And fometime make the drink to bear no barm, Mislead night-wand'rers, laughing at their harm?] This account of Robin-goodfellow correfponds, in every article, with that given of him in Harfenet's Declaration, ch. 20. p. 135. "And if that the bowle of curdes and creame were not duly fett out for Robin-goodfel low, the frier, and fiffe the dairy maid-why then either the pot tage was burnt to next day in the pot, or the cheeses would not curdle, or the butter would not come, or the ale in the fat never would have got head. But if a pater-nofter, or an houfleegge were beturned, or a patch of ty the unpaid-then beware of bull beggars, fpirits, &c." He is mentioned by Cartwright, as a fpirit particularly fond of difconcerting and difturbing domeftick peace and œconomy. "Saint Francis and Saint Benedight, and "Bleffe this houfe from wick- Mr. WARTON. P. 120. Queen. Come now, a roundel, and a fairy fung] From round comes roundel, and from roundel, roundelet. The firft, the form of the figure, the fe cond, the dance in the figure, the laft, the fong or tune to the dance, Anon. "And fong in all the roundell Chaucer's Knight's Tale, 1531. P. 136. Snowt. By'rlaken a parlous fear.] By our ladykin, or little lady, as ifakins is a corruption of by my faith. Thefe kind of oaths are laughed at, in the first part of Henry the Fourth, act iii. fc. iii. When Hotspur tells lady Percy, upon her faying in good footh, "You fwear like a "comfit maker's wife, and give "fuch farcenet furety for your "oaths, as if you never walked "farther than Finfbury." Dr. GRAY. P. 132. There are but three fairies that falute Bottom, nor does he addrefs himself to more, though four had entered before' whom the queen had called by name, and commanded to do their courtefies. In fhort, I cannot tell what is become of monfieur Moth, unless he be prudently walked off, for fear of Cavalero Cobweb: for we hear no more of him either here, or in the next act, where the queen, Bottom and fairies are introduced again. Anon. Dr. GRAY. P. 134, And at our stamp-] I apprehend the stamp of a fairy's foot might operate to the full as ftrongly on this occafion, as the ftump of a tree. Mr. STEEVENS. P. 147. In the note, for abuy read aby. P. 150. Bottom. Nothing, good monfieur, but to help Cavalero Cobweb to forach.] Without doubt it fhould be Cavalera Perje P. 162. The thrice three mufes mourning for the death Of learning, late deceas'd in beggary] I do not know whether it has been before obferved, that Shakespeare here, perhaps, alluded to Spenfer's poem, entitled, The Tears of the Mufes, on the neglect and contempt of learning. This piece first appeared in quarto, with others, 1591. The oldeft edition of this play, now known, is dated 1600. If Spenser's poem be here intended, may we not prefume that there is fome earlier edition of this play? But, however, if the allufion be allowed, at least it ferves to bring the play below 1591. Mr. WARTON. P. 176. Of this play, wild and fantastical as it is, all the parts in their various modes are well written, and give the kind of pleasure which the authour defigned. Fairies in his time were much in fashion; common tradition had made them familiar, and Spenser's poem had made them great. P. 189. Lucetta. Indeed I bid the bafe for Protheus-] Bidding the bafe was a country diverfion, not unlike what is called barly break in the North, where fome pursue others in order to take them prifoners. "Ne was Satyrane her far be- "But with like fiercenefs did "His former fuit, and from Fairy Queen, book iii. canto ii. v. P. 190. Julia. I fee you have a month's mind to them.] A month's mind was an anniversary in times of popery; or, as Mr. Ray calls it, a lefs folemnity directed by the will of the deceafed. There was alfo a year's mind, and a week's mind. See proverbial phrafes. This appears from the interrogatories and obfervations against the clergy, in the year 1552. Inter. VII. " Whether "there are any month's minds, and anniverfaries?" Strype's Memorials of the Reformation, vol. ii. p. 354. Was the month's mind of "Sir William Laxton, who died the laft month (July 1556) "his herfe burning with wax, " and the morrow mafs cele"brated, and a fermon preach"ed, &c." Strype's Memorial, vol. iii. p. 305. Dr. GRAY. "A month's mind in the ritual fenfe fignifies not defire or inclination, but remembrance, yet I fuppofe this is the true original of the expreffion. P. 197. Ob! excellent motion, &c.] I think this paffage requires a note, as every reader does not know, that motion, in the language of Shakespeare's days, fignifies P. 198. Here Silvia calls her lover fervant.-And again, below, fhe calls him gentle fervant; this was the language of ladies to their lovers, at the time when Shakespeare wrote, and as the word is no longer used in that sense, would it not be proper to fix it by a note, on this paffage ? Mr. HAWKINS. P. 227. St. Nicholas be thy Speed.] That this Saint prefided over young scholars, may be gathered from Knight's life of Dean Colet, p. 362. For by the ftatutes of Paul's school, there inferted, the children are required to attend divine fervice, at the cathedral, on his anniversary. The reafon I take to be, that the legend of this faint makes him to have been a bishop, while he was a boy. At Salisbury cathedral is a monument of a boy bishop, and it is faid, that a custom formerly prevailed there, of chufing, from among the chorifters, a bishop, who actually performed the paftoral functions, and difpofed of fuch prebends as became vacant during his epifcopacy, which P. 234.-awful men.] This, I think, fhould be lawful, in oppofition to lawless men. In judicial proceedings the word has this fenfe. Mr. HAWKINS. P. 276. For zenith, in the note, read youth. P. 281. Lucio.-'tis my familiar fin, With maids to feem the lapwing, and to jest. Tongue far from heart-] The modern editors have not taken in the whole fimilitude here: they have taken notice of the lightnefs of a fpark's behaviour to his mistress, and compared it to the lapwing's hovering and fluttering flying. But the chief, of which no notice is taken, is, and to jeft. (See Ray's Proverbs.). "The lapwing cries, "Tongue far from heart," most, fartheft from the neft, i. e. She is, as Shakespeare has it here, Tongue far from heart. "The farther fhe is from her "neft, where her heart is with "her young ones, fhe is the "louder, or, perhaps, all Mr. SMITH. tongue." 66 Shakespeare has an expreffion of the like kind, Comedy of Errors, act iv. fc. iii. p. 246. Adr. Far from her neft, the lapwing cries away, My heart prays for him, tho' my tongue do curse. We meet with the fame thought in John Lilly's comedy, intitled, Cam As faulcon doth the fowl.] Qu. faulconer. Dr. GRAY. P. 328. Lucio. -ba? what Jay'ft thou trot?] It fhould be read, I think, what fayft thou to't? the word trot being feldom (if ever) used to a man. Old trot or trat, fignifies a decrepit old woman, or an old drab. In which fenfe it is ufed by Gawin Douglas, Virgil's Ænead, book iv. "Out on the old trat, agit wyffe, or dame.” 66 Dr. GRAY. Trot, or as it is now often pronounced honeft trout, is a familiar addrefs to a man among the provincial vulgar. P. 331. Clackdifb.] The beggars, two or three centuries ago, ufed to proclaim their want by a wooden difh, with a moveable cover, which they clacked, to fhew that their veffel was empty. Their appears in a paffage quoted on another occafion by Dr. Gray. P. 336. The Reviful reads thus, How may fuch likeness trade in To draw with idle Spider's Moft pondrous and substantial things; meaning by ponderous and fubftantial things, pleasure and wealth. P. 342 Clown. Sir, it is á mystery, &c.] If Mr. Warburton had attended to the argument by which Bawd proves his own profeffion to be a mistery, he would not have been driven to také refuge in the groundless fuppofi tion, "that part of the dialogue "had been loft or dropped.' " The argument of the Hangman is exactly fimilar to that of the Bawd. As the latter puts in his claim to the whores, as members of his occupation, and, in virtue of their painting, would enroll his own fraternity in the mistery of painters; fo the former equally lays claim to the thieves, as members of his occupation, and, in their right, endeavours to rank his brethren, the hangmen, under the mistery of fitters of apparel, or taylors. The reading of the old editions is therefore undoubtedly right; except that the laft fpeech, which makes part of the Hangman's argument, is by mistake, as the reader's own fagacity will readily perceive, given to the Clown or Bawd. I fuppofe, therefore, the poet gave us the whole thus: "Whor. Sir, it is a miftery. "Clown. Proof "Whor. Every true man's "apparel fits your thief: If it be too little for your thief, your true man thinks it big enough. "If it be too big for your thief, " your 6 66 your thief thinks it little enough, fo every true man's apparel fits your thief." I must do Mr. Warburton the justice, to acknowledge, that he hath rightly apprehended, and explained the force of the Hangman's argument. REVISAL. 『མ * རཱུ B.345that Spirit's poffeft. with hafte,, That wounds the unfilling porka tal with thefe ftrokes.] Such is the reading of the original copy, from which later editors have coined unrefifting, and unrefting. I believe that the true word is unliftening, the deaf portal. P. 349. Tie the beard] The Revifal recommends Mr. SimpJon's emendation, die the beard; the prefent reading may well ftand. P. 369. Informal women.] I think, upon further enquiry, that informal fignifies incompetent, not qualified to give teftimony. Of this ufe I think there are precedents to be found, though I cannot now recover them. P. 323. there is the Count Palatine.] I make no doubt but the Count Palatine was fome character notorious in ShakeSpeare's time. When Sir Epicure Mammon, in the Alchemist, is promifing Face what great things he will do for him, he fays, he shall be a Count, and adds flily, ay, a Count Palatine. The editor of Johnson has taken no notice at all' of the paffage, nor obferves that the latter part of the line fhould be spoken afide, which the character of Sir Epicure would have justified him in doing. Mr. STEEVENS. VOL. VIII. (1360) the 14th of April, "and the morrow after Eafer day, king Edward, with his hoft, lay before the city of "Paris; which day was full "dark of mift and hail, and fo "bitter cold, that many men "died on their horfes backs "with the cold. Wherefore, "unto this day, it hath been "called the Blacke-Monday.". Stowe, p. 264-6. Dr. GRAY. P. 424-Your mind of love.] This imaginary corruption is removed by only putting a comma after mind. Mr. LANGTON. P. 446. Whose fouls do bear an equal yoke of love.]" An egal yoke of love." Fol. 1632. Egal, I believe, in Shake Speare's time, was commonly used for equal. So it was in Chaucer's. I i "Aye |