551. And] i. e. If.
553. Ninevitical motion] Motion is a puppet-show; and that of Nineveh, often mentioned by our old writers, appears to have been very popular. “They say, there’s a new motion of the city of Nineveh, with Jonas and the whale, to be seen at Fleet-bridge.”—B. Jonson’s Every Man out of his Humour, act ii. sc. 1.
554. Tamburlain] A personage whom Marlowe’s tragedy of that name had rendered familiar to the audience.
555. and] i. e. if.
556. sprig of rosemary at his burial, than of a gilded bride-branch at mine own wedding] Rosemary, as being an emblem of remembrance, was used both at funerals and weddings. Compare The Pleasant History of John Winchcomb, in his younger yeares called Jacke of Newberie: “Then was there a faire bride cup of silver and gilt carried before her [the bride], wherein was a goodly braunch of rosemarie gilded very faire, hung about with silken ribonds of all colours: next was there a noyse of musitians that played all the way before her: after her came all the chiefest maydens of the countrie, some bearing great bride cakes, and some garlands of wheate finely gilded, and so she past unto the church.”—Sig. D 3, ed. 1633.
557. this in his burgonet] i. e. this glove in his helmet or hat. See stage-direction at the beginning of this scene.
558. fled] Old ed. “flee.”
559. curb] A friend would read “curse.”
560. measure] i. e. a grave, stately dance, with slow and measured steps.
561. likes] i. e. pleases.
562. Lady, bid him, &c.] Imitated from Shakespeare:
It is hardly necessary to remark, that before carpets were used, the floors were strewed with rushes.
563. I’ve] Old ed. “I have.”
564. likes] i. e. pleases.
565. Willow, willow, willow] The burden of the song which Shakespeare has rendered immortal: see Othello, act iv. sc. 3.
566. besides] i. e. by.
567. laced mutton] A prostitute—a cant term very common in our early dramatists.
568. Cornelius’ dry-fats, &c.] The sweating-tub of Cornelius, formerly used for the cure of the venereal disease, is often mentioned by our early dramatists: but, in the present passage, I suspect there is an allusion which had better be left unexplained.
569. chitty] i. e., perhaps, the Italian città: but Lazarillo afterwards affectedly uses “chick” and “chickness” for sick and sickness.
570. and] i. e. if.
572. Brown-bill] A sort of pike with a hooked point, anciently carried by the English foot-soldiers, and afterwards by watchmen.
573. curtal] i. e. dog, or horse: here, I suppose, it has the former signification.
574. find] i. e. furnish.
575. my full charge] The constable of the night used regularly to give a charge to the watchmen: see Shakespeare’s Much ado about Nothing, act iii. sc. 3.
576. Mirror of Magistrates] An allusion to the once-popular poetical work so entitled.
579. camooch] In B. Jonson’s Every Man out of his Humour, act v. sc. 3, the word camouccio occurs, as a term of vituperation; which, says Gifford, “is perhaps a corruption of camoscio, a goat or goat’s skin, and may mean clown or flat-nose, or any other apposite term which pleases the reader.” So, too, in Dekker and Webster’s Sir T. Wyatt, 1607, (Webster’s Works, vol. ii. p. 298), “A Spaniard is a camocho, or calamanco,” &c.; and Sir T. Brown observes (Vulgar Errors, p. 351, ed. 1669), “Many Spaniards ... which are of the race of Barbary Moors ... have not worn out the camoys nose unto this day.”
580. unpent-house the roof of my carcass] i. e., in the language of ordinary mortals,—take off my hat.
582. besonian] Ital. besogno or besognoso—often used as a term of reproach by our early writers,—beggar, scoundrel.
584. adelantado] i. e. the king’s lieutenant of a country, or deputy in any important place of charge. “Don Diego de fisty Cankcemuscod, who was admirall or high adellantado of the whole fleete.”—Taylor the water-poet’s Navy of Land Ships, p. 79: Works, ed. 1630.
585. pitch and pay] i. e. pay down your money at once.
586. Thamer Cham] i. e. Timur Khaun.
587. dried one] i. e. a dried pilcher, or pilchard.
588. rivo] A Bacchanalian interjection, frequently found in our old drama: its etymology has not been discovered.
589. shift] viz. trenchers, platters.
590. Song] Old ed. “Sing. Musicke.”
591. poor-john] A sort of fish (hake, it is said,) dried and salted.
592. A Street] Though the servingmen of Camillo (see p. 247) make their appearance immediately on being called for, this scene, whether I have marked it rightly or not, is evidently intended to lie in the neighbourhood of the house where Violetta dwelt.
593. Spanish needle] The best needles were imported from Spain: see Gifford’s note on B. Jonson, Works, vol. v. p. 12.
594. quail-pipe boot] The following lines from Chaucer’s Rom. of the Rose (v. 7212), though relating to a much earlier period, may be quoted here:
595. points] i. e. the tagged laces which fastened the hose or breeches to the doublet.
596. not entered into any band] A play on words: band and bond were formerly used indiscriminately.
597. slop] i. e. breeches.
598. other-gates] i. e. other-ways—other-kind.
599. tasting of the cog] Another pun—keg and cog. To cog is to lie or wheedle.
600. bawdy] Another—body.
601. Via] An exclamation of defiance (from the Italian), frequent in our old dramas.
602. and if I wist] i. e. if I supposed.
603. by the cross of this Dandyprat] “King Henry the seuenth,” says Camden, “stamped a small coyne called Dandyprats.”—Remaines, p. 173, ed. 1629. Many coins were marked with a cross on one side.
604. Gentlemen, to the dresser!] When dinner was ready, the cook used to knock on the dresser with his knife, as a signal for the servants to carry it into the hall. But the words put into the mouth of the facetious Doyt appear to have been those usually employed by the usher to the attendants on such occasions. In the notes to the Northumberland Household Book, p. 423, are extracts from “Lord Fairfax’s Orders for the servants of his household [after the civil wars],” where, among “The Usher’s Words of Directions,” we find,—“Then he must warn to the Dresser, ‘Gentlemen and Yeomen, to the Dresser.’” Gifford (Massinger’s Works, vol. i. p. 166) has cited from a note of Reed on Dodsley’s Old Plays this passage of Lord Fairfax’s “Orders,” &c., as if it contained the warning of the cook; and Nares, in his Glossary (voc. Dresser), has made the same mistake.
606. broken pate—broker] A play on the word broker, which meant pander.
607. vail] i. e. lower.
608. broking] i. e. pandering.
609. dag] i. e. pistol.
610. Mephostophilis] The fiend-attendant in Marlowe’s well-known tragedy of Faustus.
611. crackship] i. e. boyship—little mastership.
613. angel] i. e. a gold coin, in value about ten shillings.
614. ventoy] i. e. fan.
615. incony] i. e. fine, delicate, pretty.
616. Fa, la, &c.] Here (as appears from what follows) Imperia moves about, or dances, to the music.
617. ingle] i. e. wheedle, coax.
618. &c.] Is sometimes found in passages of our early dramatists, and seems to mean that the players might make use of any suitable expressions which occurred to them.
619. Song, &c.] Old ed. “Reades. Song.”
620. Were neither, &c.] Old ed.
Some of the lines in this miserable effusion seem intended to be sung only, not read.
621. And] i. e. if.
622. jack] The figure which struck the bell on the outside of the old clocks was called a jack.
623. these] Old ed. “this.”
624. incontinently] i. e. immediately.
625. counterfeit] i. e. portrait.
626. nail him up, &c.] As counterfeit money is nailed up.
627. Wut] i. e. Wilt.
628. Much!] An ironical and contemptuous expression, of frequent occurrence in the old English drama, equivalent, generally, to little or none.
629. good] Old ed. “God.”
630. aslopen] i. e. asleep—for the rhyme.
631. teston] Or tester (so called from the head, teste, stamped on it),—i. e. sixpence: it was originally of higher value.
632. I’m] Old ed. “I am.”
633. my roba] i. e. my wanton. Buona-roba is an Italian phrase for a courtesan; “as we say, good stuffe,” &c. Florio in v.
634. marry, muff] So Taylor the water-poet;
635. I’m] Old ed. “I am.”
636. I’m] Old ed. “I am.”
637. stock] i. e. stocking.
639. Abram-colour’d] So in Soliman and Perseda, 1599, sig. H 3:
In Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor, act i. sc. 4, Slender is described as having a “Cain-coloured beard;” and in our author’s Chaste Maid in Cheapside, act iii. sc. 2, “Judas with the red beard” is mentioned. Theobald, in a note on the passage of Shakespeare just quoted, thinks that such expressions were suggested by old tapestries and pictures. Steevens, ibid., is not certain but that “Abraham” may be a corruption of auburn; and in Coriolanus, act ii. sc. 3, where we now read with the fourth folio, “our heads are some brown, some black, some auburn,” the three earlier folios have “Abram.”
640. When Monsieur Motte lay here ambassador] Though the scene of this play is in Venice, yet “here” means in England,—during some of the earlier years of Elizabeth’s reign.
642. I’m] Old ed. “I am.”
643. these] Old ed. “this.”
644. and] i. e. if.
645. stone] Old ed. has “no see,” a misprint. I doubt if the word which I have substituted for it be the right one.
646. I’m] Old ed. “I am.”
647. save Hippolito] Because, probably, Imperia was to be his partner. The lavolta was a dance for two persons, described by Sir J. Davies, in his Orchestra, as “a lofty jumping or a leaping round.” See also Douce’s Illust. of Shakspeare, vol. i. p. 489.
648. zanies with torches] zanies seems here to mean nothing more than attendants. In act iii. sc. 1. of this drama, when Violetta is told that “Imperia the courtesan’s zany hath brought you this letter,” she exclaims, “her groom employ’d by Fontinelle!” and in Florio’s New World of Words, ed. 1611, is “Zane, the name of John in some parts of Lombardy, but commonly used for a silly John, a simple fellow, a seruile drudge or foolish clowne in any commedy or enterlude play.”—For “torches” the old ed. has “coaches.” Torch-bearers were the constant attendants at masques.
649. suckets] i. e. sweetmeats.
651. bale] i. e. pair.
652. I’m] Old ed. “I am.”
653. a’ high lone] So in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, act i. sc. 3, where we now read, “For then she could stand alone,” the 4to of 1597 has “stand high lone.” Compare too W. Rowley’s A Shoomaker a Gentleman, 1638; “The warres has lam’d many of my old customers, they cannot go a hie lone.” Sig. B 4.
654. leesing] i. e. losing.
655. Lazarillo enters] His entrance is not marked in the old copy, and perhaps the poet intended that he should come in with the masquers.
656. give fire too suddenly to the Roaring Meg of my desires] A metaphor drawn from the celebrated gun, which Churchyard thus mentions in his Siege of Edenbrough Castell;
657. Don Diego] Old ed. “Don Dego,”—seems to have been ironically used for Spaniard, in consequence of a strange indecency committed by a personage of the name: see note on act iv. sc. 3, where Lazarillo declares that he is “kin to Don Diego.”
658. Sanguine-cheeked! dost think their faces have been at cutler’s?] So Beaumont and Fletcher:
“Sanguine. The bloud-stone wherewith cutlers do sanguine their hilts.”—Cotgrave’s Dict.
659. Exeunt, &c.] The old ed. has no stage-direction here. The curtains, called traverses, sometimes used for scenes (see Malone’s Hist. Acc. of the English Stage, p. 88, ed. Boswell), were drawn, I suppose, after this speech of Hippolito.
660. with smoke] There is something abrupt and awkward in the conclusion of this scene; and I am inclined to believe that part of it has been lost at the press.
661. these brims] Old ed. “this brimmes.”—I suppose Hippolito means to say, do not wear your hat so much over your face.
662. Brest] A play on words—breast.
664. Incestancy] i. e. incest. I have not met with the word elsewhere.
665. fond] i. e. silly.
666. laugh and lie down] An allusion to the game at cards called Laugh and lay down.
667. ——————the owl, whose voice Shrieks like the belman] Here, perhaps, Middleton recollected Macbeth:
668. owes] i. e. owns.
669. a’ life] i. e. as my life, extremely.
671. making himself ready] i. e. dressing himself.
672. noddy] A game on the cards often alluded to by our dramatists: how it was played is doubtful.
673. lie] Old ed. “lyes.”
674. At ten a’ clock] Did the author forget that Violetta, according to appointment, had, in the preceding scene, met Fontinelle at midnight?
675. Amen] Old ed. “Amen, amen, amen.”
676. I’m] Old ed. “I am.”
677. table-books] i. e. memorandum-books.
678. these dried stockfishes, that ask so much tawing] To taw is, properly, to dress leather with allum:
679. Lazarillo] Old ed. here (and here only), “Lazarino.”
680. skreet] Query for discreet?
685. the a-per-se] i. e. the chiefest, most excellent: see Nares in Gloss., and Todd in Johnson’s Dict.
686. ela] The highest note in the scale of music.
687. virginals] An instrument of the spinnet kind: the most correct description of it is in Nares’s Gloss.
688. a garden] As these words are given in italics, they are probably intended as a quotation from the Economical Cornucopia.
690. sops-in-wine] i. e. pinks: see much concerning the name in Nares’s Gloss.
691. in print] i. e. in exact and perfect manner.