NYм. He was gotten in drink: Is not the humour conceited? His mind is not heroick, and there's the humour of it." FAL. I am glad, I am fo acquit of this tinderbox; his thefts were too open: his filching was like an unskilful finger, he kept not time. NYM. The good humour is, to steal at a minute's reft.9 The Hungarians, when infidels, over-ran Germany and France, and would have invaded England, if they could have come to it. See Stowe, in the year 930, and Holinfhed's invafions of Ireland, p. 56. Hence their name might become a proverb of baseness. Stowe's Chronicle, in the year 1492, and Leland's Collectanea, Vol. I. p. 610, fpell it Hongarian (which might be misprinted Gongarian,) and this is right according to their own etymology. Hongyars, i. e. domus fuæ ftrenui defenfores. TOLLET. The word is Gongarian in the first edition, and fhould be continued, the better to fix the allufion. FARMER. 8 --humour of it.] This fpeech is partly taken from the corrected copy, and partly from the flight sketch in 1692. I mention it, that those who do not find it in either of the common old editions, may not fufpe& it to be fpurious. STEEVENS. 9 --at a minute's reft.] Our author probably wrote: This conje&ure feems confirmed by a passage in Romeo and Juliet: "refts his minim," &c. It may, however, mean, that, like a fkilful harquebuzier, he takes a good aim, though he has refted his piece for a minute only. So, in Daniel's Civil Wars, &c. B. VI: "To fet up's reft to venture now for all." STEEVENS. A minim was anciently, as the term imports, the shorteft note in mufick. Its meafure was afterwards, as it is now, as long as while two may be moderately counted. In Romeo and Juliet, A&t II. fc. iv. Mercutio fays of Tibalt, that in fighting herefts his minim, one, two, and the third in your bosom." A minute contains fixty feconds, and is a long time for an action supposed to be inftantaneous. Nym means to say, that the perfection of ftealing is to do it in the fhortest time poffible. SIR J. HAWKINS. 'Tis true (fays Nym) Bardolph did not keep time; did not fieal at the critical and exact feafon, when he would probably be leaft obferved. The true method is, to steal juft at the inftant when watchfulness is off its guard, and repofes but for a moment. PIST. Convey, the wife it call: 2 Steal! foh; a fico for the phrafe! * 2 FAL. Well, firs, I am almoft out at heels. FAL. There is no remedy; I must concy-catch; I muft fhift. PIST. Young ravens must have food.3 FAL. Which of you know Ford of this town? PIST. I ken the wight; he is of substance good. FAL. My honeft lads, I will tell you what I am about. PIST. Two yards, and more. FAL. No quips now, Piftol; Indeed I am in the waist two yards about: but I am now about no wafte; * I am about thrift. Briefly, I do mean to 4 The reading propofed by Mr. Langton certainly corresponds more exacly with the preceding speech; but Shakspeare scarcely ever purfues his metaphors far. MALONE. 9 Convey, the wife it call:] So, in the old morality of Hycka Sconer, bl. 1. no date: 2 Syr, the horefons could not convaye clene; For an they could have carried by craft as I can," &c. STEEVENS. a fico for the phrafe!] i. e. a fig for it. Pistol ufes the fame phrafeology in King Henry V: Die and be damu'd; and fico for thy friendship." STEEVENS. 3 Young ravens must have food.] An adage. See Ray's Proverbs. STEEVENS. -about no wafte;] I find the fame play on words in Heywood's Epigrams, 1562: 4 "Where am I least, husband? quoth he, in the waist: "Which cometh of this, thou art vengeance trait lac'd. "Where am I bigget, wife? in the wafte, quoth fhe, For all is wale in you, as far as I fee." And again, in The Wedding, a comedy, by Shirley, 1629: "He's a great man indeed; Something given to the waft, for he lives within no reasonable compass." STEEVENS. make love to Ford's wife; I spy entertainment in her; fhe difcourfes, the carves, 'fhe gives the leer of invitation: I can conflrue the action of her familiar ftyle; and the hardest voice of her behaviour, to be English'd rightly, is, I am fir John Falstaff's. PIST. He hath study'd her well, and tranflated her well; out of honefty into English. 6 7 NYм. The anchor is deep: Will that humour pafs? 5 -fhe carves,] It fhould be remembered, that anciently the young of both fexes were inftructed in carving, as a neceflary accomplishment. In 1508, Wynkyn de Worde publifhed "A Boke of Kerving." So, in Love's Labour's Loft, Biron fays of Boyet, the French courtier: "He can carve too, and lifp." STEEVENS. 6 ftudy'd her well, and tranflated her well;] Thus the first quarto. The folio, 1623, reads ftudied her will, and tranflated her will." Mr. Malone obferves, that there is a fimilar corruption in the folio copy of King Lear. In the quarto, 1608, fignat. B, we find-"fince what I well intend;" instead of which the folio exhibits fince what I will intend," &c. Tranflation is not used in its common acceptation, but means to explain, as one language is explained by another. So, in Hamlet: -thefe profound heaves "You must tranflate; 'tis fit we understand them." Again, in Troilus and Creffida: Did in great Ilion thus tranflate him to me." STEEVENS. 7 The anchor is deep:] I fee uot what relation the anchor has to tranflation. Perhaps we may read the author is deep; or perhaps the line is out of its place, and should be inferted lower, after Falftaff has faid. "Sail like my pinnace to thofe golden fhores." It may be obferved, that in the hands of that time anchor and au thor could hardly be diftinguifhed. JOHNSON. "The anchor is deep," may mean-his hopes are well founded. So, in The Knight of the Burning Pestle, by Beaumont and Fletcher: Now my latest hope. "Forfake me not, but fling thy anchor out, "And let it hold!" Again, as Mr. M. Mafon obferves, in Fletcher's Woman-Hater: "Farewell, my hopes; my anchor now is broken." In the year 1558 a ballad, intitled "Hold the ancer faft," is entered on the books of the Stationers' Company. STEEVENS. FAL. Now, the report goes, fhe has all the rule of her husband's purse; fhe hath legions of angels." PIST. As many devils entertain; and, To her, boy, fay I. NYм. The humour rifes; it is good: humour me the angels. FAL. I have writ me here a letter to her and here another to Page's wife; who even now gavę me good eyes too, examin'd my parts with most judicious eyliads: " fometimes the beam of her view gilded my foot, fometimes my portly belly. Dr. Johnfon very acutely propofes "the author is deep." He reads with the first copy, he hath ftudied her well."-And from this equivocal word, Nym catches the idea of deepness. But it is almoft impoffible to afcertain the didion of this whimfical character: and I meet with a phrafe in Fenner's Comptor's Commonwealth, 1617, which may perhaps fupport the old reading: "Mafter Decker's Bellman of London, hath fet forth the vices of the time fo lively, that it is impoffible the anchor of any other man's braine could found the fea of a more deepe and dreadful mischeefe." FARMER. Nym, I believe, only means to say, the scheme for debauching Ford's wife is deep; -well laid. MALONE. ገ fhe hath legions of angels.] Thus the old quarto. The folio reads he hath a legend of angels." STEEVENS. 8 As many devils entertain;] i. e. do you retain in your fervice as many devils as he has angels. So, in The Two Gentlemen of Verona: "Sweet lady, entertain him for your fervant." This is the reading of the folio. MALONE. The old quarto reads: "As many devils attend her!" &c. STEEVENS. 9 cyliads: ] This word is differently fpelt in all the copies. It occurs again, in King Lear, A& IV. fc. v: "She gave ftrange ailiads, and most speaking looks, I fuppofe we should write oëillades, French. STEEVENS. 2 -fometimes the beam of her view gilded my foot, Sometimes my portly belly.] So, in our author's 20th Sonnet: An eye more bright than their's, lefs false in rolling, PIST. Then did the fun on dung-hill fhine.' FAL. O, fhe did fo course o'er my exteriors with fuch a greedy intention,' that the appetite of her eye did seem to fcorch me up like a burning-glass ! Here's another letter to her: fhe bears the purfe too; fhe is a region in Guiana, all gold and bounty, I will be cheater to them both, and they fhall be exchequers to me; they fhall be my Eaft and Weft Indies, and I will trade to them both. 6 7 Go, 3 Then did the fun on dung-hill fhine.] So, in Lyly's Euphues, 1581: "The sun shineth upon the dunghill." HOLT White. -that humour.] What diftinguishes the language of Nym from that of the other attendants on Falstaff, is the conftant repetition of this phrafe. In the time of Shakspeare fuch an affectation feems to have been fufficient to mark a character. In Sir Giles Goofecap, a play of which I have no earlier edition than that of 1606, the fame peculiarity is mentioned in the hero of the piece: his only reafon for every thing is, that we are all mortal; then hath he another pretty phrase too, and that is, he will tickle the vanity of every thing." STEEVENS. 5 -intention,] i. c. eagerness of defire. STEEVENS. 6 —She is a region in Guiana, all gold and bounty.] If the tradition be true (as I doubt not but it is) of this play being wrote at queen Elizabeth's command, this paffage, perhaps, may furnish a probable conje&ure that it could not appear till after the year 1598. The mention of Guiana, then fo lately difcovered to the English, was a very happy compliment to fir Walter Raleigh, who did not begin his expedition for South America till 1595, and returned from it in 1596, with an advantageous account of the great wealth of Guiana. Such an addrefs of the poet was likely, I imagine, to have a proper impreffion on the people, when the intelligence of fuch a golden country was fresh in their minds, and gave them expectations of immenfe gain. THEOBALD. 7 I will be cheater to them both, and they fhall be exchequers to me;] The fame joke is intended here, as in The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, A II. "I will bar no honeft man my houfe, nor no cheater.". By which is meant Efcheatour, an officer in the Exchequer, in no good repute with the common people. WARBURTON. |