Thomas Greene’s notes on the progress of the proposed enclosures at Welcombe include five references to William Shakespeare’s involvement

[BRU 15/13/26a verso]

24 aftir noone M^r Wyatt told me that M^r Wryght within theis 2 houres told him that they were in framyng an answere to the Lettres wrytten from M^r Baylyff and the Company this Lettre. And that my lord Carewe did intend to oppose the inclosure there to be made all he might, alsoe M^r Wyatt told me that about ffryday laf laste he spake with M^r Manneryng whoe told him that yf he might not doe yt well & he cared not for inclosyng and cared cared not howe little he did meddle therein.

28. November at night M^r Replinghams speche with me & my opposynge yt, I sayd I did it accordyng to the trust in me reposed by the Baylyff &c & howe I was tyed to them &c and as for myne owne particuler interest I would not vary from what I hadd sayd before & soe wee parted.

3. Dec M^r Baylye William Barnes Junior at night told me that M^r Combe was gone to London: & then I told th him that I would have the Lands seene that I might knowe howe to make reasonable demands of M^r Manneryng.

5 Dec at a Hall the Company agreed that .6. should goe to M^r Combe in the name of all the rest to present their Loves & to desire he would be pleased to forbeare to inclose & to desire his love as they wilbe reddy to deserve yt.
Arthur Caudry rather desirit the inclosure might rather stay then goe on, William Emet did not wish yt might not take effect. Edward Hunt would not consent without Sir ffrancis Smyth but desirit for his own part yt might not goe on :

9 Dec aftir M^r Bayley & wee hadd spent some 4 or 5 houres with the overseers of the poore he M^r Alderman & I M^r Baker M^r Shawe & M^r Chandler went accordyngly to M^r Combe whose answere was he should be gladd of our loves & that the inclosures would not be hurtfull to the Towne that he hadd not to doe with yt but to haue some proffytt by yt & that he thought M^r Manneryng was soe farre ingaged therein as that he would not be intreated & therefore he would not bestowe his labour to entreate him in any sorte saying if the froste broke the dychynge would goe presently forward.
[marginal note] Goeing to M^r Combe

[in the margin] 10 Dec that the survey there was past, I went came from Wilson to look M^r Replinghjam at the beare & at new place but missed him & on the narowe sid but he was not to be spone with.  

11 Dec I being Sunday I acquaynted M^r Bayly that I hadd a byll reddy drawen & prayed th him to appoynt a Hall & he puttyng yt of till ffryday I sayd yt desired haste & wished yt might be on the morowe & soe yt was sumoned.

12 Dec at the Hall the byll was reade. & stayeth till M^r Bayly M^r Alderman M^r Ba myself & M^r Baker haue bene at Stoneley & aftir some dispute of my consentynge I at their instance did write that I declare my prouins to be by all lawefull & reasonable meanes to assist them as their Steward and Counseller to withstand the inclosure & howe I hadd given my word for it & then M^r Walford challengyng I ought to M^r William Combe well I know where one told me he would help me to a Lease for .20. yeres yet to come of the same tythes & a bond of 100^li to perform yt: Eust licence de concorder & that Thomas Rutter sayd that M^r Thomas Combe sayed they were all Curres & sayd of & them spitting that one of the dogges such a one as Walford was the cause of sendyng Hitchcocks to prison: And that now M^r William Barnes sayed that M^ris Reynolds denyed yt for when the enclosure was, M^r Replyngham sayd yt was not yet for M^r Combe, but hadd bene surveyed & when M^r Replyn Manneryng knewe the valor thereof yt might be M^r Combe might have yt before any other.
[marginal notes against this paragraph]
They would have had my interest in the part of be inclosed.
Curres 

14 Dec my goeingto M^r Wrights with Edmund Rawlyns but he was gone to Worcester. & thence to M^r Nashe about the Chauncell & he told me of the arbitrations. & the 100^li & the churchyard.
The same day my as tryeing my Cosen Baker what he would say about their buyeing the interest of the tythes.

15 Dec being Thursday I told M^r [N?]Ashe & my Cosen Baker what I thought a Commoner might doe as touching throweing downe of dytches being same day he & M^r Bayly for him told me that Sir Thomas Leyghe stayed in London all xpmas &c & soe M^r Manneryng [was] not lyke to come downe & I vrgyng that some Course might be taken for say stayeing the inclosure, my Cosen Baker yt were not fytt any thing were done vntill they did see that he did sett a diggyng.
M^r Bayly alsoe then told me at his house that James Elliotts & Arthur Cawdry hadd taken a vewe of all the errable Lands: but being busy yt being markett day he cold not stay about yt to shewe yt me. 506 Lands.

20. at the College before Sir Henry Raynsford (at such tyme as M^r Byshope was there about M^r Lane) M^r Combe in gret earnestnes sayd nowe I can not hynder the inclosure now I sight [side with?] M^r Manneryng: And after at my door pale door before John Watkyns & W. Martyn I told M^r Combe that the words between vs were but speeches in the ton of pleasure & not to preiudice me with M^r Manneryng & he sayd noe yt made noe mater & noe Advantage to be taken of them.

21. Our goeing to Clarden M^r Spencer sayd Lord Chancery was their friend in Chancery. Councell table Sir ffulk Grevill sent to me[?] he wold have vs peticion to the Kyngs Chancery case of annoying Sir Thomas Lucy.

23. Dec. A Hall. Lettres wrytten one to M^r Manneryng another to M^r Shakspeare with the almost all the company’s hands to eyther: I alsoe wrytte of myself to my Cosen Shakspeare the Coppyes of all our oathes made then alsoe a not of the Inconvenyences wold grow[?] by the Inclosure. Edmund Rawlyns well remembreth that [?] in my best Chamber told me I should have [?] for my tythes viz that evenyng he sent for me to th[?] and to speake about M^r Lanes busynes:

[alongside this paragraph is some Latin verse as follows]

Heu vivunt homines tanquam mors nulla sequeter
Et velut informis fabula vana fide
Mors certa est incerta dies hora agnita nulli
Extremam quare tu quamlibet esse diem puta
Fleures si scires vnam vnum tibi tempora mensem
Rides cum non si forsitan vna dies
Qui modo sanus erat nunc lecto egrotus adheret
Estque cinis subito qui modo ciuis erat.