118 (return)
[ the resistless banks:
i.e. the banks not able to resist.]
119 (return)
[ basilisks: See note ||,
p. 25.
120 (return)
[ Enter FRIAR JACOMO,
&c.: Scene, the interior of the Nunnery.]
121 (return)
[ convers'd with me: She
alludes to her conversation with Jacomo, p. 162, sec. col.
122 (return)
[ envied: i.e. hated.]
123 (return)
[ practice: i.e. artful
contrivance, stratagem.]
124 (return)
[ crucified a child: A
crime with which the Jews were often charged. "Tovey, in his ANGLIA
JUDAICA, has given the several instances which are upon record of these
charges against the Jews; which he observes they were never accused of,
but at such times as the king was manifestly in great want of money." REED
(apud Dodsley's O. P.).]
125 (return)
[ Enter BARABAS, &c.:
Scene a street.]
126 (return)
[ to: Which the Editor of
1826 deliberately altered to "like," means—compared to, in
comparison of.]
127 (return)
[ Cazzo: Old ed. "catho."—See
Florio's WORLDE OF WORDES (Ital. and Engl. Dict.) ed. 1598, in v.—"A
petty oath, a cant exclamation, generally expressive, among the Italian
populace, who have it constantly in their mouth, of defiance or contempt."
Gifford's note on Jonson's WORKS, ii. 48.]
128 (return)
[ nose: See note |, p.
157. [i.e. note 79.]]
129 (return)
[ inmate: Old ed.
"inmates."]
130 (return)
[ the burden of my sins
Lie heavy, &c.: One of the modern editors altered "LIE" to "Lies": but
examples of similar phraseology,—of a nominative singular followed
by a plural verb when a plural genitive intervenes,—are common in
our early writers; see notes on Beaumont and Fletcher's WORKS, vol. v. 7,
94, vol. ix. 185, ed. Dyce.]
131 (return)
[ sollars: "i.e. lofts,
garrets." STEEVENS (apud Dodsley's O. P.).]
132 (return)
[ untold: i.e. uncounted.—Old
ed. "vnsold."]
133 (return)
[ BARABAS. This is mere
frailty: brethren, be content.— Friar Barnardine, go you with
Ithamore: You know my mind; let me alone with him.]
FRIAR JACOMO. Why does he go to thy house? let him be gone
Old ed. thus;
"BAR. This is meere frailty, brethren, be content. Fryar Barnardine goe you with Ithimore. ITH. You know my mind, let me alone with him; Why does he goe to thy house, let him begone."]
134 (return)
[ the Turk: "Meaning
Ithamore." COLLIER (apud Dodsley's O. P.). Compare the last line but one
of Barabas's next speech.]
135 (return)
[ covent: i.e. convent.]
136 (return)
[ Therefore 'tis not
requisite he should live: Lest the reader should suspect that the author
wrote,
137 (return)
[ fair: See note |||, p.
15. ('15' sic.)
138 (return)
[ shall be done: Here a
change of scene is supposed, to the interior of Barabas's house.]
139 (return)
[ Friar, awake: Here,
most probably, Barabas drew a curtain, and discovered the sleeping Friar.]
140 (return)
[ have: Old ed. "saue."]
141 (return)
[ What time o' night is't
now, sweet Ithamore?
142 (return)
[ Enter FRIAR JACOMO: The
scene is now before Barabas's house,—the audience having had to
SUPPOSE that the body of Barnardine, which Ithamore had set upright, was
standing outside the door.]
143 (return)
[ proceed: Seems to be
used here as equivalent to—succeed.]
144 (return)
[ on's: i.e. of his.]
145 (return)
[ Enter BELLAMIRA, &c.:
The scene, as in p. 160, a veranda or open portico of Bellamira's house.
146 (return)
[ tall: Which our early
dramatists generally use in the sense of—bold, brave (see note ||,
p. 161), [i.e. note 94: is here perhaps equivalent to—handsome.
("Tall or SEMELY." PROMPT. PARV. ed. 1499.)]
147 (return)
[ neck-verse: i.e. the
verse (generally the beginning of the 51st Psalm, MISERERE MEI, &c.)
read by a criminal to entitle him to benefit of clergy.]
148 (return)
[ of: i.e. on.]
149 (return)
[ exercise: i.e. sermon,
preaching.]
150 (return)
[ with a muschatoes: i.e.
with a pair of mustachios. The modern editors print "with MUSTACHIOS," and
"with a MUSTACHIOS": but compare,—
151 (return)
[ Turk of tenpence: An
expression not unfrequently used by our early writers. So Taylor in some
verses on Coriat;
And see note on Middleton's WORKS, iii. 489, ed. Dyce.]
152 (return)
[ you know: Qy. "you
know, SIR,"?]
153 (return)
[ I'll make him, &c.:
Old ed. thus:
There can be no doubt that the words "Pen and inke" were a direction to the property-man to have those articles on the stage.]
154 (return)
[ cunning: i.e. skilfully
prepared.—Old ed. "running." (The MAIDS are supposed to hear their
mistress' orders WITHIN.)]
155 (return)
[ Shalt live with me, and
be my love: A line, slightly varied, of Marlowe's well-known song. In the
preceding line, the absurdity of "by Dis ABOVE" is, of course,
intentional.]
156 (return)
[ beard: Old ed.
"sterd."]
157 (return)
[ give me a ream of
paper: we'll have a kingdom of gold for't: A quibble. REALM was frequently
written ream; and frequently (as the following passages shew), even when
the former spelling was given, the L was not sounded;
158 (return)
[ runs division: "A
musical term [of very common occurrence]." STEEVENS (apud Dodsley's O.
P.).]
159 (return)
[ Enter BARABAS: The
scene certainly seems to be now the interior of Barabas's house,
notwithstanding what he presently says to Pilia-Borza (p. 171, sec. col.),
"Pray, when, sir, shall I see you at my house?"]
160 (return)
[ tatter'd: Old ed.
"totter'd": but in a passage of our author's EDWARD THE SECOND the two
earliest 4tos have "TATTER'D robes":—and yet Reed in a note on that
passage (apud Dodsley's OLD PLAYS, where the reading of the third 4to,
"tottered robes", is followed) boldly declares that "in every writer of
this period the word was spelt TOTTERED"! The truth is, it was spelt
sometimes one way, sometimes the other.]
161 (return)
[ catzery: i.e. cheating,
roguery. It is formed from CATSO (CAZZO, see note *, p. 166 i.e. note
127), which our early writers used, not only as an exclamation, but as an
opprobrious term.]
162 (return)
[ cross-biting: i.e.
swindling (a cant term).—Something has dropt out here.]
163 (return)
[ tale: i.e. reckoning.]
164 (return)
[ what he writes for you:
i.e. the hundred crowns to be given to the bearer: see p. 170, sec. col.
165 (return)
[ I should part: Qy. "I
E'ER should part"?]
166 (return)
[ rid: i.e. despatch,
destroy.]
167 (return)
[ Enter BELLAMIRA, &c.:
They are supposed to be sitting in a veranda or open portico of
Bellamira's house: see note *, p. 168. [i.e. note 145.]
168 (return)
[ Of: i.e. on.]
169 (return)
[ BELLAMIRA.: Old ed.
"Pil."]
170 (return)
[ Rivo Castiliano: The
origin of this Bacchanalian exclamation has not been discovered. RIVO
generally is used alone; but, among passages parallel to that of our text,
is the following one (which has been often cited),—
171 (return)
[ he: Old ed. "you".]
172 (return)
[ and he and I, snicle
hand too fast, strangled a friar] There is surely some corruption here.
Steevens (apud Dodsley's O. P.) proposes to read "hand TO FIST". Gilchrist
(ibid.) observes, "a snicle is a north-country word for a noose, and when
a person is hanged, they say he is snicled." See too, in V. SNICKLE,
Forby's VOC. OF EAST ANGLIA, and the CRAVEN DIALECT.—The Rev. J.
Mitford proposes the following (very violent) alteration of this passage;
173 (return)
[ incony: i.e. fine,
pretty, delicate.—Old ed. "incoomy."]
174 (return)
[ they stink like a
hollyhock: "This flower, however, has no offensive smell. STEEVENS (apud
Dodsley's O. P.). Its odour resembles that of the poppy.]
175 (return)
[ mushrooms: For this
word (as, indeed, for most words) our early writers had no fixed spelling.
Here the old ed. has "Mushrumbs": and in our author's EDWARD THE SECOND,
the 4tos have "mushrump."]
176 (return)
[ under the elder when he
hanged himself: That Judas hanged himself on an elder-tree, was a popular
legend. Nay, the very tree was exhibited to the curious in Sir John
Mandeville's days: "And faste by, is zit the Tree of Eldre, that Judas
henge him self upon, for despeyt that he hadde, whan he solde and betrayed
oure Lorde." VOIAGE AND TRAVAILE, &c. p. 112. ed. 1725. But, according
to Pulci, Judas had recourse to a carob-tree:
177 (return)
[ nasty: Old ed.
"masty."]
178 (return)
[ me: Old ed. "we".]
179 (return)
[ Enter Ferneze, &c.:
Scene, the interior of the Council- house.]
180 (return)
[ him: Qy. "'em"?]
181 (return)
[ Exeunt all, leaving
Barabas on the floor: Here the audience were to suppose that Barabas had
been thrown over the walls, and that the stage now represented the outside
of the city.]
182 (return)
[ Bassoes: Here old ed.
"Bashawes." See note §, p. 164. [Footnote i.e. note 117.]]
183 (return)
[ trench: A doubtful
reading.—Old ed. "Truce."—"Query 'sluice'? 'TRUCE' seems
unintelligible." COLLIER (apud Dodsley's O. P.).—The Rev. J. Mitford
proposes "turret" or "tower."]
184 (return)
[ channels: i.e.
kennels.]
185 (return)
[ Enter CALYMATH, &c.:
Scene, an open place in the city.]
186 (return)
[ vail: i.e. lower,
stoop.]
187 (return)
[ To kept: i.e. To have
kept.]
188 (return)
[ Entreat: i.e. Treat.]
189 (return)
[ Bassoes: Here old ed.
"Bashawes." See note §, p. 164. [Footnote i.e. note 117.]]
190 (return)
[ Thus hast thou gotten,
&c.: A change of scene is supposed here—to the Citadel, the
residence of Barabas as governor.]
191 (return)
[ Whenas: i.e. When.
192 (return)
[ Within here: The usual
exclamation is "Within THERE!" but compare THE HOGGE HATH LOST HIS PEARLE
(by R. Tailor), 1614; "What, ho! within HERE!" Sig. E 2.]
193 (return)
[ sith: i.e. since.]
194 (return)
[ cast: i.e. plot,
contrive.]
195 (return)
[ Bassoes: Here and
afterwards old ed. "Bashawes." See note §, p. 164. [i.e. note 117.]—Scene,
outside the walls of the city.]
196 (return)
[ basilisk[s: See note
||, p. 25.
197 (return)
[ And, toward Calabria,
&c.: So the Editor of 1826.—Old ed. thus:
198 (return)
[ Enter FERNEZE, &c.:
Scene, a street.]
199 (return)
[ linstock: "i.e. the
long match with which cannon are fired." STEEVENS (apud Dodsley's O. P.).]
200 (return)
[ Enter, above, &c.:
Scene, a hall in the Citadel, with a gallery.]
201 (return)
[ FIRST CARPENTER.: Old
ed. here "Serv."; but it gives "CARP." as the prefix to the second speech
after this.]
202 (return)
[ off: An interpolation
perhaps.]
203 (return)
[ sun: Old ed. "summe."]
204 (return)
[ ascend: Old ed.
"attend."]
205 (return)
[ A charge sounded
within: FERNEZE cuts the cord; the floor of the gallery gives way, and
BARABAS falls into a caldron placed in a pit.
Old ed. has merely "A charge, the cable cut, A Caldron discouered."]
206 (return)
[ Christian: Old ed.
"Christians."]
207 (return)
[ train: i.e. stratagem.]
208 (return)
[ pretended: i.e.
intended.]
209 (return)
[ mediate: Old ed.
"meditate."]
210 (return)
[ all: Old ed. "call."]
SQUARE BRACKETS: The square brackets, i.e. [ ] are copied from the printed book, without change, except that the stage directions usually do not have closing brackets. These have been added.
FOOTNOTES: For this E-Text version of the book, the footnotes have been consolidated at the end of the play.
Numbering of the footnotes has been changed, and each footnote is given a unique identity in the form [XXX].
CHANGES TO THE TEXT: Character names were expanded. For Example, BARABAS was BARA., FERNEZE was FERN., etc.