Slen. In the county of Gloucester, justice of peace, and Coram. Shal. Ay, cousin Slender, and + Custalorum. Slen. Ay, and Ratolorum too; and a gentleman born, mafter parson; who writes himself Armigero; in any bill, warrant, quittance, or obligation, Armigero. Shal. Ay, that I do; and have done any time these three hundred years. Slen. All his fuccessors, gone before him, have don't; and all his ancestors, that come after him, may: they may give the dozen white luces in their coat. Shal. It is an old coat. Eva. The dozen white louses do become an old coat well; it agrees well, passant: it is a familiar beaft to man, and signifies-love. Shal. 5 The luce is the fresh fish; the falt fish is an old coat. Slen. our author finished in a fortnight. But this must be meant only of the first imperfect sketch of this comedy; an old quarto edition which I have seen, printed in 1602; which says in the title-page-As it hath been divers times acted both before her majesty, and elsewhere. Pope. THEOBALD. 3-a Star-chamber matter of it.] Ben Jonson intimates, that the Star-chamber had a right to take cognizance of fuch matters. See The Magnetick Lady, Act 3. Sc. 4. "There is a court above, of the Star-chamber, • Custalorum.] This is, I suppose, intended for a corruption of Cuftos Rotulorum. The mistake was hardly defigned by the author, who, though he gives Shallow folly enough, makes him rather pedantic than illiterate. If we read: Shal. Ay, cousin Slender, and Custos Rotulorum. Slen. Ay, and Ratalorum too. JOHNSON. $ The luce, &c.] I see no consequence in this anfwer. Perhaps we may read, the falt fish is not an old coat. That is, the fresh fish is the coat of an ancient family, and the falt fish is the coat of a merchant grown rich by trading over the fea. JOHNSON. Shakespeare, by hinting that the arms of the Shallows and the Lucys were the fame, shews he could not forget his old friend Sir Tho. Lucy, pointing at him under the character of Justice Slen. I may quarter, coz. Shal. You may, by marrying. Eva. Yes, py'r-lady; if he has a quarter of your coat, there is but three skirts for yourself, in my simple conjectures. But that is all one: if Sir John Falstaff have committed difparagements unto you, I am of the church, and will be glad to do my benevolence, to make atonements and compromises between you. Shal. The council shall hear it; it is a riot. Éva. Justice Shallow. But to put the matter out of all doubt, Shakespeare has here given us a distinguishing mark, whereby it appears that Sir Thomas was the very person represented by Shallow. To fet blundering parson Evans right, Shallow tells him, the luce is not the louse, but the fresh fish, or pike, the falt fish (indeed) is an old coat. The plain English of which is (if I am not greatly mistaken) the family of the Charlcotts had for their arms a falt fish originally; but when William, son of Walter de Charlcott, afssumed the name of Lucy, in the the time of Henry III. he took the arms of the Lucys. This is not at all improbable; for we find, when Maud Lucy bequeathed her estates to the Percys, it was upon condition they joined her arms with their own. Says Dugdale, it is likely "William de Charlcott took the name of Lucy to oblige his " mother." And I say further, it is likely he took the arms of the Lucys at the fame time. SMITH. The luce is a pike or jack. Many a fair partriche had he in mewe, Chaucer's Prol. of the Cant. Tales, 351, 352. In Ferne's Blazon of Gentry, 1586, quarto, the arms of the Lucy family are reprefented as an instance, that "figns of the " coat should something agree with the name. It is the coat " of Geffray Lord Lucy. He did bear gules, three lucies " hariant, argent." STEEVENS. • The council shall hear it; it is a riot.] He alludes to a statute made in the reign of K. Henry IV. (13 chap. 7.) by which it is enacted, "That the justices, three, or two of them, and "the sheriff, shall certify before the king, and his counselle, all the deeds and circumstances thereof (namely the riot) " which certification should be of the like force as the pre" fent N2 Eva. It is not meet the council hear of a riot; there is no fear of Got in a riot: the council, look you, shall defire to hear the fear of Got, and not to hear a riot; take your viza-ments in that. Shal. Ha! o' my life, if I were young again, the fword should end it. Eva. It is petter that friends is the fword, and end it: and there is also another device in my prain, which, peradventure, prings goot difcretions with it: there is Ann Page, 7 which is daughter to master George Page, which is pretty virginity. Slen. Mrs. Ann Page? she has brown hair, and $ fpeaks small like a woman. Eva. It is that very perfon for all the 'orld, as just as you will defire; and seven hundred pounds of monies, and gold, and silver, is her grandfire, upon his death's-bed (Got deliver to a joyful refurrections!) give, when she is able to overtake seventeen years old: it were a goot motion, if we leave our pribbles and prabbles, and defire a marriage between master Abraham and mistress Ann Page. Slen. Did her grandfire leave her seven hundred pounds? Eva. Ay, and her father is make her a petter penny. Slen. I know the young gentlewoman; she has good gifts. "sentment of twelve: upon which certificate the trefpaffers "and offenders shall be put to answer, and they which be "found guilty shall be punished, according the difcretion of "the kinge and counselle." Dr. GRAY. 7 which is daughter to master Thomas Page,] The whole' fet of editions have negligently blundered one after another in Page's Chriftian name in this place, though Mrs. Page calls him George afterwards in at least fix feveral passages. THEOB. 8 Speaks SMALL like a woman.] This is from the folio of 1623, and is the true reading. He admires her for the sweetness of her voice. But the expression is highly humourous, as making her speaking small like a woman one of her marks of diflinction; and the ambiguity of small, which fignifies little as well as low, makes the expression still more pleasant. WARBURTON. Shal. Shal. Seven hundred pounds, and possibilities, is good gifts. Shal. Well, let us fee honeft Mr. Page: is Falstaff there? Eva. Shall I tell you a lie ? I do despise a liar, as I do despise one that is false, or, as I despise one that is not true. The knight, Sir John is there; and, I beseech you, be ruled by your well-willers. I will peat the door [Knocks] for master Page. What, hoa? Got pless your house here! Enter Page. Page. Who's there? Eva. Here is Got's plessing, and your friend, and Justice Shallow: and here is young master Slender; that, peradventures, shall tell you another tale, if matters grow to your likings. Page. I am glad to fee your worships well. I thank you for my venifon, master Shallow. Shal. Master Page, I am glad to fee you; much good do it your good heart! I wish'd your venifon better; it was ill kill'd. How doth good mistress Page? and I thank you always with my heart, la; with my heart. Page. Sir, I thank you. Shal. Sir, I thank you; by yea and no, I do. Page. I am glad to fee you, good master Slender. Slen. 9 How does your fallow greyhound, Sir? I heard say, he was out-run on Cotsale. Page. It could not be judg'd, Sir. • How does your fallow greyhound? &c.] Cotswold, a village in Worcestershire, or Warwickshire, was famous for rural exercises, and sports of all forts. Shallow, in another place, talks of a ftout fellow, a Cotswold man, i. e. one who was 66 a native of this very place, so famous for trials of strength, "activity, &c. and confequently a robust athletic person." I have seen a poem, or rather a collection of poems, which I think is called The Cotswold Muse, containing a description of these games. WARTON. 1 N3 Slen Slen. You'll not confefs, you'll not confefs. fault:-'tis a good dog. Page. A cur, Sir. Shal. Sir, he's a good dog, and a fair dog; can there be more faid? he is good and fair.-Is Sir John Falstaff here? Page. Sir, he is within; and I would I could do a good office between you. Eva. It is spoke as a christians ought to fpeak. Shal. If it be confefs'd, it is not redress'd; is not that fo, mafter Page? He hath wrong'd me;-indeed, he hath;-at a word, he hath;-believe me:- Robert Shallow, Efquire, faith, he is wrong'd. Page. Here comes Sir John. Enter Sir John Falstaff, Bardolph, Nym, and Pistol. Fal. Now, master Shallow, you'll complain of me to the king? Shal. Knight, you have beaten my men, kill'd my deer, and broke open my lodge. Fal. But not kiss'd your keeper's daughter ? Shal. Tut, a pin! this shall be answer'd. Fal. I will answer it strait: I have done all this : that is now answer'd. Shal. The council shall know this. Fal. 'Twere better for you, if 'twere not known in council; you'll be laugh'd at. Eva. Pauca verba, Sir John; good worts, *and broke open my lodge.] This probably alludes to some real incident, at that time well known. JOHNSON. The old copies read, 'Twere better for you, if 'twere known in council. Perhaps it is an abrupt speech, and must be read thus: 'Towere better for you if 'twere known in council, you'!! "be laugh'd at. 'Twere better for you, is, I believe, a menace, JOHNSON. |