ies of investments of the profits of his professional
life in landed and other property in his native district. On his
father's death in 1601 he inherited the two houses in Henley Street, the
only real property of which the elder Shakespeare had retained
possession; and in one of these the poet's mother lived until her death
in 1608. About a hundred and seven acres of arable land with common
pasture appertaining to it was conveyed to the poet on May 1, 1602, by
William and John Combe, of Warwick and Old Stratford respectively, in
consideration of L320; and twenty acres of pasture land were acquired
from the same owners in 1610. On September 28, 1602, the Court Rolls of
the Manor of Rowington record the transfer to Shakespeare from Walter
Getley of a cottage and garden in Chapel Lane, Stratford. In 1605 he
paid L440 for the thirty-one years remaining of a lease of the Stratford
tithes, a purchase which involved him in a considerable amount of
litigation. It was through this acquisition that he became involved in
the dispute over the attempted inclosure of certain common fields
belonging to the town of Stratford. John Combe, who died in July, 1614,
bequeathing Shakespeare L5, left as heir a son, William, who with Arthur
Mannering, sought to annex to their respective estates the aforesaid
common lands. After having secured a deed safeguarding himself as part
owner of the tithes from any loss that might result from the inclosure,
Shakespeare seems to have lent his influence to Combe, in spite of the
requests of the corporation for aid. The inclosure was not carried out.

His investments were not confined to his native county. A deed of sale
has come down to us concerning the purchase of a house near the
Blackfriars Theater in London, in March, 1613. The price was L140; but
on the following day, March 11, Shakespeare gave the previous owner,
Henry Walker, a mortgage deed for L60, which he never seems to have paid
off. There is evidence of his ownership of other property in Blackfriars
in three documents, recently discovered by Professor C. W. Wallace,
dealing with a suit in Chancery, and dated April 26, May 15, and May 22,
1615, in which Shakespeare and others sought to obtain from one Matthew
Bacon possession of certain deeds pertaining to their property within
the precinct of Blackfriars.

[Page Heading: Litigation]

Other traces of Shakespeare's business transactions suggest that he was
by no means averse to going to la