NOTES ON THE TEXT.

THE TOWN FOP.

p. 7 Dramatis Personae. I have added ‘Page to Bellmour; Page to Lord Plotwell; Sir Timothy’s Page; Guests; Fiddlers; Ladies.’

p. 12, l. 36 honoured. 1724 ‘honourable’.

p. 13, l. 2 answered the Civility. 1724 ‘answered her the Civility’.

p. 13, l. 23 whats. 1724 ‘what’.

p. 13, l. 26 any thing in Life. 1724 ‘any thing in this Life’.

p. 14, l. 3 God forbid it; 1724 omits ‘it’.

p. 15, l. 11 you speak well. 1724 omits ‘well’.

p. 15, l. 20 Mrs. Celinda Dresswell. Following 4to 1677 and 1724 I have retained the name Dresswell although it should obviously be Friendlove. In the first draft Friendlove was called Dresswell, and in altering the nomenclature of the character Mrs. Behn forgot to make the change here. The same slip occurs in this same scene (p. 20, l. 23) when Friendlove is alluded to as Dresswell.

p. 16, l. 2 help. 1724 ‘help’d’.

p. 16, l. 30 me to. 1724 omits ‘to’.

p. 17, l. 9 and Allurements. 1724 omits ‘and’.

p. 19, l. 29 beholding. 1724 ‘beholden’.

p. 19, l. 31 belong’d. 1724 ‘belongs’.

p. 20, l. 6 Murder. 4to 1677 has here the marginal stage direction ’.A Letter’, to remind the prompter to have that property ready for the immediate entry of Friendlove.

p. 22, l. 4 Exit Sir Tim. 4to 1677 has ‘Ex.’ after ‘Celinda.’ 1724 ’.xit’ after ‘Southampton House.’

p. 22, l. 6 Exeunt. I have supplied this stage direction. 4to 1677 has ’.he End of the First Act.’

p. 22, l. 8 A Palace. I have left this quaint locale untouched although the scene is merely an antechamber in Friendlove’s house, and can have been no more than a drop cloth.

p. 22, l. 27 Scene II. This Scene is not numbered in the previous editions but considered as Scene I with the former.

p. 24, l. 10 To-morrow. 1724 as prose. I follow metrical arrangement of 4to.

p. 26, l. 12 impose. 4to 1677 ‘imposes’.

P. 27, l. 15 Scene III. Sir Timothy’s House. I have supplied the locale. In all former editions Scenes I and II being counted as one this is numbered Scene II.

p. 27, l. 16 and Boy. I have added the entrance of the Boy.

p. 28, l. 12 that I am. 4to 1677 omits ‘that’.

p. 28, l. 28 —and where—and where. 1724 reads ‘—and where—’ once.

p. 29, l. 25 Fortunes. 1724 ‘Fortune’.

p. 30, l. 32 Exeunt. 4to 1677 ‘Ex.’ 1724 ‘Exit.’

p. 30, l. 33 Scene IV. Lord Plotwell’s House. I have added the locale. The former editions, regarding Scenes I and II of this act as one, read ’.cene III.’

p. 34, l. 21 nor one. 1677 ‘nor none’.

p. 37, l. 14 Scene V. ‘Scene IV’ in former editions.

p. 39, l. 34 Exeunt. Not in former editions. 4to 1677 has ‘The End of the Second Act.’

p. 40, l. 2 A Room in Lord Plotwell’s House. All former editions mark the locale as ‘The Street.’ But this is obviously wrong from the sitting, dancing and whole business of the scene.

p. 41, l. 6 Griefs. 1724 ‘Grief.’

p. 41, l. 9 something of disorder. 4to 1677 ‘something in disorder’.

p. 41, l. 24 bear. 4to 1677 ‘bare’.

p. 42, l. 19 Life left. 1724 omits ‘left’.

p. 43, l. 4 plunged in Blood. 1724 ‘plung’d in, in Blood.’

p. 43, l. 5 A Jigg. Not in 1724.

p. 43, l. 19 with all your Faults. 4to 1677 omits ‘your’.

p. 45, l. 4 of it. 4to 1677 ‘on’t’.

p. 47, l. 7 Exeunt. All former editions ‘Exit.’

p. 47, l. 8 Scene II. No former editions number this scene, but read ’.nter Diana, Scene a Bedchamber.’

p. 47, l. 33 unto. 4to 1677 ‘to’.

p. 49, l. 25 Love. 1724 ‘Life’.

p. 50, l. 23 Exit. Not marked in former editions.

p. 50, l. 24 Scene III. A Street. No former editions number this scene.

p. 51, l. 1 Which. 4to 1677 ‘Who’.

p. 54, l. 34 Exeunt. Not in 1724. 4to 1677 adds ‘The End of the Third Act.’

p. 55, l. 2 Celinda’s Chamber. The locale is unmarked in all former editions,

p. 57, l. 15 the longed for. 4to 1677 misprints ‘she long’d for’.

p. 59, l. 8 Blessings. 1724 ‘Blessing’.

p. 59, l. 10 Who ere. 1724 ‘When e’er’.

p. 61, l. 11 and who. 1724 ‘and she who’.

p. 62, l. 6 _Scene II. The former editions have not numbered this scene.

p. 62, l. 11 Jenny and Doll. I have supplied the wenches’ names as given in the Dramatis Personae.

p. 63, l. 1 Garnitures. 1724 ‘Garments’.

p. 64, l. 1 Scene III. I have numbered the scene. Former editions all read ‘Scene a Chamber, a Table with Box and Dice.’

p. 72, l. 20 Ex. severally. 4to 1677 adds ‘The End of the Fourth Act.’

p. 72, l. 22 Scene I. I have numbered this scene.

p. 76, l. 14 Scene II. Lord Plotwell’s House. There is no scene division in 4to 1677. I have numbered this scene and added the locale which is evident from the dialogue.

p. 80, l. 5 Exit. 4to 1677 omits this stage direction.

p. 82, l. 10 Scene III. I have numbered this scene.

p. 82, l. 27 Look on this face. I have metrically arranged this. It is obviously verse. 4to 1677 and 1724 print as prose.

p. 94, l. 24 written by Mr. E.R. i.e. ‘Mr. Edward Ravenscroft.’ Omitted in 1724.

THE FALSE COUNT.

p. 101 Dramatis Personae. I have added to the list ‘Page to Carlos, A little Page to the False Count; Wife to Petro.’

p. 106, l. 26 halving. Omitted by 1724,

p. 109, l. 7 hither. Omitted by 1724.

p. 110, l. 36 easier. 4to 1697 and 1724 ‘easilier’.

p. 111, l. 11 Son. 4tos ‘Soul’.

p. 115, l. 28 Huswise. read ‘Huswife’.

p. 116, l. 5 Just-au-corps. 4to 1697 ‘Justicore’.

p. 120, l. 29 He goes out. 1724 ‘Exeunt severally.’

p. 120, l. 30 Scene II_. I have numbered this scene.

p. 121, l. 34 Page holding his lanthorn to his face. Omitted in 1724.

p. 125, l. 20 Going in. 4tos 1682 and 1697 read ‘Goes in.’ But Carlos, obviously, does not leave the stage at this point.

p. 128, l. 24 Scene III. I have numbered this scene.

p. 131, l. 11 Don Carlos’ house. I have added the locale.

p. 131, l. 26 dear. 1724 ‘dearer’.

p. 135, l. 16 Francisco’s house. I have added the locale.

p. 135, l. 26 should. 1724 ‘shall’.

p. 139, l. 15 not yet. 1724 repeats ‘not yet’.

p. 140, l. 2 froward. 1724 ‘forward’,

p. 143, l. 21 They dance. 4tos add ‘with Don’, which seems unsuitable as the company are seated.

p. 147, l. 22 Exit Cap. I have added this necessary direction, not in any previous edition, although all mark his entry again a little later.

p. 152, l. 15 the body of Francisco. 4tos 1682 and 1697. 1724 omits ’.he body of’.

p. 156, l. 29 glout. 1724 ‘glut’.

p. 158, l. 6 Mahometan. 1724 repeats ‘Mahometan’.

p. 158, l. 33 And wou’d not break. These two lines, which are obviously metrical, all former editions print as prose.

p. 163, l. 19 and Mutes attending. I have added these words as Carlos addresses the mutes a little later in the scene.

p. 163, l. 21 your. 1724 ‘thy’.

p. 166, l. 13 Sir, I’ll warrant. 1724 omits ‘Sir’.

p. 167, l. 15 that’s the greatest. 1724 omits ‘that’s’.

p. 168, l. 30 Aside. 1724 omits.

THE LUCKY CHANCE.

p. 177 The Lucky Chance. On the title of the 4to 1687, we have ‘This may be Printed, April 23, 1686. R.P.’

p. 183, l. 1 To The Right Honourable. This Dedication and the Preface (p. 185) are only found in the 4to 1687. p. 190 Dramatis Personae. have added to the list ‘Gingle, a Music Master; A Post-man; Susan, Servant to Sir Feeble; Phillis, Leticia’s Woman.’

p. 191, l. 20 Enter Mr. Gingle. I have inserted Gingle’s name. All previous editions read ‘Enter several with Musick.’

p. 194, l. 5 Dudgeon. 4to 1687 ‘Dugion’.

p. 199, l. 13 I have had … Guyneys. These words have by a curiously gross error been dropped out in all editions save the 4to 1687.

p. 202, l. 30 all but for. 1724 omits ‘but’.

p. 203, l. 10 so, I’ll go. 1724 ‘so, and I’ll go’.

p. 203, l. 27 Then then. All previous editions read ‘Then thou’ which makes no sense. The emendation, if not what Mrs. Behn wrote, is at least grammatical.

p. 204, l. 34 this St. Martin’s Trumpery. 1724 ‘these’.

p. 205, l. 4 my Girl. 1724 omits ‘my’.

p. 206, l. 28 of the World. 1724 ‘of the whole World’.

p. 207, l. 30 beholding. 1724 ‘beholden’.

p. 207, l. 36 Aside. 1724 omits.

p. 209, l. 2 look, look how. 1724 ‘look, how’.

p. 209, l. 12 Exeunt. I have supplied this, which does not occur in previous editions. 4to 1687 has ‘The End of the First Act.’ 1724 gives nothing.

p. 210, l. 3 Livings. 1724 ‘Living’.

p. 216, l. 13 Enter Bellmour. I have placed this entrance here as by his first speech Bellmour obviously overhears Leticia’s words, ‘Blest be this kind Retreat’. 1724 places the entrance after ‘Sighs and Tears.’ 4to 1687 gives it in a bracket by Leticia’s three lines.

p. 218, l. 9 Let. But how. I have arranged these lines metrically. 4to 1687 and 1724 print as prose.

p. 221, l. 1 Seraglio. 4to 1687 ‘Seraglia’.

p. 222, l. 31 Quonundrum. 4to 1687 ‘Qunnumdrum’.

p. 224, l. 17 Exit. I have supplied this. 1724 gives no direction. 4to 1687 has ‘The End of the Second Act.’

p. 225, ll. 13, 25 Aside. Not in 4to 1687.

p. 226, l. 8 swooned. 4to 1687 ‘swoonded’.

p. 227, l. 9 Aside. Not in 4to 1687.

p. 227, l. 29 Scene II. I have numbered this scene.

p. 227, l. 29 in an undressing. 1724 omits ‘in an’.

p. 228, l. 7 Aside. Omitted in 4to 1687.

p. 228, l. 21 Within. I have supplied this stage direction here and in Bellmour’s following speech.

p. 229, l. 2 to him. Not in 1724.

p. 229, l. 4 before to morrow. 1724 reads ‘before we go to him to-morrow.’

p. 229, l. 27 his Safety. 1724 omits ‘his’.

p. 231, l. 3 I’m sorry. I have arranged this metrically. Former editions as prose.

p. 23l, l. 16 Woman. 4to 1687 ‘Women’. But Pert is alone.

p. 231, l. 22 Want. 1724 misprints ‘Wont’.

p. 234, l. 4 Exit. I have supplied this stage direction.

p. 234, l. 5 Scene V. I have numbered this scene.

p. 234, l. 27 Dick his Boy. Former editions ‘and Boy.’ But Dick’s name is given in the Dramatis Personae and later in this same scene.

p. 235, l. 11 you know. Omitted by 1724.

p. 237, l. 21 Aside. Former editions wrongly mark this whole speech ’.side’. The last sentence is clearly spoken aloud to Sir Cautious.

p. 238, l. 30 Ad, and. 1724 ‘and and’.

p. 238, l. 32 Exit Dick. I have added this Exit, unmarked in former editions. Dick obviously does not remain on the stage as his entrance is marked later.

p. 239, l. 14 Aside, turns. 1724 omits ‘turns’.

p. 240, l. 29 Scene VI. I have numbered this scene.

p. 241, l. 28 Aside. Not in 4to 1687. But marked in 1724.

p. 243, l. 18 Exeunt. This stage direction is in no previous edition.

p. 244, ll. 28-36 I am sorry … Jewel, Sir. Previous editions as prose.

p. 245, l. 5 Where had … Previous editions print as prose.

p. 246, l. 1 rivell’d. 4to 1687. All later editions ‘shrivel’d’, which is by no means as good.

p. 246, l. 2 Ladles. 1724 misprints ‘Ladies’,

p. 248, l. 31 amended. 1724 ‘mended’.

p. 249, l. 2 Dinner in. 1724 ‘Dinner at’.

p. 255, l. 27 wou’d but stand. 1724 omits ‘but’.

p. 259, l. 13 Exit. I have added this stage direction. 4to 1687 reads ’.he End of the Fourth Act.’

p. 260, l. 17 Scene II. I have numbered this scene,

p. 263, l. 14 Scene III. 4to and 1724 ‘Scene II.’

p. 264, l. 21 attend. 1724 ‘intend.’

p. 265, l. 31 Soft Musick ceases. I put this stage direction here, following 4to 1687. 1724 inserts it after the Song, which is not so well.

p. 266, l. 20 Scene IV. I have numbered this scene.

p. 267, l. 1 Yet you may. I have arranged the whole speech metrically. 1687 prints to ‘April Flow’rs’ as prose. 1724 prints to ‘gather’ as prose.

p. 267, l. 19 Sir. Omitted in 1724.

p. 268, l. 11 But leave. I have arranged metrically. Previous editions prose.

p. 269, l. 29 With all my Soul. 4to 1687 gives an ‘[Aside’ to Gayman’s speech. This is an obvious error.

p. 270, l. 12 Scene V. I have numbered this and the two following scenes.

p. 271, l. 20 he have not. 1724 ‘he has not’.

p. 27l, l. 31 Oh! You. I have arranged metrically. Previous editions prose.

p. 274, l. 3 Life’s. 4to 1687 ‘Lives’. P. 275, l. 24 Enter Leticia, Bellmour, and Phillis. I have added this necessary direction which is in no former edition.

p. 278, l. 20 An After Math. 4to 1687 reads ‘An After Mach’. 1724 ‘An after Match’. As neither of these forms are found, the 4to seems an obvious misprint for ‘After Math’.

p. 278, l. 25 whiffling. 1724 ‘whistling’.

THE FORC’D MARRIAGE.

p. 286, l. 15 Enter an Actress. Omitted in 4to 1671.

p. 287 Dramatis Personae. I have added to the list ‘Page to Pisaro; Clergy; Officers;’ and have named Lysette from Act iii, v. 4to 1671 spells Orgulius, Orguilious; Falatius, Falatio; Cleontius, Cleontious in the Dramatis Personae, but in the text I have spelled these names throughout following 1724. It may here be noted that the 1671 quarto swarms with errors and typographical mistakes. It is vilely printed and seemingly issued from the press almost without revision.

p. 288, l. 2 The Palace. I have added the locale.

p. 289, l. 5 Bravery. 4to 1671. 4to 1690 and 1724 ‘Virtue’.

p. 289, l. 11 Alcippus. 4to 1671 prints ‘Alcip.’ as a speech-prefix. An obvious blunder.

p. 289, l. 18 Gift. 4to 1671 misreads ‘Guilt’.

p. 290, l. 11 added little. 1724 ‘added a little’.

p. 290, l. 19 hated. 4to 1690 and 1724 ‘hate’.

p. 292, l. 9 who. 4to 1671 ‘whom’.

p. 295, l. 5 pretends. 4to 1671 ‘pretend’.

p. 295, l. 31 thee most fatal proofs. 1724 ‘the most fatal proof’.

p. 296, l. 18 There was so. Following quartos I have printed these lines (which 1724 gives as prose) metrically, although I confess the result is not satisfactory.

p. 297, l. 1 Galatea’s Apartments. I have added this locale.

p. 298, l. 9 first. Not in 4to 1671.

p. 298, l. 29 Sighing. Not in 4to 1671.

p. 299, l. 30 Madam, that grief. This speech, which all previous editions give to Erminia, I have assigned to Aminta. I am, however, not entirely satisfied that a speech of Galatea’s has not dropped out here (the first quarto is notoriously careless), and in this case the speech may well be Erminia’s.

p. 300, l. 14 sworn. 4to 1690 and 1724, which I retain as better than 1671 ‘vow’d’.

p. 300, l. 24 won. 4to 1690 and 1724, which I have preferred to 1671 ’.ov’d’.

p. 301, l. 1 A room in the house. I have added this locale.

p. 303, l. 29 and Isil. I have added Isillia’s exit.

p. 303, l. 30 Philanders Apartments. I have added the locale.

p. 305, l. 14 The Representation of the Wedding. This line is not in 1724.

p. 305, l. 15 must be let down … must play. 1724 ‘is let down … plays.’

p. 305, l. 29 The Palace. I have added this locale.

p. 306, l. 22 th’.lmighty. 4to 1671 ‘i’th’ Almighty’.

p. 307, l. 31 needs. 4to 1671 ‘need’. 1690 ‘needs’t’.

p. 309, l. 1 The Court Gallery. I have added this locale.

p. 309, l. 8 That sad tone. I have followed the quartos in their metrical arrangement of this speech. 1724 gives it as prose. The same rule has been observed l.21, ‘Am. Nay thou hast …’

p. 310, l. 31 Not so well. In this speech and also p. 311, l. 1 I have followed the metrical arrangement of the 4tos. 1724 prints as prose.

p. 312, l. 9 Ex. 4to 1671 ‘goes out.’

p. 312, l. 13 Exeunt. 4to 1671 ‘go out.’

p. 312, l, 14 ’.is the most. I have followed the two quartos in their arrangement of these lines, which, none the less, seems far from satisfactory. 1724 prints as prose.

p. 313, l. 10 Erminia. 4to 1671 omits.

p. 313, l. 28 She weeps. Not in 4to 1671, but in 4to 1690 and in 1724.

p. 313, l. 35 Prince his word. 4to 1690 and 1724 ‘Prince’s word’.

p. 315, l. 10 Thou would’st allow. This is the reading of 4to 1690 and of 1724. 4to 1671 reads ‘I should allow what I deny thee here.’

p. 316, l. 31 Philander’s Bed-chamber. I have added the locale.

p. 317, l. 25 marry other. 1724 ‘marry any other’.

p. 320, l. 5 an ignorant. This is the reading of the 4tos. I take ’.gnorant’ as the obsolete substantive. 1724 omits ‘an’.

p. 320, l. 9 Enter Lysette. 1724 has ‘Enter a Maid’, but gives speech prefix ‘Lyc.’, spelling Lysette, Lycette.

p. 320, l. 12 I cry your Lordship’s. I have followed the 4tos in the metrical arrangement of this speech. 1724 prints as prose.

p. 320, l. 15 She goes in. 1724 ‘She goes out.’

p. 320, l. 21 I fell asleep. So 4tos. 1724 as prose.

p. 321, l. 28 Shepherdess. 4tos and 1724 punctuate ‘Shepherdess,’. It has been suggested that the passage be punctuated with a full stop at ’.all.’ and continue ‘Ah, cruel’ with the punctuation of former editions retained.

p. 323, l. 8 he has. 4to 1671 ‘it has’.

p. 323, l. 14 The Court Gallery. I have supplied this locale.

p. 326, l. 21 The apartments of Alcippus. I have supplied this locale.

p. 327, l. 26 And I so strangely. 4to 1671 omits ‘I’.

p. 330, l. 23 The Palace. I have supplied this locale. 1724 misprints Scene IV.

p. 330, l. 24 as passing by. Omitted by 1724.

p. 331, l. 23 Railly. 1724 prints this speech as prose.

p. 332, l. 29 beholding. 1724 ‘beholden’.

p. 332, l. 32 Fal. That’s too much. Following the 4tos I have arranged all the speeches of Falatius, which 1724 gives as prose, metrically. The result is, it must be confessed, not entirely satisfactory in places.

p. 334, l. 25 Farewell. 4tos and 1724 all print ‘For well’.

p. 334, l. 34 Sees Pisaro. 1724 omitting ‘sees’ makes a poor alteration in the conduct of this business.

p. 335, l. 20 Exit Pis. Former editions simply ‘Exit.’ This confuses the scene.

p. 335, l. 21 Re-enter Falatius. The 4tos omit this stage direction.

p. 337, l. 7 Galatea’s Apartments. I have supplied the locale.

p, 337, l. 12 you were. 4to 1690 and 1724 ‘you are’.

p. 338, l. 25 must credit you. 4to 1671 ‘faith, I credit you’.

p. 339, l. 4 Erminia, sure you’ll. 4to 1690 and 1724 ‘Erminia sure will’.

p. 339, l. 14 the fault. 4to 1690 and 1724 ‘my faults’.

p. 340, l. 5 He rises. I have inserted ‘He’ to make the direction quite clear.

p. 342, l. 5 The Palace. I have added the locale.

p. 343, l. 25 loving me. 4to 1671 prints an unsatisfactory text:

‘none for loving me, for I’m much unlike Lucinda whom you ey’d.’

p. 344, l. 28 The Apartments of Alcippus. I have added this locale.

p. 344, l. 32 fear’d. 4to 1671 ‘heard’.

p. 347, l. 17 Entering. I have added this stage direction.

p, 347, l. 30 a Chamber. I have inserted the locale.

p. 347, l. 30 in a dishabit. All editions save 4to 1671 read ‘in an undress’.

p. 349, l. 5 appetites. 1724 ‘appetite’.

p. 349, l. 12 Within. I have supplied this stage direction.

p. 349, l. 20 took. 1724 ‘taken’.

p. 351, l. 34 To Alcip. This and the following stage direction ‘To the Prince’ are not in 4to 1671.

p. 352, l. 16 vile. 4to 1671 omits.

p. 352, l. 25 or smothers her with a pillow. This is only found in 4to 1671.

p. 353, l. 21 Knew. 4to 1671 ‘know’.

p. 354, l. 6 has. 4to 1671 ‘had’.

p. 354, l. 16 Murder. 4to 1690 and 1724 ‘a Murderer’.

p. 354, l. 29 The Palace. I have supplied the locale.

p. 356, l. 30 merits not. 1724 ‘merits all’. A striking misprint.

p. 357, l. l2 Gonzal. 4to 1671 ‘Gen’rall’.

p. 357, l. 16 You once. 4to 1671 wrongly gives this to the King.

p. 357, l. 19 And should. 4to 1671 omits this whole line.

p. 357, l. 29 Fal. Wert. I have followed the arrangement of 4to 1671 throughout in this scene, which 1724 prints as prose.

p. 358, l. 7 Tiffany. 4to 1690 and 1724 ‘Taffety.’

p. 358, l. 22 Philander’s Apartments. I have supplied this locale.

p. 359, l. 29 Within. I have added this stage direction.

p. 360, l. 27—Gods—. I follow 4tos. 1724 prints these two lines as prose.

p. 361, l. 36 the World. 1724 ‘that World’.

p. 362, l. 6 smiling to the Princess. 1724 reads ‘Er. who comes out smiling.’

p. 363, l. 18 Galatea’s Apartments. I have supplied the locale.

p. 365, l. 8 ’.was. 4to 1690 and 1724 ‘twere’.

p. 365, l. 12 The Bedchamber. I have supplied this locale.

p. 365, l. 14 so. 4to 1671 ‘now’.

p. 365, l. 20 Weeps. 4to 1671 only has ‘Weeps.’ 4to 1690 and 1724 give the stage direction in full.

p. 365, l. 31 Influence. 4to 1671 ‘Influences’ to the ruin of the metre.

p. 366, l. 6 as touch her. 4to 1690, 1724 ‘to touch her’.

p. 368, l. 8 Princes. 4tos 1671, 1690 read ‘Princess’.

p. 368, l. 14 who goes. 4tos 1671, 1690 ‘and goes’.

p. 368, l. 32 Do. 4to 1671 ‘So’.

p. 369, l. 28 what. 4to 1671 ‘which’.

p. 371, l. 8 The King’s Chamber. I have supplied this locale and that of the following Scene (IV).

p. 374, l. 28 A Pass or two. Only in 4to 1671.

p. 375, l. 25 Alcip. Might I. Only 4to 1671 gives this speech to Alcippus. All other editions erroneously continue it as part of Galatea’s speech.

p. 375, l. 32 My Love. 4to 1671 wrongly ‘Thy love’.

p. 377, l. 13 Ease. 4to 1671 ‘easie’.

p. 381, l. 8 Exeunt. I have supplied this stage direction.

THE EMPEROR OF THE MOON.

p. 390, l. 1 To The Lord Marquess. The dedication only occurs in 4tos 1687, 1688.

p. 391, l. 6 Billet Doux. 4tos read ‘Billet Deux’—The same form is found in the Prologue l. 8; but as no other instance of ‘Billet Deux’ occurs I have corrected what is doubtless a misprint.

p. 394, l. 28 Adznigs. 1724, ‘Adzigs’.

p. 395 Dramatis Personae. I have added ‘Page; Florinda, Cousin to Elaria and Bellemante.’

p. 398, l. 4 otherwise. 1724 ‘otherways’.

p. 399, l. 30 Rosycrusian. 4 to 1687 ‘Rosacrucian.’

p. 400, l. 16 Ma tres chère. 4 to 1687 ‘Matres chear.’ 4to 1688 ’.arrois charé.’

p,400, l. 27 tout autour. 4to 1687 ‘tout au toore.’ 4to 1688 ‘tout au tour.’

p.400, l. 30 sighing. 1724 misprints ‘fighting’.

p.400, l. 9 Cheveux blonds. 4tos ‘Chevave Blond’.

p. 403, l. 30 Sylphs. 4to 1687 ‘Silfs.’

p. 409, l. 13 Scene III. All the former editions have Scene II.

p. 412, l. 21 Enter Doctor. Both 4tos and 1724 omit to mark this entrance which I have supplied.

p.413, l. 18 Draws. 1724 omits.

p.417, l. 19 The End of the First Act. Only in 4tos 1687, 1688.

p. 417, l. 21 A Chamber. I have added the locale.

p. 418, l. 26 the Street. 1724 ‘a Street.’

p. 418, l. 27 a Flambeaux. This is the reading of both 4tos. 1724 ‘a Flambeau’. As Sir T. Herbert, Travels (1638), has a plural ‘Flambeauxes’ I have retained ‘Flambeaux’ as a singular here, though no other instance can be cited.

p. 420, l. 6 Scene III. I have numbered this scene.

p. 420, l. 9 Florinda. I have inserted this name here and as speech-prefix instead of ‘Lady’. It is supplied by Act ii, II, and again in this scene.

p. 422, l. 2 Harpsicals. 1724 ‘Harpsicords’.

p. 422, l. 15 Within. I have supplied this stage direction.

p. 424, l. 3 Doct. Hold up. 1724 improperly puts this speech after the stage direction.

p. 424, l. 8 Harlequin sits still. 4tos ‘He sits still.’

p. 426, ll. 7, 9 Mistriss. 1724 ‘Mrs.’

p. 426, l. 35 Aside, and Exit. ‘Aside’ only in 1724. I have supplied ’.nd exit.’

p. 427, l. 16 Scene IV. I have numbered this scene and supplied the locale ‘to Bellemante’s Chamber’.

p. 429, l. 6 Scene V. I have numbered this scene.

p. 436, l. 14 The End of the Second Act. Only in 4tos.

p. 438, l. 22 Scene II. I have numbered this scene.

p. 442, l. 5 prima. 4tos misprint ‘Fema’.

p. 453, l. 1 Scene III. The Last. I have numbered this scene. 1724 omits ‘The Last.’

p. 454, l. 3 the Emperor. 1724 omits ‘the’.

p. 456, l. 28 Sagittary. 1724 ‘Sagittar’.

p. 461, l. 32 Gravely to himself. Only in 4tos.

p. 462, l. 19 Pay. 1724 ‘Play.’

p. 462, l. 29 Bank. 1724 ‘Rank’.

NOTES: CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY.

THE TOWN FOP.

p. 15 Mrs. Celinda Dresswell. Dresswell was obviously the original name of Friendlove, and Mrs. Behn forgot to alter her MS. at this passage. The same oversight occurs later in the act when Bellmour says ’. must rely on Dresswell’s friendship,’ (p. 20).

p. 18 Glass Coach. Coaches with glasses were a recent invention and very fashionable amongst the courtiers and ladies of the Restoration. De Grammont tells in his Memoirs how he presented a French calash with glasses to the King, and how, after the Queen and the Duchess of York, had publicly appeared in it, a battle royal took place between Lady Castlemaine and Miss Stewart as to which of the two should first be seen therein on a fine day in Hyde Park. The Ultimum Vale of John Carleton (4to, 1663) says, ‘I could wish her coach … made of the new fashion, with glass, very stately, … was come for me.’

p. 20 Tom Dove. A well-known bear so named and exhibited at the Bear Garden. Besides this passage there are four other allusions to him to be found. Dryden’s Epilogue to the King and Queen at the Union of the Two Companies, 1682, has:—

    Then for your lacquies …
    They roar so loud, you’d think behind the stairs,
    Tom Dove, and all the brotherhood of bears.

His prologue to Vanbrugh’s alteration of The Pilgrim (1700) begins:—

    How wretched is the fate of those who write!
    Brought muzzled to the stage, for fear they bite;
    Where, like Tom Dove, they stand the common foe.

In Southerne’s The Maid’s Last Prayer (1693) Act ii, II, Granger on receiving an invitation to dinner cries: ‘Zounds! a man had as good be ty’d to a stake and baited like Tom Dove on Easter Monday as be the necessary appurtenance of a great man’s table!’ D’Urfey in the epilogue (spoken by Verbruggen) to Robert Gould’s The Rival Sisters; or, The Violence of Love, produced at Drury Lane in 1696, writes:—

    When the dull Crowd, unskilled in these Affairs,
    To day wou’d laugh with us, to morrow with the Bears:
    Careless which Pastime did most Witty prove,
    Or who pleas’d best, Tom Poet, or Tom Dove.

Tom Dove has been wrongly described as ‘a bearward.’

p. 22 Southampton House. Southampton House, Bloomsbury, occupied the whole of the north side of the present Bloomsbury Square. It had ‘a curious garden behind, which lieth open to the fields,’—Strype. A great rendezvous for duellists, cf. Epilogue to Mountfort’s Greenwich Park (Drury Lane, 1691) spoken by Mrs. Mountfort:—

    If you’re displeased with what you’ve seen to-night
    Behind Southampton House we’ll do you right;
    Who is’t dares draw ‘gainst me and Mrs. Knight?

p. 39 Nickers. Vide note (p. 456) Vol. I, p. 398, The Roundheads.

p. 41 Courant. A quick, lively dance frequently referred to in old dramatists.

p. 43 A Jigg. There were, in Post-Restoration times, two interpretations of the word Jig. Commonly speaking it was taken to mean exactly what it would now, a simple dance. Nell Gwynne and Moll Davis were noted for the dancing of Jigs. cf. Epilogue to Buckingham’s The Chances (1682):—

                 The Author dreads the strut and meen
    Of new prais’d Poets, having often seen
    Some of his Fellows, who have writ before,
    When Nel has danc’d her Jig, steal to the Door,
    Hear the Pit clap, and with conceit of that
    Swell, and believe themselves the Lord knows what.

Thus at the end of Lacy’s The Old Troop (31 July, 1668), we have ‘a dance of two hobby horses in armour, and a Jig.’ Also shortly before the epilogue in Shadwell’s The Sullen Lovers (1668) we read, ‘Enter a Boy in the habit of Pugenello and traverses the stage, takes his chair and sits down, then dances a Jig.’

But it must be remembered that beside the common meaning there was a gloss upon the word derived from Elizabethan stage practice. In the prologue to The Fair Maid of the Inn (licensed 1626), good plays are spoken of as often scurvily treated, whilst

    A Jigge shall be clapt at, and every rhime
    Prais’d and applauded by a clam’rous chyme.

The Pre-Restoration Jig was little other indeed than a ballad opera in embryo lasting about twenty-five minutes and given as an after-piece. It was a rhymed farce in which the dialogue was sung or chanted by the characters to popular ballad tunes. But after the Restoration the Jig assumed a new and more serious complexion, and came eventually to be dovetailed with the play itself, instead of being given at the fag end of the entertainment. Mr. W.J. Lawrence, the well-known theatrical authority to whom I owe much valuable information contained in this note, would (doubtless correctly) attribute the innovation to Stapylton and Edward Howard, both of whom dealt pretty freely in these Jigs. Stapylton has in Act v of The Slighted Maid (1663) a ‘Song in Dialogue’ between Aurora and Phoebus with a chorus of Cyclops, which met with some terrible parody in The Rehearsal (cf. the present editor’s edition of The Rehearsal, p. 145). Indeed all extrinsic songs in dialogue, however serious the theme, were considered ‘Jigs’. A striking example would be the Song of the Spirits in Dryden’s Tyrannic Love, Act iv.

In Post-Restoration days a ballad sung in the streets by two persons was frequently called a Jig, presumably because it was a ‘song in dialogue’. Numerous examples are to be found amongst the Roxburgh Ballads.

The Jig introduced in Sir Timothy Tawdrey would seem to have been the simple dance although not improbably an epithalamium was also sung.

p. 44 an Entry. A dance which derived its name from being performed at that point in a masque when new actors appeared. In Crowne’s The Country Wit (1675) Act iii, I, there is a rather stupid play on this sense of the word confounded with its meaning ‘a hall or lobby’.

p. 63 Cracking. Prostitution. A rare substantive, although ‘Crack’, whence it is derived, was common, cf. p. 93 and note.

p. 65 Cater-tray. cater = quatre. The numbers four and three on dice or cards. This term was used generally as a cant name for dice; often for cogged or loaded dice.

p. 69 She cries Whore first. In allusion to the old proverb—cf. The Feign’d Courtezans, Act v, iv, Vol. II, p. 409, when Mr. Tickletext on his discovery appeals to the same saw.

p. 81 Berjere. A very favourite word with Mrs. Behn. Vide Vol. II, note (p. 346, The hour of the Berjere), p. 441 The Feigned Courtezans.

p. 93 Cracks. Whores. As early as 1678 ‘Crack’ is the proper name of a whore in Tunbridge Wells, an anonymous comedy played at the Duke’s House, cf. D’Urfey, Madam Fickle (1682), Act v, ii, when Flaile says: ’.’have killed a Mon yonder, He that you quarrell’d with about your Crack there.’ Farquhar, Love and a Bottle (1698), Act v, ii, has: ‘You imagine I have got your whore, cousin, your crack.’ Grose, Dict. Vulgar Tongue, gives the word, and it is also explained by the Lexicon Balatronicum (1811). It was, in fact, in common use for over an hundred years.

p. 94 Mr. E.R. i.e. Edward Ravenscroft.

THE FALSE COUNT.

p. 99 Forty One. cf. note, Vol. II (p. 207) p. 433, The City Heiress.

p. 99 no Plot was true. A patent allusion to the fictitious Popish Plot.

p. 99 Conventicles. For the accentuated last syllable, vide Vol. I, p. 454. A striking example of this accentuation occurs in a Collection of Loyal Songs—1639-1661—

    But all the Parish see it plain,
      Since thou art in this pickle,
    Thou art an Independent quean,
      And lov’st a conventicle.

p. 99 Christian Suckling. The charge of murdering young Christian boys, especially at Passover time, and eating their flesh was continually brought against the Jews. Little St. Hugh of Lincoln, St. William of Norwich, the infant St. Simon of Trent and many more were said to have been martyred in this way. But recently (1913) the trial of Mendil Beiliss, a Jew, upon a charge of ritually murdering the Russian lad Yushinsky has caused a world-wide sensation.

p. 99 Gutling. Guzzling. Guttle is used in a secondary sense (= to flatter) in The City Heiress. Vide Vol. II, note (on p. 207) p. 433.

p. 100 took in Lamb’s-Wool Ale. Lamb’s-Wool Ale is hot ale mixed with the pulp of roasted apples, sugared and well spiced. The allusion is to Lord Howard of Esrick, who, having been imprisoned in the Tower on a charge connected with the so-called Popish Plot, to prove his innocence took the Sacrament according to the rites of the English church. It is said, however, that on this occassion, instead of wine, lamb’s-wool was profanely used. cf. Dryden’s bitter jibe—Absalom and Achitophel (November, 1681), I, 575:—

    And canting Nadab let oblivion damn,
    Who made new porridge for the paschal lamb.

cf. also Absalom’s IX Worthies:—

    Then prophane Nadab, that hates all sacred things,
    And on that score abominateth kings;
    With Mahomet wine he damneth, with intent
    To erect his Paschal-lamb’s-wool-Sacrament.

A ballad on the Rye House Plot, entitled The Conspiracy; or, The
Discovery of the Fanatic Plot, sings:—

    Next valiant and noble Lord Howard,
      That formerly dealt in lamb’s wool;
    Who knowing what it is to be towered,
      By impeaching may fill the jails full.

p. 100 Brumighams. Bromingham was a slang term of the day for a Whig. Roger North says that the Tories nicknamed the opposite party ’.Birmingham_ Protestants, alluding to the false groats struck at that place’. Birmingham was already noted for spurious coinage. cf. Dryden’s prologue to The Spanish Friar (1681):—

              What e’er base metal come
    You coin as fast as groats at Bromingam.

A panegyric on the return of the Duke and Duchess of York from Scotland says of Shaftesbury’s medal that

‘Twas coined by stealth, like groats at Birmingham.

For Birmingham = Whig we have Old Jemmy, an Excellent New Ballad:

    Let Whig and Bromingham repine,
      They show their teeth in vain;
    The glory of the British line,
      Old Jemmy’s come again.

Also in Matthew Taubman’s A Medley on the Plot, this stanza occurs:—

    Confound the hypocrites, Birminghams royal,
      Who think allegiance a transgression;
    Since to oppose the King is counted loyal,
      And to rail high at the succession.

Dryden in his Preface to Absalom and Achitophel, I, speaks of ‘an
Anti-Bromingham’, i.e. a Tory.

p. 100 dry bobs. A bob was a sarcastic jest or jibe. cf. Sir Giles Goosecappe (1606), Act. v, I. ‘Marry him, sweet Lady, to answere his bitter Bob,’ and Buckingham’s The Rehearsal (1671), Act iii, I, where Bayes cries: ‘There’s a bob for the Court.’ A dry bob (literally = a blow or fillip that does not break the skin) is an intensely bitter taunt, cf. Cotgrave (1611), Ruade seiche, a drie bob, jeast or nip. Bailey (1731) has ‘Dry Bob. a Taunt or Scoff’.

p. 100 By Yea and Nay. ‘Yea and Nay’ was often derisively applied to the Puritans, and hence to their lineal descendants the Whigs, in allusion to the Scriptural injunction, S. Matthew v, 33-7, which they feigned exactly to follow. Timothy Thin-beard, a rascally Puritan, in Heywood’s If you Know Not Me, You Know Nobody, Part II (4to, 1606), is continually asseverating ‘By yea and nay’, cf. Fletcher’s Monsieur Thomas, Act ii, III, where Thomas says:—

    Do not ye see me alter’d? ‘Yea and Nay,’ gentlemen;
    A much-converted man.

In Sir Patient Fancy (1678), Lady Knowell’s late husband, a rank Puritan, is said to have been ‘a great Ay and No Man i’th’ City, and a painful promoter of the good Cause.’

p. 109 Twins. Vide note (p. 319, Amorous Twire), Vol. II, p. 440, The Feigned Courtezans.

p. 113 gives Julia the Letter. Mrs. Behn took the hint for this device from L’Ecole des Maris, ii, XIV, where Isabella feigning to embrace Sganarelle gives her hand to Valère to kiss.

p. 116 Just-au-corps. ‘A sort of jacket called a justacorps came into fashion in Paris about 1650. M. Quicherat informs us that a pretty Parisienne, the wife of a maître de comptes named Belot, was the first who appeared in it. In a ballad called The New-made Gentlewoman, written in the reign of Charles II, occurs the line “My justico and black patches I wear”. Mr. Fairholt suggested that justico may be a corruption of juste au corps.—Planché’. Cyclopedia of Costume, Vol. I, p. 318. Pepys, 26 April, 1667, saw the Duchess of Newcastle ’.aked-necked, without anything about it, and a black just-au-corps’. cf. Dryden’s Limberham; or, The Kind Keeper (1678), iv, I: ‘Aldo. Give her out the flower’d Justacorps with the petticoat belonging to’t.’

p. 116 Towers, The tower at this time was a curled frontlet of false hair. cf. Crowne’s The Country Wit (1675), Act ii, II, where Lady Faddle cries to her maid, ‘run to my milliner’s for my gloves and essences … run for my new towre.’ Shadwell, The Virtuoso (1676), Act iii, mentions ‘Tires for the head, locks, tours, frouzes, and so forth’. The Debauchee (1677), Act ii, I: Mrs. Saleware speaks of buying ‘fine clothes, and tours, and Points and knots.’ The Younger Brother (1696), Act v, the last scene, old Lady Youthly anxiously asks her maid, ‘is not this Tour too brown?’ During the reign of Mary II and particularly in the time of Anne a Tower meant almost exclusively the high starched head-dress in vogue at that period.

p. 116 beat the hoof. To go packing; to trudge off on foot. Dic. Canting Crew (1690), ‘Hoof it or beat it on the Hoof—to walk on foot.’ Pad the hoof is a yet commoner expression. These and similar slang are still much used.

p. 117 finical. According to the N.E.D. the use of finical as a verb is a nonce word only found in this passage.

p. 119 lead Apes in Hell. To die an old maid. A very common expression. It will be remembered that Beatrice had something to say on the subject. —Much Ado About Nothing, Act ii, I.

p. 122 Docity. Gumption, cf. note (p. 340), Vol. II, p. 441, The Feign’d Curtezans.

p. 123 Don Del Phobos. The adventures of the Knight of the Sun and his brother Rosiclair belong to the Amadis school of romance. They were published in two volumes, folio, at Saragossa, 1580, under the title Espejo de principes e cavalleros; o, Cavallero del Febo. The first part of this romance was translated into English by Margaret Tiler, The Mirrour of Princely deedes and Knighthood (4to, 1578), other portions appearing subsequently. The whole four parts, translated from the original Spanish into French, appeared in eight volumes, and an abridged version was made by the Marquis de Paulmy. The Amadis cycle long remained immensely popular.

p. 129 Gad-bee in his Brain. As we now say ‘a bee in his bonnet’. For ’.ad-bee’ cf. Holland’s Pliny (1601) I, 318. ‘The bigger kind of bees … and this vermin is called Oestrus (i.e. the gad-bee or horse fly).’ cf. The Lucky Chance, ii, II: ‘The Gad-Bee’s in his Quonundrum’ and note on that passage infra. For the idea compare ‘brize-stung’ (= crazed).

p. 142 Cockt. Set his hat jauntily. A very frequent phrase.

p. 146 Slashes. Bumpers. From the idea of vigour contained in ‘slash’. The word is extremely rare in this sense and perhaps only found here. But cf. Scottish (Lothian) ‘slash’ = a great quantity of broth or any other sorbile food.

p. 148 what the Devil made me a ship-board? cf. Géronte’s reiterated complaint ‘Que diable allait-il faire dans cette galère?’—Les Fourberies de Scapin (1671), ii, VII; and the phrase in Cyrano de Bergerac’s Le Pédant Joué (1654): ‘Ha! que diable, que diable aller faire en cette galère?… Aller sans dessein dans une galère!… Dans la galère d’un Turc!’—Act ii, IV. In France this phrase is proverbial.

p. 156 glout thy Eyes. Scowl; frown. Glout (without ‘thy Eyes’. is very common in this sense. cf. Note (p. 201), Vol. II, p. 433.

p. 160 an Antick. A fantastic measure. This is a favourite word with Mrs. Behn.

p. 165 Aquinius his Case. This is, I take it, some confused allusion to the great Dominican Doctor, S. Thomas Aquinas, who was regarded as being the supreme Master of scholasticism and casuistry. Casuistry must be taken in its true and original meaning—the balancing and deciding of individual cases.

p. 175 Bantring and Shamming. Banter = to chaff or make fun of, at this time a new slang word. It is almost certain that the verb, which came into use about 1670, was a full decade earlier than the noun. In 1688 the substantive ‘Banter’ was up-to-date slang. For the verb vide D’Urfey’s Madam Fickle (1676), Act v, I, where Zechiel cries to his brother: ‘Banter him, banter him, Toby. ‘Tis a conceited old Scarab, and will yield us excellent sport—go play upon him a little—exercise thy Wit.’ cf. Swift, Apology (1710), Talke of a Tub: ‘Where wit hath any mixture of raillery, ‘tis but calling it banter, and the work is done. This polite word of theirs was first borrowed from the bullies in Whitefriars, then fell among the footmen, and at last retired to the pedants.’

For ‘shamming’ cf. Wycherley’s The Plain Dealer (1674), iii, I, where the Lawyer says to Manly: ‘You … shammed me all night long.’ ’.hammed!’ cries Manley, ‘prithee what barbarous law-term is that?’ ’.hamming …’ answers the lawyer, ‘’.is all our way of wit, Sir.’ And Freeman explains ‘Shamming is telling you an insipid dull lie with a dull face, which the sly wag the author only laughs at himself; and making himself believe ‘tis a good jest, puts the sham only upon himself.’

p. 176 Dumfounding. A rude and rough form of practical joking. The players ‘dumfounded’ each other with sudden blows stealthily dealt. cf. Shadwell’s The True Widow (1678), Act iv, I. Prig in the theatre says: ’.ou shall see what tricks I’ll play; ‘faith I love to be merry’. (Raps people on their backs, and twirls their hats, and then looks demurely, as if he did not do it.) The pit, often a very pandemonium, was the chief scene of this sport. Dryden, prologue to The Prophetess (1690), speaks of the gallants in the theatre indulging freely in

That witty recreation, called dumfounding.

p. 176 stum’d Wine. To stum wine is to renew dead and insipid wine by mixing new wine with it and so raising a fresh fermentation. cf. Slang (still in common use) ‘stumer’, a generic term for anything worthless, especially a worthless cheque.

p. 176 Grisons. A ‘grison’ is a servant employed on some private business and so dressed in gray (gris) or a dark colour not to attract notice. cf. Shadwell’s The Volunteers (1693), Act ii, sc. I: ‘Sir Nich. I keep grisons, fellows out of livery, privately for nothing but to carry answers.’

THE LUCKY CHANCE.

p. 183 Laurence, Lord Hyde. This celebrated statesman (1641-1711) was second son of Edward Hyde, first Earl of Clarendon. The Dedication must have been written in 1686 when, wavering between the Catholic Faith and Protestantism, he was still high in favour with the King. 4 January, 1687, he was dismissed from court owing to his persistent refusals to be received into the Church.

p. 183 The Abbot of Aubignac. François Hédelin, Abbé D’Aubignac, a famous critic and champion of the theatre, was born at Paris, 4 August, 1604. Amongst his best known works are: Térence justifié (4to, 1646, Paris), an attack on Ménage; La Practique du théâtre (4to, 1669, Paris); and Dissertations concernant le poëme dramatique en forme de remarques sur les deux tragédies de M. Corneille, intitulées Sophonisbe et Sertorious (12mo, 1663, Paris). He died at Nemours, 27 July, 1676.

p. 185 Dr. Davenant. Charles Davenant, LL.D, (1656-1714), eldest son of Sir William Davenant. He sat for St. Ives, Cornwall, in the first parliament of James II, and was appointed, along with the Master of the Revels, to license plays.

p. 185 Sir Roger L’Estrange. The celebrated Tory journalist, pamphleteer and censor was born in 1616. He had ever been a warm defender of James II, and upon this monarch’s accession was liberally rewarded. 21 May, 1685, a warrant was issued directing him to enforce most strictly the regulations concerning treasonable and seditious and scandalous publications. After the Revolution he suffered imprisonment. He died 11 December, 1704.

p. 185 Mr. Killigrew. Charles Killigrew (1655-1725), Master of the Revels, was son of Thomas Killigrew by his second wife Charlotte de Hesse. He had been appointed Master of the Revels in 1680, patentee of Drury Lane Theatre in 1682. He was buried in the Savoy, 8 January, 1724-5.

p. 186 Mr. Leigh. Antony Leigh, the famous comedian, who created Sir Feeble Fainwood. The scene referred to is Act iii, sc. II, where it must be confessed that, in spite of her protestation, Mrs. Behn gives the stage direction—Sir Feeble ‘throws open his Gown, they run all away, he locks the Door.’

p. 186 Oedipus. Dryden and Lee’s excellent tragedy was produced at Dorset Garden in 1679. Betterton created Oedipus and his wife Jocasta. It was extraordinarily popular, as, indeed, were all the plays Mrs. Behn marshalls forth in this preface. The scene particularly referred to is Act ii, I: ‘Oedipus enters, walking asleep in his Shirt, with a Dagger in his Right-Hand and a Taper in his Left.’ A little after ‘Enter Jocasta, attended with Lights, in a Night-Gown.’

p. 186 City Politicks. This comedy by Crowne is a mordant satire upon the Whigs. It was produced with great success at the Theatre Royal and printed quarto 1683. A certain Florio feigns to be dying in order to prevent the Podesta suspecting an intrigue between his wife, Rosaura, ’.he Lady Mayoress’, and so impotent an invalid. Artall is in love with Lucinda, who is married to a toothless old lawyer, Bartoline. Says Genest: ‘The Podesta and Bartoline are as well cuckolded as any Tory could wish.’ cf. The conclusion of Act ii and the commencement of Act iii; also the discovery of Florio and Rosaura in Act v.

p. 186 London Cuckolds. This immensely popular play, five merry side-splitting acts which kept the stage for a century, was produced in 1682 at Dorset Garden. Ravenscroft has no less than three cuckolds in his Dramatis Personae: Doodle, Dashwell, and Wiseacre. The intrigues and counter-intrigues are innumerable. At the end the cuckolds all jeer one another.

p. 186 Sir Courtly Nice. This witty comedy, Crowne’s masterpiece, was produced at the Theatre Royal in 1685. Mrs. Behn’s allusion is to Act ii, II, where Crack, disguised as a tailor, visits Leonora. The language is often cleverly suggestive.

p. 186 Sir Fopling. Etheredge’s third comedy, The Man of Mode; or, Sir Fopling Flutter was produced at the Duke’s Theatre in 1676. It met ’.ith extraordinary success’. Mrs. Behn points at Act iv, II.

p. 186 Valentinian. The reference is to the Earl of Rochester’s Valentinian, altered from Fletcher, which was produced with great applause at the Theatre Royal in 1684. The Court Bawds, Balbus, Proculus, Chylax, Lycinius, with the ‘lewd women belonging to the court’, Ardelia and Phorba, are important characters in the tragedy. The direct allusion is, perhaps, to Act ii, I. The scene after the rape, Act iv, sc. III, ‘opens, discovers th’.mperor’s Chamber. Lucina newly unbound by th’.mperor’. The ‘Prologue spoken by Mrs. Cook the first day’ is by Mrs. Behn (vide Vol. VI). It is certain that an audience which found no offence in Rochester’s Valentinian could ill have taken umbrage at the freedoms of The Lucky Chance.

p. 186 The Moor of Venice. Othello was one of the first plays to be revived at the Restoration, and was, perhaps, the most frequently seen of all Shakespeare. On 11 October, 1660, Burt acted Othello at the Cockpit. Downes gives Mohun as Iago; Hart, Cassio; Cartwright, Brabantio; Beeston, Roderigo; Mrs. Hughes, Desdemona; Mrs. Rutter, Emilia. But it is certain Clun had also acted Iago—(Pepys, 6 February, 1668). Hart soon gave up Cassio to Kynaston for the title rôle in which he is said to have excelled. After his retirement in 1683 it fell to Betterton, of whose greatness in the part Cibber gives a lively picture. The Tatler also highly commends this actor’s Othello.

p. 186 The Maids Tragedy. Mrs. Behn refers to Act ii, I, and Act iii, I. Hart acted Amintor; Mohun, Melantius; Wintershall, the King; Mrs. Marshall, Evadne. Rymer particularly praises Hart and Mohun in this tragedy, saying: ‘There we have our Roscius and Aesopus both on the stage together.’ After 1683 it was differently cast. It will be remembered that Melantius was Betterton’s last rôle, in which he appeared for his benefit 13 April, 1710, to the Amintor of Wilks and the Evadne of Mrs. Barry. He died 28 April, a fortnight after.

p. 187 Wills Coffee House. This famous coffee-house was No. 1 Bow Street, Covent Garden, on the west side corner of Russell Street. It derived its name from Will Unwin who kept it. The wits’ room was upstairs on the first floor. Some of its reputation was due to the fact that it was a favourite resort of Dryden.

p. 187 write for a Third day only. The whole profits of the third day’s performance went to the author of the play; and upon these occasions his friends and patrons would naturally rally to support him. There are numberless allusions to this custom, especially in Prefaces, Prologues and Epilogues.

p. 189 the Mall. The Mall, St. James’s Park, was formed for Charles II, who was very fond of the game ‘pall-mall’. The walk soon became a popular and fashionable resort. There are innumerable references. cf. Prologue, Dryden’s Marriage à la Mode (1672):—

    Poor pensive punk now peeps ere plays begin,
    Sees the bare bench, and dares not venture in;
    But manages her last half-crown with care,
    And trudges to the Mall, on foot, for air.

The scene of the first Act of Otway’s The Soldier’s Fortune (1681) is laid in the Mall, and gives a vivid picture of the motley and not over respectable company that was wont to foregather there.

p. 189 the Ring. The Ring, Hyde Park, a favourite ride and promenade was made in the reign of Charles I. It was very fashionable, and is frequently alluded to in poem and play. cf. Etheredge, The Man of Mode; or, Sir Fopling Flutter: ‘Sir Fopling. All the world will be in the Park to-night; Ladies, ‘twere pity to keep so much beauty longer within doors, and rob the Ring of all those charms that should adorn it.’—Act iii sc. II. cf. also Lord Dorset’s Verses on Dorinda (1680):—

    Wilt thou still sparkle in the Box,
      Still ogle in the Ring?

p. 193 Starter. This slang word usually means a milksop, but here it is equivalent to ‘a butterfly’, ‘a weathercock’—a man of changeable disposition. A rare use.

p. 193 Finsbury Hero, Finsbury Fields, which Pepys thought ‘very pleasant’, had been kept open for the citizens to practise archery. An ordinance of 1478 is extant which orders all obstacles to be removed and Finsbury to be ‘made a plain field for archers to shoot in’. As late as 1737 there were standing twenty-four ‘rovers’ or stone pillars for shooting at distances.

p. 196 Mr. Barnardine. This allusion must almost certainly be to a recent revival of Measure for Measure, which particular play had been amongst those set aside by the regulation of 12 December, 1660, as the special property of Davenant’s theatre. After the amalgamation of the two companies in November, 1682, a large number of the older plays were revived or continued to be played (with a new cast and Betterton in the rôles which had been Hart’s) during the subsequent decade. Downes mentions Othello, The Taming of the Shrew, and several by Beaumont and Fletcher, Ben Jonson, and Brome. On the other hand, it is possible this reference may merely be to The Law Against Lovers (1661, folio, 1673), in which Sir William Davenant has mixed Benedick and Beatrice with Angelo, Claudio, Isabella and the rest. It is a curious conglomeration, and the result is very pitiful and disastrous. Bernardine and the prison scenes are retained. Measure for Measure was again profanely altered by Gildon in 1700, mutilated and helped out by ‘entertainments of music’.

p. 197 Snicker Snee. See note Vol. I, p. 449, Snick-a-Snee, The Dutch Lover, iii, III (p, 278).

p. 198 Spittal Sermon. The celebrated Spital Sermons were originally preached at a pulpit cross in the churchyard (now Spital Square) of the Priory and Hospital of St. Mary Spital, founded 1197. The cross, broken at the Reformation, was rebuilt during Charles I’s reign, but destroyed during the Great Rebellion. The sermons, however, have been continued to the present time and are still preached every Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday before the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, at Christ Church, Newgate Street.

P. 201. Alsatia. This cant name had been given to the precinct of Whitefriars before 1623, then and for many years a notorious refuge for persons wishing to avoid bailiffs and creditors. The earliest use of the name is Thomas Towel’s quarto tract, Wheresoever you see meet, Trust unto Yourselfe: or the Mysterie of Lending and Borrowing (1623). The second use in point of time is the Prologue to Settle’s Pastor Fido (1676):—

    And when poor Duns, quite weary, will not stay;
    The hopeless Squire’s into Alsatia driven.