P. 155, 1. 9 26. First, here's young master Rash, etc.] This enumeration of the inhabitants of the prison affords a very striking view of the practices predominant in Shakspeare's age. Besides those whose follies are common to all times, have four fighting men and a traveller. It is not unlikely that the originals of the pictures were then known. JOHNSON. " Rash was the name of some kind of stuff. we STEEVENS. If this term alludes to the stuff so called, (which was probably one of the commodities fraudulently issued out by money lenders) there is nevertheless a pun intended. Douce.. All the names here mentioned are characteristical. Rash was a stuff formerly used. MALONE. P. 155, 1. u. a commodity of brown paper Thus the old copy. The modern editors read, brown pepper; but the following passage in Michaelmas Term, Com. 1607, will completely establish the original reading: 10 I know some gentlemen in town have been glad, and are glad at this time, to take up commodities in hawk's - hoods and brown paper.“ STEEVENS. A commodity of brown paper - Mr. Steevens supports this rightly. Fennor asks in his CompEtor's Commonwealth,,,suppose the commodities mare delivered after Signior Unthrift and Master Broaker have both sealed the bonds, how must those hobby horses, reams of brown paper, Jewes trumpes and bables, babies and rattles, solde? FARMER. "be In a MS. letter from Sir John Hollis to Lord Burleigh, is the following passage,,Your Lordship digged into my auncestors graves, and pulling 1 one up from his 70 yeares reste, pronounced him an abominable usurer and merchante of browne paper, so hatefull and contemptible that the players acted him before the kinge with great applause " And again:,,Nevertheles I denye that any of them were merchantes of browne paper, neither doeI thinke any other but your Lordship's imagination ever sawe. or hearde any of them playde upon a stage; and that they were such usurers, suppose your Lordship will want testimonye," DoUCE. P. 155, I. 22. and master Forthright -] The old. 1.copy reads Forthlight. Dr. Johnson, howproposes to read Forthright, alluding to in which the thrust is made. Mr Ritson ever, the defen the present reading, but supposing the allusion to be to the fencers threat of making the light shine through his antagonist. REED. Had he produced any proof that such an expression was in use in our author's time, his observation might have had some weight. It is probably a phrase of the present century. MALONE. The reads Shooty! mes, kuli great traveller, compound names, but as most of these spect that this was printed 2. written, as have] At this time Shoe-strings were gene rally worn. As the person described was a tra vetler, it is not unlikely that he might be solicitous about the minutiae of dress; and the epithet brave, i. e, showy, seems to countenance the supposition. STEVENS. VEM 1 word satinon adi. The finery which induced our author toʻgives his traveller the name of Shoe tye, was used on the stage in his time. Would not this, Sir, (says, with, two t ·Hamlet) and a forest of feathers, Provencial roses on my raz'd shoes, geta meva fellowship in a cry of players, Sir?" MALONE The roses mentioned in the foregoing instance, were not the ligatures of the shoe, but the orna ments above them. STEEVENS. The word doers is here used in P. 155, 1. 25. a wanton sense. P. 125, 1. 26. - for the Lord's sake!] i. e. to beg for the rest of their lives. WARBURTON. I rather think this expression intended to ridicule the Puritans, whose turbulence and indecency often brought them to prison, and who considered themselves as suffering for religion, casual It is not unlikely that men imprisoned for other crimes, might represent themselves to enquirers, as suffering for puritanism, and that this might be the common cant of the prisons. In Donne's time, every prisoner was brought to jail by suretiship. JOHNSON. 1 believe Dr. Warburton's explanation is right. It appears from a poem entitled, Paper's Com plaint, printed among Davies's epigrams, [about the year 1611] that this was the language in which prisoners who were confued for debt, addressed Passengers: ་ Good gentle writers, for the Lord's sake, for the Lord's sake, Like Ludgate prisoner, 10, 1, begging, make 3 The meaning, however, may be, to beg or borsy row for the rest of their lives. MALONE 9/1 P. 157, 1. 15. Here is a line given to the Dukej i which belongs to the Provost The Provost, while the Duke is lamenting the obduracy of the prisoner, cries out: . After him fellows, etc. and when they are gone out, turns again to the Duke. JOHNSON. I do not see why this line should be taken. from the Duke, and still less why it should be given to the Provost, who, by his question to the Duke in the next line, appears to be ignorant of every thing that has passed between him and Bar nardine. TYRWHITT. P. 157,al. 19. - to transport him] To re move him from one world to another. The French trépas affords a kindred sense. JOHNSON. P. 158, 1. 8. The under generation, ] › So Sir Thomas Hanmer, with true judgement. It was in all the former editions: Prisons are generally so constructed as not to admit the rays of the sun. Hence, the Duke here speaks of its greeting only those without the doors of the jail, to which he must be supposed to point when he speaks these words. Sir T. Han mer, I think without necessity,reads. To the under generation, which has been followed by the subsequent editors. «Journal, in the preceding line, is daily, Jour nalier, Fr. MALONE. 100 P. 158, 1. 201 Thus the old copy. and weal balanced form,] Mr. Heath thinks that well reading; and Hanmer way of balanced. is the true " A better reason might have been given. It was necessary to keep Isabella in ignorance, that she might with more keenness accuse the deputy. P. 159. 1. 32. your heart's desire. your bosom - Your wish; JoHNSON. P. 160, 1. 9. I am combined by a sacred vow,] I once thought this should be confined, but Shakspeare uses combine for to bind by a pact® or agreement; so he calls Angelo the combinate husband of Mariana. JOHNSON. go P. 160, 1. 10. Wend you] To wend is to An obsolete word. STEEVENS. P. 160, 1. 24 the old fantastical Duke -] Sir Thomas Hanmer reads the odd fantastical Duke; but old is a common word of aggravation in ludicrous language, as, there was old revelling. JOHNSON. This Duke who meets his mistresses in byplaces. MALONE. P0160, 1 280 he lives not in them. i.e. his character depends not on them.' STEEVENS.. P. 160, 1. 31. A woodman seems to have been an attendant or servant to the Officer called For rester. [See Manwood on the Forest Laws, 4to. 1615, p. 46. It is here, however, used in a wan tou sense, and was, probably, in our author's time generally so received. BEED. } P. 161, 29. Ang. And why should we proclaim it etc.] It is the conscious guilt of 'Angelo that prompts this question. The reply of Escalus is such as arises from an undisturbed mind, that' only ousiders the mysterious conduct of the Duke in a political point of view STEEVENS. |