The entry is in Latin and reads "Guiliamus filius Johannes Shakspere" or, in English, "William son of John Shakspere".

The next day, November 28, 1582, a marriage bond was entered into by Fulke Sandells and John Rychardson, farmers of Shottery, Anne Hathaway's village.  The purpose of the bond was to indemnify the church in case some later lawful impediment is found to the marriage since the banns were only going to be pronounced once, rather than the stipulated three times.  The gentlemen in question were friends of the Hathaway family from Shottery, and stood surety for £40.  In fact, Sandells seems to have been acting as agent for the Hathaway family, performing the duties of father since Richard Hathaway was recently deceased.  Sandells had supervised his will, i.e., acted as trustee, and Rychardson had witnessed it.  Richard Hathaway had been married twice.  Anne was the firstborn of four children (1556) by his first wife.  His first wife's name is unknown, but lived in Temple Grafton.  His second wife was named Joan who died about 1600.  Richard Hathaway died in September, 1581.

The bond clearly describes intended marriage between William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway of Stratford.  I reproduce it in transcript below, from the Cartae Shakespeareanae, the beginning paragraph in Latin simply states the parties, amounts, date, and officers of the diocese acting as witnesses:

Noverint universi per praesentes nos Fulconem Sandells de Stratford in comitatu Warwici agricolam et Johannem Rychardson ibidem agricolam, teneri et firmiter obligari Ricardo Cosin generoso et Roberto Warmstry notario publico in quadraginta libris bonae et legalis monetae Angliae solvend. eisdem Ricardo et Roberto haered. execut. et assignat. suis ad quam quidem solucionem bene et fideliter faciend. obligamus nos et utrumque nostrum per se pro toto et in solid. haered. executor. et administrator, nostros firmiter per praesentes. sigillis nostris sigillat. Dat 28 die Novem. Anno regni dominae nostrae Eliz. Dei gratia Angliae Franc. at Hiberniae Regime fidei defensor &c. 25.

The condicion of this obligacion ys suche that if herafter there shall not appere any lawfull lett or impediment by reason of any precontract, consanguitie, affinitie or by any other lawfull meanes whatsoever, but that Willm Shagspere one thone partie and Anne Hathwey of Stratford in the dioces of Worcester, maiden, may lawfully solemnize matrimony together, and in the same afterwardes remaine and continew like man and wiffe according unto the lawes in that behalf provided; and moreover if there be not at this present time any action sute quarrell or demaund moved or depending before any judge ecclesiasticall or temporall for and concerning any such lawfull lett or impediment; and moreover if the said Willm do not proceed to solemnization of mariadg with the said Anne Hathwey without the consent of hir frindes And also if the said Willm do upon his owne proper costes and expenses defend and save harmles the right reverend Father in God Lord John Bishop of Worcester and his offycers for licencing them the said Willm and Anne to be maried together with once asking of the bannes of matrimony betwene them and for all other causes which may ensue by reason or occasion therof that then the said obligacion to be void and of none effect or els to stand and abide in full force and vertue.

The bond is signed with the marks of Sandells and Rychardson, who are described as being "de Stratford" but were actually from Shottery.  I reproduce the marks below, from Halliwell-Phillipps The Life of William Shakespeare, p. 112:

The chancellor of the diocesan consistory court was Richard Cosin ("Ricardo Cosin") assisted by registrar Robert Warmstry ("Roberto Warmstry"). The effect of the bond was that the marriage might proceed "with once asking of the bannes," as noted above, rather than asking the banns on three succeeding weeks.

"for there is an vpstart Crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his Tygers hart wrapt in a Players hyde, supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blanke verse as the best of you: and being an absolute Iohannes fac totum, is in his owne conceit the onely Shake-scene in a countrey"

"About three moneths since died M. Robert Greene, leauing many papers in sundry Booke sellers hands, among others his Groats-worth of wit, in which a letter written to diuers play-makers, is offensiuely by one or two of them taken, and because on the dead they cannot be auenged, they wilfully forge in their conceites a liuing Author: and after tossing it two and fro, no remedy, but it must light on me. How I haue all the time of my conuersing in printing hindred the bitter inueying against schollers, it hath been very well knowne, and how in that I dealt I can sufficiently prooue. With neither of them that take offence was I acquainted, and with one of them I care not if I neuer be: the other, whome at that time I did not so much spare, as since I wish I had, for that as I haue moderated the heate of liuing writers, and might haue vsde my owne discretion (especially in such a case) the Author beeing dead, that I did not, I am as sory, as if the originall fault had beene my fault, because my selfe haue seene his demeanor no lesse ciuill than he exelent in the qualitie he professes: Besides, diuers of worship haue reported, his vprightnes of dealing, which argues his honesty, and his facetious grace in writting, that aprooues his Art."

The dedication to Venus and Adonis, 1593:

TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE

Henrie Wriothesley, Earle of Southampton,
and Baron of Titchfield.

Right Honourable, I know not how I shall offend in dedicating my unpolisht lines to your Lordship, nor how the worlde will censure mee for choosing so strong a proppe to support so weake a burthen, onelye if your Honour seeme but pleased, I account my selfe highly praised, and vowe to take advantage of all idle houres, till I have honoured you with some graver labour. But if the first heire of my invention prove deformed, I shall be sorie it had so noble a god-father: and never after eare so barren a land, for feare it yeeld me still so bad a harvest, I leave it to your Honourable survey, and your Honor to your hearts content which I wish may alwaies answere your owne wish, and the worlds hopefull expectation.

Your Honors in all dutie,
William Shakespeare.

The dedication to The Rape of Lucrece, 1594:

TO THE
RIGHT HONOURABLE HENRY WRIOTHESLEY,

EARL OF SOUTHAMPTON AND BARON OF TICHFIELD

The love I dedicate to your Lordship is without end, whereof this pamphlet, without beginning, is but a superfluous moiety. The warrant I have of your honourable disposition, not the worth of my untutored lines, makes it assured of acceptance. What I have done is yours; what I have to do is yours; being part in all I have, devoted yours. Were my worth greater, my duty would show greater; meantime, as it is, it is bound to your Lordship, to whom I wish long life, still lengthened with all happiness.

Your Lordship's in all duty,
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE.

After their Departure the Throngs and Tumults did somewhat cease, although so much of them continued, as was able to disorder and confound any good Inventions whatsoever.  In regard whereof, as also for that the Sports intended were especially for the gracing of the Templarians [i.e., law students from the Inner Temple] it was thought good not to offer any thing of Account, saving Dancing and Revelling with Gentlewomen; and after such Sports, a Comedy of Errors (like to Plautus his Menechmus) was played by the Players. So that Night was begun, and continued to the end, in nothing but Confusion and Errors; whereupon, it was ever afterwards called, The Night of Errors.

This mischanceful Accident forting so ill, to the great prejudice of the rest of our Proceedings, was a great Discouragement and Disparagement to our whole State ; yet it gave occasion to the Lawyers of the Prince's Council, the next Night, after Revels, to read a Commission of Oyer and Terminer, directed to certain Noblemen and Lords of His Highness's Council, and others, that they would enquire, or cause Enquiry to be made of some great Disorders and Abuses lately done and committed within His Highness's Dominions of Purpoole, especially by Sorceries and Inchantments ; and namely, of a great Witchcraft used the Night before, whereby there were great Disorders and Misdemeanours, by Hurly-burlies, Crowds, Errors, Confusions, vain Representations and Shews, to the utter Difcredit of our State and Policy.

The next Night upon this Occasion, we preferred Judgments thick and threefold, which were read publickly by the Clerk of the Crown, being all against a Sorcerer or Conjurer that was supposed to be the Cause of that confused Inconvenience. Therein was contained, How he had caused the Stage to be built, and Scaffolds to be reared to the top of the House, to increase Expectation. Also how he had caused divers Ladies and Gentlewomen, and others of good Condition, to be invited to our Sports; also our dearest Friend, the State of Templaria, to be disgraced, and disappointed of their kind Entertainment, deserved and intended. Also that he caused Throngs and Tumults, Crowds and Outrages, to disturb our whole Proceedings. And Lastly, that he had foisted a Company of base and common Fellows, to make up our Disorders with a Play of Errors and Confusions ; and that that Night had gained to us Discredit, and itself a Nickname of Errors. All which were against the Crown and Dignity of our Sovereign Lord, the Prince of Purpoole.

From Robert Southwell's dedication to his Saint Peter's Complaint, 1595.

"The Author to His Louing Cosin Master W. S."

From Willobie, His Avisa.

"Yet Tarquyne pluckt his glistering grape,
And Shake-speare, paints poore Lucrece rape." ...

"H. W. being sodenly affected with the contagion of a fantasticali fit, at the first sight of A, pyneth a while in secret griefe, at length not able any longer to indure the burning beate of so fervent a humour, bewrayeth the secresy of his disease unto his familiar frend W. S. who not long before had tryed the curtesy of the like passion, and was now newly recovered of the like infection ; yet finding his frend let bloud in the same vaine, he took pleasure for a tyme to see him bleed, & in steed of stopping the issue, he inlargeth the wound, with the sharpe rasor of a willing conceit, perswading him that he thought it a matter very easy to be compassed, & no douht with payne, diligence & some cost in tyme to he obtayned. Thus this miserable comforter comforting his frend with an impossibility, eyther for that he now would secretly laugh at his frends folly, that had given occasion not long before unto others to laugh at his owne, or because he would see whether an other could play his part better then himselfe, & in vewing a far off the course of this loving Comedy, he determined to see whether it would sort to a happier end for this new actor, then it did for the old player" (Cant. XLIIII).

From Francis Meres' Palladis Tamia, listing some of the works of Shakespeare to 1598.

As the soul of Euphorbus was thought to live in Pythagorus, so the sweet, witty soul of Ovid lives in mellifluous & honey-tongued Shakespeare, witness his Venus and Adonis, his Lucrece, his sugared sonnets among his private friends, &c.

As Plautus and Seneca are accounted the best for comedy and tragedy among the Latins, so Shakespeare among the English is the most excellent in both kinds for the stage; for comedy, witness his Gentlemen of Verona, his Errors, his Love Labours Lost, his Love Labours Won, his Midsummer's Night Dream, & his Merchant of Venice; for tragedy, his Richard the 2, Richard the 3, Henry the 4, King John, Titus Andronicus, and his Romeo and Juliet.

As Epius Stolo said that the muses would speak with Plautus' tongue if they would speak Latin, so I say that the muses would speak with Shakespeare's fine-filed phrase, if they would speak English.

Loveinge contreyman, I am bolde of yow, as of a ffrende, craveinge yowr helpe with xxxll uppon Mr. Bushells mid my securytee, or Mr. Myttens with me. Mr. Rosswell is nott come to London as yeate, and I have especiall cawse. Yow shall ffrende me muche in helpeinge me out of all the debettes I owe in London, I thanck God, and muche quiet my mynde, which wolde nott be indebted. I am nowe towardes the Cowrte, in hope of answer for the dispatche of my buysenes. Yow shall nether loose creddytt nor monney by me, the Lorde wyllinge ; and nowe butt perswade yowrselfe soe, as I hope, and yow shall nott need to feare, butt, with all hartie thanckefullnes I wyll holde my tyme, and content yowr ffreende, and yf we bargaine farther, yow shalbe the paie-master yowrselfe. My tyme biddes me hasten to an ende, and soe I committ thys [to] yowr care and hope of yowr helpe. I feare I shall nott be backe thys night ffrom the Cowrte. Haste. The Lorde be with yow and with us all, Amen ! ffrom the Bell in Carter Lane, the 25. October, 1598. Yowrs in all kyndenes,

To my loveinge good ffrend and contreyman Mr. Wm. Shackespere deliver thees.

Reproduced from J. O. Halliwell-Phillipps, The Life of William Shakespeare, p. 178.  Facsimile reproductions of the letter can be found in D. H. Lambert, Cartae Shakespeareanae, following p. 28, and at Your Icons.  In both places, it is reproduced courtesy of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, where it is currently held.

Weever's Fourth weeke, epigramme 22:

Ad Gulielmum Shakespeare

HONEY-TONGUED Shakespeare, when I saw thine issue,
I swore Apollo got them and none other;
Their rosy-tinted features clothed in tissue,
Some heaven-born goddess said to be their mother:
Rose-cheeked Adonis, with his amber tresses,
Fair fire-hot Venus, charming him to love her,
Chaste Lucretia, virgin-like her dresses,
Proud lust-stung Tarquin, seeking still to prove her:
Romeo, Richard; more whose names I know not,
Their sugared tongues, and power attractive beauty
Say they are saints, although that saints they show not,
For thousands vow to them subjective duty :
They burn in love, thy children, Shakespeare het them,
Go, woo thy Muse, more Nymphish brood beget them.

Epigrammes in the oldest Cut, and newest Fashion.
John Weever. 1599. Fourth Weeke, Epig. 22.

Edmund Tilney had been Elizabeth's Master of the Revels, and as such was censor and licensor of all plays, players and playhouses in the realm, but practically, in and around London.  "But after the accession of James the First he seems to have had a deputy in his nephew, Sir George Buck, to whom the reversion of the Mastership had been given by Elizabeth in 1597, and confirmed by a patent of James on June 23, 1603" (E. K. Chambers, Notes on the History of the Revels Office Under the Tudors, p. 57).  Buck was an avid collector of plays, and often annotated them (see Alan Nelson's "Sir George Buc (1560-1622): the Man who knew Shakespeare.")  In his copy of George-a-Green: The Pinner of Wakefield (1599) he wrote:

"Written by ..........a minister, who acted
the pinner's part in it himself.  Teste W. Shakespea[re]"

He must have encountered Shakespeare or sought him out to get his theatrical insider's insight into the authorship of the play.  The episode is probed in depth in Alan Nelson's "George Buc, William Shakespeare, and the Folger George a Greene" from Shakespeare Quarterly, April 1998.

Gullio. Marrie, well remembred! I'le repeat unto you an
enthusiasticall oration wherwith my new mistris' ears were
verie lately made happie. The carriage of my body, by
the reporte of my mistriss, was excellent: I stood stroking
up my haire, which became me very admirably, gave a low
congey at the beginning of each period, made every
sentence end sweetly with an othe. It is the part of an
Oratoure to perswade, and I know not how better than to
conclude with such earnest protestations. Suppose also
that thou wert my mistris, as somtime woodden statues
represent the goddesses; thus I woulde looke amorously,
thus I would pace, thus I would salute thee.

Ingenioso. (It will be my lucke to dye noe other death than
by hearinge of his follies! I feare this speach that's a
comminge will breede a deadly disease in my ears.)

Gullio. Pardon, faire lady, thoughe sicke-thoughted Gullio
maks amaine unto thee, and like a bould-faced sutore '
gins to woo thee.

Ingenioso. (We shall have nothinge but pure Shakspeare
and shreds of poetrie that he hath gathered at the theaters!)

Gullio. Pardon mee, moy mittressa, ast am a gentleman,
the moone in comparison of thy bright hue a meere slutt,
Anthonie's Cleopatra a blacke browde milkmaide, Hellen a
dowdie.

Ingenioso. (Marke, Romeo and Juliet! O monstrous thefta!
I thinke he will runn throughe a whole booke of Samuell
Daniell's!)

Gullio. Thrise fairer than myselfe (—thus I began—)
The gods faire riches, sweete above compare,
Staine to all nimphes, more lovely then a man,
More white and red than doves and roses are!
Nature that made thee with herselfe had strife,
Saith that the worlde hath ending with thy life.

Ingenioso. Sweete Mr. Shakspeare!

Gullio. As I am a scholler, these arms of mine are long
and strong withall, 
Thus elms by vines are compast ere they falle.

Ingenioso. Faith, gentleman! youre reading is wonderfull
in our English poetts!

Gullio. Sweet Mistris, I vouchsafe to take some of there
wordes, and applie them to mine owne matters by a
scholasticall invitation.
Report thou, upon thy credit; is not my vayne in courtinge
gallant and honorable ?

Ingenioso. Admirable, sanes compare, never was so mellifluous
a witt joynet to so pure a phrase, such comly gesture,
suche gentlemanlike behaviour.

Gullio. But stay! it's verie true good witts have badd
memories. I had almoste forgotten the cheife pointe. I
cal'd thee out for new year's day approcheth, and wheras
other gallants bestovve Jewells upon there mistrisses (as I
have done whilome) I now count it base to do as the
common people doe ; I will bestowe upon them the precious
stons of my witt, a diamonde of invention, that shall be
above all value and esteeme; therfore, sithens I am
employed in some weightie affayrs of the courte, I will have
thee, Ingenioso, to make them, and when thou hast done I
will peruse, pollish, and correcte them.

Ingenioso. My pen is youre bounden vassall to commande.
But what vayne woulde it please you to have them in ?

Gullio. Not in a vaine veine (prettie, i'faith!): make mee
them in two or three divers vayns, in Chaucer's, Gower's
and Spencer's and Mr. Shakspeare's. Marry, I thinke I
shall entertaine those verses which run like these;
Even as the sunn with purple coloured face
Had tane his laste leave on the weeping morne, &c.
O sweet Mr. Shakspeare! I'le have his picture in my study
at the courte.

Ingenioso. (Take heed, my maisters! he'le kill you with
tediousness ere I can ridd him of the stage!)

Gullio. Come, let us in! I'le eate a bit of phesaunte, and
drincke a cupp of wine in my cellar, and straight to the
courte I'le goe. A Countess and twoo lordes expect mee
to day at dinner; they are my very honorable frendes ; I
muste not disapointe them.

Act 4, Scene 1

Gullio. Stay, man! thou haste a very lecherous witt;
what wordes are these? Though thou comes somwhat neare
my meaninge yet it doth not become my gentle witt to sett
it downe soe plainlye Youe schollers are simple felowes,
men that never came where ladies growe; I that have
spente my life amonge them knowes best what becometh
my pen and theire ladishipps ears. Let mee heare Mr.
Shakspear's veyne.

Ingenioso. Faire Venus, queene of beutie and of love,
Thy red doth stayne the blushinge of the morne,
Thy snowie necke shameth the milkwhite dove,
Thy presence doth this naked worlde adorne;
Gazinge on thee all other nymphes I scorne.
When ere thou dyest slowe shine that Satterday,
Beutie and grace muste sleepe with thee for aye!

Gullio. Noe more! I am one that can judge accordinge
to the proverbe, bovem ex unguibus. Ey marry, Sir, these
have some life in them! Let this duncified worlde esteeme
of Spencer and Chaucer, I'le worshipp sweet Mr. Shakspeare,
and to honoure him will lay his Venus and Adonis under
my pillowe, as wee reade of one (I doe not well remember
his name, but I am sure he was a kinge) slept with Homer
under his bed's heade. Well, I'le bestowe a Frenche crowne
in the faire writinge of them out, and then I'le instructe
thee about the delivery of them. Meanewhile I'le have
thee make an elegant description of my mistris ; liken the
worste part of her to Cynthia; make also a familiar
dialogue betwixt her and myselfe. I'le now in, and correct
these verses.

Ingenioso. Why, who coulde endure this post put into a
sattin sute, this haberdasher of lyes, this bracchidochio, this
ladyemunger, this meere rapier and dagger, this cringer,
this foretopp, but a man that's ordayned to miserie! Well,
madame Pecunia, one more for thy sake will I waite on
this truncke, and with soothinge him upp in time will leave
him a greater foole than I founde him.

In The Return to Parnassus, Part 2, Act 1, Scene 2 where Judicio, the critic, is passing judgment on various of the poetic worthies of the day, we read:

William Shakespeare.
Judicio. Who loues not Adons loue, or Lucrece rape?
His sweeter verse contaynes hart throbbing line,
Could but a grauer subiect him content,
Without loues foolish lazy languishment.

For the Burbage and Kempe scenes see Act 4, Scene 3, where Kempe says:

"Why heres our fellow Shakespeare puts them all downe, I  and Ben Jonson too.  O that Ben Jonson is a pestilent fellow, he brought up Horace giving the Poets a pill, but our fellow Shakespeare hath given him a purge that made him beray his credit."  [Referring to the War of the Theatres]

In Act 4, Scene 4, Burbage goes on to audition students for the part of Richard III.

Febr. 1601

Gabriel Harvey, scholar, intimate friend to Spenser, enemy of Nashe, a man with his hand on the literary pulse of his time, and an inveterate marginal annotator wrote this now famous marginalia in his copy of Speght's Chaucer, which he signed and dated twice, 1598:

And now translated Petrarch, Ariosto, Tasso, & Bartas himself deserue curious  comparison with Chaucer, Lidgate, & owre best Inglish, auncient & moderne. Amongst  which, the Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia, & the Faerie Queene ar now freshest in request : & Astrophil, & Amyntas ar none of the idlest pastimes of sum fine humanists. The Earle of Essex much commendes Albions England : and not unworthily for diuerse notable pageants, before, & in the Chronicle. Sum Inglish, & other Histories nowhere more sensibly described, or more inwardly discouered. The Lord Daniel, Mountioy makes the like account of Daniels peece of the Chronicle, touching the Vsurpation of Henrie of Bullingbrooke. which in deede is a fine, sententious, & politique peece of Poetrie: as profitable, as pleasurable.  The younger sort takes much delight in Shakespeares Venus, & Adonis : but his Lucrece, & his tragedie of  Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke haue it in them, to please  the wiser sort. Or such poets : or better : or none.

Vilia miretur vulgus : mihi flavus Apollo
Pocula Castaliae plena ministret aquae :

quoth Sir Edward Dier, betwene iest, & earnest. Whose written deuises farr excell most of the sonets, and cantos in print. His Amaryllis, & Sir Walter Raleighs Cynthia how fine & sweet inuentions? Excellent matter of emulation  for Spencer, Constable, France, Watson, Daniel, Warner, Chapman, Siluester, Shakespeare, & the rest   of owr florishing metricians...I have a phansie to Owens new Epigrams, as pithie as elegant, as plesant as sharp, & sumtime as weightie as breife..." (Gabriel Harvey's Marginalia, G. C. Moore Smith, 1913, p. 232-233).

Mention of the work that put Shakespeare on the literary map, Venus and Adonis, could not be avoided, but Harvey is quick to distance himself from Shakespeare's erotic, if mellifluous, poem and stress the opinion among graver critics that Lucrece and Hamlet are worth serious attention.  The Latin tag associated with Dier (Sir Edward Dyer 1543-1607 most of whose poetic works are lost was later resurrected (though now forgotten) by Alden Brooks as a Shakespeare authorial candidate--see Will Shakespeare and the Dyers Hand, 1943) is, of course, from Ovid's Amores and serves as the epigraph to Venus and Adonis, the mention of which must have put Harvey in mind of the passage and then by transference of Dyer. [It means, "Let vile people admire vile things; may fair haired Apollo serve me goblets filled with Castalian water", Apollo being the god of poetry, the Castalian springs being sacred to the Muses--see Venus and Adonis in The Norton Shakespeare, ed. Katharine E. Maus].  This piece of marginialia is important as a testimony to the regard with which Shakepseare was held by a very literate contemporary.

The fact that Harvey's Chaucer was signed and dated 1598 does not, of course mean that he knew Hamlet at that date.  The annotation could have been made much later and is believed to have been made in 1603.

For more on Harvey's marginalia, and its subsequent history involving Steevens, Malone, Halliwell-Phillipps, and Sidney Lee--all great Shakespeare editors--see "Gabriel Harvey and the Wiser Sort".

Since it is sometimes difficult to find a text of the license granted Shakespeare's company from King James, I reproduce it here, taken from Halliwell-Phillipps, The Life of William Shakespeare, 1848, p. 203.  The warrant bears the date May 17, 1603 and takes Shakespeare's company into the king's service as the King's Men, giving them the right to play in their accustomed house and to tour within the realm.

By the King. Right trusty and welbeloved counsellor, we greete you well and will and commaund you, that under our privie seale in your custody for the time being, you cause our letters to be derected to the keeper of our greate seale of England, commaunding him under our said greate seale, he cause our letters to be made patents in forme following. James, by the grace of God, King of England, Scotland, Fraunce and Irland, defendor of the faith, &c., to all justices, maiors, sheriffs, constables, headboroughes, and other our officers and loving subjects, greeting; Know ye, that we of our speciall grace, certaine knowledge, and meere motion, have licenced and authorized, and by these presentes doe licence and authorize, these our servants, Lawrence Fletcher, William Shakespeare, Richard Burbage, Augustine Phillippes, John Hemmings, Henrie Condell, William Sly, Robert Armyn, Richard Cowlye, and the rest of their associats, freely to use and exercise the arte and faculty of playing comedies, tragedies, histories, enterludes, moralls, pastoralls, stage plaies, and such other like, as thei have already studied, or hereafter shall use or studie, as well for the recreation of our loving subjects, as for our solace and pleasure, when we shall thinke good to see them, during our pleasure; and the said comedies, tragedies, histories, enterludes, moralls, pastoralls, stage plaies, and such like, to shew and exercise publiquely to their best commoditie, when the infection of the plague shall decrease, as well within theire now usuall howse called the Globe, within our county of Surrey, as also within anie towne halls, or moat halls, or other convenient places within the liberties and freedome of any other citie, universitie, towne or borough whatsoever within our said realmes and dominions. Willing and commaunding you, and every of you, as you tender our pleasure, not only to permit and suffer them heerin, without any your letts, hinderances, or molestations, during our said pleasure, but also to be ayding or assisting to them yf any wrong be to them offered; and to allowe them such former courtesies, as hathe bene given to men of their place and qualitie, and also what further favour you shall shew to these our servants for our sake we shall take kindly at your hands, and these our letters shall be your sufficient warrant and discharge in this behalfe. Given under our signet at our manner of Greenewiche the seavententh day of May in the first yeere of our raigne of England, France, and Ireland, and of Scotland the six and thirtieth.

Players, I loue yee, and your Qualitie,
As ye are Men, that pass-time not abus'd :
And some I loue for 'painting, poesie,
And say fell Fortune cannot be excus'd,
That hath for better uses you refus'd :
Wit, Courage, good-shape, good partes, and all good,
As long as al these goods are no worse us'd,
And though the stage doth staine pure gentle bloud.
Yet generous yee are in minde and moode.

Burbage, in addition to being the period's leading actor, was known as a painter.

The epistle to the reader, it turns out, deals with epistles to readers.  Eschewing the overwrought first paragraph (that can be read at the source) Scoloker moves on to more interesting matter:

"It [the introductory epistle] should be like the never-too-well-read Arcadia, where the Prose and Verse, Matter and Words, are like his [SIDNEY'S] Mistress's eyes! one still excelling another, and without corrival! or to come home to the vulgar's element, like friendly SHAKE-SPEARE'S Tragedies, where the Comedian rides, when the Tragedian stands on tiptoe. Faith, it should please all, like Prince HAMLET ! But, in sadness, then it were to be feared, he would run mad. In sooth, I will not be moonsick, to please ! nor out of my wits, though I displease all ! What ? Poet ! are you in Passion, or out of Love ? This is as strange as true !" (p. 367)

Scoloker's poem itself also makes reference to Hamlet in the context of the lunacy of love.  Here are the verses:

His breath, he thinks the smoke ! his tongue, a coal!
Then runs for bottle-ale to quench his thirst;
Runs to his ink-pot, drinks ! then stops the hole !
And thus grows madder than he was at first.
TASSO he finds, by that of HAMLET thinks
Terms him a madman, then of his inkhorn drinks!

Calls players "fools! The Fool, he judgeth wiseth,
Will learn them action out of Chaucer's Pander,
Proves of their poets bawds, even in the highest,
Then drinks a health! and swears it is no slander."
Puts off his clothes! his shirt he only wears !
Much like mad HAMLET, thus, as Passion tears! (p. 393)

For more, see "Antony Scoloker: Friendly Shakespeare and Mad Hamlet" at the Mr. Shakespeare blog.

To our English Terence Mr. Will : Shake-speare.

EPIG. 159.

SOME say good Will (which I, in sport, do sing)
Had'st thou not plaid some Kingly parts in sport,
Thou hadst bin a companion for a King ;
And, beene a King among the meaner sort.
Some others raile ; but raile as they thinke fit,
Thou hast no rayling, but, a raigning Wit :
And honesty thou sow'st, which they do reape ;
So, to increase their Stocke which they do keepe.

Davies is also probably referring to Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis in Papers Complaint, compil'd in ruthfull Rimes Against the Paper-spoylers of these Times, a 546-line poetic satire appended to The Scourge of Folly.  Speaking fancifully in the person of paper, Davies says,

Another (ah Lord helpe) mee vilifies
With Art of Loue, and how to subtilize,
Making lewd Venus, with eternall Lines,
To tye Adonis to her loues designes :
Fine wit is shew'n therein : but finer twere
If not attired in such bawdy Geare.
But be it as it will : the coyest Dames,
In priuate read it for their Closset-games :
For, sooth to say, the Lines so draw them on,
To the venerian speculation,
That will they, nill they (if of flesh they bee)
They will thinke of it, sith loose Thought is free.
And thou (O Poet) that dost pen my Plaint,
Thou art not scot-free from my iust complaint
For, thou hast plaid thy part, with thy rude Pen,
To make vs both ridiculous to men. 
(ll.47-62, Complete Works, vol. II, p. 75)

Venus and Adonis was enormously popular in its time, and while other poems of the era dealt with Venus and Adonis, and could be the subject of these lines (see Grosart's note), none could be said, in 1610, to possess "eternall Lines" other than Shakespeare's poem.

THE | PASSIONATE | PILGRIME. | or | Certaine Amorous Sonnets, \ betweene Venus and Adonis, | newly corrected and aug- \ mented. | By W. Shakespere. \ The third Edition. | Whereunto is newly ad- | ded two Loue- Epistles, the first | from Paris to Hellen, and | Hellens answere backe | againe to Paris. \ Printed by W. Iaggard. | 1612.

The title pages of all editions (apparently, since the title page to the first edition is not extant) of The Passionate Pilgrim attribute all the works contained therein to "W. Shakespere."  The printer of the orginal Troia Britannica was the same William Jaggard, who, as we will see, answered Heywood so insolently when he was requested to print a list of his errata.  With this as background, here is Heywood's epistle to Okes, taken from Literary Blunders: A Chapter in the "History of Human Error" by H. B. Wheatley:

To my approved good Friend, MR. NICHOLAS OKES.

The infinite faults escaped in my booke of Britaines Troy by the negligence of the printer, as the misquotations, mistaking the sillables, misplacing halfe lines, coining of strange and never heard of words, these being without number, when I would have taken a particular account of the errata, the printer answered me, hee would not publish his owne disworkemanship, but rather let his owne fault lye upon the necke of the author. And being fearefull that others of his quality had beene of the same nature and condition, and finding you, on the contrary, so carefull and industrious, so serious and laborious to doe the author all the rights of the presse, I could not choose but gratulate your honest indeavours with this short remembrance. Here, likewise, I must necessarily insert a manifest injury done me in that worke, by taking the two epistles of Paris to Helen, and Helen to Paris, and printing them in a lesse volume under the name of another, which may put the world in opinion I might steale them from him, and hee, to doe himselfe right, hath since published them in his owne name; but as I must acknowledge my lines not worthy his patronage under whom he hath publisht them, so the author, I know, much offended with M. Jaggard (that altogether unknowne to him) presumed to make so bold with his name. These and the like dishonesties I knowe you to bee cleere of ; and I could wish but to bee the happy author of so worthy a worke as I could willingly commit to your care and workmanship.

Yours ever, THOMAS HEYWOOD

Jaggard apparently responded by canceling the title page ascribing the work to Shakespeare, and issuing a new title page without attribution. 

We learn from Rolfe that

The Bodleian copy of this edition contains the following note by Malone: "All the poems from Sig. D. 5 were written by Thomas Heywood, who was so offended at Jaggard for printing them under the name of Shakespeare that he has added a postscript to his Apology for Actors, 4to, 1612, on this subject; and Jaggard in consequence of it appears to have printed a new title-page to please Heywood, without the name of Shakespeare in it. The former title-page was no doubt intended to be cancelled, but by some inadvertence they were both prefixed to this copy and I have retained them as a curiosity."

In 1905 Sidney Lee published a facsimile of the 1599 edition of The Passionate Pilgrim, along with an illustration of the two title pages to which Malone refers from the 1612.  I reproduce them here.

This copy, at the Bodleian in the Malone collection, of the 1612 title page without Shakespeare's name, is not known to exist anywhere else. 

For more on this interesting episode, see my blog post "Thomas Heywood and the Much Offended Mr. Shakespeare."

Here I would let slip
And from all learning keep these lines as clear
As Shakespeare's best are, which our heirs shall hear
Preachers apt to their auditors to show
How far sometimes a mortal man may go
By the dim light of Nature.

The letter is printed in E. K. Chambers' William Shakespeare: Facts and Problems (Oxford, 1930) in vol. II, p. 224, and has been reprinted several times, most recently in Charles Nicholl's The Lodger Shakespeare (p. 80).  It begins a traditional view of Shakespeare as the unlearned, non-scholarly poet; a poet born, not made; one who brings forth his verse from his mother wit, as it were, without studied preparation; in short, "by the dim light of Nature."

For more on Shakespeare's reputation as a "Natural" poet, see my blog post "Natural Shakespeare."

For the others, see "The Six Signatures" a post on my Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet blog with facsimile reproductions of the six authenticated Shakespeare signatures and information on their sources.

ELEGY ON SHAKESPEARE,

ON MR. WM. SHAKESPEARE.
HE DYED IN APRILL l6l6.

RENOWNED Spencer lye a thought more nye
To learned Chaucer, and rare Beaumond lye
A little neerer Spenser, to make roome
For Shakespeare in your threefold, fowerfold Tombe.
To lodge all fowre in one bed make a shift
Vntill Doomesdaye, for hardly will a fift
Betwixt ys day and yt by Fate be slayne,
For whom your Curtaines may be drawn againe.
If your precedency in death doth barre
A fourth place in your sacred sepulcher,
Vnder this carued marble of thine owne,
Sleepe, rare Tragoedian, Shakespeare, sleep alone;
Thy unmolested peace, vnshared Caue,
Possesse as Lord, not Tenant, of thy Graue,
That vnto us & others it may be
Honor hereafter to be layde by thee.
WM. BASSE.

For more on the elegy, see my blog post of 9/19/07.

Digges commendatory poem to the First Folio (1623):

To the Memorie of the deceased Authour Maister W. Shakespeare

Shake-speare, at length thy pious fellowes give
The world thy Workes : thy Workes, by which, out-live
Thy Tombe, thy name must when that stone is rent,
And Time dissolves thy Stratford Moniment,
Here we alive shall view thee still. This Booke,
When Brasse and Marble fade, shall make thee looke
Fresh to all Ages : when Posteritie
Shall loath what's new, thinke all is prodegie
That is not Shake-speares; ev'ry Line, each Verse
Here shall revive, redeeme thee from thy Herse.
Nor Fire, nor cankring Age, as Naso said,
Of his, thy wit-fraught Booke shall once invade.
Nor shall I e're beleeve, or thinke thee dead.
(Though mist) untill our bankrout Stage be sped
(Imposible) with some new straine t'out-do
Passions of Juliet, and her Romeo ;
Or till I heare a Scene more nobly take,
Then when thy half-Sword parlying Romans spake.
Till these, till any of thy Volumes rest
Shall with more fire, more feeling be exprest,
Be sure, our Shake-speare, thou canst never dye,
But crown'd with Lawrell, live eternally.

Digges commendatory poem to the 1640 edition of Poems: Written by Wil. Shakespeare, Gent. (1623? - 1635):

Vpon Master W ILLIAM S H A K E S P E A R E,
the Deceased Authour, and his P O E M S .

Poets are borne not made, when I would prove
This truth, the glad rememberance I must love
Of never dying Shakespeare, who alone,
Is argument enough to make that one.
First, that he was a Poet none would doubt,
That heard th’applause of what he sees set out
Imprinted; where thou hast (I will not say
Reader his Workes for to contrive a Play:
To him twas none) the patterne of all wit,
Art without Art unparaleld as yet.
Next Nature onely helpt him, for looke thorow
This whole Booke, thou shalt find he doth not borrow,
One phrase from Greekes, nor Latines imitate,
Nor once from vulgar Languages Translate,
Nor Plagiari-like from others gleane,
Nor begges he from each witty friend a Scene
To peece his Acts with, all that he doth write,
Is pure his owne, plot, language exquisite,
But oh ! what praise more powerfull can we give
The dead, then that by him the Kings men live,
His Players, which should they but have shar’d the Fate,
All else expir’d within the short Termes date;
How could the Globe have prospered, since through want
Of change, the Plaies and Poems had growne scant.
But happy Verse thou shalt be sung and heard,
When hungry quills shall be such honour bard.
Then vanish upstart Writers to each Stage,
You needy Poetasters of this Age,
Where Shakespeare liv’d or spake, Vermine forbeare,
Least with your froth you spot them, come not neere;
But if you needs must write, if poverty
So pinch, that otherwise you starve and die,
On Gods name may the Bull or Cockpit have
Your lame blancke Verse, to keepe you from the grave:
Or let new Fortunes younger brethren see,
What they can picke from your leane industry.
I doe not wonder when you offer at
Blacke-Friers, that you suffer : tis the fate
Of richer veines, prime judgements that have far’d
The worse, with this deceased man compar’d.
So have I seene, when Cesar would appeare,
And on the Stage at half-sword parley were,
Brutus and Cassius : oh how the Audience,
Were ravish’d, with what wonder they went thence,
When some new day they would not brooke a line,
Of tedious (though well laboured ) Catilines;
Sejanus too was irksome, they priz’de more
Honest Iago, or the jealous Moore.
And though the Fox and subtill Alchimist,
Long intermitted could not quite be mist,
Though these have sham’d all the Ancients, and might raise,
Their Authours merit with a crowne of Bayes.
Yet these sometimes, even at a friends desire
Acted, have scarce defrai’d the Seacoale fire
And doore-keepers : when let but Falstaffe come,
Hall, Poines, the rest you scarce shall have a roome
All is so pester’d : let but Beatrice
And Benedicke be seene, loe in a trice
The Cockpit Galleries, Boxes, all are full
To heare Maluoglio that crosse garter’d Gull.
Briefe, there is nothing in his wit fraught Booke,
Whose sound we would not heare, on whose worth looke
Like old coyned gold, whose lines in every page,
Shall passe true currant to succeeding age.
But why doe I dead Sheakspeares praise recite,
Some second Shakespeare must of Shakespeare write;
For me tis needlesse, since an host of men,
Will pay to clap his praise, to free my Pen.

Milton's epitaph on Shakespeare, published in the Second Folio of 1632; Milton's first published poem:

An Epitaph on the admirable Dramaticke Poet, W. Shakespeare

What needs my Shakespeare for his honour'd bones,
The labour of an age in piled stones?
Or that his hallow'd reliques should be hid
Under a star-y-pointing pyramid?
Dear son of memory, great heir of fame,
What need'st thou such weak witness of thy name ?
Thou in our wonder and astonishment
Hast built thyself a live-long monument.
For whilst to th' shame of slow-endeavouring art
Thy easy numbers flow, and that each heart
Hath from the leaves of thy unvalued book
Those Delphic lines with deep impression took,
Then thou our fancy of itself bereaving,
Dost make us marble with too much conceiving;
And so sepulchred in such pomp dost lie,
That kings for such a tomb would wish to die.

Milton also makes reference to Shakespeare, contra "learned" Ben Jonson, in L'Allegro (1631):

Then to the well-trod stage anon,
If Jonson's learned sock be on,
Or sweetest Shakespeare, Fancy's child,
Warble his native wood-notes wild. (131-134)

The Hierarchie of the blessed Angells. Their Names, Orders, and Offices. The fall of Lucifer with his Angells. Written by Tho. Heywood. ... London Printed by Adam Islip 1635. Folio, pp. 639, including frontispiece, introductory matter and index...The Hierarchie of the blessed Angells is a long and very desultory poem of above six hundred pages, in nine books...

It is a long and, to quote Chambers Cyclopaedia, "curious specimen."  Among its description of angels and devils the Hierarchie gives a description of various contemporary or near contemporary playwrights with their shortened first names.

Mellifluous Shakespeare, whose enchanting quill
Commanded mirth or passion, was but Will;
And famous Jonson, though his learned pen
Be dipped in Castaly, is still but Ben.
Fletcher and Webster, of that learned pack
None of the meanest, was but Jack;
Dekker but Tom, nor May, nor Middleton,
And he's but now Jack Ford that once was John.

(Library of the world's best literature, ancient and modern, ed. C. D. Warner, et al, 1897,  p. 7349)

Surely the most incidental of verse, but interesting none the less for the grouping.  This was published in 1635, and Shakespeare's name is still prominent among those who had lived to be noteworthy (or nearly so) in the Carolinian period, though he had been dead nearly 20 years:  Ben Jonson (d.1637), John Fletcher (d. 1625), John Webster (d. 1634), Thomas Dekker (d. 1632), Thomas May (d. 1650), Thomas Middleton (d. 1627), John Ford (d. c. 1640), Shakespeare (d. 1616).

Shakespeare not a "company keeper":

The more to be admired, quaere—he was not a company keeper; lived in Shorditch; would not be debauched; and if invited to court, was in paine. W. Shakespeare—quaere Mr. Beeston, who knowes most of him from Mr. Lacy.  (Vol. I, p. 97)

Davenant's contention:

Sir William Davenant (l6o5/6-1668). Sir William Davenant, knight, Poet Laureate, was borne about the end of February — vide A. Wood's Antiq. Oxon.—baptized 3 of March A.D. i605/6], in ... street in the city of Oxford at the Crowne taverne.

His father was John Davenant, a vintner there, a very grave and discreet citizen: his mother was a very beautifull woman, and of a very good witt, and of conversation extremely agreable. They had three sons, viz. 1, Robert 2, William; and 3, Nicholas (an attorney) : and two handsome daughters...

Mr. William Shakespeare was wont to goe into Warwickshire once a yeare, and did commonly in his journey lye at this house in Oxon. where he was exceedingly respected. I have heard parson Robert (Davenant) say that Mr. W. Shakespeare haz given him a hundred kisses.  Now Sir William would sometimes, when he was pleasant over a glasse of wine with his most intimate friends—e. g. Sam. Butler (author of Hudibras), &c.—say, that it seemed to him that he writt with the very spirit that Shakespeare, and scemd contented enough to be thought his son. He would tell them the story as above, in which way his mother had a very light report.  (Vol. I, p. 204)

Shakespeare's entry in the Brief Lives:

Mr. William Shakespear was borne at Stratford upon Avon in the county of Warwick. His father was a butcher, and I have been told heretofore by some of the neighbours, that when he was a boy he exercised his father's trade, but when he kill'd a calfe he would doe it in a high style, and make a speech. There was at that time another butcher's son in this towne that was held not at all inferior to him for a naturall witt, his acquaintance and coetanean, but dyed young.

This William being inclined naturally to poetry and acting, came to London, I guesse, about 18; and was an actor at one of the play-houses, and did act exceedingly well (now B. Johnson was never a good actor, but an excellent instructor).

He began early to make essayes at dramatique poetry, which at that time was very lowe ; and his playes tooke well.

He was a handsome, well shap't man: very good company, and of a very readie and pleasant smooth witt.

The humour of ... the constable, in Midsomernight's Dreame, he happened to take at Grendon in Bucks— I thinke it was Midsomer night that he happened to lye there—which is the roade from London to Stratford, and there was living that constable about 1642, when I first came to Oxon : Mr. Josias Howe is of that parish, and knew him. Ben Johnson and he did gather humours of men dayly where ever they came. One time as he was at the tavern at Stratford super Avon, one Combes, an old rich usurer, was to be buryed, he makes there this extemporary epitaph,

Ten in the hundred the Devill allowes,
But Combes will have twelve, he sweares and vowes:
If any one askes who lies in this tombe,
' Hoh !' quoth the Devill, ' Tis my John o Combe.'

He was wont to goe to his native countrey once a yeare. I thinke I have been told that he left 2 or 300 li. per annum there and thereabout to a sister. Vide his epitaph in Dugdale's Warwickshire.

I have heard Sir William Davenant and Mr. Thomas Shadwell (who is counted the best comoedian we have now) say that he had a most prodigious witt, and did admire his naturall parts beyond all other dramaticall writers. He was wont to say (B. Johnson's Underwoods) that he ' never blotted out a line in his life'; sayd Ben: Johnson, ' I wish he had blotted-out a thousand.'

His comoedies will remaine witt as long as the English tongue is understood, for that he handles mores hominum. Now our present writers reflect so much upon particular persons and coxcombeities, that twenty yeares hence they will not be understood.

Though, as Ben: Johnson sayes of him, that he had but little Latine and lesse Greek, he understood Latine pretty well, for he had been in his younger yeares a schoolmaster in the countrey.—from Mr. . . . Beeston (Vol. II, p. 225-227)

"Many were the wet-combats betwixt him [Shakespeare] and Ben Jonson ; which two I behold like a Spanish great galleon and an English man-of-war : master Jonson (like the former) was built far higher in learning ; solid, but slow, in his performances. Shakespeare, with the English man-of-war, lesser in bulk, but lighter in sailing, could turn with all tides, tack about, and take advantage of all winds, by the quickness of his wit and invention" (vol. III, p. 284).