I see the trick on't ;-Here was a consent, (Knowing aforehand of our merriment,) To dash it like a Christmas comedy: 6 Some carry-tale, some please-man, some slight zany,' 8 Some mumble-news, some trencher-knight, some That smiles his cheek in years; and knows the trick 6 Part I: 7 a consent,] i. e. a conspiracy. So, in K. Henry VI. the stars "That have consented to king Henry's death." STEEVENS. zany,] A zany is a buffoon, a merry Andrew, a gross mimick. So, in Marston's Insatiate Countess, 1613: sung "To every seuerall zanie's instrument." Again, in Antonio's Revenge, 1602 : 9 Laughs them to scorn, as man doth busy apes, "When they will zany men." STEEVENS. some trencher-knight,] See page 177: "And stand between her back, sir, and the fire, some Dick, That smiles his cheek in years;] Mr. Theobald says, he cannot for his heart, comprehend the meaning of this phrase. It was not his heart but his head that stood in the way. In years, signifies, into wrinkles. So, in The Merchant of Venice: "With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come." See the note on that line-But the Oxford editor was in the same case, and so alters it to fleers. WARBURTON. Webster, in his Dutchess of Malfy, makes Castruchio declare of his lady: "She cannot endure merry company, for she says much laughing fills her too full of the wrinckle." FARMER. Again, in Lingua, or the Combat of the Tongue, &c. 1607: "That light and quick, with wrinkled laughter painted." Again, in Twelfth-Night: "he doth smile his cheek into more lines than are in the new map," &c. STEEVens. The old copies read-in yeeres. Jeers, the present emendation, which I proposed some time ago, I have since observed, was made by Mr. Theobald. Dr. Warburton endeavours to sup To make my lady laugh, when she's dispos'd,Told our intents before: which once disclos'd, The ladies did change favours; and then we, Following the signs, woo'd but the sign of she. port the old reading, by explaining years to mean wrinkles, which belong alike to laughter and old age. But allowing the word to be used in that licentious sense, surely our author would have written, not in, but into, years-i. e. into wrinkles, as in a passage quoted by Mr. Steevens from Twelfth-Night: "—he does smile his cheek into more lines than are in the new map," &c. The change being only that of a single letter for another nearly resembling it, I have placed jeers (formerly spelt jeeres) in my text. The words-jeer, flout, and mock, were much more in use in our author's time than at present. In Othello, 1622, the former word is used exactly as here: "And mark the jeers, the gibes, and notable scorns, Out-roaring DICK was a celebrated singer, who, with William Wimbars, is said by Henry Chettle, in his KIND HARTS DREAME, to have got twenty shillings a day by singing at Braintree fair, in Essex. Perhaps this itinerant droll was here in our author's thoughts. This circumstance adds some support to the emendation now made. From the following passage in Sir John Oldcastle, 1600, it seems to have been a common term for a noisy swaggerer: "O he, sir, he's a desperate Dick indeed; Again, in Kemp's Nine daies wonder, &c. 4to. 1600: "Will dare to challenge cutting Dick." Again, in The Epistle Dedicatorie to Nashe's Have with you to Saffron Walden, 1596: " nor Dick Swash, or Desperate Dick, that's such a terrible cutter at a chine of beef, and devoures more meat at ordinaries in discoursing of his fraies, and deep acting of his slashing and hewing, than would serve half a dozen brewers draymen.' MALONE. As the aptitude of my quotation from Twelfth-Night is questioned, I shall defend it, and without much effort; for Mr. Malone himself must, on recollection, allow that in, throughout the plays of Shakspeare, is often used for into. Thus, in King Richard III: "But first, I'll turn yon fellow in his grave." I really conceived this usage of the preposition in, to have been too frequent to need exemplification. STEEvens. Now, to our perjury to add more terror, Forestal our sport, to make us thus untrue? in will, and error. Much upon this it is :-And might not you,] I believe this passage should be read thus: in will and error. Boyet. Much upon this it is. Biron. And might not you, &c. JOHNSON. In will, and error.] i. e. first in will, and afterwards in error. MUSGRAVE, 2 by the squire,] From esquierre, French, a rule, or square. The sense is nearly the same as that of the proverbial expression in our own language, he hath got the length of her foot; i. e. he hath humoured her so long that he can persuade her to what he pleases. HEATH. Squire in our author's time was the common term for a rule. See Minsheu's Dict. in v. The word occurs again in The Winter's Tale. MALONE. So, in Philemon Holland's translation of the seventh Book of Pliny's Natural History, ch. 56: "As for the rule and squiré, &c. Theodorus Samius devised them." STEEVENS. 3 Go, you are allow'd ;] i. e. you may say what you will you are a licensed fool, a common jester. So, in TwelfthNight: "There is no slander in an allow'd fool." WARBURTON. VOL. VII. N BOYET. 4 Full merrily Hath this brave manage, this career, been run. BIRON. Lo, he is tilting straight! Peace; I have done. Enter COSTard. Welcome, pure wit! thou partest a fair fray. Whether the three worthies shall come in, or no. COST. For every one pursents three. BIRON. No, sir; but it is vara fine, And three times thrice is nine. COST. Not so, sir; under correction, sir; I hope, it is not so: You cannot beg us," sir, I can assure you, sir; we know what we know: I hope, sir, three times thrice, sir,— BIRON. Is not nine. Hath this brave manage,] The old copy has manager. Corrected by Mr. Theobald. MALONE. 5 You cannot beg us,] That is, we are not fools; our next relations cannot beg the wardship of our persons and fortunes. One of the legal tests of a natural is to try whether he can number. JOHNSON. It is the wardship of Lunaticks not Ideots that devolves upon the next relations. Shakspeare, perhaps, as well as Dr. Johnson, was not aware of the distinction. DOUCE. It was not the next relation only who begg'd the wardship of an ideot. "A rich fool was begg'd by a lord of the king; and the lord coming to another nobleman's house, the fool saw the picture of a fool in the hangings, which he cut out; and being chidden for it, answered, you have more cause to love me for it; for if my lord had seen the picture of the fool in the hangings, COST. Under correction, sir, we know whereuntil it doth amount. BIRON. By Jove, I always took three threes for nine. COST. O Lord, sir, it were pity you should get your living by reckoning, sir. BIRON. How much is it? COST. O Lord, sir, the parties themselves, the actors, sir, will show whereuntil it doth amount: for my own part, I am, as they say, but to parfect one man,-e'en one poor man ; Pompion the great, sir. BIRON. Art thou one of the worthies? 6 COST. It pleased them, to think me worthy of Pompion the great: for mine own part, I know not the degree of the worthy; but I am to stand for him.' BIRON. Go, bid them prepare. Some care. COST. We will turn it finely off, sir; we will take [Exit COSTARD. KING. Birón, they will shame us, let them not approach. BIRON. We are shame-proof, my lord: and 'tis some policy he would certainly have begg'd them of the king, as he did my lands." Cabinet of Mirth, 1674. RITSON. 6 one mane'en one poor man ;] The old copies readin one poor man. For the emendation I am answerable. The same mistake has happened in several places in our author's plays, See my note in All's well that ends well, Act I, sc. iii :—“ You are shallow, madam," &c. MALONE. 7- I know not the degree of the worthy; &c.] This is a stroke of satire which, to this hour, has lost nothing of its force. Few performers are solicitous about the history of the character they are to represent. STEEVENS. |