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their Declamations in writing, and others that shall be thought meet shall exhibit verses upon the same Theme to the Master, that he may peruse them, and teach them to amend the Faults, and during the reciting of the said Declamations, the rest of the Scholars shall be attentive.41
For the encouragement of the boys in well doing, it was provided
at Sandwich in t 58o that
everie yere once, oiz., the Tewsdaie nexte after the Feaste of St. Mychaell th' archangell, there be kept in the Schole disputations, upon questions pro-aided by the Master, from Seven or Eight of the Clock in the forenone till Nine or Ten of the Clock followinge; at which disputations, I ordeine, that the Master desire the Parsons and Vicars of the Towne, with one or two other of knowledge or more dwelling nighe, to be present in the Schole if it please them to hear the same. The disputation ended, to determine which three of the hole number of several forms have done best by the judgements of the Master and learned hearers: and I ordeine, that the first allowed have a Penn of Silver whole guilte of the price of 2s. 6d.; the second, a Penn of Silver parcellguilte of the value of 2s.; the third, a Penn of silver of 2od., for their rewardes: and then I will, that the hole company goe in order decentlie by two and two unto the Parish Church of Our Ladye aforesaid, the three victors to come taste nexte to the Master and Ussher, and ither of them having a Garland on their heads provided for the purpose, and in the Church then and there to kneele or stand in some convenient place to he apointed by the discreacion of the Governours and Master of the Schole, and to saie or singe some convenient Psalrne or Himpne, with a Collet having some convenient rememberaunce and making mencion of the Church, the Realme, the Prince, the Towne and the Fownder, as shed be apointed and devised by the Master.4s
One wonders if William Shakspere ever went in such a procession crowned and silver-penned as victor. But that marvellously gifted butcher's boy, of whom Aubrey heard, would certainly have van-
quished him!
William Shakspere was trained in the heroic age of grammar school rhetoric in England, and he shows knowledge of the complete system, in its most heroic proportions. He shows a grasp of the theory as presented by the various texts through Quintilian, He shows a corresponding grasp upon all the different compositional forms of prose for which the theory prepared. And this is true whether or not Shakspere ever went to school a day. Manifestly, the sensible thing to do is to permit him to complete Stratford grammar school, as there is every reason to believe that he did. The school and schoolmasters who gave Shakspere this training and prepared
47 Carlisle, Grammar Schools, Vol. I, p. 161. 's Carlisle, Grammar Schools, Vol. I, p. 604.
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