master parfon; who writes himself armıgero; in any bill, warrant, quittance, or obligation, armigero. Shal. Ay, that I do; and have done any time these three hundred years. Slen. All his fucceffors, gone before him, have done't; and all his ancestors, that come after him, may: they may give the dozen white luces in their coat. Shal. It is an old coat. Evans. The dozen white louses do become an old coat well; it agrees well, paffant: it is a familiar beast to man, and fignifies-love. Shal. The luce is the fresh fish; the falt fifh is an old coat". Slen. and rotulorum too." He had heard the words cuftos rotulorum, and fuppofes them to mean different offices. FARMER. Perhaps Shakspeare might have intended to ridicule the abbreviations fometimes ufed in writs and other legal inftruments, with which his Juftice might have been acquainted. In the old copy the word is printed Cuft-alorum, as it is now exhibited in the text. If, however, this was intended, it should be Cuft-ulorum; and, it must be owned, abbreviation by cutting off the beginning of a word is not authorized by any precedent, except what we may fuppofe to have exifted in Shallow's imagination. MALONE. 5- and bave done-] i. e. all the Shallows bave done. Shakspeare has many expreffions equally licentious. MALONE. 6 The luce is the fresh fish; the falt fish is an old coat.] Our author here alludes to the arms of Sir Thomas Lucy, who is faid to have profecuted him in the younger part of his life for a misdemefnor, and who is fuppofed to be pointed at under the character of Juftice Shallow. The text however, by fome carelefinefs of the printer or tranfcriber, has been fo corrupted, that the paffage, as it stands 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 fpeeches, befide thofe he has mentioned, are mifplaced in a fubfequent part of this scene, as exhibited in the first folio. See p. 194. Mr. Smith's note is not, I think, worth infertion. MALONE. I am not fatisfied with any thing that has been offered on this diffi cult paffage. All that Mr. Smith tells us, is a mere gratis dictum. İ cannot find that falt fish were ever really borne in heraldry. I fancy the latter part of the fpeech fhould be given to fir Hugb, who is at cross purposes with the Juftice. Shallow had faid just before, the coat is an old one, and now, that it is the luce, the fresh fish.-No, replies the parfon, it cannot be old and fresh too;" the falt fifb is an old coat." I give this with rather the more confidence, as à fimilar mistake has happened Slen. I may quarter, coz. Shal. You may, by marrying. Evans. It is marring, indeed, if he quarter it. 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 disparagements unto you, I am of the church, and will be glad to do my benevolence, to make atonements and compromises 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 fcene." Slice, I fay!" cries out Corporal Nym," Pauca, pauca: Slice, that's my humour." There can be no doubt, but pauca, pauca fhould be spoken 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 fhould 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 several 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 phrase. 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 fhould fomething agree with the name. It is the soat of Geffray Lord Lucy. He did bear gules, three lucies hariant, argent." STEEVENS. 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. In the old quarto," the council fhall know it," follows 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. VOL. I. STEEVENS. Shal. Shal. Ha! o' my life, if I were young again, the fword fhould 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 Page, which is pretty virginity. Slen. Miftrefs Anne Page? She has brown hair, and fpeaks fmall like a woman'. Evans. It is that fery person 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? Evans. 9 mafter George Page,] The old copy has-Thomas Page. The emendation is Mr. Theobald's. MALONE. - Speaks Small 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 leta," but fimply for weak, fender, feminine; and the only pleafantry of the paffage feems to be, that poor Slender should 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 fpeak as small as you will." MALONE. 2 Shal. Did her grandfire leave her feven bundred pound ?—I know the young gentlewoman; &c.] Thefe two fpeeches are by miftake 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 af which names fhould 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; fhe 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, fhall 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, master Shallow. Shal. Mafter Page, I am glad to fee you; Much good do it your good heart! I wifh'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 fcene ready compofed, and are very liable to mistakes, when two names begin (as in the prefent instance,) 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 beard fay, he was outrun on Cotfale.] He means Cotswold, in Gloucestershire. In the beginning of the reign of James the First, by permiffion of the king, one Dover, a public-fpirited attorney of Barton on the Heath, in Warwickfhire, inftituted on the hills of Cotswold an annual celebration of games, confifting of rural fports and exercifes. These he constantly conducted in perfon, well mounted, and accoutred in a fuit of his majefty's old 02 cloaths; Page. It could not be judg'd, fir. Slen. You'll not confefs, you'll not confefs. Shal. That he will not ;-'tis your fault, 'tis your fault-Tis a good dog. Page. A cur, fir. Shal. Sir, he's a good dog, and a fair dog; Can there be more faid? he is good, and fair.-Is fir John Falstaff here? Page. Sir, he is within; and I would I could do a good office between you. Evans. It is fpoke as a chriftians ought to speak. Page. Sir, he doth in fome fort confefs it. Shal. If it be confefs'd, it is not redrefs'd; is not that fo, mafter Page? He hath wrong'd me ;-indeed, he hath ;-at a word, he hath ;-believe me ;-Robert Shallow, Efquire, faith, he is wrong'd. Page. Here comes fir John. Enter Sir John FALSTAFF, BARDOLPH, NYM, and PISTOL. Fal. Now, mafter Shallow; you'll complain of me to the king? cloaths; and they were frequented above forty years by the nobility and gentry for fixty miles round, till the grand rebellion abolished every liberal establishment. I have feen a very scarce book, entitled, Annalia Dubrenfia. Upon the yearly celebration of Mr. Robert Dover's Olympick games upon Cotswold bills, &c. Lond. 1636, quarto. There are recommendatory verfes prefixed, written by Drayton, Jonfon, Randolph, and many others, the most eminent wits of the times. The games, as appears by a curious frontispiece, were chiefly, wrestling, leaping, pitching the bar, handling the pike, dancing of women, various kinds of hunting, and particularly courfing the hare with greyhounds. T. WARTON. The Cotswold 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. 4 'tis your fault, 'tis your fault:] Of these words, which are addreffed 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 was out-run on Cotswold; be is, however, a good dog. So perhaps the word is ufed afterwards by Ford, fpeaking of his jealoufy: "'Tis my fault, master Page; I fuffer for it." MALONE. Shal. |