go.-You'll not bear a letter for me, you rogue!-you ftand upon your honour!-Why, thou unconfinable bafenefs, it is as much as I can do, to keep the terms of my honour precife. I, I, I myself fometimes leaving the fear of heaven on the left hand, and hiding mine honour in my neceffity, am fain to fhuffle, to hedge, and to lurch; and yet you, rogue, will enfconce your rags, your cat-a-mountain looks, your I red-lattice phrases, and your bold-beating oaths, under This was a cant name of fome part of the town noted for bawdyhoufes; as appears from the following paffage in Marlton's Scourge for Villainie, lib. iii. fat. 11: 66 Looke, who yon doth go >? "The meager letcher lewd Luxurio.- "Did ever any man ere hear him talke "But of Pick-hatch, or of fome Shoreditch balke, Sir T. H. fays, that this was " a noted harbour for thieves and pickpockets," who certainly were proper companions for a man of Piftol's profeffion. But Falftaff here more immediately means to ridicule another of his friend's vices; and there is fome humour in calling Pistol's favourite brothel, his manor of Pickt-hatch. Mariton has another allufion to Pickt-hatch or Pick-hatch, which confirms this illustration: "Hath forc't them cleane forfake his Pick-hatch drab." Lib. i. fat. 3. WARTON. enfeonce your rags, &c.] Afconce is a petty fortification. To enfonce, therefore, is to protect as with a fort. The word occurs again in K. Hen. IV. Part I. STEEVENS. -red-lattice phrafes,] Your ale-houfe converfation. JOHNSON. Red lattice at the doors and windows, were formerly the external denotements of an ale-house. So, in A Fine Companion, one of Shackerley Marmion's plays:- "A waterman's widow at the fign of the red lattice in Southwark." Again, in Arden of Feverfham, 1592: "his fign pulled down, and his lattice borne away." Again, in the Miseries of inforc'd Marriage, 1607: 'tis treafon to the red lattice, enemy to the fign-poft." Hence the prefent chequers. Perhaps the reader will exprefs foire T 2 furprize, under the shelter of your honour! You will not do it, you? Pift. I do reient; What wouldst thou more of man? Enter Robin. Rob. Sir, here's a woman would speak with you. Fal. Let her approach. Enter Miftrefs Quickly. Quic. Give your worship good-morrow. Quic. Not fo, an't please your worship. Quic. I'll be fworn; as my mother was, the first hour I was born. Fal. I do believe the fwearer: What with me? Quic. Shall I vouchsafe your worship a word or two? Fal. Two thousand, fair woman; and I'll vouchfafe thee the hearing. Quic. There is one miftrefs Ford, fir;-I pray, come a little nearer this ways :- I myself dwell with mafter doctor Caius. Fal. Well, on: Mistress Ford, you fay, Quic. Your worship fays very true: I pray your worship, come a little nearer this ways. Fal. I warrant thee, nobody hears ;-mine own people, mine own people. furprize, when he is told that shops, with the fign of the chequers, were common among the Romans. See a view of the left-hand street of Pompeii, (No. 9) presented by Sir William Hamilton (together with feveral others, equally curious,) to the Antiquary Society. STEEVENS. your bold-BEATING oaths, -] We fhould read, boldBEARING oaths, i. e. out-facing. WARBURTON. A beating oath, is, I think, right; fo we now fay, in low language, a hwacking or finging thing. JOHNSON. We might read bull-baiting. STEEVENS. Quic. Are they fo? Heaven blefs them, and make them his fervants! Fal. Well: mistress Ford;-what of her? Quic. Why, fir, fhe's a good creature. Lord, lord! your worship's a wanton: Well, heaven forgive you, and all of us, I pray! Fal. Miftrefs Ford;-come, miftrefs Ford, Quic. Marry, this is the fhort and the long of it; you have brought her into fuch a canaries, as 'tis wonderful. The best courtier of them all, when the court lay at Windfor, could never have brought her to fuch a canary. Yet there has been knights, and lords, and gentlemen, with their coaches; I warrant you, coach after coach, letter after letter, gift after gift; fmelling fo fweetly, (all mufk) and so rufling, I warrant you, in filk and gold; and in fuch alligant terms; and in fuch wine and fugar of the beft, and the fairest, that would have won any woman's heart; and, I warrant you, they could never get an eye-wink of her. I had myfelf twenty angels given me this morning but I defy all angels, (in any fuch fort as they fay) but in the way of honefty :-and, I warrant you, they could never get her fo much as fip on a cup with the proudeft of them all : and yet there has been earls, nay, which is more, penfioners; but, I warrant you, all is one with her, -- Fal. 3 canaries, ] This is the name of a brifk light dance, and is therefore properly enough used in low language for any hurry or perturbation. JOHNSON. So, Nath, in Pierce Pennylefs bis Supplication, 1595, fays: "A merchant's wife jets it as gingerly, as if the were dancing the canaries:" and our author, in All's well, &c. "Make you dance canary." Again, in Decker's boueft Whore, 1634: "At a place where your health danced the canaries." It is highly probable, however, that canaries is only a mistake of Mrs. Quickly's for quandaries; and yet the Clown, in, As you like it, fays, "we that are true lovers run into strange capers." STEEVENS. 4-earls, nay, which is more, penfioners; -] This may be illuftrated by a paffage in Gervafe Holles's Life of the Firft Earl of T 3 Clare Fal. But what fays the to me? be brief, my good The Mercury. Quic. Marry, the hath receiv'd your letter; for the which the thanks you a thousand times: and the gives you to notify, that her husband will be abfence from his house between ten and eleven. Fal. Ten and eleven. Quic. Ay, forfooth; and then you may come and fee the picture, the fays, that you wot ofs;-mafter Ford, her husband, will be from home. Alas! the fweet woman leads an ill life with him; he's a very jealoufy man; fhe leads a very frampold life with him, good heart. Fal. Clare. Biog. Brit. Art. HOLLES. "I have heard the earl of Clare fay, that when he was penfioner to the queen, he did not know a worse man of the whole band than himself; and that all the world knew he had then an inheritance of 4000 l. a year." TYRWHITT. Barrett, in his Alvearie, or Quadruple Dictionary, 1580, says, that a fenfioner was "a gentleman about his prince alwaie redie, with his fpeare." STEEVENS. -- 66 -you wot of;-] To wot is to know. Obfolete. So in K. Henry VIII. vot you what I found?" STEEVENS. 6 -frampold- -] This word I have never feen elsewhere, except in Dr. Hacket's Life of Archbishop Williams, where a fram pul man fignifies a peevish troublesome fellow. JOHNSON. In The Roaring Girl, a comedy, 1611, I meet with a word, which, though differently fpelt, appears to be the fame. Lax. "Coachman. Coach. "Anon, fir! Lax. "Are we fitted with good phrampell jades?" Ray, among his South and Eaft country words, fays, that fram. pald, or frampard, fignifies fretful, peevish, cross, froward. As froward (he adds) comes from from, so may frampard. Nah, in his Praife of the Red Herring, 1599, fpeaking of Leander, fays: the churlish frampold waves gave him his belly full of fish-broth." So, in The Inner Temple Mafque, by Middleton, 1619:-"'ris fo frampole, the puritans will never yield to it." So, in The Blind Beggar of Bethnal-Green, by John Day: "I think the fellow's frampell," &c. So, in B. and Fletcher's Wit at feveral Weapons: "Is Pompey grown fo malapert, fo frampel?" Fal. Ten and eleven: Woman, commend me to her; I will not fail her. Quic. Why, you fay well: But I have another meffenger to your worship: Miftrefs Page has her hearty commendations to you too ;-and let me tell you in your ear, she's as fartuous a civil modeft wife, and one (I tell you) that will not miss you morning nor evening prayer, as any is in Windfor, whoe'er be the other and the bade me tell your worship, that her husband is feldom from home; but, fhe hopes, there will come a time. I never knew a woman fo dote upon a man; furely, I think you have charms, la; yes, in truth. Fal. Not I, I affure thee; fetting the attraction of my good parts afide, I have no other charms. Quic. Bleffing on your heart for't! Fal. But, I pray thee, tell me this has Ford's wife, and Page's wife, acquainted each other how they love me? 7 Quic. That were a jeft, indeed!--they have not fo little grace, I hope :-that were a trick, indeed! But miftrefs Page would defire you to fend her your little page, of all loves; her husband has a marvellous infection to the little page: and, truly, mafter Page is Again, in Ben Jonfon's Tale of a Tub: I pray thee grow not frampul now." Again, in The Ifle of Gulls, 1633: 7 "Are you fo frampall, you know not your own daughter?" STEEVENS. to fend her your little page, of all loves:- 1 Of all loves, is an adjuration only, and fignifies no more, than if she had faid, defires to fend him by all means. you 1595 66 - It is ufed in Decker's Honeft Whore, Part I. 1635:-"conjur ing his wife, of all loves, to prepare cheer fitting," &c. Again, in the old tranflation of Plautus's Menachmi, Defire him, of all love, to come over quickly." Again, in Acolaftus, a comedy, 1529: "I pray thee, for all loves, be thou my mynde fens I amn thyne." Again, in Holinfhed's Chronicle, p. 1064: "Mrs. Arden defired him of all loves, to come backe againe." STEEVENS. |