صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

an honest man, Never a wife in Windfor leads a better life than fhe does; do what the will, fay what she will, take all, pay all, go to bed when she lift, rise when the lift, all is as the will; and, truly, the deferves it; for if there be a kind woman in Windfor, The is one. You must fend her your page; no remedy.

Fal. Why, I will.

Quic. Nay, but do fo then: and, look you, he may come and go between you both; and, in any case, have a nay-word, that you may know one another's mind, and the boy never need to understand any thing; for 'tis not good that children fhould know any wickedness: old folks, you know, have difcretion, as they fay, and know the world.

Fal. Fare thee well: commend me to them both: there's my purfe; I am yet thy debtor.-Boy, go along with this woman.-This news diftracts me! [Exeunt Quickly and Robin.

Pift. This pink is one of Cupid's carriers :Clap on more fails; purfuc; up with your fights; Give fire; fhe is my prize, or ocean whelm them all! [Exit Piftol. Fal.

·A nay-word,] i. e. a watch-word. So in a subse-We have a nay-word to know one another, &c."

quent fcene:

• In former editions,

This PUNK is one of Cupid's carriers?

STEEVENS.

Clap on more fails; pursue; up with your fights;

Give fire; he is my prize,] This punk is one of Cupid's carriers, is a plaufible reading, yet abfurd on examination. For are not all punks Cupids carriers? Shakespeare certainly

wrote:

This PINK is one of Cupid's carriers:

And then the fenfe is proper, and the metaphor, which is all the way taken from the marine, entire. A pink is a veffel of the small craft, employed as a carrier (and fo called) for merchants. Fletcher afes the word in his Tamer Tamed:

Fal. Say'ft thou fo, old Jack? go thy ways; I'll make more of thy old body than I have done. Will they yet look after thee? Wilt thou, after the expence of fo much money, be now a gainer? Good body, I thank thee: Let them fay, 'tis grofsly done, fo it be fairly done, no matter.

"This PINK, this painted foift, this cockle-boat,

"To hang her fights out, and defy me, friends!
"A well known man of war.".

As to the word fights, both in the text and in the quotation, it was then, and, for ought I know, may be now, a common fea-term. Sir Richard Hawkins, in his voyages, p. 66, fays: "For once we cleared her deck, and had we been able to have spared but a dozen men, doubtlefs we had done with her what we would; for fhe had no clofe FIGHTS," i. e. if I understand it right, no small So that by fights is meant any manner of defence, either fmall arms or cannon. So, Dryden, in his tragedy of Amboyna: "Up with your FIGHTS,

arms.

"And your nettings prepare, &c."

But, not confidering this, I led the Oxford editor into a filly conjecture, which he has done me the honour of putting into bis text, which is indeed a proper place for it:

"Up with YOND FRIGAT." WARBURTON.

So, in The Ladies Privilege, 1640: "Thefe gentlemen know better to cut a caper than a cable, or board a pink in the Bordells, than a pinnace at fea." A fmall falmon is called a falmon-pink.

STEEVENS.

The quotation from Dryden might at least have raised a fufpicion that fights were neither mall arms, nor cannon. Fights and nettings are properly joined. Fights, I find, are cloaths hung round the fhip to conceal the men from the enemy, and clofe-fights are bulk-heads, or any other shelter that the fabrick of a fhip affords. JOHNSON.

So, in Heywood and Rowley's comedy, called Fortune by Land and Sea: "difplay'd their enfigns, up with all their feights, their matches in their cocks," &c. So, in the Chriftian turned Turk, 1612: "Lace the netting, and let down the fights, make ready the fhot, &c." Again, in the Fair Maid of the Weft, 1615: "Then now up with your fights, and let your enfigns, "Bleft with St. George's crofs, play with the winds.” Again, in B. and Fletcher's Valentinian:

[ocr errors]

while I were able to endure a tempeft, "And bear my fights out bravely, till my tackle "Whistled i' th' wind".

Enter

Enter Bardolph.

Bard. Sir John, there's one mafter Brook below would fain fpeak with you, and be acquainted with you; and hath fent your worship a morning's draught of fack.

Fal. Brook, is his name?

Bard. Ay, fir.

Fal. Call him in; [Exit Bardolph.] Such Brooks are welcome to me, that o'erflow fuch liquor. Ah! ha! mistress Ford and mistress Page, have I encompafs'd you? 'go to; via!

Re-enter Bardolph, with Ford disguis'd.

Ford. Blefs you, fir.

Fal. And you, fir: Would you speak with me? Ford. I make bold, to prefs with fo little prepara

tion upon you.

Fal. You're welcome; What's your will? Give us leave, drawer. [Exit Bardolph. Ford. Sir, I am a gentleman that have spent much; my name is Brook.

Fal. Good mafter Brook, I defire more acquaintance of you.

2 not to

Ford. Good fir John, I fue for yours: charge you; for I must let you understand, I think myfelf in better plight for a lender than you are: the

go to; via!] This cant phrase of exultation is common in the old plays. So, in Blurt Mafter Conftable:

"Via for fate! Fortune, lo! this is all." STEEVENS. Markham ufes this word as one of the vocal helps neceffary for reviving a horfe's fpirits in galloping large rings, when he grows flothful. Hence this cant phrafe (perhaps from the Italian, via) may be used on other occafions to quicken or pluck up courage.

2

TOLLET.

·not to charge you; -] That is, not with a purpose of putting you to expence, or being burthenfome. JOHNSON,

which hath fomething embolden'd me to this unfeafon'd intrufion; for they fay, if money go before, all ways do lie open.

Fal. Money is a good foldier, fir, and will on.

: Ford. Troth, and I have a bag of money here troubles me if you will help me to bear it, fir John, take all, or half, for eafing me of the carriage.

Fal. Sir, I know not how I may deferve to be your porter.

Ford. I will tell you, fir, if you will give me the hearing.

Fal. Speak, good mafter Brook; I fhall be glad to be your fervant.

Ford. Sir, I hear you are a scholar,-I will be brief with you;-and you have been a man long known to me, though I had never fo good means, as defire, to make mytelf acquainted with you. I fhall difcover a thing to you, wherein I muft very much lay open mine own imperfection: but, good fir John, as you have one eye upon my follies, as you hear them unfolded, turn another into the regifter of your own; that I may pafs with a reproof the cafier, fith you yourself know, how eafy it is to be fuch an offender. Fal. Very well, fir; proceed.

Ford. There is a gentlewoman in this town, her husband's name is Ford.

Fal. Well, fir.

Ford. I have long lov'd her, and, I proteft to you, bestow'd much on her; follow'd her with a doting obfervance; engrofs'd opportunities to meet her; fee'd every flight occafion, that could but niggardly give me fight of her; not only bought many prefents to give her, but have given largely to many, to know what fhe would have given: briefly, I have purfued her, as love hath pursued me; which hath been, on the wing of all occafions. But whatfoever I have

3 -fith] i. e. Since. STEEVENS.

merited,

merited, either in my mind, or in my means, meed, I am fure, I have received none; unlefs experience be a jewel; that I have purchas'd at an infinite rate; and that hath taught me to fay this:

Love like a fhadow flies, when fubftance love purfues; Purfuing that that flies, and flying what pursues. Fal. Have you receiv'd no promife of fatisfaction

at her hands?

Ford. Never.

Fal. Have you importun'd her to such a purpose? Ford. Never.

Fal. Of what quality was your love then?

Ford. Like a fair house, built upon another man's ground; fo that I have loft my edifice, by mistaking the place where I erected it.

Fal. To what purpose have you unfolded this to me?

Ford. When I have told you that, I have told you all. Some fay, that, though fhe appear honeft to me, yet, in other places, the enlargeth her mirth fo far, that there is fhrewd conftruction made of her. Now, fir John, here is the heart of my purpose: You are a gentleman of excellent breeding, admirable difcourse, of great admittance, authentic in your place and perfon, generally allow'd for your many war-like, court-like, and learned preparations.

Fal. O fir!

Ford. Believe it, for you know it :-There is money; fpend it, spend it; fpend more; fpend all I have; only give me fo much of your time in exchange of it,

meed, i. e. reward. So Spenfer:

"A rofy garland was the victor's meed." STEEVENS. great admittance,-] i. e. admitted into all, or the greatest companies. STEEVENS.

6

[merged small][ocr errors]

generally allowed] Allowed is approved. So in

if your sweet sway

Allow obedience, &c." STEEVENS.

as

« السابقةمتابعة »