GLEEK. Act III., Sc. 1.

"I can gleek upon occasion."

Probably from the Anglo-Saxon glig, joy, mirth, or singing. A gligman was a minstrel or a jester. Bottom here means to say that he can joke occasionally, though the word was often used in the sense of scorn or derision. In 'Romeo and Juliet,' Act IV., Sc. 5, we have,

"Musician. What will you give us?"

"Peter. No money, on my faith; but the gleek." And in 'Henry V.' Act V., Sc. I., Fluellen says,

"I have seen you gleeking and gulling at this gentleman." HENCHMAN. Act II., Sc. 2.

"I do but beg a little changeling boy

To be my henchman."

A henchman was originally an attendant on horseback, from the Anglo-Saxon henges, a horse. Chaucer has,

"And every knight had after him riding

Three henshmen him awaiting."

It came afterwards to signify a page of honour at court, and the office was abolished by Queen Elizabeth. It has also been conjectured to be derived from haunchman, one that follows his chief or lord at his haunch.

HOLD, OR CUT BOW-STRINGS. Act I., Sc. 2.

This is said, by Capell, to be a proverbial expression, derived from the days of archery; "when a party was made at butts, assurance of meeting was given in the words of that phrase."

IN A SPLEEN. Act I., Sc. 1.

"That, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and earth." In a sudden fit of passion or caprice.

INCREASE. Act II., Sc. 2.

"The mazed world,

By their increase, now knows not which is which."

Their increase is their produce. The productions of the various seasons have so changed as to confound one with the other.

KNOT-GRASS. Act III., Sc. 2.

"You minimus, of hind'ring knot-grass made."

Richard Tomlinson, a botanical apothecary of the seventeenth century, says knot-grass is "a low reptant herb."

LATCHED. Act III., Sc. I.

"Hast thou yet latch'd the Athenian's eyes

With the love-juice?"

Hanmer says latch'd is lick'd o'er; but it is more probably used in the common sense of closed, fastened.

LOB. Act II., Sc. 1.

"Farewell, thou lob of spirits."

Looby, lubber, lubbard.

LORDSHIP. Act I., Sc. 1.

"Ere I will yield my virgin patent up

Unto his lordship."

Lordship is authority. Wickliffe's translation of the Bible (Romans, chap. vi. ver. 9) has lordship, where the authorised translation has dominion.

MIDDLE SUMMER'S SPRING. Act II., Sc. 2.

"Never, since the middle summer's spring."

The beginning of mid-summer. The spring is frequently used by our early writers as the beginning, as "the spring of the day."

MIGHT. Act V., Sc. 1.

"Noble respect takes it in might, not merit."

Might is here used to express the will, not the power. What one mayeth-the will for the deed. See Tooke, 'Diversions of Purley,' Part ii. c. 5.

NEIF. Act IV., Sc. 1.

"Give me your neif."

Neif is fist. In 'Henry IV.,' Part I., Act II., Sc. 4, we have "Sweet knight, I kiss your neif." The word still exists in Scotland, in the forms of Nieve and Nief.

NIGHT-RULE. Act III., Sc. 1.

"What night-rule now about this haunted grove?”

Night-rule is night-revel. The old spelling of reuel became rule and Douce says, that we thence obtained "the lord of mis-rule."

NowL. Act. III., Sc. 2.

"An ass's nowl I fixed on his head."

The skull, head.

OES. Act III., Sc. 2.

"Than all yon fiery oes."

Oes are circles.

ORBS. Act II., Sc. 1.

"To dew her orbs upon the green."

The orbs are the fairy-rings upon the grass, which a beautiful superstition ascribes to their having formed the round of the night-tripping fairies.

OVERFLOWN. Act IV., Sc. 1.

"I would be loth to have you overflown with a honey-bag." Flooded, drowned. Milton, in his 'Paradise Lost,' book iv., "Then wander forth the sons

Of Belial, flown with insolence and wine."

The sense is the same, and the one passage elucidates the other.

"But man is but a patched fool."

A fool in his official dress, his parti-coloured coat.

PAVED FOUNTAIN. Act II., Sc. 2.

"By paved fountain, or by rushy brook."

The paved fountain does not mean an artificially-paved fountain as Johnson has supposed, but a fountain or stream running over pebbles, as contrasted with the rushy brook. Drayton has "pearl-paved ford;" Marlow, the "pebblepaved channel ;" and Milton, the "coral-paven bed.""

PELTING. Act II., Sc. 2.

"Have every pelting river made so proud." Something petty, of little worth, contemptible. The word is used in the same sense in 'Measure for Measure,' Act II., Sc. 2; and in 'Richard II.,' Act II., Sc. 1. It is said to be derived from the Teutonic palt, a rag, and that paltry, pelts (skins), and peltry, are from the same root.

PENSIONERS. Act II., Sc. 1.

66

The cowslips tall her pensioners be."

The pensioners were Queen Elizabeth's favourite attendants, chosen from among the handsomest men of the first families, and whom Mrs. Quickly (Merry Wives of Windsor,' Act II., Sc. 2) places above earls.

PREFERRED. Act IV., Sc. 2.

"Our play is preferred."

Preferred is not used here in the sense of chosen in preference, but in that of offered; as we say, a suit is preferred.

PROPERTIES. Act I., Sc. 2.

"I will draw a bill of properties."

The person who has charge of the wooden swords, pasteboard shields, and other such materials necessary for the business of the stage, is still called the property-man. The technicalities of the theatre are very enduring.

QUERN. Act II., Sc. 1.

"Sometimes labour in the quern."

Quern is a mill, from the Anglo-Saxon cweorn or cwyrn, generally used for a handmill.

REAR-MICE. Act II., Sc. 2.

" Some, war with rear-mice."

Rear-mice are bats.

SCRIP. Act I., Sc. 2.

66

"Call them ... according to the scrip.

Scrip, script, is a written paper. Locke calls bills of exchange scrips of paper," and the term is still in use upon the Stock Exchange.

SQUARE. Act II., Sc. 1.

Nothing,' Act I., Sc. 1.

SPOTTED. Act I., Sc. 1.

Upon this spotted and inconstant man.' Stained, or impure; the opposite of spotless. VILD. Act I., Sc. 1.

66 Things base and vild."

"

Vild, for vile, is repeatedly used by Shakspere, as well as by Spenser and others, and we are, therefore, not justified in substituting vile, as has been done by modern editors.

WOOD. Act II., Sc. 2.

"And here am I, and wood within this wood."

Wood is mad. The word is still used in this sense in Scotland, under the form of wud.

PLOT AND CHARACTERS.

SCHLEGEL has happily remarked upon this drama, that "the most extraordinary combination of the most dissimilar ingredients seems to have arisen without effort by some ingenious and lucky accident; and the colours are of such clear transparency, that we think the whole of the variegated fabric may be blown away with a breath." It is not till after we have attentively studied this wonderful production that we understand how solidly the foundations of the fabric are laid. The 'Midsummer-Night's Dream' exhibits all that congruity of parts, that natural progression of scenes, that subordination of action and character to one leading design, that ultimate harmony evolved out of seeming confusion, which constitute the dramatic spirit. With "audience fit, though few," with a stage not encumbered with decorations, with actors approaching (if it were so possible) to the idea of grace and archness which belong to the fairy troop,—the subtle and evanescent beauties of this drama might not be wholly lost in the representation. But under the most favourable circumstances much would be sacrificed. It is in the closet that we must not only suffer our senses to be overpowered by its "indescribable profusion of imaginative poetry," but trace the instinctive felicity of Shakspere in the "structure of the fable."

But, nevertheless, this is not a drama for analysis. It is too subtle and ethereal. To tell this fairy-tale in plain narrative, would be to destroy its exquisite beauty to dissect its characters, with all their caprices and illusions, would be "wasteful and ridiculous excess." It is "a dream throughout," of which the fairy machinery has been truly described by Mr. Hallam, as 66 one of the most beautiful conceptions that ever visited the mind of a poet."

This

This "dream," however, is not an incoherent one. drama is not "such stuff as dreams are made of." Malone has