FAL. Thou hast the most unfavoury fimiles; and art, indeed, the most comparative, 4 rafcalliest, sweet young prince, - But, Hal, I pry'thee, trouble me no more with vanity. I would to God, The Egyptians in their Hieroglyphics expressed a melancholy man by a hare fitting in her form. See Pierii Hieroglyph. Lib. XII. STEEVENS. the melancholy of Moor-ditch?] It appears from Stowe's Survey, that a broad ditch, called Deep-ditch, formerly parted the hospital from Moor-fields; and what has a more melancholy appearance than flagnant water? This ditch is also mentioned in The Gul's Hornbook, by Decker, 1609: "- it will be a forer labour than the cleansing of Augeas' stable, or the scowring of Moor-ditch. " Again, in Newes from Hell, brought by the Divel's Carrier, by Thomas Decker, 1606: "As touching the river, looke how Moorditch shews when the water is three quarters dreyn'd out, and by reason the ftomacke of it is overladen, is ready to fall to cafting. So does that; it stinks almost worse, is almost as poysonous, altogether so muddy, altogether so black. STEEVENS. " So, in Taylor's Pennyleffe Pilgrimage, quarto, 1618: "-- my body being tired with travel, and my mind attired with moody, muddy, Moore-ditch melancholy." MALONE. Moor-ditch, a part of the ditch furrounding the city of London, between Bishopsgate and Cripplegate, opened to an unwholesome and impaffable morass, and consequently not frequented by the citizens, like other fuburbial fields which were remarkably pleasant, and the fashionable places of resort. T. WARTON. 3-fimiles; Old copies - Smiles. Correded by the editor of the second folio. MALONE, 4 the most comparative, ) Sir T. Hanmer and Dr. Warburton after him, read - incomparative, I suppose for incomparable, or peerless; but comparative here means quick at comparisons, or fruitful in fimiles, and is properly introduced. JOHNSON. This epithet is used again, in A& III. sc. ii. of this play, and apparently in the same sense: stand the push ،، Of every beardless vain comparative. " And in Love's Labour's Loft, A& V. fc. ult. Rofaline tells Biron that he is a man "Full of comparisons and wounding flouts. " STEEVENS. 1 thou and I knew where a commodity of goodnames were to be bought: An old lord of the council rated me the other day in the street about you, fir; but I mark'd him not: and yet he talk'd very, wifely; but I regarded him not: and yet he talk'd wifely, and in the street too. P. HEN. Thou did'st well; for wisdom cries out in the streets, and no man regards it. 6 FAL. O, thou hast damnable iteration; and art, indeed, able to corrupt a saint. Thou haft done much harm upon me, Hal,-God forgive thee for it! Before I knew thee, Hal, I knew nothing; and now am 1, if a man should speak truly, little better than one of the wicked. I must give over this life, and I will give it over; by the Lord, an I do & I would to God, thou and I knew where a commodity of good names were to be bought: So, in The Discoverie of the Knights of the Poste, 1597, figu. C: "In troth they live so so, and it were well if they knew where a commoditie of names were to be fould, and yet I thinke all the money in their purses could not buy it." REED. 6 wisdom cries out in the streets, and no man regards it.] This is a fcriptural expreffion: " Wisdom crieth without; the uttereth her voice in the ftreets. - I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded." Proverbs, i. 20, and 24. HOLT WHITE. 70, thou hast damnable iteration; For iteration Sir T. Hanmer and Dr. Warburton read attraction, of which the meaning is certainly more apparent; butan editor is not always to change what he does not understand. In the last speech a text is very indecently and abusively applied, to which Falstaff answers, thou hast damnable iteration, or a wicked trick of repeating and applying holy texts. This I think is the meaning. JOHNSON. Iteration is right. for it also signified simply citation or recitation. " Here take this book, and peruse it well, From the context, iterating here appears to mean pronouncing, re- King Edward I. VOL. XII. not, I am a villain; I'll be damn'd for never a king's fon in Christendom. P. HEN. Where shall we take a purse to-morrow, Jack? FAL. Where thou wilt, lad, I'll make one; an I do not, call me villain, and baffle me." P. HEN. I see a good amendment of life in thee; from praying, to purse-taking. Enter POINS, at a distance. FAL. Why, Hal, 'tis my vocation, Hal; 'tis no fin for a man to labour in his vocation. Poins! — Now shall we know if Gadshill have fet a match. 9 7 p. 12. 8 and baffle me.) See Mr. Tollet's note on K. Richard II. STEEVENS. no fin for a man to labour in his vocation. This (as Dr. Farmer observes to me) is undoubtedly a fueer on Agremont Rad. cliffe's Politique Discourses, 1578. From the beginning to the end of this work, the word vocation occurs in almost every paragraph. Thus chapter i: "That the vocation of men hath been a thing unknown unto philofophers, and other that have treated of Politique Government; of the commoditie that cometh by the knowledge thereof; and the etymology and definition of this worde vocation." chap. xxv: Again, "Whether a man being disorderly and unduely entered into any vocation, may lawfully brooke and abide in the fame, and whether the administration in the meane while done by him that is unduely entered, ought to holde, or be of force." STEEVENS. 9 have fet a match. Thus the quarto. So, in Ben Jonfon's Bartholomew Fair, 1614: "Peace, fir, they'll be angry if they hear you eves-dropping, now they are fetting their match." There it seems to mean making an appointment. The folio reads - fet a watch. MALONE. As no watch is afterwards set, I suppose match to be the true reading. STEEVENS. O, if men were to be sav'd by merit, what hole in hell were hot enough for him? This is the most omnipotent villain, that ever cried, Stand, to a true man. P. HEN. Good morrow, Ned. POINS. Good morrow, sweet Hal. - What says monsieur Remorse? What says fir John Sack-andSugar? Jack, how agrees the devil and thee about 2 2 “ fir John Sack-and-Sugar? Hentzner, p. 88, edit. 1757, speaking of the manners of the English, says, in potum copiosè immittunt faccarum," they put a great deal of fugar in their drink. REED. Much inquiry has been made about Falstaff's sack, and great surprise has been expressed that he should have mixed sugar with it. As they are here mentioned for the first time in this play, it may not be improper to observe that it is probable that Falstaff's wine was Sherry, a Spanish wine, originally made at Xeres. He frequently himself calls it Sherris-fack. Nor will his mixing fugar with fack appear extraordinary, when it is known that it was a very common practice in our author's time to put sugar into all wines. " Clownes and vulgar men (fays Fynes Moryson) only use large drinking of beere or ale, but gentlemen garrawse only in wine, with which they mix sugar, which I never observed in any other place or kingdom to be used for that purpose. And because the taste of the English is thus delighted with sweetness, the wines in taverns (for I speak not of merchantes' or gentlemen's cellars) are commonly mixed at the filling thereof, to make them pleasant." ITIN. 1617. P. III. p. 152. See alfo Mr. Tyrwhitt's Chaucer, Vol. IV. p. 308: " Among the orders of the royal household in 1604 is the following: [ Mss. Harl. 293, fol. 162.) And whereas in tymes paft, Spanish wines, called Sacke, were little or no whitt used in our courte, we now understanding that it is now used in common drink," &c. Sack was, I believe, often mulled in our author's time. See a note, poft, on the words, "If fack and fugar be a fin," &c. See alfo Blount's GLOSSOGRAPHY: "Mulled Sack, (Vinum mollitum) because softened and made mild by burning, and a mixture of sugar." Since this note was written, I have found reason to believe that Falstaff's Sack was the dry Spanish wine which we call Mountain Malaga. A passage in Via Recta ad vitam longam, by Thomas thy foul, that thou foldest him on Good-friday last, for a cup of Madeira, and a cold capon's leg? P. HEN. Sir John slands to his word, the devil shall have his bargain; for he was never yet a breaker of proverbs, he will give the devil his due. POINS. Then art thou damn'd for keeping thy word with the devil. P. HEN. Elfe he had been damn'd for cożening the devil. POINS. But, my lads, my lads, to-morrow morning, by four o'clock, early at Gadshill: There are Venner, Dr. of Physicke in Bathe, 4to. 1622, seems to afcertain this: " Sache is completely hot in the third degree, and of thin parts, and therefore it doth vehemently and quickly heat the body.Some affect to drink fack with fugar, and some without, and upon no other grounds, as I thinke, but as it is best pleasing to their Sack, taken by palates. I will speake what I deeme thereof. itself is very hot and very penetrative; being taken with sugar, the heat is both fomewhat allayed, and the penetrative quality thereof also retarded." The author afterwards thus speaks of the wine which we now "Canarie denominate Sack, and which was then called Canary: wine, which beareth the name of the iflands from whence it is brought, is of fome termed a facke, with this adjun&, Swiete; but yet very improperly, for it differeth not only from facke in sweetness and pleasantness of taste, but alfo in colour and confiftence, for it is not so white in colour as fack, nor fo thin in substance; wherefore it is more nutritive than sack, and lefs penetrative.-White wine, Rhenith wine, &c.-do in fix or feaven moneths, or within, according to the smallness of them, attaine unto the height of their goodness, efpecially the smaller fort of them. But the ftronger fort of wines, as fack, muskadell, malmfey, are best when they are two or three years old." From hence, therefore, it is clear, that the wine ufually called fack in that age was thinner than canary, and was a strong light-coloured dry wine; vin fec; and that it was a Spanish wine is afcertained by the order quoted by Mr. Tyrwhitt, and by feveral ancient books. Cole in his Did. 1679, renders fack by Vinum Hispanicum ; and Sherwood in his English and French Dict. 1650, by Vin d'Espagne. MALONE. |