Liege of all loiterers and malcontents, Dread prince of plackets', king of codpieces, Of trotting paritors 2,-O my little heart!- 3 In the exaggeration of poetry we might call Cupid a giantdwarf; but how a giant-dwarf should be represented in painting, I cannot well conceive. M. MASON. I have not the smallest doubt that senior-junior is the true reading. Love among our ancient English poets, (as Dr. Farmer has observed on such another occasion,) is always characterized by contrarieties. STEEVENS. We have a similar expression used by Jonson in the verses written by him, introduced in Chester's Rosalyn's Complaint, where, he says, addressing Venus: "Let the old boy your son ply his old task! The whole of this passage has been imitated by Heywood in his Love's Mistris, 1636: "Then harken o you hoydes, and listen o you illiterates, whil'st I give you his stile in folio. Hee is King of cares, cogitations, and cox-combes; Viceroy of vowes, and vanities; Prince of passions, prateapaces, and pickled lovers; Duke of disasters, dissemblers, and drown'd eyes; Marquesse of melancholy and mad-folkes; Grand signior of griefs and grones; Lord of lamentations; Heroe of hie-hoes; Admiral of aymees; and Mounsier of mutton laced." Boswell. 1 Dread prince of PLACKETS,] A placket is a petticoat. DOUCE. 2 Of trotting PARITORS,] An apparitor, or paritor, is an officer of the Bishop's court, who carries out citations: as citations are most frequently issued for fornication, the paritor is put under Cupid's government. JOHNSON. 3 And I to be a CORPORAL OF HIS FIELD,] Corporals of the field are mentioned in Carew's Survey of Cornwall, and Raleigh speaks of them twice, vol. i. p. 103, vol. ii. p. 367, edit. 1751. TOLLET. This officer is likewise mentioned in Ben Jonson's New Inn: "As corporal of the field, maestro del campo." Giles Clayton, in his Martial Discipline, 1591, has a chapter on the office and duty of a corporal of the field. In one of Drake's Voyages, it appears that the captains Morgan and Sampson, by this name, "had commandement over the rest of the land-captaines." Brookesby tells us, that "Mr. Dodwell's father was in an office then known by the name of corporal of the field, which he said was equal to that of a captain of horse." FARMER. Thus also, in a Letter from Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Norris, to the Privy Council. See Lodge's Illustrations, &c. And wear his colours like a tumbler's hoop1! vol. ii. 394: "Wee loste not above 2 common souldiers, and one of the corporalls of the fielde." STEEVENS. "in It appears from Lord Stafford's Letters, vol. ii. p. 199, that a corporal of the field was employed as an aid-de-camp is now, taking and carrying to and fro the directions of the general, or other the higher officers of the field." TYRWHItt. 4 And WEAR HIS COLOURS like a TUMBLER'S HOOP!] The conceit seems to be very forced and remote, however it be understood. The notion is not that the hoops wears colours, but that the colours are worn as a tumbler carries his hoop, hanging on one shoulder and falling under the opposite arm. JOHNSON. Perhaps the tumblers' hoops were adorned with their masters' colours, or with ribbands. To wear his colours, means to wear his badge or cognisance, or to be his servant or retainer. So, in Holinshed's Hist. of Scotland, p. 301: "The earle of Surrie gave to his servants this cognisance (to wear on their left arm) which was a white lyon," &c. So, in Stowe's Annals, p. 274 : "All that ware the dukes sign, or colours, were faine to hide them, conveying them from their necks, into their bosome." Again, in Selden's Duello, chap. ii.: "his esquires cloathed in his colours." Biron banters himself upon being a corporal of Cupid's field, and a servant of that great general and imperator. TOLLET. It was once a mark of gallantry to wear a lady's colours. So, in Cynthia's Revels, by Ben Jonson: "dispatches his lacquey to her chamber early, to know what her colours are for the day, with purpose to apply his wear that day accordingly," &c. Again, in Sir Philip Sidney's Astrophel and Stella : "Because I breathe not love to every one, "Nor doe not use set colours for to weare," &c. I am informed by a lady who remembers morris-dancing, that the character who tumbled, always carried his hoop dressed out with ribbands, and in the position described by Dr. Johnson. STEEVENS. Tumblers' hoops are to this day bound round with ribbands of various colours. HARRIS. 5 What? I! I love!] A second what had been supplied by the editors. I should like better to read-What? I! I love! TYRWHITT. Mr. Tyrwhitt's emendation is supported by the first line of the present speech: 66 And I, forsooth, in love! I, that have been love's whip-.' Sir T. Hanmer supplied the metre by repeating the word What. MALONE, A woman, that is like a German clock *, *First folio and 4to. cloake. like a GERMAN CLOCK, 66 Still a repairing;] The same allusion occurs in WestwardHoe, by Decker and Webster, 1607 :-" no German clock, no mathematical engine whatsoever, requires so much reparation," &c. Again, in A Mad World my Masters, 1608: 66 she consists of a hundred pieces, "Much like your German clock, and near allied : "Besides a greater fault, but too well known, "They'll strike to ten, when they should stop at one." Ben Jonson has the same thought in his Silent Woman, and Beaumont and Fletcher in Wit without Money. Again, in Decker's News from Hell, &c. 1606 :- "their wits (like wheels of Brunswick clocks) being all wound up as far as they could stretch, were all going, but not one going truly." The following extract is taken from a book called The Artificial Clock-Maker, 3d edit. 1714:-"Clock-making was supposed to have had its beginning in Germany within less than these two hundred years. It is very probable that our balance-clocks or watches, and some other automata, might have had their beginning there; &c. Again, in p. 91 :-"Little worth remark is to be found till towards the 16th century; and then clock-work was revived or wholly invented anew in Germany, as is generally thought, because the ancient pieces are of German work." A skilful watch-maker informs me, that clocks have not been commonly made in England much more than one hundred years backward. To the inartificial construction of these first pieces of mechanism executed in Germany, we may suppose Shakspeare alludes. The clock at Hampton Court, which was set up in 1540, (as appears from the inscription affixed to it,) is said to be the first ever fabricated in England. See, however, Letters of The Paston Family, vol. ii. 2d edit. p. 31. STEEVENS. In some towns in Germany, (says Dr. Powel, in his Human Industry, 8vo. 1661,) there are very rare and elaborate clocks to be seen in their town-halls, wherein a man may read astronomy, and never look up to the skies.-In the town-hall of Prague there is a clock that shows the annual motions of the sun and moon, the names and numbers of the months, days, and festivals of the whole year, the time of the sun rising and setting throughout the year, the equinoxes, the length of the days and nights, the rising And never going aright, being a watch, But being watch'd that it may still go right? With two pitch balls stuck in her face for eyes; Well, I will love, write, sigh, pray, sue, and groan"; Some men must love my lady, and some Joan. [Exit. ACT IV. SCENE I. Another part of the Same. Enter the Princess, ROSALINE, Maria, Katharine, BOYET, Lords, Attendants, and a Forester. PRIN. Was that the king, that spurr'd his horse so hard and setting of the twelve signs of the Zodiack, &c.—But the town of Strasburgh carries the bell of all other steeples of Germany in this point.' These elaborate clocks were probably often "out of frame." MALONE. I have heard a French proverb that compares any thing that is intricate and out of order, to the coq de Strasburg that belongs to the machinery of the town-clock. S. WESTON. 7 sue, AND groan ;] And, which is not in either of the authentic copies of this play, the quarto, 1598, and the folio, 1623, was added to supply the metre, by the editor of the second folio. MALONE. • Some men must love my lady, and some Joan.] To this line Against the steep uprising of the hill? BOYET. I know not; but, I think, it was not he. PRIN. Whoe'er he was, he show'd a mounting mind. Well, lords, to-day we shall have our despatch; FOR. Pardon me, madam, for I meant not so. PRIN. What, what? first praise me, and again say, no? O short-liv'd pride! Not fair? alack for woe! PRIN. Nay, never paint me now; Where fair is not, praise cannot mend the brow; Mr. Theobald extends his second Act, not injudiciously, but without sufficient authority. JOHNSON. 9 where is the bush, That we must stand and play the murderer in ?] How familiar this amusement once was to ladies of quality, may be known from a letter addressed by lord Wharton to the Earl of Shrewsbury, dated from Alnewik, Aug. 14, 1555: "I besiche yo' Lordeshipp to tayke some sporte of my litell grounde there, and to comaund the same even as yo." Lordeshippes owne. My ladye may shote w.th her crosbowe," &c. Lodge's Illustrations of British History, &c. vol. i. p. 203. Again, in a letter from Sir Francis Leake to the Earl of Shrewsbury, vol. iii. p. 295: 66 Yo. Lordeshype hath sente me a verie greatte and fatte stagge, the wellcomer beynge stryken by yo." ryght honourable Ladie's hande, &c. My balde bucke lyves styll to wayte upon yo. L. and my Ladie's comyng hyther, w.ch I expect whensoever shall pleas yow to apointe; onelé thys, thatt my Ladie doe nott hytt hym throgh the nose, for marryng hys whyte face; howbeitt I knoe her Ladishipp takes pitie of my buckes, sence the last tyme y pleased her to take the travell to shote att them," &c. Dated July, 1605. STEEVENS. |