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	I—PARENTAGE AND BIRTH
	Distribution of the name of Shakespeare	1
	The poet’s ancestry	2
	The poet’s father	4
	His settlement at Stratford	5
	The poet’s mother	6
1564, April	The poet’s birth and baptism	8
	Alleged birthplace	8
	II—CHILDHOOD, EDUCATION, AND MARRIAGE
	The father in municipal office	10
	Brothers and sisters	11
	The father’s financial difficulties	12
1571–7	Shakespeare’s education	13
	His classical equipment	15
	Shakespeare’s knowledge of the Bible	16
1575	Queen Elizabeth at Kenilworth	17
1577	Withdrawal from school	18
1582, Dec.	The poet’s marriage	18
	Richard Hathaway of Shottery	19
	Anne Hathaway	19
	Anne Hathaway’s cottage	19
	The bond against impediments	20
1583, May	Birth of the poet’s daughter Susanna	22
	Formal betrothal probably dispensed with	23
	III—THE FAREWELL TO STRATFORD
	Early married life	25
	Poaching at Charlecote	27
	Unwarranted doubts of the tradition	28
	Justice Shallow	29