Id. ib. Clown. You shall find me yare.] Ready and dextrous. So ufed Tempeft. And in Chaucer.

A&

Act 4. fc. 8. p. 431:

Clown.

Firft, here's young Mr. Rafh, be's in for a commodity of brown pepper, and old ginger.-] Brown paper and old ginger. Folio 1632. There are only, I think, three forts of pepper, black pepper, white pepper, and long pepper. Id. ib. And brave Mr. Shooter the great traveller.] Mr Shooty. Folio 1632.

Sc. 10. Duke.

-

Wend you with this letter.]

Carry this letter, or go with this letter.

An expreffion ufed by Spenfer, Fairy Queen, book 1. canto 10, 15.

They feeing Una towards her gan wend.”

Sc. 11. p. 436.

Lucio. Friar, thou knoweft not the Duke fo well as I do, he's a better woodman than thou tak'ft him for.] The fame expreffion, Merry Wives of Windfor, act 5. fc. 3. p. 341.

Act 5. fc. 2.

Or wring redress from you: ob hear me, bear me.] "Hear me, O hear me heere, edit. 1632. i. e. Hear me here, upon the fpot, the Duke having referred her caufe to Angelo juft before. A& 5. fc. 7. P. 455.

Lucio. Faith, my Lord, I fpoke it but according to the trick; if you will hang me for it you may, buş I had the rather it would pleafe you, I might be whipt.] Juft the reverfe of this was the petition

of

Critical, Hiftorical, and Explanatory 121

of the celebrated news-writer, who being concerned in the Duke of Monmouth's rebellion, he was fentenced by the barbarous Judge Jefferys to be whipp'd with great feverity. Upon which it was faid, that he petitioned the King to be hang'd.

The petition being fo very remarkable and uncommon, the King pardon'd him.

Much ado about Nothing.

ACT I. SCENE I. p. 5.

LEONATO. Faith, niece, you tax Signior

Benedick too much, but he'll be meet with you, I doubt it not.] The expreffion used at that time, for he'll meet with you, or be even with you. So explained by Shakespeare, Tempeft, act 4. fc. 4. p. 70.

Profpero to Ariel. "We must prepare to "meet with Caleban." That is to be even with him for his plot. Ufed in the fame manner by Barten Holiday, in his play, intitled, The Marriage of the Arts (firft acted in the year 1617.) act 1. fc. 1.

Aftronomia.

Will he prevent her, and go meet her, or elfe fhe will be meet with me.

Id. ib. p. 6.

Mell. I fee lady, the gentleman is not in your books.

Beat. No; an be were, I would burn my books.] "And he were." Folio 1632. "If he were." Sir Thomas Hanmer.

Sc. 2.

Sc. 2. p. 6. Enter Don Pedro, Claudio, Benedick, Balthazar, and Don John.] "And John the Baftard, so he is every where called." Folio 1632.

Sc. 2. p. 7.

Beatr. A dear happiness to women, they would elfe have been troubled with a pernicious fuitor.] Qu. Pertinacious? one that was importunate, and would take no denial.

So in The two gentlemen of Verona, act 4. fc. 4.

Silvia. "I am betroathed, art thou thou not afbamed to wrong him with thy importu

пасу.

Id. ib. p. 8.

Benedick. Well you are a rare parrot-teacher. Not quite fo dextrous a parrot-teacher, as the perfon mentioned by Aurelia, in the comedy, intit'led, The City Match, by Jasper Mayne. Act 2. fc. 2.

Aurelia. "Yesterday I went to fee a lady, "that has a parrot: my woman while I was in "difcourfe, converted the fowle, and now it can fpeak nothing but Knox's Works."

Id. ib. Beatr. Keep your way o' God's name, I bave done.] "A God's name." Folio 1632. and Sir Thomas Hanmer.

Sc. 4. P. 4.

Pedro. Nay, if Cupid bath not spent all his quiver in Venice, thou wilt quake for this shortly.] Alluding to the great power, the Venetian courtezans had over their gallants; a full account

of

of which, may be met with in Tom Coryat's Crudities, from p. 262, to p. 270. inclufive.

"The revenues they pay the fenate (fays "he) for their toleration, do maintain a dozen of their galleys (as many reported to

me in Venice) and fo fave them a great "charge." Id. ib. 265.

Sc. 4. p. 12.

I look for an earthquake too then.]

The scene was Melfina in Sicily, a place fubject to earthquakes, on account of it's neighbourhood to mount Etna.

Mr. Salmon [Modern Hiftory, folio edit. vol. 2. p. 97.] gives an account of one that happened in January 1693, which overturned twenty four palaces, and fhook the rest of the town, whereupon fome of the people fled in the utmoft confternation to the fields, and others to the churches to prayer.

And Mr. Chibul, in a letter to Dr. Turner, from Smyrna, June 13, 1700, (see his Travels in Turkey, &c. published in folio 1747. p. 176.] mentions it as a very remarkable earthquake. "It is to be wonder'd (fays he) that these peo"ple [viz. of Melfina] have not registered an "accident, which as to the faith, our Eng"lish merchants were eye-witneffes, Namely, "that in the repeated earthquakes of Sicily, in

1693, the tower of the cathedral which stands 66 at the west end, distinct from the body of the "church, was fo distorted by one shock, that "it stood very dangerously, in an oblique, de

clining

"clining posture; but that about a week af"terwards, another shock restored it to it's former, and perpendicular fituation."

A&t 2. fc. 1. p. 17,

Beatr.

turft cow short borns.].

For it is faid, God fends a

Dat Deus immiti cornua curta boví.

i. e. Providence fo difpofes, that they who have will, want power, or means to hurt. See Ray's Proverbs, edit. 1678. p. 118. Id. ib. p. 18.

Beatr.

He that is more

than a youth, is not for me, and be that is less than a man, I am not for him; therefore I will even take fixpence in earnest of the bear-herd, and lead bis apes into hell.] i. e. I will die an old maid. Alluding to the proverb. "Old maids lead

66

apes in hell.

See Ray's Proverbial Obferva

ons referring to love, edit. 1678. p. 60.

He uses the fame expreffion, The Taming of the Shrew, act 2. fc. 1,.

Cath.

"Nay, now I fee

"She is your treasure, the muft have a husband, "I muft dance barefoot on her wedding day, "And for your love to her, lead apes in bell.

Elpidia the Seidge, or Love's Convert by Mr. Cartwright, act 4. fc. 5. alters the proverb. "I've wash'd my face in mercury water for 26 a year and upwards, lain in old gloves ftill, (c worn my pomatum'd masks all night, each

morning rang'd every hair in it's due rank "and posture, laid red amongst the white, writ

" o'er