: SPEED. Imprimis, She can milk. LAUN. Ay, that she can.3 SPEED. Item, She brews good ale. LAUN. And thereof comes the proverb; -Bleffing o' your heart, you brew good ale. SPEED. Item, She can few. LAUN. That's as much as to say, Can she so? LAUN. What need a man care for a stock with a wench, when she can knit him a stock.' SPEED. Item, She can wash and foour. by a quibble between Nicholas and Old Nick, highwaymen, in The First Part of Henry the Fourth, are called Nicholas's clerks. WARBURTON. That this faint prefided over young scholars, may be gathered from Knight's Life of Dean Colet, p. 362. for by the statutes of Paul's school there inferted, the children are required to attend divine service at the cathedral on his anniversary. The reason I take to be, that the legend of this faint makes him to have been a bishop, while he was a boy. SIR J. HAWKINS. So Puttenham, in his Art of Poetry, 1589: "Methinks this fellow speaks like bishop Nicholas; for on Saint Nicholas's night commonly the scholars of the country make them a bishop, who, like a foolish boy, goeth about bleffing and preaching with fuch childish terms, as maketh the people laugh at his foolish counterfeit speeches." STEEVENS. 3 Speed. Imprimis, she can milk. Laun. Ay, that she can.) These two speeches should evidently be omitted. There is not only no attempt at humour in them, contrary to all the rest in the same dialogue, but Launce clearly dire&s Speed to go on with the paper where he himself left off. See his preceding foliloquy. FARMER. 4 Bleffing'o your heart, &c.] So, in Ben Jonfon's Masque of Augurs: 5 Our ale's o' the beft, "And each good guest Prays for their fouls that brew it." STEEVENS. knit him a flock.] i. e. flocking. So, in Twelfth Night: " it does indifferent well in a flame-colour'd lock." STEEVENS. LAUN. Afpecial virtue; for then she need not be washed and scoured. SPEED. Itena, She can Spin. LAUN. Then may I fet the world on wheels, when she can fpin for her living. SPEED. She hath many nameless virtues. LAUN. That's as much as to say, bastard virtues; that, indeed, know not their fathers, and therefore have no names. SPEED. Here follow her vices. LAUN. Clofe at the heels of her virtues. SPEED. Item, She is not to be kissed fasting. in re Spect of her breath. LAUN. Well, that fault may be mended with a breakfast: Read on. SPEED. Item, She hath a sweet mouth." LAUN. That makes amends for her four breath. SPEED. Item, She doth talk in her fleep. LAUN. It's no matter for that, so she sleep not in her talk. SPEED. Item, She is flow in words. 6 she is not to be kissed fasting,) The old copy reads, - she is not to be fafting, &c. The neceffary word, kiffed, was first added by Mr. Rowe. STEEVENS. 7 Sweet mouth. This I take to be the fame with what is now vulgarly called a sweet tooth, a luxurious defire of dainties and fweetmeats. JOHNSON. So, in Thomas Paynell's tranflation of Ulrich Hutten's Book De medicina Guaiaci & Morbo Gallico, 1539: delycates and deynties, wherewith they may ftere up their sweete mouthes and prouoke theyr appetites.' Yet how a luxurious defire of dainties can make amends for offensive breath, I know not. A sweet mouth may, however, mean a liquorish mouth, in a wanton fenfe. So, in Measure for Measure: " Their faucy Sweetness that do coin heaven's image," &c. STEEVENS. 1 LAUN. O villain, that set this down among her vices! to be flow in words, is a woman's only virtue: I pray thee, out with't; and place it for her chief virtue. SPEED. Item, She is proud. Laun. Out with that too; It was Eve's legacy, and cannot be ta'en from her. SPEED. Item, She hath no teeth. LAUN. I care not for that neither, because I love crufts. SPEED. Item, She is curst. LAUN. Well; the best is, she hath no teeth to bite. LAUN. If her liquor be good, she shall: if the will not, I will; for good things should be praifed. SPEED. Item, She is too liberal. LAUN. Of her tongue she cannot; for that's writ down she is flow of: of her purse she shall not; for that I'll keep shut: now of another thing the may; and that I cannot help. Well, proceed. SPEED. Item, She hath more hair than wit, and more faults than hairs; and more wealth than faults. 8 praise her liquor.) That is, thew how well she likes it by Again, in The Fair Maid of Bristow, 1605, bl. 1: " But Vallenger, most like a liberal villain, " Did give her scandalous ignoble terms. Mr. Malone adds another instance from Woman's a Weathercock, " Of your negle&, and liberal talking tongue, "Which breeds my honour an eternal wrong." STIEVENS. LAUN. Stop there; I'll have her: she was mine, and not mine, twice or thrice in that last article : Rehearse that once more. 2 SPEED. Item, She hath more hair than wit, LAUN. More hair than wit, it may be; I'll prove it: The cover of the salt hides the falt, and therefore it is more than the salt: the hair, that covers the wit, is more than the wit; for the greater hides the lefs. SPEED. What's next? And more faults than hairs, LAUN. Why, that word makes the faults gracious:' Well, I'll have her: And if it be a match, as nothing is impoffible, -She hath more hair than wit.) An old English proverb. See Ray's Colle&ion: "Bush natural, more hair than wit." Again, in Decker's Satiromaftix: "Hair! 'tis the basest stubble; in scorn of it " This proverb sprung, - He has more hair than wit." Again, in Rhodon and Iris, 1631: " Now is the old proverb really perform'd; "More hair than wit." STEEVENS. 3-makes the faults gracious:) Gracious, in old language, means graceful. So, in K. John: "There was not fuch a gracious creature born." Again, in Albion's Triumph, 1631: On which (the freeze) were festoons of several fruits in their natural colours, on which in gracious postures lay children sleeping." Again, in The Mal-content, 1604: "The most exquifite, &c. that ever made an old lady gracious by torch-light." STEEVENS. Mr. Steevens's interpretation of the word gracious has been controverted, but it is right. We have the same sentiment in The Merry Wives of Windfor: "O, what a world of vile ill-favour'd faults “ Look handsome in three hundred pounds a year!" MALONE : : SPEED. What then? LAUN. Why, then will I tell thee, that thy master stays for thee at the north gate. SPEED. For me? LAUN. For thee? ay; who art thou? he hath slaid for a better man than thee. SPEED. And must I go to him? LAUN. Thou must run to him, for thou haft ftaid fo long, that going will scarce serve the turn. SPEED. Why didst not tell me fooner? 'pox of your love-letters! [Exit. LAUN. Now will he be swing'd for reading my letter: An unmannerly flave, that will thrust himfelf into fecrets!-I'll after, to rejoice in the boy's correction. [Exit. SCENE II. The fame. A Room in the Duke's Palace. Enter DUKE and THURIO; PROTEUS behind. DUKE. Sir Thurio, fear not, but that she will love Now Valentine is banish'd from her fight. DUKE. This weak impress of love is as a figure • Trenched in ice;) Cut, carved in ice. Trancher, to cut, French. JOHNSON. So, in Arden of Feversham, 1592: " Is deeply trenched in my blushing brow." STEEVENS. ! ! 1 |