129. Prentices within] Old eds. here and afterwards, “Omnes.”
130. flat-cap] The citizens of London, both masters and journeymen, continued to wear flat round caps long after they had ceased to be fashionable, and were hence in derision termed flat-caps.
131. here’s] So ed. 1605. Other eds. “here.”
132. likes] i. e. pleases.
133. to call coz] This passage, and what Fustigo says to the same purpose, p. 15, seem to confirm my remark on the word cousin, vol. i. p. 499.
135. gules] i. e. red—an heraldic term.
136. wish] i. e. desire.
137. Peize] i. e. weigh.
138. on] So ed. 1635. Other eds. “an.”
140. cruzadoes] “A cruzado is a Portuguese coin, struck under Alphonsus V. about the year 1457, at the time when Pope Calixtus sent thither a bull for a croisade against the infidels. It had its name from a cross which it bears on one side, the arms of Portugal being on the other. The value of it is 40 French sols, or upwards of 2s. 10d. sterling.” Reed. It varied in value at different times.
141. conster] i. e. construe.
142. carpet knights] On these words Reed has a note of formidable length, and very little to the purpose. Carpet knights (repeatedly mentioned with great contempt by our early writers) were knights dubbed on a carpet, not on the field of battle,—on occasion of public festivities, not after a victory. See Gifford’s note on Massinger’s Works, vol. iii. p. 47. ed. 1813.
143. I am with child] i. e. I long greatly.
147. felt] i. e. hat.
148. properest] i. e. handsomest.
149. hose] i. e. breeches.
150. And] i. e. if.
152. made] Old eds. “make.”
153. cockatrice] A cant term for a harlot: so in The Family of Love, vol. ii. p. 148, “Love, subaudi lust”—another parallelism which shews the hand of Middleton in the present play: see notes, pp. 40, 55.
155. fist]—or, as several eds. have, foist—i. e. stink.
156. Pio.] Old eds. “Omnes:” but Castruchio is the next speaker; and Bellafront, it should seem, has no share in the present speech.
158. God be wi’ thee] Old eds. “God buy thee,” and “God bwith thee.”
159. Ostend] “The siege of this place is frequently alluded to in our ancient writers. It was taken by the Marquis of Spinola on the 8th of September, 1604, after it had held out three years and ten weeks. See ‘A True History of the memorable Siege of Ostend, and what passed on either side from the beginning of the Siege unto the yielding up of the town.’ 4to. 1604.” Reed.
160. fond] i. e. foolish.
161. parson] So old eds.—to mark how the servant was to pronounce the word.
162. potato-pies] Potatoes were formerly esteemed a strong provocative: see the long and instructive note of Collins (i. e. Steevens) appended to Troilus and Cressida—Malone’s Shakespeare (by Boswell), vol. viii. p. 450.
163. from] Old eds. “for.”
164. male varlet] “So in Troilus and Cressida, act v. sc. 1: ‘Thou art thought to be Achilles’ male varlet.’” Reed.
165. Fata, &c.] From Seneca,—Œdipus, 882.
166. meditation’s spotless wings] “So in Hamlet, act i. sc. 1.
167. fellow] Old eds. “fellowes.”
168. turn Turk again] “To turn Turk seems to have been a cant phrase for departing from the rules of chastity.” Reed.
169. Though] So some eds. First ed. “The.”
171. half witches] “One of the distinguishing qualities of a witch is supposed to have been hair on her chin.” Reed.
172. codpiece, &c.] The custom of sticking pins in this part of the male dress is often mentioned by our early writers.
173. Poh] “The name is Poh, as it is generally printed in the edition of 1604, and as is evident from the way in which Fustigo plays upon it at the end of the scene. It has hitherto been misprinted Poli.” Collier.—In the first ed. of Dodsley’s Old Plays, “Puff.”
174. sound pistols] “I suppose Fustigo means the Spanish coin pistoles.” Steevens. What else could he mean? see Todd’s Johnson’s Dict. in v. pistol.
175. cheaters do at a rifling] Minsheu, in his Guide into the Tongues, explains rifling to be “a kinde of game, where he that in casting doth throw most on the dice, takes up all that is laid down:” see note on Webster’s Works, vol. iii. p. 246, where I have shewn that our old writers used rifle in the sense of raffle.
176. mazer] i. e. head.
177. a] So some eds. Not in first ed.
178. tall] i. e. valiant.
179. legs] “i. e. bows.” Reed.
180. Comedy of Errors] An allusion, probably, to Shakespeare’s play of that name.
181. Enter Candido] There appears to be an inconsistency here, which cannot be remedied by any division of the play into acts. Candido has just returned from the senate-house; yet since he left home (see p. 64) it should seem, from the intermediate scenes, that a night had elapsed.
182. play my master’s prize] A quibble.—In the art of fencing there were three degrees,—a Master’s, a Provost’s, and a Scholar’s, for each of which a prize was played publicly.
185. Be cover’d] i. e. put on your cap.
186. welted gown] “Barret, in his Alvearie, voce gard, explains the word as synonymous with purfle, or welt. A welted gown is therefore one ornamented with purfles or fringe. They are often mentioned in ancient writers.” Reed.
188. and] i. e. if.
189. Exit Sec. Prentice, &c.] Old eds. have no stage-direction here: qy. ought Candido to go out for the piece?
190. clubs, clubs] Was the cry to call forth the London prentices when any fray arose.
191. agen] The old spelling of again, and necessary here for the rhyme.
192. phrase] So ed. 1605. Other eds. “praise.”
193. sister’s] In Dodsley’s Old Plays, “silver.”
194. far] So several eds. First ed. “for.”
196. Janivere] i. e. January.
197. sent] So several eds. First ed. “send.”
198. bands] So ed. 1605. Other eds. “bonds.”
199. mad Greeks] He alludes to the common expression, “as mad as a Greek:” see Gifford’s excellent note on B. Jonson’s Works, vol. iii. p. 261.
200. painted cloth] Is explained by Reed, in a note on this passage, to mean tapestry-hangings; but it was something more common and less expensive, viz. cloth or canvass painted in oil with a variety of devices, and verses interspersed: see Nares’s Gloss. in v.
203. Tame] Qy. “True?“
204. And] i. e. if.
205. Duke] So some eds. First ed. “Cast.”
206. work] So several eds. First ed. “workes.”
207. Cas., Flu., &c.] Old eds. “Omnes.”
208. Is’t so, &c.] So several eds. First ed.
209. resolve] i. e. satisfy—consent.
210. to steal mutton] “i. e. to steal a wench. Mutton, in the language of the times, signified a fille de joie.” Reed.
211. He took bread and salt] i. e. he swore: bread and salt, according to ancient custom, were eaten by those who took oaths.
212. slights] i. e. artifices.
213. prevent] i. e. anticipate.
214. disguise] So several eds. First ed. “disguisde.”
215. frighted] So several eds. First ed. “fraighted.”
216. pray] So several eds. First ed. “I pray”—but qy. ought we to read,
217. Enter a Sweeper] Old eds. have, “Enter Towne like a sweeper,” and prefix “Towne” to his speeches,—and so in Dodsley’s Old Plays! Towne was the name of the actor who played this part: there were two performers so called,—John and Thomas Towne: see Collier’s Hist. of Engl. Dram. Poet., vol. i. pp. 318, 351.
218. there’s no ho with them] “i. e. there are no bounds or restraints with them.” Reed.—They are not to be restrained by a call, or ho! The expression is common.
219. blocks] i. e. hats—a not unfrequent sense of the word: properly, the moulds on which the crowns of hats were formed.
220. countryman] So several eds. First ed. “countrymen.”
221. Opens a door, &c.] Old eds. have, “Discouers an old man wrapt in a net,” but prefix “First Madman” to his speeches. That he comes out, and is not merely shewn in his cell, is evident from what Anselmo afterwards says to the servant,—“Take him in there.”
222. ears] So ed. 1635. Other eds. “ear.”
223. and] i. e. if.
224. a polt foot] “Seems to be the same we now call a splay foot.” Reed. Rather, a club-foot.
225. pear-coloured] i. e. red.
226. promoter] i. e. informer.
227. go] Old eds. “goes.”
228. pantofles] A sort of slippers.
229. come aloft, Jack] The exclamation of a master to an ape that had been taught to tumble and play tricks.
230. virginals; and still his jacks, &c.] The virginals was an instrument of the spinnet kind: for a correct description of it, see Nares’s Gloss. in v.—In a note on the Second Part of this drama Steevens cites from Bacon, “In a virginal as soon as ever the jack falleth and toucheth the string, the sound ceaseth.”
232. an almond for parrot] “The title of a pamphlet [by Nash], called, 'An Almond for a Parrot, or Cuthbert Curry-knaves Almes.' B. L., no date, is here alluded to.” Reed.—There is no such allusion. The expression, “an almond for parrot,” is old (it occurs in Skelton), and by no means uncommon. See my note on Webster’s Works, vol. iii. p. 122.
233. a rope for parrot] Another proverbial expression. Taylor, the water-poet, has an epigram beginning,
234. and] i. e. if.
235. in but] So several eds. First ed. “but in.”
236. God’s-santy] “See a note on The Merchant of Venice, vol. iii. p. 157, edit. 1778, [where Steevens says, ‘Perhaps it was once customary to swear by the santé, i. e. health, of the Supreme Being,’ &c.] Perhaps, however, God’s-santy is only a corruption of God’s sanctity, or God’s saints.“ Steevens.
237. barley-break] Or the last couple in hell,—was a game played by six people, three of each sex, who were coupled by lot: see Gifford’s description of it,—note on Massinger’s Works, vol. i. p. 104, ed. 1813.
238. little friar] i. e., of course, Infelice:—in Dodsley’s Old Plays, “little finger!”
239. friar Tuck] The famous chaplain of Robin Hood.
240. table] A quibble. Table meant the palm of the hand.
241. I have a hand, &c.] Given in old eds. as a continuation of Hippolito’s speech.
242. content] First two eds. “consent” in both lines. Other eds. “consent” in first line and “content” in second.
244. O brave Arthur of Bradley] “An allusion to the old ballad of that name, which is printed in 'An antidote against melancholy, made up in pills, 1661.'”—Reed.
246. ’found] i. e. confound.
248. was my] So several eds. First ed. “was yet my.”
249. skill] i. e. reason.
251. wasters] i. e. cudgels.
252. I am no larke ... doe not dare me] To dare larks meant to catch larks by terrifying them with a hawk, a mirror, &c.
253. Friscobaldo] Ought, properly, to be written Frescobaldo; but I have not altered the orthography of the old ed., because Matheo says to him, “I’ll frisco you,” act iv. sc. 1; and when Lodovico (forgetting to address him by his assumed name of Pacheco) calls him “Friscobaldo,” he replies, “Frisking again?” act iv. sc. 2.
255. running heads] Opposite these words is a stage-direction in old ed. “Exchange Walke”—meaning, I presume, that they were to walk up and down while they talked.
256. Ast., Ber., &c.] Old ed. here and afterwards, “Omnes.“
257. costermongers] “Sellers of apples.” Reed.
258. saint Patrick, &c.] Saint Patrick’s Purgatory was a cavern in the southern part of the county of Donegall, much frequented by pilgrims: see a long note concerning it, by Reed, on Heywood’s Four P’s,—Dodsley’s Old Plays, vol. i. p. 59, last ed.; also the prefatory matter to Owain Miles, in a very interesting volume, containing that and other pieces of early poetry, edited by Mr. W. B. D. D. Turnbull and Mr. D. Laing, Edinb. 1837.
259. footmen to noblemen and others] When this play was written many English “noblemen and others” had Irish running footmen in their service. So in Cupid’s Whirligig, ed. 1616, “Come, thou hast such a running wit, ’tis like an Yrish foote boy,” sig. E 3; in Brathwait’s Strappado for the Diuell, 1615,
and in Dekker’s English Villanies six several times prest to death by the printers, &c., 1632, “The Deuils foote-man was very nimble of his heeles, for no wild Irish-man could outrunne him, sig. B 4. It appears (see note on A Fair Quarrel, act iv. sc. 4) that these Irish footmen used to carry “darts” in their hands.
260. Dunkirks] i. e. privateers of Dunkirk. So Shirley,—“was ta’en at sea by Dunkirks,”—Works, vol. ii. p. 428.
262. swabbers] i. e. sweepers.
263. table-book] i. e. memorandum-book.
264. if they be not yellow, &c.] Lodovico means—it is time for you to be jealous: “Since Citizens wiues fitted their husbands with yellow hose, is not within the memory of man.” Dekker’s Owles Almanacke, 1618, p. 7. The word “yellows” was frequently used for jealousy.
267. O sir, &c.] This speech seems to have been intended for verse, and is most probably corrupted.
268. eat snakes] A supposed receipt for restoring youth.
269. He that, &c.] “The turn of this is the same with Iago’s definition of a deserving woman: ‘She that was ever fair, and never proud,’ &c. The matter is superior.” Lamb, Spec. of Engl. Dram. Poets, p. 65.
270. those] Old ed. “these.”
271. sucket] i. e. sweetmeat, preserve.