, of excellent growth and presence; -- Eos. With bills on their necks,-"5 it 'known unto all men by these presents," -- This is the technical phraseology referred to by Thomas Nash in his 'Epistle to the Gentlemen Students of the two Universities/ in the year 1589, when he is supposed to havedenounced the author of ' Hamlet' as one of those who had " left the trade of Noverint, whereto they were born, for handfuls of tragical speeches" -- that is, an attorney's clerk become a poet, and penning a stanza when he should engross. ' As You Like It' was not brought out until shortly before the year 1600, so that Nash's Noverint could not have been suggested by it. Possibly Shakspeare now introduced the " Be it known unto all men,"« less