5

God, your voice, like a piece of uncurrent gold, be not crack'd within the ring.- Mafters, you are all welcome. We'll e'en to't like French falconers, fly at any thing we fee: We'll have a fpeech straight :

ever goeth without it, either in her house or abroad, a thing made of wood and covered with leather of fundry colors, fome with white, fome redde, fome yellow. It is called a chapiney, which they wear under their Jhoes. Many of them are curiously painted; fome alfo of them I have feene fairely gilt: fo uncomely a thing (in my opinion) that it is pitty this foolish custom is not cleane banished and exterminated out of the citie. There are many of these chapineys of a great height even half a yard high, which maketh many of their women that are very fhort feeme much taller than the tallest women we have in England. Also I have heard that this is obferved among them, that by how much the nobler a woman is, by fo much the higher are her chapineys. All their gentlewomen and most of their wives and widowes that are of any wealth, are affifted and fupported eyther by men or women, when they walke abroad, to the end they may not fall. They are borne up most commonly by the left arme, otherwife they might quickly take a fall." EDITOR.

-be not crack'd within the ring.] That is, crack'd too much for use. This is faid to a young player who acted the parts of women. JOHNSON.

I find the fame phrafe in The Captain, by Beaumont and Fletcher :

"Come to be married to my lady's woman,
"After fhe's crack'd in the ring.'

Again, in Ben Jonfon's Magnetic Lady:

"Light gold, and crack'd within the ring."

Again, in Ram-Alley, or Merry Tricks, 1611:

my

¢་ -

not a penny the worse

"For a little use, whole within the ring.

Again, in Decker's Honeft Whore, 1635: “ You will not let oaths be crack'd in the ring, will you?" STEEVENS.

6 French falconers] The amusement of falconry was much cultivated in France. In All's well that ends well, Shakspeare has introduced an aftringer or falconer at the French court. Mr. Tollet, who has mentioned the fame circumftance, likewise adds that it is faid in Sir Thomas Browne's Tracts, p 116. that "the French feem to have been the first and nobleft falconers in the western part of Europe;" and, that the French king fent over his falconers to fhew that fport to king James the First."

See Weldon's Court of King James.

STEEVENS

Come, give us a tafte of your quality; come, a paf fionate fpeech.

1 Play. What fpeech, my good lord?

Ham. I heard thee fpeak me a fpeech once,-but it was never acted; or, if it was, not above once ↓ for the play, I remember, pleas'd not the million 'twas caviare to the general: but it was (as I receiv'd it, and others, whofe judgments, in fuch matters, cried in the top of mine) an excellent

66

7

୪

7 Caviare to the general: Giles Fletcher in his Rafe Com monwealth, 1501, p. 11, fays in Ruffia they have divers kinds of fish very good and delicate as the Bellouga or Bellougina of four or five elnes long, the Ofitrina or Sturgeon but not fo thick nor long. Thefe four kind of fish breed in the Wołgha and are catched in great plenty, and ferved thence into the whole realme for a good food. Of the roes of thefe four kinds they make very great ftore of Icary or Caveary." See alfo REMARKS. P. 199. EDITOR.

Ben Jonfon has ridiculed the introduction of these foreign delicacies in his Cinthia's Revels.—"He doth learn to eat Anchovies, Macaroni, Bovoli, Fagioli, and Caviare," &e.

Again, in the Mafes Looking-Glafs, by Randolph, 1638:
the pleasure that I take in fpending it,
"To feed on Caviare and eat anchovies."

61

Is lord of two fair manors that call'd you master,

66 Only for Caviare."

Again, in Marfton's What you will, 1607:

66

a man can fearce cat good meat,

"Anchovies, Caviare, but he's fatired."

Mr. Malone obferves that lord Clarendon ufes the general for the people, in the fame manner. And fo by undervaluing many particulars (which they truly esteemed) as rather to be confented to than that the general fhould fuffer." B. 5. p. 530.

STEEVENS.

8 cried in the top of mine-] i. e. whofe judgment I had the higheft opinion of. WARBURTON.

I think it means only that avere higher than mine. JOHNSON. Whofe judgment, in fuch matters, was in much higher vogue than mine. REVISAL.

Perhaps it means onlywhofe judgment was more clamorously delivered than mine. We ftill fay of a bawling actor, that he fpeaks on the top of his voice. STEEVENS.

play

I

4

play; well digefted in the fcenes, 9 fet down with as
much modefty as cunning. I remember, one faid,
there were no fallets in the lines, to make the mat-
ter favoury; nor no matter in the phrafe, that
might indite the author of affection: but call'd it
an honeft method; [as wholefome as fweet, and
by very much more handfome than fine.] One
fpeech in it I chiefly lov'd; 'twas Encas' tale to
Dido; and thereabout of it efpecially, where he
fpeaks of Priam's flaughter: if it live in your me-
mory, begin at this line; let me fee, let me fee ;-
The rugged Pyrrhus, like the Hyrcanian beaft,-
'tis not fo; it begins with Pyrrhus.

The rugged Pyrrhus,-he, whofe fable arms.
Black as his purpofe, did the night refemble

When

-Set down with as much modefty-] Modesty, for fimplicity.
WARBURTON.

there was no fallets, &c.] Such is the reading of the oid copies. I know not why the later editors continued to adopt the alteration of Mr. Pope, and read, no falt, &c.

"a pre

Mr. Pope's alteration may indeed be in fome degree fupported by the following paffage in Decker's Satiromafix: par'd troop of galiants, who shall diftate every unfalted line in their fly-blown comedies" Though the other phrafe was used as late as in the year 1665, in a Banquet of Jefts, &c. 4-for junkets, joci; and for curious fallets, fales." STEEVENS.

2

that might indite the author-] Indite, for convict

WARBURTON.

-indite the author of affection :] i. e. convict the author of being a fantastical affected writer. See vol. ii. p. 492. vol. iv. p. 207. STEVENS.

3-but call'd it, an honeft method,] Hamlet is telling how much his judgment differed from that of others. One faid, there was no falt in the lines, &c. but called it an honest method. The au. thor probably gave it, But I called it an honeft method, &c. JOHNSON. ―an honeft method,] Honeft, for chafle. WARBURTON. wholesome, &c.] This paffage was recovered from the quartos by Dr. Johnfon. STEEVENS.

5 The rugged Pyrrhus, &c.] Mr. Malone once obferved to me, that a late editor fuppofed the fpeech uttered by the Player be fore Hamlet, to have been taken from an ancient drama, entitled

A 33

"Dida

When he lay couched in the ominous horse,→
Hath now this dread and black complexion fmear'd

Wth

"Dido Queen of Carthage." I had not then the means of juftifying or confuting his remark, the piece alluded to having escaped the hands of the most liberal and industrious collectors of fuch curiofities. Since, however, our last sheet was printed off, I have met with this performance, and am therefore at liberty to pronounce that it did not furnish our author with more than a general hint for his description of the death of Priam, &c: unleis with reference to

the whiff and wind of his fell fword The unnerved father falls,

we read, ver. 23:

And with the wind thereof the king fell down; and can make out a resemblance between

So as a painted tyrant, Pyrrhus ftood;

and ver. 32:

So leaning on his fword, he stood stone still.

The greater part of the following lines are furely more ridicu lous in themselves, than even Shakspeare's happiest vein of burlefque or parody could have made them:

"At laft came Pirrbus fell and full of ire,
"His harneffe dropping bloud, and on his speare
"The mangled head of Priams yongest fonne,
"And after him his band of Mirmidons,

"With balles of wild fire in their murdering pawes,
"Which made the funerall flame that burnt faire Troy :
"All which hemd me about, crying, this is he.

"Dido. Ah, how could poor Æneas fcape their hands?
En. My mother Venus jealous of my health,

"Convaid me from their crooked nets and bands:

"So I efcapt the furious Pirrbus wrath :
"Who then ran to the pallace of the King,
"And at Jove's Altar finding Priamus,
"About whofe withered necke hung Hecuba,
"Foulding his hand in hers, and joyntly both
"Beating their breafts and falling on the ground.
"He with his faulchions point raifde up at once;
"And with Megeras eyes ftared in their face,
"Threatning a thousand deaths at every glaunce.
"To whom the aged king thus trembling spoke: &c.—
"Not mov'd at all, but smiling at his teares,
"This butcher, whil'ft his hands were yet held up,
"Treading upon his breaft, ftrooke off his hands.

Dido. O end, Eneas, I can heare no more.

With heraldry more difmal; head to foot
Now is he total gules; horridly trick'd

With

"En. At which the franticke queene leapt on his face.
"And in his eyelids hanging by the nayles,
"A little while prolong'd her husband's life:
"At laft the fouldiers puld her by the heeles,
"And fwong her howling in the emptie ayre,
"Which fent an echo to the wounded king:
"Whereat he lifted up his bedred lims,
"And would have grappeld with Achilles fonne,
"Forgetting both his want of ftrength and hands;
"Which he difdaining, whiskt his fword about,
"And with the wound thereof the king fell downe:
Then from the navell to the throat at once,
"He ript old Priam; at whofe latter gafpe
"Jove's marble ftatue gan to bend the brow,
"As lothing Pirrhus for this wicked act :

Yet he undaunted tooke his fathers flagge,
"And dipt it in the old kings chill cold bloud,
"And then in triumph ran into the streetes,

Through which he could not paffe for flaughtred men :

"So leaning on his fword he stood stone still,

"Viewing the fire wherewith rich Ilion burnt." Act. 2. The exact title of the Play from which these lines are copied, is as follows: The Tragedie of Dido | Queen of Carthage | Played by the Children of her Majesties Chappel. Written by Chriftopher Marlowe, and | Thomas Nash, Gent. | Actors | JuPiter. Ganimed. | Venus. Cupid. | Juno. | Mercurie, or | Hermes, Eneas. Afcanius. Dido. ↑ Anna. | Achates. | Ilioneus. | Iarbas. Cloanthes. Sergeftus. At London, Printed, by the Widdowe Orwin, for Thomas Woodcocke, and are to be folde at his fhop, in Paules Church-yeard, at the figne of the blacke Beare. 1594. STEEVENS.

All the biographers have afferted that the tragedy of Dido, written by Marlowe and Nafhe, was acted before Queen Elizabeth, when the visited the university of Cambridge in 1564. Had this been the cafe, this piece would be a ftill greater curiofity than it is at prefent, as it would ftand fecond in the list of English tragedies, that of Ferrex and Porrex, which was acted in 1561, being generally esteemed the firft. But Marlowe's Dido probably was not compofed till at least twenty years afterwards; for Nafhe, who affifted him in writing that play, tells us in one of his pamphlets, that he read Lilly's Euphues (which did not appear till 1579) “ when he was a little ape at Cambridge:" he did not therefore, we may prefume, commence a dramatick author till after 1580.

A 24

The