In 1574, here
stood two houses, with a garden and orchard attached to each; and these
houses were then purchased by John Shakspeare, whose son William was
born in one of them, which still remains, though altered according to
modern fashion. Its gable roofs are destroyed. Divided and subdivided
into smaller tenements, part was converted into a little inn; part, the
residence of a female who formerly showed the room where Shakspeare
first saw the light, and the low-roofed kitchen where his mother taught
him to read. The walls of the room in which he was born are literally
covered with thousands of names, inscribed in homage by pilgrims from
every region where the glory of Shakspeare is known. At the time when
Shakspeare's father bought this house, it was, no doubt, quite a
mansion, as compared with the majority of the houses in Stratford; but
he little guessed the fame that would attach itself to this birth-place
of his gifted son; long, we trust, to be preserved for the gratification
of future generations of visitors to the hallowed spot. Besides his
plays, Shakspeare was the author of several other poetical productions,
and especially of a collection of sonnets.
[Illustration: SHAKSPEARE'S HOUSE, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON.
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