ton, gave me, a loft mutton, nothing for my la bour. PRO. Here's too small a pasture for such a store of muttons. SPEED. If the ground be overcharg'd, you were beft flick her. PRO. Nay, in that you are aftray; ' 'twere best pound you. because Proteus had been proving him a sheep. But why does he call the lady a lacid mutton? Wenchers are to this day called mutton-mongers; and confequently the object of their paffion mutt, by the metaphor, be the mutton. And Cotgrave, in his EnglishFrench Dictionary, explains laced mutton, Une garfe, putain, fille de joye. And Mr. Motteux has rendered this paffage of Rabelais, in the prologue of his fourth book, Cailles coiphées mignonnement chantans, in this manner; Coated quails and laced mutton waggifhly inging. So that laced mutton has been a sort of standard phrafe for girls of pleasure. THEOBALD. Nash, in his Have with you to Saffron Walden, 1595, speaking of Gabriel Harvey's incontinence, fays: he would not flick to extoll rotten lac'd mutton. » So, in the comedy of The Shoemaker's Holiday, or the Gentle Craft, 1610: Why here's good lac'd mutton, as I promis'd you, 1636, fpeaking of admiral of ay-mes, It A laced mutton was in our author's time fo eftablished a term for a courtezan, that a freet in Clerkenwell, which was much frequented by women of the town, was then called Mutton-lane. feems to have been a phrafe of the fame kind as the French expreffion caille coifee, and might be rendered in that language, mouton en corfet. This appellation appears to have been as old as the time of King Henry III. « Item fequitur gravis pœna corporalis, fed fine amiffione vitæ vel membrorum, fi raptus fit de concubinâ legitima, vel alia quæfium faciente, fine delectu perfonarum has quidem oves debet rex tueri pro pace fuâ. ' Biadton de legibus, lib. ii MALONE. : 5 Nay, in that you are aftray;) For the reafon Proteus gives, SPEED. Nay, fir, lefs than a pound fhall ferve me for carrying your letter. PRO. You miflake; I mean the pound, a pinfold. SPEED. From a pound to a pin? fold it over and over, 'Tis threefold too little for carrying a letter to your lover. PRO. But what faid fhe? did fhe nod. " SPEED. I. (SPEED nods. PRO. Nod, I? why, that's noddy." SPEED. You mistook, fir; I fay, fhe did nod: and you ask me, if fhe did nod; and I fay, I. PRO. And that fet together, is noddy. Dr. Thirlby advises that we fhould read, a fray. i. e. a stray sheep; which continues Proteus's banter upon Speed. THEOBALD. From the word aftray here, and loft mutton above, it is obvious that the double reference was to the first fentence of the General Confeffion in the prayer-book. HENLEY. 6 did fhe nod.) These words were fupplied by Theobald, to introduce what follows. STEEVENS. In Speed's anfwer the old fpelling of the affirmative particle has been retained; otherwife the conceit of Proteus (fuch as it is, would be unintelligible. MALONE. 7 --- why, that's noddy) Noddy was a game at cards So, in The Inner Temple Mafk, by Middleton, 1619: "I leave them wholly (fays Christmas) to my eldeft fon Noddy, whom', during his minority, I commit to the custody of a pair of knaves, and one and thirty." Again, in Quarles's Virgin Widow, 1649: "Let her forbear chefs and noddy, as games too ferious." STEEVENS. This play upon fyllables is hardly worth explaining. The fpeakers intend to fix the name of noddy, that is, fool, on each other. So, in The Second part, of Pafquil's Mad Cappe, 1600, fig. E. "If fuch a Noddy be not thought a fool." Again, E 1. "If fuch an affe be noddied for the nonce. REED. SPEED. Now you have taken the pains to fet it together, take it for your pains. PRO. No, no, you fhall have it for bearing the letter. SPEED. Well, I perceive, I must be fain to bear with you. PRO. Why, fir, how do you bear with me? SPEED. Marry, fir, the letter very orderly; having nothing but the word, noddy, for my pains. PRO. Befhrew me, but you have a quick wit. SPEED. And yet it cannot overtake your flow purse. PRO. Come, come, open the matter in brief: What faid fhe ? SPEED. Open your purfe, that the money, and the matter, may be both at once deliver'd. PRO. Well, fir, here is for your pains: What faid fhe? SPEED. Truly, fir, I think you'll hardly win her. PRO. Why? Could'ft thou perceive fo much from her? SFEED. Sir, I could perceive nothing at all from her; no, not fo much as a ducat for delivering your letter: And being fo hard to me that brought your mind, I fear, fhe'll prove as hard to you in telling her mind. Give her no token but flones for fhe's as hard as fteel. 8 mind. in telling her mind.) The old copy has in telling your But as this reading is to me unintelligible, I have adopted the emendation of the fecond folio. The old copy is certainly right. STEEVENS. The meaning is, She being Jo hard to me who was the bearer of your mind, I fear she will prove no less fo to you, when you addrefs her in perfon. The oppofition iş between brought and telling. MALONE. VOL. IV. N PRO. What, faid fhe nothing? SPEED. No, not fo much as take this for thy pains. To tellify your bounty, I thank you, you have teftern'd me;" in requital whereof, henceforth carry your letters yourfelf: and fo, fir, I'll commend you to my maller. PRO. Go, go, be gone, to fave your fhip from wreck; 2 Which cannot perish, having thee aboard, Being deftin'd to a drier death on fhore: I must go fend fome better meffenger; 1 fear, my Julia would not deign my lines, Receiving them from fuch a worthless poft. (Exeunt. SCENE II. The fame. Garden of Julia's houfe. Enter JULIA and LUCETTA. JUL., But fay, Lucetta, now we are alone, Would't thou then counfel me to fall in love? Luc. Ay, madam; fo you ftumble not unheedfully. 9 -you have teftern'd me;) You have gratified me with a tefter, tefern, or teften, that is, with a fixpence. JOHNSON. By the fucceeding quo ation from the Fruitful Sermons preached by Hugh Latimer, 1584. fol. 94. it appears that a tefter was of greater value than our fixpence They brought him a denari, was worth ten ofour ufual pence, HOLT WHITE. a piece of their current coyne that Juch another piece as our tefterne." The old reading is ceftern'd. This typographical error was correated by the editor of the second folio. MALONE. 2 Which cannot perish, &c.) The fame proverb has already been alluded to in the first and laft fcenes of The Tempest. REED. 1 JUL. Of all the fair refort of gentlemen, That every day with parle encounter me, In thy opinion, which is worthiest love? Luc. Please you, repeat their names, I'll fhew my mind According to my fhallow fimple skill. JUL. What think'ft thou of the fair Sir Egla mour ? 3 Luc. As of a knight well-fpoken, neat and fine; JUL. What think'ft thou of the rich Mercatio? Luc. Pardon, dear madam; 'tis a paffing fhame, Should cenfure thus on lovely gentlemen. ' 3 What think thou of the fair Sir Eglamour?) This Sir Eglamour must not be confounded with the perfona dramatis of the fame The latter lived at Milan, and had vowed" pure chastity upon the death of his "true love." RITSON. name. 4 he (Sir Eglamour) never fhould be mine.) Perhaps Sir Eglamour was once the common cant term for an infignificant inamorato. So, in Decker's Satiromaflix : « Adieu, fir Eglamour; adieu lute-fting, curtain-rod, goofe quill," &c. Sir Eglamour of Artoys indeed is the hero of an ancient metrical romance, " Imprinted at London, in Fofter-lane, at the fygue of the Hartefhorne, by John Walley," bl. 1. no date. STEEVENS. 5 Should cenfure thus, &c.) To cenfure means, in this place, to pafs fentence. So, in Hinde's Eliefto Libidinofo, 1606 : 66 Eliofto and Cleodora were aftonifhed at fuch a hard cenfure, and went to limbo moft willingly." STEEVENS. To cenfure, in our author's time, generally fignified to give one's judgement or opinion. MALONE. |