Anne. I may not go in without your worship: they will not fit, till you come. Slen. I'faith, I'll eat nothing; I thank you as much as though I did. Anne. I pray you, fir, walk in. Slen. I had rather walk here, I thank you: I bruis'd my fhin the other day with playing at fword and dagger with a mafter of fence,4 three veneys for a difh of ftew'd prunes; 5 and, by my troth, I cannot abide the fmell of hot meat fince. Why do your dogs bark fo? be there bears i' the town? Anne. I think, there are, fir; I heard them talk'd of. Slen. I love the fport well; but I shall as foon quarrel at it, ing of his wealth, his breeding and his courage, that he knew how to win a woman. This is a fine inftance of Shakspeare's knowledge of nature. WARBURTON. 4 Mafter of defence, on this occafion, does not fimply mean a profeffor of the art of f. ncing, but a perfon who had taken his master's degree in it. I learn from one of the Sloanian MSS. (now in the British Museum, No. 2530, xxvi. D.) which feems to be the fragment of a register for merly belonging to fome of our fchools where the Noble Science of Defence," was taught from the year 1568 to 1583, that in this art there were three degrees, viz. a Mafter's, a Provost's, and a Scholars. For each of thefe a prize was played, as exercifes are kept in univerfities for fimilar purposes. The weapons they used were the axe, the pike, rapier and target, rapier and cloke, two fwords, the two-hand fword, the bastard fword, the dagger and ftaff, the fword and buckler, the rapier and dagger, &c. The places where they exercifed were commonly theatres, hails, or other enclosures fufficient to contain a number of fpectators; as ElyPlace in Holborn, the Bell Savage on Ludgate-hill, the Curtain in Hollywell, the Gray Friars within Newgate, Hampton Court, the Bull in Bishopsgate, Street, the Clink, Duke's Place, Sal fbury-Court, Bridewell, the Artillery garden, &c. &c. &c. Among thofe who distinguished themselves in this fcience, I find Tarlton the Comedian, who was al lowed a master" the 23d of October, 1587 [I fuppofe, either as grand compounder, or by mandamus], he being ordinary grome of her majefties chamber," and Robert Greene, who "plaide his maister's prize at Leadenhall with three weapon's &c. The book from which thefe extracts are made, is a fingular curiofity, as it contains the oaths, customs, regulations, prizes, fummonfes, &c. of this once fashionable fociety. K Henry VIII. K. Edward VI. Philip and Mary, and queen Elizabeth, were frequent spectators of their skill and activity. STEEVENS. 5. i. e. three venues, French. Three different fet to's, bouts, (or bits, as Mr. Malone, perhaps more properly, explains the word,) a technical erm. STEEVENS. it, as any man in England :-You are afraid, if you fee the bear loofe, are you not? Anne. Ay, indeed, fir. Slen. That's meat and drink to me now: 6 I have feen Sackerfon 7 toose, twenty times; and have taken him by the chain but, I warrant you, the women have fo cried and shriek'd at it, that it pafs'd: but women, indeed, cannot abide 'em; they are very ill-favour'd rough things. : Re-enter PAGE. Page. Come, gentle mafter Slender, come; we ftay for you. Slen. I'll eat nothing; I thank you, fir. Page. By cock and pye, you fhall not choofe, fir: come, come. Slen. Nay, pray you, lead the way. Page. Come on, fir. Slen. Mistress Anne, yourself shall go firft. Anne. Not I, fir; pray you, keep on. Slen. Truly, I will not go first; truly, la: I will not do you that wrong. Anne. I pray you, fir. Slen. I'll rather be unmannerly, than troublesome you do yourself wrong, indeed, la. [Exeunt. 6 Dekkar has this proverbial phrase in his Satiromaftix: "Yes faith, 'tis meat and drink to me." WHALLEY. 7 Seckarfon is likewife the name of a bear in the old comedy of Sir Giles Goofecap. STEEVENS, Sackerfon, or Sacarjen, was the name of a bear that was exhibited in our author's time at Paris-Garden in Southwark; and probably had his name from his keeper. MALONE. It pafs'd, or this pales, was a way of speaking cuftomary heretofore, to fignify the excess, or extraordinary degree of any thing. The fentence completed would be, This paffes all expreffion, or perhaps, This passes all things. We still use paffing well, paling strange. WARBURTON. This was a very popular adjuration, and occurs in many of our old dramatic pieces. STEEVENS. SCENE SCENE II. Enter Sir HUGH EVANS and SIMPLE. Eva. Go your ways, and afk of Doctor Caius' houfe, which is the way and there dwells one mistress Quickly, which is in the manner of his nurse, or his dry nurse, or his cook, or his laundry, his washer, and his wringer. Simp. Well, fir. Eva. Nay, it is petter yet: -give her this letter; for it is a 'oman that altogether's acquaintance with mistress Anne Page; and the letter is, to defire and require her to folicit your master's defires to mistress Anne Page: 1 pray you, be gone; I will make an end of my dinner; there's pippins and cheese to come. [Exeunt. SCENE III. A Room in the Garter Inn. Enter FALSTAFF, Hoft, BARDOLPH, NYM, PISTOL, and ROBIN. Fal. Mine hoft of the Garter, Hoft. What fays my bully-rook? Speek fchollarly, and wifely. Fal. Truly, mine hoft, I muft turn away fome of my followers. Hoft. Difcard, bully Hercules; cafhier: let them wag; trot, trot. Fal. I fit at ten pounds a week. Hoft. Thou 'rt an emperor, Cæfar, Keifar, and Pheezar. I will entertain Bardolph; he shall draw, he shall tap: faid I well, bully Hector? i. e. that is altogether acquainted. TY&WHITT. Fal. 3 The latter part of this compound title is taken from the rooks at the game of chefs. STEEVENS. 4 The preface to Stowe's Chronicle obferves, that the Germans use the K for C, pronouncing Keyfar, for Cæfar, their general word for an em peror. TOLLET. 5 Pheezar was a made word from pheeze. MALONE. Fal. Do fo, good mine hoft. Hoft. I have fpoke! let him follow: Let me fee thee froth, and lime: I am at a word; follow. [Exit Hoft. Fal. Bardolph, follow him; a tapfter is a good trade: An old cloak makes a new jerkin; a withered fervingman, a fresh tapfter: 7 Go; adieu. Bard. It is a life that I have defired; I will thrive. 8 [Exit BARD. Pift. O bafe Gongarian wight! wilt thou the fpigot wield? Nym. He was gotten in drink: Is not the humour conceited? His mind is not heroick, and there's the humour of it. Fal. I am glad, I am fo acquit of this tinderbox; his thefts were too open: his filching was like an unskilful finger, he kept not time. Nym. The good humour is, to fteal at a minute's rest." Pift. The Hoft calls for an immediate fpecimen of Bardolph's abilities as a tapfter; and frothing beer and liming fack were tricks practifed in the time of Shakspeare. The firft was done by putting foap into the bottom of the tankard when they drew the beer; the other, by mixing lime with the fack (i. e. fherry) to make it sparkle in the glass. Falftaft himself complains of limed fack. STEEVENS. 7 This is not improbably a parody on the old proverb-" A broken apothecary, a new doctor." See Ray's Proverbs. STEEVENS. 8 O base Gongarian wight! &c.] This is a parody on a line taken from one of the old bombaft plays, beginning, "O bafe Gongarian, wilt thou the distaff wield ?" I had marked the paffage down, but forgot to note the play. The folio reads Hungarian, which is likewife a cant term. STEEVENS. The Hungarians, when infidels, over-ran Germany and France, and would have invaded England, if they could have come to it. Hence their name might become a proverb of baseness. Stowe's Chronicle, in the year 1492, and Leland's Collectanea, Vol. I. p. 610, fpell it Hongarian (which might be misprinted Gongarian ;) and this is right according to their own etymology. Hongyars, i. e. domus fuæ ftrenui defenfores. TOLLET. The word is Gongarian in the first edition, and should be continued, the better to fix the allufion. FARMER. 9 -at a minute's reft.] Our author probably wrote: 66 at a minim's reft." LANGTON. This conjecture feems confirmed by a paffage in Romeo and Juliet: "-refts his minim," &c. It may, however, mean, that, like a skilful harquebuzier, Pift. Convey, the wife it call: Steal! foh; a fico for the phrase! Fal. Well, firs, I am almost out at heels. Pift. Why then, let kibes enfue. Fal. There is no remedy; I muft coney-catch; I muft Thift. Pift. Young ravens muft have food.* Fal. Which of you know Ford of this town? Pift. I ken the wight; he is of substance good. Fal. No quips now, Piftol; Indeed I am in the waist two yards about: but I am now about no wafte; I am about thrift. Briefly, I do mean to make love to Ford's wife; I fpy entertainment in her; fhe difcourfes, the carves, the gives the leer of invitation: I can conftrue the action of her familiar ftyle; and the hardeft voice of her behaviour, to be English'd rightly, is, I am fir John Falstaff's. Pift. He hath study'd her well, and tranflated her well; out of honesty into English. Nym. The anchor is deep: 4 Will that humour pass? Fal. harquebuzier, he takes a good aim, though he has refted his piece for a minute only. STEEVENS. A minim was anciently, as the term imports, the shortest note in mufick, Its measure was afterwards, as it is now, as long as while two may be mo derately counted. A minute contains fixty feconds, and is a long time for an action fuppofed to be inftantaneous. Nym means to fay, that the perfection of stealing is to do it in the shortest time poffible. 2 An adage. See Ray's Proverbs. STEEVENS. SIR J. HAWKINS, 3 It fhould be remembered, that anciently the young of both fexes were inftructed in carving, as a neceffary accomplishment. In 1508, Wynkyn de Worde published "A Boke of Kerving." STEEVENS. 4 I fee not what relation the anchor has to tranflation. Perhaps we may read-the author is deep; or perhaps the line is out of its place, and should be inferted lower, after Falstaff has faid, "Sail like my pinnace to those golden fhores." It may be obferved, that in the hands of that time anchor and author could hardly be diftinguifhed. JOHNSON. "The anchor is deep," may mean-bis bopes are well founded. STEEVENS. Dr. Jobnfon very acutely propofes the author is deep." He reads |