William Shakspeare.

“His cause fought valiantly; his fist but seconded it.  He won,—­ proving the golden words to be no property of our lady’s, although her Highness hath never disclaimed them.”

Sir Thomas.

“What art thou saying?”

William Shakspeare.

“So I heard from a preacher at Oxford, who had preached at Easter in the chapel-royal of Westminster.”

Sir Thomas.

“Thou! why, how could that happen?  Oxford! chapel-royal!”

William Shakspeare.

“And to whom I said (your worship will forgive my forwardness), ’I have the honour, sir, to live within two measured miles of the very sir Thomas Lucy who spake that.’  And I vow I said it without any hope or belief that he would invite me, as he did, to dine with him thereupon.”

Sir Thomas.

“There be nigh upon three miles betwixt this house and Stratford bridge-end.”

William Shakspeare.

“I dropt a mile in my pride and exultation, God forgive me!  I would not conceal my fault.”

Sir Thomas.

“Wonderful! that a preacher so learned as to preach before majesty in the chapel-royal should not have caught thee tripping over a whole lawful mile,—­a good third of the distance between my house and the cross-roads.  This is incomprehensible in a scholar.”

William Shakspeare.

“God willed that he should become my teacher, and in the bowels of his mercy hid my shame.”

Sir Thomas.

“How camest thou into the converse of such eminent and ghostly men?”

William Shakspeare.

“How, indeed?—­everything against me!”

He sighed, and entered into a long discourse, which Master Silas would at sundry times have interrupted, but that Sir Thomas more than once frowned upon him, even as he had frowned heretofore on young Will, who thus began and continued his narration:-

“Hearing the preacher preach at Saint Mary’s (for being about my father’s business on Saturday, and not choosing to be a-horseback on Sundays, albeit time-pressed, I footed it to Oxford for my edification on the Lord’s day, leaving the sorrel with Master Hal Webster of the Tankard and Unicorn)—­hearing him preach, as I was saying, before the University in St. Mary’s Church, and hearing him use moreover the very words that Matthew fought about, I was impatient (God forgive me!) for the end and consummation, and I thought I never should hear those precious words that ease every man’s heart, ‘now to conclude.’  However, come they did.  I hurried out among the foremost, and thought the congratulations of the other doctors and dons