Inédit

2. Rocho Bonetti était un maître d’armes célèbre. Voici les détails biographiques que nous a laissés sur son compte G. Silver dans ses Paradoxes of Defence (p. 64): « This Signior Rocko came to England about some thirtie yeares past: he taught the Noblemen & Gentlemen of the Court; he caused some of them to weare leaden soales in their shoes, the better to bring them to nimblenesse of feet in their fight. He disbursed a great summe of mony for the lease of a faire house in Warwicke lane, which he called his Colledge, for he thought it great disgrace for him to keepe a Fence-schoole, he being then thought to be the onely famous Maister of the Art of armes in the whole world. He caused to be fairely drawne and set round about his Schoole all the Noblemens and Gentlemens armes that were his Schollers, and hanging right vnder their armes their Rapiers, daggers, gloues of male and gantlets. A1so, he had benches and stooles, the roome being verie large, for Gentlemen to sit round about his Schoole to behold his teaching. He taught none commoniy vnder twentie, fortie, fifty, or an hundred pounds. And because all things should be verie necessary for the Noblemen & Gentlemen, he had in his schoole a large square table, with a greene carpet, done round with a verie brode rich fringe of gold, alwaies standing vpon it à verie faire Standish couered with Crimson Veluet, with inke, pens, pin-dust, and sealing waxe, and quiers of verie excellent, fine paper gilded, readie for the Noblemen & Gentlemen (vpon occasion) to write their letters, being then desirous to follow their fight, to send their men to dispatch their businesse. And to know how the time passed, he had in one corner of his schoole a Clocke, with a verie faire large Diall, he had within that schoole, a roome the which was called his priuie schoole, with manie weapons therein, where he did teach his schollers his secret fight, after he had perfectly taught them their rules. He was verie much beloued in the Court ».

A hawle, a Chamber aboue the hawle a lytle roome vnder the said hawle, a yarde a litle Chamber or vaulte within the said yarde, a celler adioyninge to the said yarde vnder the fenschole vnder the Southend of the same beinge the tenemente nowe in the tenure of the said Rocho Bonetti. An entrye, a kitchin adioyninge to the said hawle & a smale rowme within the said kytchin. AI which Chambers & rowmes of the demise of the said Margrett Poole doe conteyne in length from North to South twentie foote and eight inches, and foure foote & a half by the present demise of the said Sir William More : And from Easte to weste in breadeth twentie foote & a halfe of the demise of the said Margret Poole and twoe foot over & beside by this presente Indenture of the demise of Sir William More. All which six foote & a halfe in lengthe and breadth of the demise of the said S' William More and nowe taken in and adioyned as parte and belonginge to the aforesaid messuage or tenemente doe belonge to the tenement late in the tenure of Iohn Lyllie gentleman & nowe in the tenure of the said Rocho Bonetti conteyninge betwene the yarde of $° Wil- Ham More on the North to the lane leadinge to the house of S George Carewe knight on the south xxxii] foote And betwene the Tenemente of Margrett Poole on the south and weste and the tenemente & yarde of the said S° William More in the tenure of the said Rocho Bonetti xxxix foote & vii] inches with all Chambers, Celler, Sollers, Rowmes, entries, lightes, vaulte, easementes, Buildinges and Comodityes with all & singuler ther seuerall appertenaunces thearunto belonginge or in any wise apperteyninge scytuat, lyinge & beinge in the parishe of St Anne within the precincte of the Blackfryars aforesaid (Loseley Mss., vol. 248, f. 134 r).

CONTRAT ENTRE LYLY ET HUBBERD {

This Indenture made the tenthe daye of maye in the nyne and twentith yere of the raigne of our Soueraigne ladye