介绍:
■ 11 The last years
Will did write another play，of course．That was Henry VIII and he wrote it because the King's daughter，Princess Elizabeth，was getting married．The King's Men had to have a new play for a special day like that．
We were in London for rehearsals at the Globe，and the actors put on the new play for the first time on the 29th of June，1613．I remember the date well．
It happened soon after the play began．Richard Burbage was on stage and he suddenly looked up and stopped in the middle of a word．
‘Fire！’he shouted．‘The theatre's on fire！’
Wooden(adj.木制的) buildings burn fast，and Henry Condell shouted，‘Everybody out！Quickly！’
The crowd of playgoers began to hurry to the doors，and I ran round to open them．We could all see the smoke now，and John Heminges shouted to Will，‘The playbooks！We must get the playbooks out！’
Everybody got out and no one was hurt．One man's coat caught fire and his friend put the fire out with a bottle of beer．But the Globe burnt right down to the ground in an hour．Poor old John Heminges just stood there and cried．
But you can't kill a theatre that easily．A year later there was a new Globe in the same place．Bigger and better than the old one．People said it was the finest playhouse in England．
We didn't often go to London in those last years．Will was happy at home in Stratford with his family．He had time for his garden，time to talk to his Stratford friends，time to play with his granddaughter Elizabeth．He read his plays again，and he and I talked and laughed about the old days．
Judith got married at last in February 1616．She was thirty-one then，and married a man called Thomas Quiney，who was twenty-six．Will wasn't too happy about it．
‘Judith loves him very much，’he said quietly to me．‘But I'm not sure about him．I think she's making a mistake．’
He was right，of course．Will was usually right about people．Thomas Quiney was lazy，drank too much，and went with other women．
But Will didn't live to find that out．In March he went to London for a party at the Mermaid Tavern．Ben Jonson was now the playwright for the court of King James．The King was paying him some money every year，and Ben wanted to give a party for his friends．
It was a good party，I heard．But Will caught a fever(n.发烧) and then rode home through the cold spring rain．When he got back to New Place，he was not a well man．
He died on the 23rd of April，in the year 1616．
They put his body in Holy Trinity Church，down by the river Avon．It was a bright，windy day，I remember．Ben Jonson came down from London，and cried in the church．He was a wild man，was Ben，always fighting and arguing about plays and poetry．But he loved his friend．He came up to me outside the church．
‘Toby，’he said．‘Will was a good，true man，and I loved him．We'll never see another poet like him in England．’
■ 12 England will remember
Well，all that was thirty-three years ago．I'm an old man，and everyone is dying around me．Anne Shakespeare died in 1623，and John Hall went about twelve years later，fighting the plague. Susanna's still alive，and Judith．She had three sons，but they all died．So there's no boy in the family to keep poor Will's name alive．Susanna's girl Elizabeth has had no children，and she's forty-one already…Susanna still comes to visit me sometimes，and we talk about the old days．
We live in sad times now；the Puritans cut King Charles's head off last January．But one day we'll have a king again．Then there'll be singing and dancing and plays．
You'll see．Oh yes．People won't forget William Shakespeare．In 400 years'time，the theatres will still be full．People will still laugh，and cry，over his plays．He was the finest poet that ever wrote in the English language．I think he knew that himself．There's some lines in one of his sonnets，I remember…
Not marble(n.大理石)，nor the gilded monuments(镀金墓碑)
Of princes shall outlive(比...长寿) this powerful rhyme(n.诗句)…
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