The Slash of the Pen, the Stroke of the Sword was the scenario at the Bristol Renaissance Faire for 1999. From the 1999 Program: William Shakespeare needs to learn about shipwrecks for his next play, and no one knows more about wrecking ships than Captain Nicholas Cutter. Together at the Rose and Crown for a few pints and some talk of the sea, Shakespeare helped Cutter write a letter to his missing love. This morning, however, the letter is missing.