To see the making of her carkanet,3 And that to-morrow you will bring it home. Thou drunkard, thou, what didst thou mean by this? Dro. E. Say what you will, sir, but I know what I know: That you beat me at the mart, I have your hand to show: If the skin were parchment, and the blows you gave were ink, Your own handwriting would tell you what I think. Dro. E. Marry, so it doth appear By the wrongs I suffer, and the blows I bear.4 3 carkanet,] Seems to have been a necklace, or rather chain, perhaps hanging down double from the neck. So, Lovelace, in his poem: "The empress spreads her carcanets." Johnson. Quarquan, ornement d'or qu'on mit au col des damoiselles." Le grand Dict. de Nicot. A carkanet seems to have been a necklace set with stones, or strung with pearls. Thus, in Partheneia Sacra, &c 1633: "Seeke not vermillion or ceruse in the face, bracelets of oriental pearls on the wrist, rubie carkanets on the neck, and a most exquisite fan of feathers in the band." Again, in Histriomastix, or the Player whipt, 1610: Nay, I'll be matchless for a carcanet, "Whose pearls and diamonds plac'd with ruby rocks Again, in Sir W. D'Avenant's comedy of The Wits, 1636: 66 "Threading a carkanet of pure round pearl وو Again, in The Changes, or Love in a Maze, 1632: the drops "Shew like a carkanet of pearl upon it." In the play of Soliman and Perseda, 1599, the word carcănet occurs eight or nine times. 4 Marry, so it doth appear Steevens. By the wrongs I suffer, and the blows I bear.] Thus all the printed copies, but, certainly, this is cross-purposes in reasoning. It appears, Dromio is an ass by his making no resistance; because an ass, being kicked, kicks again. Our author never argues at this wild rate, where his text is genuine. Theobald I should kick, being kick'd; and, being at that pass, You would keep from my heels, and beware of an ass. Ant. E. You are sad, signior Balthazar: 'Pray God, our cheer May answer my good will, and your good welcome here. Bal. I hold your dainties cheap, sir, and your wel come dear. Ant. E. O, signior Balthazar, either at flesh or fish, A table full of welcome makes scarce one dainty dish. Bal. Good meat, sir, is common; that every churl affords. Ant. E. And welcome more common; for that 's nothing but words. Bal. Small cheer, and great welcome, makes a merry feast. Ant. E. Ay, to a niggardly host, and more sparing guest: But though my cates be mean, take them in good part; Better cheer may you have, but not with better heart. But, soft; my door is lock'd; Go bid them let us in. Dro. E. Maud, Bridget, Marian, Cicely, Gillian, Jen'! Dro. S. [within] Mome,5 malt-horse, capon, coxcomb, idiot, patcl. !6 Either get thee from the door, or sit down at the hatch; Mr. Theobald, instead of doth, reads-don't. Malone. I do not think this emendation necessary. He first says, that his wrongs and blows prove him an ass; but immediately, with a correction of his former sentiment, such as may be hourly observed in conversation, he observes that, if he had been an ass, he should, when he was kicked, have kicked again. Johnson. 5 Mome,] A dull stupid blockhead, a stock, a post. This owes its original to the French word Momon, which signifies the gaming at dice in masquerade, the custom and rule of which is, that a strict silence is to be observed: whatever sum one stakes, another covers, but not a word is to be spoken. From hence also comes our word mum! for silence. Hawkins. So, in Heywood's Rape of Lucrece, 1630: 6 Important are th' affairs we have in hand; "Hence with that Mome!” Brutus, forbear the presence." Steevens. ·patch!] i. e. fool. Alluding to the parti-coloured coats worn by the licensed fools or jesters of the age. So, in Macbeth: what soldiers, patch?" 66 See notes on A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act III, sc. ii, and The Merchant of Venice, Act I, sc. i. Steevens. Dost thou conjure for wenches, that thou call'st for such store, When one is one too many? Go, get thee from the door. Dro. E. What patch is made our porter? My master stays in the street. Dro. S. Let him walk from whence he came, lest he catch cold on 's feet. Ant. E. Who talks within there? ho, open the door. Dro. S. Right, sir, I'll tell you when, an you 'll tell me wherefore. Ant. E. Wherefore? for my dinner; I have not din'd to-day. Dro. S. Nor to-day here you must not; come again, when you may. Ant. E. What art thou, that keep'st me out from the house I owe?7 Dro. S. The porter for this time, sir, and my name is Dromio. Dro. E. O villain, thou hast stolen both mine office and my name; The one ne'er got me credit, the other mickle blame. If thou had'st been Dromio to-day in my place, Thou would'st have chang'd thy face for a name, or thy name for an ass. Luce. [within] What a coil is there! Dromio, who are those at the gate? Dro. E. Let my master in, Luce. Luce. And so tell your master. Faith he comes too late; Dro. E. O Lord, I must laugh:Have at you with a proverb.-Shall I set in my staff? Luce. Have at you with another: that 's,-When? can you tell? Dro. S. If thy name be called Luce, Luce, thou hast answer'd him well. Ant. E. Do you hear, you minion? you 'll let us in, I hope ?8 I owe?] i. e. I own, am owner of. So, in The Four Pren tices of London, 1615: 8 "Who owes that shield? "I:-and who owes that?" Steevens. -I hope?] A line either preceding or following this has, I believe, been lost. Mr. Theobald and the subsequent editors Luce. I thought to have ask'd you. Dro. S. And you said, no. Dro. E. So, come, help; well struck; there was blow for blow. Ant. E. Thou baggage, let me in. Can you tell for whose sake? Let him knock till it ake. Luce. down. Luce. What needs all that, and a pair of stocks in the town? Adr. [within] Who is that at the door, that keeps all this noise? Dro. S. By my troth, your town is troubled with unruly boys. Ant. E. Are you there, wife? you might have come before. Adr. Your wife, sir knave! go, get you from the door. Dro. E. If you went in pain, master, this knave would go sore. Ang. Here is neither cheer, sir, nor welcome; we would fain have either. Bal. In debating which was best, we shall part with neither.9 Dro. E. They stand at the door, master; bid them welcome hither. read-I trow; but that word, and hope, were not likely to be confounded by either the eye or the ear. Malone. The text, I believe, is right, and means-I expect you'll let us in. To hope, in ancient language, has sometimes this signification. So, in Antony and Cleopatra: 66 I cannot hope "Cæsar and Antony shall well greet together." Again, in Chaucer's Reve's Tale, v. 4027: "Our manciple I hope he wol be ded." Steevens. 9 — we shall part with neither.] In our old language, to part signified to have part. See Chaucer, Canterbury Tales, ver. 9504: "That no wight with his blisse parten shall." The French use partir in the same sense. Tyrwhitt. Tyrwhitt mistakes the sense of this passage. To part does not signify to share or divide, but to depart or go away; and Balthazar means to say, that whilst debating which is best, they should go away without either. M. Mason. Ant. E. There is something in the wind, that we can. not get in. Dro. E. You would say so, master, if your garments were thin. Your cake here is warm within; you stand here in the cold: It would make a man mad as a buck, to be so bought and sold.1 Ant. E. Go, fetch me something, I'll break ope the gate. Dro. S. Break any breaking here, and I'll break your knave's pate. Dro. E. A man may break a word with you, sir; and words are but wind; Ay, and break it in your face, so he break it not behind. Dro. S. It seems, thou wantest breaking; Out upon thee, hind! Dro. E. Here's too much, out upon thee! I pray thee, let me in. Dro. S. Ay, when fowls have no feathers, and fish have no fin. Ant. E. Well, I'll break in; Go, borrow me a crow. Dro. E. A crow without a feather; master, mean you so? For a fish without a fin, there's a fowl without a feather: Herein you war against your reputation, 1-- bought and sold.] This is a proverbial phrase. "To be bought and sold in a company." See Ray's Collection, p. 179, edit. 1737. Steevens. 2 — we'll pluck a crow together.] We find the same quibble on a like occasion in one of the comedies of Plautus. The children of distinction among the Greeks and Romans had usually birds of different kinds given them for their amusement. This custom Tyndarus, in The Captives, mentions, and says, that for his part he had tantum upupam." Upupa signifies both a lapwing and a mattock, or some instrument of the same kind, employed to dig stones from the quarries. Steevens. |