[1] Heywood dedicated to Thomas Hammon the Second Part of the Fair Maid of the West (1631), and the First Part of The Iron Age (1632).

[2] "Marlo." Marginal note in the old copy.

[3] "Allin." Marginal note in the old copy. In the (old) Shakespeare Society's publications there is a memoir by J. P. Collier of the celebrated actor, the founder of Dulwich College, Edward Alleyn.

[4] "Perkins." Marginal note in the old copy. Richard Perkins was an actor of great ability. At the end of the White Devil Webster speaks of the "well-approved industry of my friend Master Perkins," and adds that "the worth of his action did crown both the beginning and end." He took the part of Capt. Goodlack in Heywood's Fair Maid of the West, of Sir John Belfare in Shirley's Wedding, of Hanno in Nabbes' Hannibal and Scipio, and of Fitzwater in Davenport's King John and Matilda. From Wright's Historia Histrionica we learn that he died "some years before the Restoration."

[5] "A metaphor borrowed from the fencing-school, prizes being played for certain degrees in the schools where the Art of Defence was taught,—degrees, it appears, of Master, Provost, and Scholar."—Dyce's Shakespeare Glossary.

[6] A friend of Alleyn's backed him for a wager to excel George Peele in acting any part that had been sustained by Knell or Bentley. See Dyce's Greene and Peele (ed. 1861, pp. 330, 331). In the Introduction to the Knight of the Burning Pestle the Citizen says that his prentice Ralph "should have played Jeronimo with a shoemaker for a wager."

[7] The Duc de Guise, who organised the Massacre of St. Bartholomew. He was assassinated in 1588.

[8] This is Dyce's correction for "empire."

[9] Old ed. "the Drancus."

[10] As a word is required to complete the verse, I have followed Cunningham in inserting "but."

[11] All the editions give "Britain." For the sake of the metre I read "Britainy"—a form found in Edward II., ii. 2, l. 42.

[12] Old ed. "Samintes," for which the modern editors give "Samnites." Between the "Samnites" and the "men of Uz" there can be no possible connection. My emendation suits the context. We have Saba for Sabæa in Faustus, xii. 25, &c.

[13] Old ed. "silverbings." Dyce observes that the word "silverling" occurs in Isaiah (vii. 23):—"A thousand vines at a thousand silverlings."

[14] It was a common belief that a stuffed halcyon (i.e., kingfisher), suspended by the bill, showed from what quarter the wind blew. Shakespeare alludes to the superstition in Lear, ii. 2,—

Sir Thomas Browne, who discusses the subject in Vulgar Errors (iii. 10), says that "the eldest custom of hanging up these birds was founded upon a tradition that they would renew their feathers every year as though they were alive."

[15] Pay the duty on them.

[16] Old ed. "By" (which might perhaps be defended, as meaning "good-bye." Cf. Shirley's Constant Maid, i. 1,—"Buoy, Close, buoy, honest Close: we are blanks, blanks.")

[17] A recognised form of "scrambled." Cf. Henry V. i. 1:—

[18] The scene is shifted to the Exchange.

[19] Old ed. "Iew. Doe so; Farewell, Zaareth," &c. Dyce is doubtless right in considering that "doe so" is a stage direction (= Exeunt Merchants), which has crept into the text.

[20] A misquotation from Terence's Andria, iv. 1. 12, "Proximus sum egomet mihi."

[21] Scene: the Senate-house.

[22] Old ed. "governours."

[23] Old ed. "governours."

[24] Convert. The word occurs in As You Like It, King John, &c.

[25] Old ed. "governours."

[26] In the 4to. this line is given to the Officer.

[27] Probably we should read—"You, ne'er possessed," etc.

[28] Dyce proposed "redress."

[29] Portuguese gold coins.

[30] Steevens (on 2 Henry IV. ii. 4, l. 42) quotes several passages where "sect" is used for "sex."

[31] The passage is no doubt corrupt. Cunningham reads "unforeseen," and explains the meaning to be "a steady consistent piece of acting is better than having to put on the hypocrite at a moment's warning."

[32] Old ed. "Enter three Fryars and two Nuns."

[33] Old ed. "1 Nun."

[34] Can this word be right? Qu. "cloisters"?

[35] Old ed. "Nun."

[36] I.e., sometime.

[37] Dyce reads "forgive," perhaps rightly.

[38] Here the old ed. gives "†" (to indicate the notch in the plank under which the treasure was concealed).

[39] I have added the second "go" for the sake of the metre.

[40] Scene: before Barabas' house.

[41] Collier notices that ll. 1, 2, are found (with slight variation) in Guilpin's Skialetheia, 1598. Cf. Peele's David and Bethsabe:—

[42] Cf. Dido, iii. 3:—

The words "in my wealth" have little meaning; I suspect that we should read "in my youth."

[43] Cf. Hamlet, i. 1:—

[44] Old ed. "walke."

[45] Old ed. "Birn para todos, my ganada no er." I have adopted Dyce's reading.

[46] Dyce thinks that Shakespeare recollected this passage when he wrote:—

[47] Cf. Job xli. 18:—"By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning." So Sophocles in the Antigone speaks of the sun as άμέρας βλἑφαρον. The reader will remember the line in Lycidas:—

[48] "Perhaps what is meant here is an exclamation on the beautiful appearance of money, Hermoso parecer de los dinos, but it is questionable whether this would be good Spanish."—Collier. Dyce gives "Hermoso Placer."

[49] Scene: the Senate-house.

[50] I.e., did not lower our sails. Cf. 1 Tamburlaine, i. 2, l. 193.

[51] Old ed. "Spanish."

[52] Old ed. "left and tooke." The correction was made by Dyce.

[53] Established.

[54] Cf. King John, i. 2:—

[55] Scene: the market-place.

[56] The modern editors give "Poor villains, such as," &c.; but the reading of the 4to. is quite intelligible.

[57] Cf. Shylock's "Still have I borne it with a patient shrug."

[58] Dyce quotes from Barnabe Barnes' Divils Charter, 1607, "For I must have a saying to those bottels."

[59] Pieces of silver. Cf. Ant. and Cleo.:—

[60] Old ed. "Itha."

[61] A cant word still in use.

[62] Old ed. "Ith."

[63] An allegorical character in the old moralities. Cf. 1 Henry IV. ii. 4:—"That reverend vice, that grey iniquity, that vanity in years." In the Devil is an Ass, "Lady Vanity" is coupled with "Iniquity."

[64] Old ed. "Mater."

[65] Stop our conversation.

[66] I have followed Dyce's suggestion in adding this word.

[67] An important part in Barabas' get-up was his large nose. In William Rowley's Search for Money, 1609, there is an allusion to the "artificial Jew of Malta's nose."

[68] In Titus Andronicus Aaron gives a somewhat similar catalogue of villainies.

[69] Use.

[70] Heartily.

[71] The scene shifts to the front of Barabas' house.

[72] Dyce's correction for the old copy's "vow to love him."

[73] Affianced. "Accordailles, the betrothing or making sure of a man and woman together."—Cotgrave.

[74] The word "he" was inserted by Cunningham for the sake of the metre.

[75] A piece of money marked on one side with a cross.

[76] Old ed. "thee."

[77] Bellamira displays herself on a balcony. Cf. a stage-direction in Brome's Covent Garden Weeded:—"Enter Dorcas above on a Bellconie. Gabriel gazes at her. Dorcas is habited like a curtizan of Venice."

[78] Scene: a street.

[79] Old ed.—

[80] On the upper-stage, a raised platform.

[81] Bold.

[82] Here and elsewhere, for the sake of the metre, Dyce prints "Lodovico." Perhaps he is right, for the name may have been contracted into "Lod." or "Lodo." in the MS. from which the play was printed.

[83] Dyce compares 3 Henry VI. ii. 5:—

[84] Cf. Two Gentlemen of Verona, iii. 2:—

[85] "Impartial" is occasionally used by old writers in the sense of "unkindly." Cf. Prologue to Peele's Arraignment of Paris:—

So in William Smith's Chloris(Sonnet 11):—

[86] Scene: a room in Barabas' house.

[87] "Kept in expectation, having their hopes flattered."—Dyce.

[88] Old ed. "Jaynes."

[89] Dyce's correction: old ed. "sinne."

[90] So the old ed. Cunningham boldly reads "Governor," which is certainly the word we should have expected.

[91] Dyce and the other editors give "When duck you?" I take "when" to be an abrupt exclamation denoting impatience, in which sense the word is often found (see Dyce's Shakespeare Glossary).

[92] Scene: a room in Barabas' house.

[93] I.e. portendeth.

[94] Old ed. "life."

[95] Old ed. "least."

[96] A very old proverb; it is found in Chaucer's Squieres Tale, John Heywood's Proverbs, Comedy of Errors, &c.

[97] Old ed. "plot."

[98] I.e. in abundance. Dyce compares Beaumont and Fletcher's Knight of the Burning Pestle, ii. 2:— "Here's money and gold by th' eye, my boy."

[99] Briefly.

[100] The juice of ebony (variously written "hebon" or "hebenon") was thought to be a strong poison. Cf. Hamlet, i. 5:—

[101] Scene: the Senate-house.

[102] Old ed. "Bashaws." (I have kept the spelling "Basso" throughout.)

[103] Scene: a room in the convent.—The stage direction in the 4to. is "Enter two Friars and Abigail."

[104] Scene: a street.

[105] I.e. compared to.

[106] A vulgar Italian oath. (Old ed. "Catho diabola.")

[107] Old ed. "inmates."

[108] Upper rooms; lofts. The word is still used in some parts of the country.

[109] Dyce reads "untold."

[110] This line and the next are given to Ithamore in the old copy.

[111] Ithamore.

[112] The old form (preserved in "Covent Garden") of "convent."

[113] Scene: a room in Barabas' house. In the 4to. this scene is a continuation of the former.

[114] Old ed. "save." Perhaps we should read:— "What will you? save my life!"

[115] Scene: the front of Barabas' house.

[116] I am tempted to arrange the verse thus:—

[117] Scene: a balcony of Bellamira's house.

[118] The verse read by criminals to entitle them to "benefit of clergy." The first words of the 51st Psalm were commonly chosen.

[119] Sermon. Cf. Richard III. iii. 2:—

[120] I.e., a pair of mustachios.

[121] The contemptuous expression "Turk of tenpence" is found in Dekker's Satiromastix, &c.

[122] In old ed. these words are printed as part of the text. I have followed Dyce in printing them as a stage-direction.

[123] So the old ed.—Dyce and Cunningham read "cunning;" but the expression "running banquet" (akin to our "hasty meal") occurs in Henry VIII. i. 4, l. 13.

[124] So modern editors. Old ed. "steed."

[125] Dyce observes that "realm" was often written "ream." Marlowe was not much addicted to quibbling.

[126] A musical term.

[127] Scene: a room in Barabas' house.

[128] "Tottered" and "tattered" are used indifferently by old writers.

[129] Cf. a somewhat similar description of a ruffian in Arden of Feversham:—

[130] A word formed from "catso."

[131] Swindling.

[132] Scene: the balcony of Bellamira's house.

[133] Old ed. Pil.

[134] The origin of this boisterous exclamation is uncertain. Gifford suggested that it was corrupted from the Spanish rio, which is figuratively used for "a large quantity of liquor." Dyce quotes from the anonymous comedy, Look about you:—

[135] A corrupt passage. "Snickle" is a North-country word for "noose." Cunningham proposed "snickle hard and fast."

[136] Old ed. "incoomy." The word "incony" (which is found in Love's Labour's Lost, &c.) means "delicate, dainty." It has been doubtfully derived from the North-country "canny" or "conny" (in the sense of pretty), the prefix "in" having an intensive force.

[137] Dyce quotes from Sir John Mandeville:—
"And fast by is zit the tree of Eldre that Judas henge him self upon for despeyt that he hadde when he solde and betrayed our Lorde."—Voiage and Travell, &c., p. 112, ed. 1725.
"That Judas hanged himself," says Sir Thomas Browne, "much more that he perished thereby, we shall not raise a doubt. Although Jansenius, discoursing the point, produceth the testimony of Theophylact and Euthymius that he died not by the gallows but under a cart-wheel; and Baronius also delivereth, this was the opinion of the Greeks and derived as high as Papias one of the disciples of John. Although, also, how hardly the expression of Matthew is reconcileable unto that of Peter, and that he plainly hanged himself, with that, that falling headlong he burst asunder in the midst—with many other the learned Grotius plainly doth acknowledge."—Vulgar Errors, vii. 11.

[138] Old ed. "masty." Dyce "nasty."

[139] Old ed. "we."

[140] Scene: the Senate-house.