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I believe it rather means-She may make the best of a bad bargain.

So, in Woman's a Weathercock, 1612: “I shall stay here and have my head broke, and then I have the mends in my own hands."

Again, in S. Gosson's School of Abuse, 1579: -turne him with his back full of stripes, and his hands loden with his own amendes."

Again, in the Wild Goose Chace, by Beaumont and Fletcher:

"The mends are in mine own hands, or the Surgeon's." STEEVENS.

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Is, as a virtue, fix'd,] Hector's patience was as a virtue, not variable and accidental, but fixed and constant. JOHNSON.

131. Before the sun rose, he was harness'd light,] It appears, from different passages in this play, that Hector fights on horseback; and it should be remembered, that Shakspere was indebted for most of his materials to a book which enumerates Esdras and

Pythagoras among the bastard children of king Priamus. Shakspere might have been led into his mistake by the manner in which Chapman has translated several parts of the Iliad, where the heroes mount their chariots, or descend from them. Thus, B. VI. speaking of Glaucus and Diomed:

66

-From horse then both descend."

STEEVENS.

140.

Cresseide:

-per se,] So in Chaucer's Testament of

"Of faire Cresseide the floure and a per se

"Of Troie and Greece."

Again, in the old comedy of Wily Beguiled:

"In faith, my sweet honeycomb, I'll love thee a per se."

Again, in Blurt Master Constable, 1602:

"That is the a per se of all, the creame of all."

STEEVENS.

147. that his valour is crushed into folly,-] To be crushed into folly, is to be confused and mingled with folly, so as that they make one mass together. JOHNSON. 152. against the hair :-] is a phrase equivalent to another now in use-against the grain. The French say à contre-poil.

168. Good morrow, cousin Cressid: What do you talk of? -Good morrow, Alexander.-How do you, cousin?-] Good morrow, Alexander, is added in all the editions, says Mr. Pope, very absurdly, Paris not being on the stage. Wonderful acuteness! But, with submission, this gentleman's note is much more absurd; for it falls out very unluckily for his remark, that though Paris is, for the generality, in Homer called Alexander; yet, in this play, by any one of the characters introduced, he is called nothing but Paris. The truth of the fact is this: Pandarus is of a busy, impertinent, insinuating character: and it is natural for him, so soon as he has given his cousin the good

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morrow, to pay his civilities too to her attendant. This is purely is, as the grammarians call it; and gives us an admirable touch of Pandarus's character. And why might not Alexander be the name of Cres'sida's man? Paris had no patent, I suppose, for engrossing it to himself. But the late editor, perhaps, because we have had Alexander the Great, Pope Alexander, and Alexander Pope, would not have so eminent a name prostituted to a common varlet.

170.

235.

THEOBALD.

-Ilium?] Was the palace of Troy.

JOHNSON.

-a merry Greek- -] Gracari, among the Romans, signified to play the reveller. STEEVENS. -compass'd window,-] The compass'd winJOHNSON.

237.

dow is the same as the bow-window.

243. -so old a lifter?] The word lifter is used for a thief by Green, in his Art of Coney-catching, printed 1591; on this the humour of the passage may be supposed to turn. We still call a person who plunders shops, a shop-lifter. Jonson uses the expression in Cynthia's Revels:

"One other peculiar virtue you possess is, lifting."

Again, in the Roaring Girl, 1611:

"cheaters, lifters, nips, foists, puggards,

courbers."

Again, in Holland's Leaguer, 1633:

"Broker or pandar, cheater or lifter.”

STEEVENS.

Hliftus,

Hliftus, in the Gothic language, signifies a thief. See Archæolog. Vol. V. p. 311.

BLACKSTONE.

-]

317. That's Antenor; he has a shrewd wit,

"Anthenor was

"Copious in words, and one that much time spent "To jest, when he was in companie,

"So driely, that no inan could it espie; "And therewith held his countenaunce so well, "That every man received great content "To heare him speake, and pretty jests to tell, "When he was pleasant and in merriment : "For tho' that he most commonly was sad, "Yet in his speech some jest he always had." Lidgate, p. 105.

325. Cre. Will he give you the nod? Pan. You shall see.

STEEVENS.

Cre. If he do, the rich shall have more. e.] The allusion is to the word noddy, which, as now, did in our author's time, and long before, signify a silly fellow, and may, by its etymology, signify likewise full of nods. Cressid means, that a noddy shall have more nods. Of such remarks as these is a comment to consist? JOHNSON. To give the nod, was, I believe, a term in the game at cards called Noddy. This game is perpetually alluded to in the old comedies.

STEEVENS. 363. his helm more hack'd than Hector's;-] So in Chaucer's Troilus and Cresseide, B. III. 640:

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"His helme to hewin was in twenty places," &c.

369.

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STEEVENS

-an eye to boot.] So the quarto. The folio, with less force, Give money to boot. JOHNSON. 388.no date in the pye,- -] To account for the introduction of this quibble, it should be remembered, that dates were an ingredient in ancient pastry of almost every kind. So, in Romeo and Juliet:

"They call for dates and quinces in the pastry." Again, in All's Well that Ends Well, act i.

"your date is better in your pye and porridge than in your cheek.” STEEVENS.

46.there he unarms him.] These necessary words are added from the quarto edition. POPE. 419. joy's soul lies in the doing:] So read both the old editions, for which the later editions have poo ly given:

-the soul's joy lies in doing.

It is the reading of the second folio.

JOHNSON.

REMARKS.

JOHNSON.

420. That she] Means, that woman.

426. Then though] The quarto reads then ;

JOHNSON. -my heart's content- -] Content, for caWARBURTON.

the folio improperly, that.

pacity.

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-broad- -] So the quarto; the folio

JOHNSON.

Thy latest words.] Nestor applies the

words to another instance.

JOHNSON.

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