John Ward (vicar)

The original manuscript, preserved in the Library of the Medical Society of London, was transcribed and published in 1839 by Charles Severn.

[2] In addition to his duties as rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity Ward seems to have practiced as a medical doctor in Stratford, judging by entries about medicine in his notebooks.

His diary indicates that he also intended to pursue philological studies; he promises to himself to learn Arabic, Anglo-Saxon and Hebrew.

[1] The diary is really a set of notebooks which form part of a collection of documents containing medical and theological observations, drafts of sermons and anecdotes.

I have heard that Mr. Shakspeare was a natural wit, without any art at all; hee frequented the plays all his younger time, but in his elder days lived at Stratford, and supplied the stage with two plays every year, and for itt had an allowance so large, that hee spent att the rate of 1,000 l a-year, as I have heard:...The idea that Shakespeare was an untutored genius was common at this time.

Both may have been written shortly after he was appointed to Stratford, suggesting that he had no special knowledge of or interest in Shakespeare before he was given the post, but felt he would be "expected to know something about the dramatist" as a local celebrity.

[4] Shakespear Drayton and Ben Jhonson had a merry meeting and it seems drank too hard for Shakespear died of a feavour there contracted.The "merry meeting" refers to a supposed night drinking with Michael Drayton and Ben Jonson.

This remark is presumed to refer to the omission of Shakespeare from lists of writers in Heylin's book Cosmographie.