701. The Welsh leiger] Compare p. 88 and note. Leiger is a resident or ambassador at a foreign court.
702. and] i.e. if.
703. Fit.] Old ed. “Bungl.”
704. Fit.] Old ed. “Purs.”
705. Pur.] Old ed. “Boy.”
706. Proceed] Is part of the Boy’s speech in old ed.
707. Boy] Old ed. “Fits.”
708. Boy] Old ed. “Fits.”
709. corporis] Old ed. “corpus.”
710. Pur.] Qy. “Pri.”
711. shrieve] i.e. sheriff: old ed. “Sheerse.”
712. charms] Old ed. “swarmes.”
713. bandora] A musical instrument resembling a guitar: see Sir J. Hawkins’ Hist. of Music, vol. iii. p. 345.
714. Enter the Masque, &c.] Here, and a little after, I have given the stage-direction as it stands in the old ed., with some additions between brackets.
715. tell me] i.e. acknowledge—if there be no corruption of the text.
716. you’re] Old ed. “you are.”
717. and] i.e. if.
719. Fit.] This prefix has dropt out in old ed.
720. Whom] Old ed. “To whom.”
721. Prefixed to the ed. of 1640.
723. J. S.] For whom the ed. of 1640 is printed.
724. I was as well given, &c.] "Imitated from Shakespeare’s First Part of K. Henry IV. act iii. sc. 3, where Falstaff says, ‘I was as virtuously given as a gentleman need to be; virtuous enough: swore little; diced not above seven times a-week; went to a bawdy-house not above once in a quarter—of an hour; paid money that I borrowed, three or four times; lived well, and in good compass: and now I live out of all order, out of all compass.’" Reed.
725. the flag’s down] “On the tops of our ancient theatres were flags, which we may suppose to have been taken down during the season of Lent, when plays were not suffered to be represented.” Steevens.
726. no knight since one thousand six hundred] “Alluding to the number of necessitous people who were created knights by king James after his accession.” Reed.
727. the glory of his complement] “i.e. the number of his servants. We still say of a ship full manned, that she has her full complement.” Steevens.
731. first] Dodsley and his editors read “first rate.”
732. wittol] i.e. tame cuckold.
733. to which himself gives aim] i.e. which himself directs: see Gifford’s note on Massinger’s Works, vol. ii. p. 28, ed. 1813, where this passage is cited, and where the difference between the expressions cry aim and give aim, both taken from archery, is accurately shewn: “he who gave aim was stationed near the butts, and pointed out, after every discharge, how wide or how short the arrow fell of the mark.”
734. shirt] Old eds. “skirt.”
735. common place] A pun, I presume,—common-pleas.
737. throw] Old eds. “throwes.”
738. opinion] “i.e. reputation.” Reed.
739. recover’d] Qy. “discover’d:” compare the third line of Harebrain’s next speech.
740. There’s] Old ed. “There is.”
742. There’s] Old ed. “there is.”
743. the leather-winged bat] From Spenser’s Faerie Queene, b. ii. c. xii. st. 36.
744. Hero and Leander, Venus and Adonis] The two well-known poems of Marlowe and Shakespeare.
745. the Resolution] A once-celebrated (and excellent) work by Parsons the Jesuit, of which there are several editions. The title of the ed. now before me is, A Book of Christian exercise apperteining to Resolution, that is, shewing how that wee shoulde resolue our selues to become Christians indeed. By R. P. &c. 1585. 12mo. Second Part, 1591. 12mo. The 9th chapter of Part I. Book 1. of the former portion treats of hell-punishments.
746. I will] Old eds. “Ile.”
749. She’s round with her, i’faith] “i.e. she speaks plainly, in earnest to her.” Steevens.
750. they’re] Old ed. “they are.”
752. coted] i.e. quoted.
756. Fondly] i.e. foolishly.
753. I’ve] Old ed. “I have.”
755. to the third pile] An allusion to the finest kind of velvet, called three-pile. “It seems to have been thought,” says Nares, quoting the present passage, “that there was a three-fold accumulation of the outer substance, or pile.” Gloss.
757. Pollcut] So ed. 1640: ed. 1608, “Pelcut.”
758. and] i.e. if.
759. pair of organs] i.e. the old expression for an organ.
760. Pooh! Laughs] Old eds. “Laughs, puh.”
761. call in my chief gentleman i’ th’ chain of gold] “Stewards of noblemen and gentlemen of property used formerly to wear a gold chain.” Reed.
762. bastard] i.e. a sweet Spanish wine: there were two sorts, white and brown.
763. lord’s] Old eds. “loue’s.”
765. house] Old eds. “houses.”
767. and] i.e. if.
768. consort] i.e. company of musicians.
769. A song, &c.] During which, the audience were to suppose that Sir Bounteous was feasting his guests.
770. Mawworm, Hoboy, and others] Old eds. “and his consorts [i.e. companions] toward his lodging.” I originally marked this scene “a bed-chamber;” but Sir Bounteous seems to accompany Follywit only to the door of his sleeping apartment.
771. for] i.e. for fear of.
773. champers] i.e., perhaps, horses (bridle-champers). Nares’s conjecture (in Gloss.), that “champers” in this passage means eaters, seems very absurd.
775. and] i.e. if.
776. dag’s end] “i.e. at a distance, as by a sword or pistol advanced against me. Dag is an ancient word, signifying either the one or the other.” Steevens. Most commonly it means pistol; see vol. i. p. 249.
777. blacks] “The common term formerly for mourning.” Reed.
781. Exeunt] Is not marked in the old eds., which, after Hoboy’s speech, have a stage-direction, “Enter with Sir Bounteous in his night-gowne.”
782. and] i.e. if.
784. a knight of Windsor] “i.e. one of the poor knights of Windsor.” Reed.
786. lie] Old eds. “lies.”
791. risse] i.e. risen.
792. and] i.e. if.
793. commodity] i.e. advantage, profit.
797. Exit] After Mawworm’s speech in ed. 1640 is the following stage-direction, “A Song, sung by the musitians, and after the Song, a Country dance, by the Actors in their Vizards to a new footing.”
798. swag] i.e. sink down,—in the balance.
799. And so deflowers her that was ne’er deflower’d] TheThe same play upon words we find in Romeo and Juliet, A. 4. S. 5.
802. luxury] i.e. lewdness.
803. where] i.e. whereas.
804. The Courtesan, &c.] Old eds. “The Curtizan on a bed, for her counterfeit fitt.”
805. foot-cloth] See note, vol. i. p. 396. “It is observed by Mr. Steevens, that anciently the housings of a horse, and sometimes a horse himself, were denominated a foot-cloth.” Reed.
807. refocillation] “i.e. restoration of strength by refreshment.” Steevens.
808. Ah, hah] So ed. 1640. First ed. “Ah.”
809. that same oil of mace is a great comfort to both the counters] See note, vol. i. p. 392. “A pun, alluding to the maces which were carried by the serjeants or varlets when they arrested people.” Reed.
812. in] So ed. 1640. First ed. “of.”
813. band] Ed. 1640, “hand.”
814. scab] So ed. 1640. Not in first ed.
815. officers] Ed. 1640, “officers and Projectors.”
816. I’d] Old eds. “I would.”
817. e’er] Old eds. “euer.”
818. minute] So 1640. Ed. 1608, “munit.”
819. have] Old eds. “hath.”
820. snobbing] i.e. violent sobbing. Todd, in his ed. of Johns. Dict., gives “To Snub, to sob with convulsion.”
821. and] i.e. if.
823. A Room] In the house of one of Follywit’s friends, as we learn during the scene.
824. muss] “i.e. scramble.” Reed.
827. I’ve] Old eds. “I haue.”
828. For his blanch’d harlot] “i.e. his harlot, whose skin is made white by the use of cosmetics.” Steevens.
830. rounded] i.e. whispered.
831. The rest] Old eds. “All.”
832. I’ve] Old eds. “I haue.”
833. chinclout] i.e. a sort of muffler, which covered the lower part of the face: see Douce’s Illust. of Shakespeare, vol. ii. p. 75.
834. kind] i.e. nature.
836. half moons] "The edition of 1640 has 'periwigs,' as if it was not then understood why they were called half moons." Collier.
837. Cue] “i.e. Kew.” Reed.
839. bony scribes] Ed. 1640, “bony scribes and bony rags.”
840. Brothel] Old eds. "Once-Ill"—which was, no doubt, the name originally given by Middleton to this character, and which, through an oversight, had remained unaltered in some parts of the MS. used for the press.
842. much like your German clock] An allusion to the cumbrous and complicated machinery of our first clocks, which came from Germany: see Gifford’s note, B. Jonson’s Works, iii. 432.
843. Enter Succubus in the shape of Mis. Harebrain] Old eds. have “Enter the Diuell in her shape,” but prefix Succubus to his speeches. Concerning the evil spirits called Succubæ,
see that very curious work by Heywood, The Hierarchie of the Blessed Angels, 1635, pp. 500, 542.
844. Shield me, &c.] “See Hamlet. [‘Angels and ministers of grace defend us.’ Act i. sc. 4.]” Steevens.
845. tic’d] i.e. enticed.—Old eds.
846. her] i.e. of the hour—which I notice, because in the margin of an old copy now before me, some reader has conjectured “our.”
847. fadom] i.e. fathom—so written for the sake of the rhyme.