Hoft. Here's a Bohemian-Tartar 8 tarries the coming down of thy fat woman: Let her defcend, bully, let her defcend; my chambers are honourable: Fie! privacy? fie! Enter FALSTAFF. Fal. There was, mine hoft, an old fat woman even now with me; but she's gone. Simp. Pray you, fir, was't not the wife woman of Brentford? 9 Fal. Ay, marry was it, mufcle-fhell; 2 What would you with her? Simp. My mafter, fir, my master Slender, fent to her, feeing her go thorough the streets, to know, fir, whether one Nym, fir, that beguiled him of a chain, had the chain, or no. Fal. I fpake with the old woman about it. Simp. And what fays fhe, I pray fir; Fal. Marry, the fays, that the very fame man, that beguiled mafter Slender of his chain, cozen'd him of it. Simp. I would, I could have fpoken with the woman herfelf; I had other things to have spoken with her too, from him. Fal. What are they? let us know. Simp. I may not conceal them, fir. Fal. Conceal them, or thou dieft.3 Simp. Why, fir, they were nothing but about mistress Anne N 4 Page; The French call a Bohemian what we call a Gypfey; but I believe the Hoft means nothing more than, by a wild appellation, to infinuate that Simple makes a strange appearance. JOHNSON. In Germany there were several companies of vagabonds, &c. called Tartars and Zigens. "Thefe were the fame in my opinion," fays Mezeray, "as thofe the French call Bohemians, and the English Gypfies." TOLLET. 9 In our author's time female dealers in paimistry and fortune-telling were ufually denominated wife women. REED. This appellation occurs in our Verfion of the Bible. Her wife ladies answered her, yea she returned answer to herself." Judges v. 29. STEEVENS. 2 He calls poor Simple muscle-fhell, because he stands with his mouth open. JOHNSON. 3 Simp. I may not conceal them, fir. Fal. Conceal them, or thou dieft.] In both thefe inftances, Dr. Farmer thinks we should read-reveal. STEEVENS. Page; to know, if it were my mafter's fortune to have her, or no. Fal. "Tis, 'tis his fortune. Simp. What, fir? Fal. To have her,- -or no: Go; fay, the woman told me fo. Simp. May I be fo bold to fay fo, fir? Fal. Ay, fir Tike; who more bold ? 4 Simp. I thank your worship: I shall make my mafter glad with thefe tidings. [Exit SIMPLE. Heft. Thou art clerkly,5 thou art clerkly, fir John: Was there a wife woman with thee? Fal. Ay, that there was, mine hoft; one, that hath taught me more wit than ever I learn'd before in my life and I paid nothing for it neither, but was paid for my learning." Enter BARDOLPH. Bard. Cut, alas, fir! cozenage! meer cozenage! Hoft. Where be my horfes ? fpeak well of them, varletto. Bard. Run away with the cozeners: for fo foon as I came beyond Eton, they threw me off, from behind one of them, in a flough of mire; and fet fpurs, and away, like three German devils, three Doctor Fauftufes." Hoft. They are gone but to meet the duke, villain: do not fay, they be fled; Germans are honest men. Enter Sir HUGH EVANS. Eva. Where is mine hoft? Hoft. What is the matter, fir? 4 In the first edition, it ftands : Eva. "I Tike, who more bolde." And should plainly be read here, Ay, fir Tike, &c. FARMER. The folio reads-Ay, fir, like, &c. MALONE. 5 i. e. fcholar-like. STEEVENS. ❝ He alludes to the beating which he had juft received. The fame play on words occurs in Cymbeline, A& V: “— forry you have paid too much, and forry that you are paid too much." STEEVENS. To pay, in our author's time, often fignified to beat. So, in King Henry IV. P. I. feven of the eleven I paid." MALONE. 7 Jebn Fauft, commonly called Doctor Fauftus, was a German. Marlowe's Play on this fubject had fufficiently familiarized Bardolph's fimile to our author's audience. STEVENS. Eva. Have a care of your entertainments: there is a friend of mine come to town, tells me, there is three couzin germans, that has cozen'd all the hofts of Readings, of Maidenhead, of Colebrook, of horses and money. I tell you for good-will, look you you are wife, and full of gibes and vlouting-ftogs; and 'tis not convenient you should be cozen'd: Fare you well, [Exit Enter CAIUS. Caius. Vere is mine Hoft de Jarterre. Hoft. Here, mafter doctor, in perplexity, and doubtful dilemma. Caius. I cannot tell vat is dat : But it is tell-a me, dat you make grand preparation for a duke de Jarmany: by my trot, dere is do duke, dat the court is know to come: I tell you for good vill: adieu. [Exit. Hoft. Hue and cry, villain, go :—affift me, knight; I am undone :-fly, run, hue and cry, villain! I am undone ! [Exeunt Hoft and BARDOLPH. Fal. I would, all the world might be cozen'd; for I have been cozen'd, and beaten too. If it fhould come to the ear of the court, how I have been transform'd, and how my transformation hath been wafh'd and cudgel'd, they would melt me out of my fat, drop by drop, and liquor fishermen's boots with me; I warrant, they would whip me with their fine wits, till I were as creft fallen as a dried pear. I never profper'd fince I forefwore myself at Primero. Well, if my N 5 8 wind To afcertain the propriety of this fimilitude, it may be obferved that pears, when they are dried, become flat, and lofe the erect and oblong form, that, in their natural state, diftinguishes them from apples. 9 A game at cards. JOHNSON. STEEVENS. Primero was in Shakspeare's time the fashionable game. In the Earl of Northumberland's letters about the powder plot, Jofc. Percy was playing at Primero on Sunday, when his uncle, the confpirator, called on him at Effex Houfe. This game is again mentioned in our author's Henry VII. PERCY. Primero and Primavifta, two games of cards. Primum et Primum vifum, that is, firft, and first feene, because he that can show such an order of cardes, wins the game." REED. In the Sydney Papers, Vol. II. p. 83, is the following account of an altercation wind were but long enough to fay my prayers, I would re pent. Enter Mrs. QUICKLY. Now! whence come you? Quick. From the two parties, forfooth. Fal. The devil take one party, and his dam the other, and fo they fhall be both bestow'd! I have fuffer'd more for their fakes, more, than the villainous inconstancy of man's difpo. fition is able to bear. Quick. And have not they fuffer'd? Yes, I warrant; fpeciously one of them; mistress Ford, good heart, is beaten black and blue, that you cannot fee a white spot about her. Fal. What tell'ft thou me of black and blue? I was beaten myfelf into all the colours of the rainbow; and I was like to be apprehended for the witch of Brentford; but that my admirable dexterity of wit, my counterfeiting the action of an old woman,2 deliver'd me, the knave constable had fet me i' the stocks, i' the common stocks, for a witch. Quick. altercation that happened between our poet's generous patron, and one Wiloughby, at this game: "The quarrel of my lord Southampton to Ambrofe Willoughby grew upon this: That he, with Sir Walter Rawley and Mr. Parker, being at Primers in the prefence-chamber, the queen was gone to bed; and he being there, as fquire of the body, defired him to give over. Soon after he spoke to them againe, that if they would not leave, he would call in the guard to pull down the bord; which Sir Walter Rawley feeing, put up his money, and went his wayes; but my lord Southampton took exceptions at hym, and told hym he would remember yt: and fo finding hym between the Tennis-Court wall and the garden, ftrooke hym; and Willoughby pull'd of fome of his lockes." This happened in the beginning of 1598. MALONE. . The manner of playing at this game may be seen in an Epigram quoted in Dodfley's Collection of old Plays, Vol. V. p. 168, edit. 1780. REED. 9 Thefe words were reftored from the early quarto by Mr. Pope. They were probably omitted in the folio on account of the Stat. 3 Jac. I. ch. 21. MALONE. 2 What! was it any dexterity of wit in Sir John Falstaff to counterfeit the action of an old woman, in order to efcape being apprehended for a witch? Surely, one would imagine, this was the readieft means to bring him into fuch a fcrape: for none but old women have ever been fufpected of being witches. The text muft certainly be reftor'd a wood woman, a crazy, frantick woman; one two wild, and filly, and unmeaning, to have either the malice, or mischievous fubtlety of a witch in her. 3 THEOBALD. Quick. Sir, let me speak with you in your chamber: you fhall hear how things go; and I warrant, to your content. Here is a letter will fay fomewhat. Good hearts, what ado here is to bring you together! Sure, one of you does not ferve heaven well,3 that you are fo crofs'd. Fal. Come up into my chamber. [Exeunt. Hoft. Mafter Fenton, talk not to me; my mind is heavy, I will give over all. Fent. Yet hear me fpeak: Affift me in my purpose, And, as I am a gentleman, I'll give thee A hundred pound in gold, more than your lofs. Hoft. I will hear you, mafter Fenton; and I will, at the leaft, keep your counsel. Fent. From time to time I have acquainted you N 6 Without This emendation is received by Sir Thomas Hanmer, but rejected by Dr. Warburton. To me it appears reafonable enough. JOHNSON. I am not certain that this change is neceflary. Falstaff, by counterfeit ing fuch weakness and infirmity, as would naturally be pitied in an old woman, averted the punishment to which he would otherwife have been fubjected, on the fuppofition that he was a witch. STEEVENS. The reading of the old copy is fully supported by what Falstaff says afterwards to Ford: "I went to her, Mafter Brook, as you fee, like a poor old man; but I came from her, Mafter Brook, like a poor old woman." MALONE. 3 The great fault of this play is the frequency of expreffions fo profane, that no neceffity of preferving character can juftify them. There are laws of higher authority than thofe of criticism. JOHNSON. 4 Whereof was formerly ufed as we now use thereof; ""-thereof being fo larded," &c. MALONE. the mirth |