"Turnbull-street."-Act III. Sc. 2.

Turnbull or Turnmill-street, is near Cow Cross, West Smithfield: it was infamous on account of the debauched characters, of both sexes, with which it abounded.

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"Philosopher's two stones."-Act III. Sc. 2.

One of which (says Warburton) was an universal medicine, and the other a transmuter of base metals into gold. This interpretation has been ridiculed, and various others offered. We shall content ourselves with giving an extract from a letter on the subject of the Grand Elixir, written by Villiers, duke of Buckingham, to James I. "I confesse, so long as he conseled the meanes he wrought by, I despised all he said: but when he tould me that which he hath given your sovrainship to preserve you from all sickness ever hereafter, was extracted out of a t-d, I admired the fellow, and for theis reasons: that being a stranger to you, yett he hath found out the kind you are come of, and your natural affections and apetis: and so, like a skillful man, hath given you natural fisicke, which is the onlie means to preserve the radical humours; and thus I conclude: My sow is healthfull, my divill's luckie, myself is happie, and needs no more than your blessing, which is ny trew felosopher's stone, upon which I build as upon a rocke. Your majesties most humble slave and doge,— Stime."-STEEVENS.

"Whose white investments figure innocence.”—Act IV. Sc. 1.

Formerly all bishops wore white, even when they travelled; but the white investment here meant must be the episcopal rochet, which should be worn by the theatric archbishop.-GREY and TOLLET.

“Kept by a devil.”—Act IV. Sc. 3.

It was anciently supposed, and is still a vulgar superstition of the east, that mines, containing precious metals, were guarded by evil spirits. So, in Certaine Secrete Wonders of Nature, by Edward Fenton, 1569, "There appeare at this day many strange visions and wicked spirites in the metal mines of the Greate Turke. In the mine at Anneburg was a metal sprite which killed twelve workmen; the same causing the rest to forsake the myne, albeit it was very riche.”—STEEVENS.

"Therefore, thou best of gold, art worst of gold;
Other, less fine in carat, is more precious,

Preserving life in med'cine potable."-Act IV. Sc. 4.

There has long prevailed an opinion, that a solution of gold has great medicinal virtues, and that the incorruptibility of gold might be communicated to the body impregnated with it. Some have pretended to make potable gold, among other frauds practised on credulity.-JOHNSON.

"Laud be to God!—even there my life must end."—Act IV. Sc. 4.

"At length he recovered his speech and understanding, and perceiving himself to be in a strange place, which he knew not, he willed to know if the chamber had any particular name, whereunto answer was made that it was called Jerusalem. Then said the king, Lauds be given to the Father of heaven, for now I know I shall die here in this chamber, according to the prophesie of me declared, that I should depart this life in Jerusalem "-HOLINSHED.

"If I cannot once or twice in a quarter bear out a knave against an honest man, I have very little credit with your lordship."—Act V. Sc. 1.

This is no exaggerated picture of the course of justice in those days. The lord-keeper, Sir Nicholas Bacon, in his speech to both houses of parliament, 1559, says: "Is it not a monstrous disguising, to have a justice a maintainer, acquitting some for gain, enditing others for malice, bearing with him as his servant, overthrowing the other as his enemy?" A member of the house of commons, in 1601, says:-"A justice of peace is a living creature, that for half a dozen of chickens will dispense with half a dozen of penal statutes. If a warrant comes from the lord of the council to levy a hundred men, he will levy two hundred, and what with chopping in and chusing out, he'll gain a hundred pounds by the bargain: nay, he will write the warrant himself, and you must put two shillings in his pocket as his clerk's fee (when God knows he keeps but two or three hindes), for his better maintenance.”—BLAKEWAY.

"With a dish of carraways, and so forth.”—Act V. Sc. 3.

It seems to have been usual to serve up carraway seeds in sugar, as a part of the dessert. The custom is evident from a passage in Cogan's Haven of Health:-"This is a confirmation of our use in England, for the serving of apples and other fruites last after meals. How be it we

are wont to eat carrawies or biskets, or some other kind of comfits or seeds, together with apples, thereby to breake winde engendered by them; and surely it is a very good way for students.”—STEEVENS.

"And welcome merry Shrovetide."-Act V. Sc. 3.

Shrovetide was formerly a season of extraordinary sport and feasting. In the Romish church, there was a feast immediately previous to Lent, which lasted many days. In some cities of France, an officer was annually chosen to preside over the sports for six days before Ash-Wednesday. Some traces of these festivities may still be found in our universities. In the Percy Household Book, 1512, it appears, "That the clergy and officers of Lord Percy's chapel performed a play before his lordship upon Shrowftewesday at night."-T. WARTON.

Fig me like

The bragging Spaniard."-Act V. Sc. 3.

To fig, in Spanish higas dar, is to insult by putting the thumb between the fore and middle finger. This phrase is of Italian origin. When the Milanese revolted against the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, they placed the empress, his wife, upon a mule, with her head towards the tail, and ignominously expelled her their city. Frederick afterwards besieged and took the place, and compelled every one of his prisoners, on pain of death, to take with his teeth a fig from the posteriors of a mule. The party was at the same time obliged to repeat to the executioner the words, "Ecco la fica!" (Behold the fig!) From this circumstance, “far la fica" became a term of derision, and was adopted by other nations. JOHNSON and DOUCE

"Censers."-Act V. Sc. 4.

The sluttery of ancient houses rendered censers or fire-pans, in which coarse perfumes were burnt, most necessary utensils. Lodge tells us, that Lord Paget's house was so small that "after one month it would wax

unsavery for hym to contynue in it." In a letter of the earl of Shrewsbury's, respecting his prisoner, Mary, queen of Scots, we read, "That her majesty was to be removed for fyve or sixe days, to klense her chamber, being kept very unklenly.” And in the Memoirs of Anne, countess of Dorset, we are informed of a party of lords and ladies, who "were al lowsy by sitting in Sir Thomas Erskin's chamber.—STEEVENS.

"To pray for the queen."
."-EPILOGUE.

It was usual, at the end of a play, for the actors to pray for their patrons. We will give an instance or two:

“Preserve our noble Queen Elizabeth, and her councell all.”

New Custom.

"This shows like kneeling after the play; I praying for my lord Owemuch and his good countess, our honourable lady and mistress."

Middleton's Mad World my Masters.

"As duty bids us, for our noble queene let us pray,

And for her honourable councel, the truth that they may use,

To practise justice, and defend her grace eche day;

To maintaine God's word they may not refuse,

To correct all those that would her grace and grace's laws abuse:
Beseching God over us she may reign long,

To be guided by trueth and defended from wrong.
Amen, q. Thomas Preston."

Cambyses.

KING HENRY V.

"Gun-stones."-Act I. Sc. 2.

When ordnance was first used, they discharged balls, not of iron, but of stone. So, Holinshed :-"About seven of the clocke, marched forward the light pieces of ordnance, with stone and powder." In the Brut of England, it is said, that when Henry V., before Hare-flete, receivd a taunting message from the dauphine of France, and a ton of tennis-balls by way of contempt, "he anone lette make tenes balles for the Dolfin (Henry's ship), in all the hayste that they myght, and they were great gonne-stones for the Dolfin to playe with alle. But this game of tennis was too rough for the besieged when Henry played at this tennis with his hard gonnestones.”—Steevens.

"The man that was his bedfellow."-Act II. Sc. 2.

Holinshed says:-"The said Lord Scroop was in such favour with the king, that he admitted him sometime to be his bedfellow." The familiar name of bedfellow, which seems strange to us, was common with the ancient nobility. There is a letter from the sixth earl of Northumber land (still preserved in the collection of the present duke), addressed "To his beloved cousyn, Thomas Arundel," which begins, "Bedfellow, after my most harté recommendacion." This unseemly custom continued common till the middle of last century, if not later. Cromwell obtained much of his intelligence during the civil wars from the mean men with whom he slept.-STEEVENS and MALONE.

"I saw him fumble with the sheets."-Act II. Sc. 3.

Catching and pulling at the bed-clothes has always been considered as a sign of approaching dissolution. Pliny, in his Chapter on the Signs of Death, mentions, "a fumbling and pleiting of the bed-clothes." So, also, in the Ninth Booke of Notable Things, by Thomas Lupton: the foreheade of the sicke wax redde, and his nose waxe sharpe: if he pulls straws, or the cloathes of his bedde, these are most certain tokens of death."-STEEVENS.

"At turning of the tide."-Act II. Sc. 3.

-"If

It has been a very old opinion, which Mead, de imperio solis, quotes, as if he believed it, that nobody dies but in the time of ebb: half the deaths in London confute the notion; but it was common in Shakspeare's age.-JOHNSON.

"A pix."-Act III. Sc. 6.

In Henry VIIIth's will, we read :-" Forasmoch as we have often and many tymes to our inwarde regrete and displeasure, seen at our Jen, in diverse manie churches of our reame, the holie sacrament of the aulter, kept in ful simple and inhonest pixes, specially pixes of copre and tymbre; we have appointed and commaunded the treasurer of our chambre, and maistre of our juell-houss, to cause to be made furthwith, pixes of silver and gilt, in a great nombre, for the keeping of the holie sacrament of the aulter, after the faction of a pixe which we have caused to be delivered to theim. Every of the said pixes to be of the value of iiiil. garnished with our armes, and rede roses and poart-colis crowned."

"A beard of the general's cut."—Act III. Sc. 6.

REED.

It appears from an old ballad, inserted in a miscellany, entitled Le Prince d'Amour, 8vo., 1600, that our ancestors were very curious in the fashion of their beards, and that a certain cut or form was appropriated to the soldier, the bishop, the judge, the clown, &c. The spade-beard and the stiletto-beard belonged to the military profession. The earl of Southampton, our author's patron, who passed much of his time in camps, is drawn with the latter of these beards, and his hapless friend, Lord Essex, is represented with the former. The ballad is worth transcribing:

"The soldier's beard

Doth match in this herd,

In figure like a spade;

With which he will make
His enemies quake,

To think their grave is made."-MALONE.

"The feast of Crispian."-Act IV. Sc. 3.

The battle of Agincourt was fought upon the 25th of October, (1415,) St. Crispin's day. The legend upon which this is founded, follows:"Crispinus and Crispianus were brethren, born at Rome; from whence they travelled to Soissons in France, about the year 303, to propagate the Christian religion; but because they would not be chargeable to others for their maintenance, they exercised the trade of shoemakers; but the governor of the town discovering them to be Christians, ordered them to be beheaded. From which time, the shoemakers made choice of them for their tutelar saints."-GREY.

"This day shall gentle his condition.”—Act IV. Sc. 3.

King Henry V. inhibited any person but such as had right by inheri tance, or grant, to assume coats of arms, except those who fought with him at the battle of Agincourt, and these last were allowed the chief seats of honour at all feasts and public meetings.-TOLLET.

“Thou hast unwish'd five thousand men.”—Act IV. Sc. 3.

The numbers engaged at the battle of Agincourt are variously stated; Holinshed makes the English army consist of 15,000, and the French of 60,000 horse, besides foot, in all 100,000; while Walsingham and Hardinge represent the English but as 9000; and other authors say that the number of the French amounted to 150,000.-STEEVENS.

"Monmouth caps."-Act IV. Sc. 7.

Monmouth caps were formerly much worn. "The best caps (says Fuller, in his Worthies of Wales) were formerly made at Monmouth, where the Capper's chapel doth still remain. If (he adds) at this day, (1660,) the phrase of wearing a Monmouth cap,' be taken in a bad acception, I hope the inhabitants of that town will endeavour to disprove the occasion thereof."-MALONE.

"When Alençon and myself were down together."—Act IV. Sc. 7.

This circumstance is not an invention of Shakspeare's. Henry was felled to the ground at the battle of Agincourt, by the duke of Alençon, but recovered and slew two of the duke's attendants. Afterwards, Alençon was killed by the king's guard, contrary to Henry's intention, who wished to have saved him.-MALONE.

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Davy Gam, esquire.”—Act IV. Sc. 8.

This gentleman being sent by Henry, before the battle, to reconnoitre the enemy, and to find out their strength, made this report: — " May it please you, my liege, there are enough to be killed, enough to be taken prisoners, and enough to run away." He also saved the king's life during the engagement.—MALONE.

"Do we all holy rites."-Act IV. Sc. 8.

“The king, when he saw no appearance of enemies, caused the retreat to be blowen, and gathering his army together, gave thanks to Almighty God for so happy a victory, causing his prelates and chapelines to sing this psalme, In exitu Israel de Egypto; and commaunding every man to kneel downe at this verse,- -Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam; which done, he caused Te Deum and certain anthems to be sung, giving laud and praise to God, and not boasting of his owne force, or any humaine power."-HOLINSHED.