Oxford's wounds, received in March, were said to be quite serious. But Townsend claims that he was involved in this third confrontation, only three months later, in which Knevet killed one of the earl's men. Townsend's companions on the third occasion were cousins to both Knevet and Vere. But Vere had severely fallen out with these men a year and a half before, for some unknown reason. Townsend's very careful statements likely reflect an intention to do the earl no benefit that he could possibly avoid.
It is worth remembering that Edward de Vere held the lease on the Blackfriars theater and complex at this time. Knevet's was the party that chose to go armed to that location — indicating that it was he who went seeking the earl and the subsequent confrontation.
THE DECLARATION OF MR. TOWNSEND.
According to your Honors commandements I have sett downe my knowledge & remembraunces of my speches concerning cawses of my Lord of Oxforthes & Mr Knevets which is as followith :
Uppon the xviiith of June I was intreated by one Jhones to dyne that daye at his howse, which house before Mistress Arrundell did kepe her Table in, Theare to accompany sondry noblemen & gentlemen that meant to further & gyve credytt & cowntenaunce unto his newe erected Table.
In the morning I went to my Lord of Arrundell, and after I had dispatcht my busynes with hym, he asked me wheare I dyned, I answered hym at the place above recyted. Then he tolde me that hymself was thither bidden. Theruppon I sayd unto hym that I wolde goe to Westminster Hall, & come backe ageyne, and attende on hym to the place wheare he dyned, which I did. And at my comying to Arrundell house there was no bodye with hym (to my remembraunce) but his owne men; And being readye to goe forthe, my Lord Thomas Howard & Mr Knevett came in, and understoode whither my Lord went ; and did accompany hym to the place wheare we dyned, wheare we mett my Lord of Ormonde, & other noblemen & gentlemen.
Presentlye after dynner one of my men came unto me, & tolde me that he heard some speech that my Lord of Oxforthes company meant to sett uppon Mr Knevet in the company of whome soever theyre meet hym, or in the company of my Lord of Arrundell & my Lord Thomas. Thus in effect, but the veary direct woordes I cannot perfectly remember. I asked my man wheare he heard yt, & what proofe he had of yt. He answeared me, He heard yt at my Lord Willoughbies house wheare my Lord of Oxforth & my Lord Willoughbie weare. And that some of the company had borrowed a sworde or swordes of my men & a buckler. I thincking yt was but some rashe suspicon or speech of some yll disposed person, willed him to repaire thither ageyne to bring me certen knowledge thereof. And so accordinglye he retorned to my Lord Wylloughbies house, and there stayed some while, and inquired further of the matter. In the meanetyme being desyrous to prevent the woorst, willed my man not to speake to any bodye of yt. And I maide choyse of my Lord of Ormonde to make hym pryvie to the speeche I heard, hoping of his good advice and ayde to prevent this myscheif, yf there weare any intended. He answered me, He thought the reporte was not true. But notwithstanding wished me to send one of my men to understande further of the cause, I tolde hym that I had so done alreadye. And further I tolde hym that my Lord of Arrundell was determyned to goe presentlye to Howard house, which I did very much myslyke till I had heard some certeyntie howe the company before spoken of weare determyned.
Theruppon there was some perswacion for my Lord of Arrundell to goe to playe, who would not playe hym self but willed me to playe his mony. I answered I wolde not playe unless his Lordship stoode by. He answered me, he wolde not goe awaye untill such tyme as we had made an end of our playe. Our playe contynued very litle while, and then my Lord of Arrundell sayd he wolde goe to Howard house, for he had appoynted his officers to meete with hym there concerning his owne busynes. I answered hym that yt weare very good for his Lordship this after noone to talke with his Cownsell. He answered me that he had taken order with Mr Buxton & Mr Dyx so to doe, and wolde goe to dispatch some other busynes. I sayed to hym ageyne, that yf his Lordship wold goe hym self to his Cownsell, His presence wolde doe more good with them then a wekes attendaunce of his officers. Then he desired me to will one of his men to cause Mr Buxton & Mr Dyx to come to hym to Arrundell house. And theruppon we went presentlye downe the stayres to goe to the blacke ffryers. And even at the dore my man came to me, and tolde me that he had bene at my Lord Willoughbies, wheare my Lord of Oxforthe & my Lord Willoughbie both weare, and that he did perceive there was no such intent, as was before spoken of.
And so we went to the blacke ffryers, wheare Mr Knevet (going before us) was sett uppon. But who they were that did it I knowe not, for I was so farre behynd, as I colde not discearne what they wcarc. And so I tooke boate with my Lord of Arrundell & went to Arrundell house. Being in the boate with hym, he asked me why I did not tell him of that I had tolde my Lord of Ormonde. I answered hym ageyne I was very unwilling to tell any body of yt. But that I was desirous of all the quiet that might be as longe as he & others weare in the company. And therefore I made choice of my Lord of Ormonde as a man best experienced to advise in the cause, yf there had bene any such [action] in hand. He answered me ageyne, you might very well have made me privie, for you may be sure, I wolde not joyne with any man willingly to be partye in any quarrell.
In the evening, fynding my Lord Wylloughbie walking in his garden, I desired to speake with hym. So going talking with hym, I told hym that I thought my Lord of Oxforthe & he wolde not thincke me so idely occupied as that I wold joyne in any quarrell ageynst them. Then he sayed to me that he did perceive there had flying tales comen to us aswell as to them, for saieth he, yt was told my Lord of Oxforth, that Mr. Knevet with others came braying hard by the dore here. Theruppon my Lord of Oxforth hym self (and also his men) was somwhat greyved at yt. I answered my Lord, I thought that was very untrue, for Mr Knevet was not out of my company all the afternoone, & before dynner, we came altogither, & went no farther then Aldersgate. And that truly I did thincke in my conscience there was no such intent, for there was none in the company prepared to any such purpose. Truly cosyn Townishend (sayd my Lord Willoughbie) yf the matter had growen to any further extremytie, I wolde have sent both to the Mayor & to the recorder. But whether he sayed he did send or no, I doe not very well remember.
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| Was Shakespeare Gay? What do the sonnets really say? |
[Endorsed]. Mr Townesend declaration towching the brute geven owt yt ye E. of Oxford shoold have attempted somewhat against Mr Thomas Knyvet.
Source: The Ven. Philip Howard Earl of Arundel: 1557-1595. (1919). 34-6.
Also at Virtual Grub Street:
- Rocco Bonetti's Blackfriars Fencing School and Lord Hunsdon's Water Pipe. August 12, 2023. “... the tenement late in the tenure of John Lyllie gentleman & nowe in the tenure of the said Rocho Bonetti...”
On Shakespeare's lameness and historical-fiction biography, etc. August 5, 2023. “Those who support Sogliardo of Stratford and other authorship candidates generally stop by from time to time to remark...”
- Shakespeare CSI: Sir Thomas More, Hand-D. April 22, 2023. “What a glory to have an actual hand-written manuscript from the greatest English writer of all time!”
- Robert Greene and the Construction Shakespeare Never Used. August 9, 2022. 'Our first foray “staring intently into” the texts of Robert Greene has noted that his work utilized far fewer feminine endings than Shakespeare’s.'
A 1572 Oxford Letter and the Player’s Speech in Hamlet. August 11, 2020. “The player’s speech has been a source of consternation among Shakespeare scholars for above 200 years. Why was Aeneas’ tale chosen as the subject?”
- Check out the Shakespeare Authorship Article Index for many more articles and reviews about this fascinating time and about the Shakespeare Authorship Question.
- Check out the Letters Index: Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford for many letters from this fascinating time, some related to the Shakespeare Authorship Question.
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