Inner Temple, Feb. 19, 1593.  Mr. William Shakespeare: 

Recurring to certain statements made by yourself at our chambers yesterday, we have considered the same, and have likewise the opinion thereon of our client, Mr. Solomons.  As we do now recall them, you nominated three principal grounds why you should not be pressed to pay the bill drawn by Mr. Heminge.  First, that you received no value therefor, having put your name to the bill upon the assurance that it was a matter of form, and to oblige a friend.

    To this we rejoin, that by the law of estoppel you are precluded to
    deny the consideration after the bill hath passed into the holding
    of a discounter unnotified of the facts.

Second, That, as our client paid but L1 for the bill, he should not exact L10 thereon.  To the which we reply, that, so a valuable consideration was passed for the bill, the law looketh not to its exact amount.  It is also asserted by our client that, beyond actual coin given for the bill, he did further release to John Heminge certain tinsel crowns, swords, and apparel appurtenant to the representation of royalty, which had before then—­to wit, two weeks before—­been pledged to him for the sum of 8 shillings, borrowed by the said Heminge.

Third, That it was impossible for you to pay the bill, you having no money, and receiving no greater income than 22 shillings per week, all of which was necessary to the maintenance of yourself and family.  We regret again to call to your notice the Statute of 16 Eliz., entitled, “Concerning the Imprisonment of Insolvent Debtors,” which we trust you will not oblige us to invoke in aid of our suffering client’s rights.  To be lenient and merciful is his inclination, and we are happy to communicate to you this most favorable tender for an acquittance of his claim.  You shall render to us an order on the Steward of the Globe Theatre for 20 shillings per week of your stipend therein.  This will leave to you yet 2 shillings per week, which, with prudence, will yield to you the comforts, if not the luxuries, of subsistence.  In ten weeks the face of the bill will be thus repaid.  For his forbearance in the matter of time, which hath most seriously inconvenienced him, he requires that you shall pay him the further sum of L2 as usury, and likewise that you do liquidate and save him harmless from the charges of us, his solicitors, which charges, from the number of grave and complicated questions which have become a part of this case and demanded solution, we are unable to make less than L4.  We should say guineas, but your evident distress hath moved us to gentleness and mercy.  These added sums are to be likewise embraced in the Steward’s order, and paid at the same rate as the substance of the bill, and should you embrace this compassionate tender, in the brief period of sixteen weeks you will be at the end of this indebtedness.

The next letter is dated the following month, and is from Henry Howard, an apparent pawnbroker.