lafreurem gan Lave istenent to ridicate the abbreviations s writs and other legs intranets, with walidh

eight have been scruiland. In the sis croy the work ja seinend Cap-aimum, in this now exploited in the text. If, ho vert, thin seteners, in basic in 0,4 varam; and, in mif he owned, abbreviation by star of the ind my of a more is not autorised by any precedent except wat we may loppule to have exited in Show's imagination. MALONE.

3 — and have done-] i. e. all the Shallows boor done. Shakspeare has many exons equally Krenting. MALONE.

The lace is the freft, ffo; the alt ff is an old coat.] Our author Þere a ludes to the arms of Sir Thomas Lucy, who is laid to have pro1 sted him in the younger part of his life for a mifteme nor, and who » fapposed to be pointed at under the character of Juftice Shallow. The text however, by fome careleffnefs of the printer or tranfcriber, has been fo corrupted, that the paffage, as it ftands at prefent, feems inexplicable. Dr. Farmer's regulation appears to me highly probable; and in further fupport of it, it may be observed, that fome other speeches, befide thofe he has mentioned, are misplaced in a subsequent part of this scene, as exhibited in the first tolio. See p. 194. Mr. Smith's note is not, I think, worth infertion. MALONE.

I am not fatished with any thing that has been offered on this difficult pallage. All that Mr. Smith tells us, is a mere gratis difium. I Cannot find that falt fish were ever really borne in heraldry. I fancy the latter part of the fpeech fhould be given to fir Hugh, who is at cross purposes with the Justice. Shallow had faid juft before, the coat is an old one, and now, that it is the luce, the fresh fish.-No, replies the pation, it cannot be old and fre too ;-" the falt fish is an old coat.” 1 give this with rather the more confidence, as a fimilar miftake has

happened

Slen. I may quarter, coz.

Shal. You may, by marrying.

Evans. It is marring, indeed, if he quarter it.
Shal. Not a whit.

Evan:. Yes, py'r-lady; if he has a quarter of your coat, there is but three skirts for yourself, in my fimple conjectures but that is all one: If fir John Falstaff have committed difparagements unto you, I am of the church, and will be glad to do my benevolence, to make atonements and compromifes between you.

Shal. The Council fhall hear it; it is a riot 7.

Evans. It is not meet the Council hear a riot; there is no fear of Got in a riot: the Council, look you, shall defire to hear the fear of Got, and not to hear a riot; take your vizaments in that ".

happened a little lower in the scene." Slice, I fay!" cries out Corporal Nym, "Pauca, pauca: Slice, that's my humour." There can

be no doubt, but pauca, pauca fhould be fpoken by Evans.
Again, a little before this, the copies give us :
Slender. You'll not confefs, you'll not confefs.

Shallow. That he will not-'tis your fault, 'tis your fault :-'t's a

good dog.

Surely it should be thus:

Shallow. You'll not confefs, you'll not confefs.

Slender. That he will not.

Shallow. 'Tis your fault, 'tis your fault &c. FARMER.

This fugitive fcrap of latin, pauca &c. is used in feveral old pieces, by characters who have no more of literature about them than Nym: In Every Man in bis Humour it is called the benchers phrafe.

The luce is a pike or jack. In Ferne's Blazon of Gentry, 1586, quarto, the arms of the Lucy family are reprefented as an inftance, that figns of the coat should fomething agree with the name. It is the coat of Geffray Lord Lucy. He did bear gules, three lucies hariant, argent." STEEVENS.

In the

7 The Council fhall bear it; it is a riot.] By the Council is only meant the court of ftar-chamber, compofed chiefly of the king's council fitting in Camera ftellata, which took cognizance of atrocious riots. old quarto," the council fhall know it," fellows immediately after "I'll make a star-chamber matter of it." BLACKSTONE. So, in Sir John Harrington's Epigrams, 1618:

"No marvel, men of fuch a fumptuous dyet

"Were brought into the Star-chamber for a ryot." MALONE.

See Stat. 13. Henry IV. c. 7. GREY.

your vizaments in that.] i. e. Advisement ; now an obfolete word.

Shal. Ha! o' my life, if I were young again, the fword should end it."

Evans. It is petter that friends is the fword, and end it: and there is also another device in my prain, which, peradventure, prings goot difcretions with it: There is Anne Page, which is daughter to mafter George Page9, which is pretty virginity.

Slen. Mistress Anne Page? She has brown hair, and fpeaks small like a woman'.

Evans. It is that fery perfon for all the 'orld, as just as you will defire; and feven hundred pounds of monies, and gold, and filver, is her grandfire, upon his death's-bed, (Got deliver to a joyful refurrections!) give, when she is able to overtake feventeen years old: it were a goot motion, if we leave our pribbles and prabbles, and defire a marriage between mafter Abraham, and mistress Anne Page.

Shal. Did her grandfire leave her feven hundred pound 2?

Evans.

9-mafter George Page,] The old copy has-Thomas Page. The emendation is Mr. Theobald's. MALONE.

1- Speaks fmall like a woman.] Dr. Warburton has found more pleafantry here than I believe was intended. Small was, I think, not ufed, as he fuppofes, in an ambiguous fenfe, for "little, as well as low,” but fimply for weak, flender, feminine; and the only pleafantry of the paffage feems to be, that poor Slender fhould characterise his mistress by a general quality belonging to her whole fex. In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Quince tells Flute, who objects to playing a woman's part, "You fhall play it in a mask, and you may speak as small as you will." MALONE.

2 Shal. Did ber grandfire leave her feven hundred pound ?—I know the young gentlewoman ; &c.] These two speeches are by mistake given to Slender in the first folio, the only authentick copy of this play. From the foregoing words it appears that Shallow is the perfon here addressed; and on a marriage being propofed for his kinfman, he very naturally inquires concerning the lady's fortune. Slender fhould feem not to know what they are talking about; (except that he just hears the name of Anne Page, and breaks out into a foolish elogium on her ;) for in p. 202, Shallow fays to him," Coz, there is, as it were, a tender, a kind of tender, made a far off by Sir Hugh here; do you understand me ?" to which Slender replies" if it be fo," &c. The tender, therefore, we fee, had been made to Shallow, and not to Slender, the former of which names should be prefixed to the two speeches before us.

Evans. Ay, and her father is make her a petter penny. Shal. I know the young gentlewoman; the has good gifts. Evans. Seven hundred pounds, and poffibilities, is good gifts.

Shal. Well, let us fee honeft mafter Page: Is Falstaff there?

Evans. Shall I tell you a lie? I do defpife a liar, as I do despise one that is falfe; or, as I defpife one that is not true. The knight, fir John, is there; and, I beseech you, be ruled by your well-willers. I will peat the door [knocks.] for mafter Page. What, hoa! Got pless your house here!

Page. Who's there?

Enter PAGE.

Evans. Here is Got's pleffing, and your friend, and juftice Shallow: and here young mafter Slender; that, peradventures, shall tell you another tale, if matters grow to your likings.

Page. I am glad to fee your worships well: I thank you for my venifon, mafter Shallow.

Shal. Mafter Page, I am glad to fee you; Much good do it your good heart! I wish'd your venifon better; it was ill kill'd-How doth good miftrefs Page ?—and I thank you always with my heart, la; with my heart. Page. Sir, I thank you.

Shal. Sir, I thank you; by yea and no, I do. Page. I am glad to fee you, good mafter Slender. Slen. How does your fallow greyhound, fir? I heard fay, he was out-run on Cotfale 3.

Page.

In this play, as exhibited in the first folio, many of the fpeeches are given to characters to whom they do not belong. Printers, to fave trouble, keep the names of the fpeakers in each scene ready compofed, and are very liable to mistakes, when two names begin (as in the prefent inftance,) with the fame letter, and are nearly of the fame length. -The prefent regulation was fuggefted by Mr. Capell. MALONE.

3 How does your fallow greybound, fir? I heard fay, he was outrun on Cotfale. He means Cotftvold, in Gloucestershire. In the beginning of the reign of James the Firft, by permiffion of the king, one Dover, a public-fpirited attorney of Barton on the Heath, in Warwickfhire, inftituted on the hills of Corfwold an annual celebration of games, confifting of rural fports and exercifes. These he conftantly conducted in perfon, well mounted, and accoutred in a fuit of his majesty's old 02

cloaths;

Pal. Now, maler Shallow; you'll complain of me a the king!

dinathes and they were frequented above forty years by the nobility vá greeny for brry miles round, til the grand rebeca abolitbed every 1 have feen a very fearce book, entitica, denaka Dubrenja. Upon the gearly cultora ise of Mr. Robert Dear's Olympich games upin Cefweld bills, &c. Lead. 1636, quarto. There ate rkeominencatúry vertes prefixed, written by Drayton, Jonson, RanGoigh, and many others, the moft eminent wits of the times. The games, as appears by a curious frontispiece, were chiefly, wrestling, leaping, pitening the bar, handling the pike, dancing of women, varigus kinds of hunting, and particularly courfing the hare with greybounds. 1. WARTON.

The Cotfwold hills in Gloucestershire are a large tract of downs, famous for their fine turf, and therefore excellent for courfing. I believe there is no village of that name. BLACKSTONE.

4th your fault, 'tis your fault :] Of thefe words, which are addrefled to Page, the fenfe is not very clear. Perhaps Shallow means to fay, that it is a known failing of Page's not to confefs that his dog has been out-run. Or, the meaning may be,-'tis your misfortune that be out-run on Corfwold; be is, however, a good dog. So perhaps the word is ufed afterwards by Ford, fpeaking of his jealoufy:

"Tis my fault, malter Page; I fufter for it." MALONE.

Shal.