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“And they came to Ophir, and fet from "thence gold.-1 Kings ix. 28.

"And the feventh year Jehoiada fent, and fet "the rulers over hundreds, &c.

xi. 4.

2 Kings

"And when the King entered into the house "of the Lord, the guard came, and fet them, "and brought them again into the guard "chamber. 2 Chron. xii. 11.

"And they fet forth Uriah out of Egypt, and "brought him unto Jehoiakim - Jerem. xxvi.

23.

"And from thence we fet a compafs and 60 came to Rhegium." Alts xxviii. 13.

All these paffages are alter'd in a very late edition of the bible, by what authority I cannot tell.

So Ben Jonson ufes the word, Cynthia's Revels, act 4. fe. 1.

." "Tis far fet by their stay."

And in the Prologue to his Silent Woman. "Though there be none far fet, there will "dear-bought fit for ladies."

Sc. 2. p. 359.

K. Henry,-The games a foot. Follow your fpirit, and upon this charge Cry God for Harry, England, and Saint George.] A conftitution was made by Henry [Chichele,] Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, that a great "feftival fhould be kept (a) (fub officio duplici, Cc

et

(a) Sancti Georgii feftum, ad inftantiam Regis decre

tum

"et ad modum majoris duplicis fefti) to the me

mory of Saint George, as to the special Patron, and Protector of the English nation. "And it was juft at the time when King Hen

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ry the Fifth begun his wars in France, un"doubtedly believing, that by his interceffion, "the arms of the nation would fare better in "the time of war: and the clergie it's spiritual militia in the time of peace." Reflections upon the Devotions of the Romish Church, p. 96. From Labbè. Concil, tom. 12. p. 295.

Id. ib. p. 360.

Boy.

Nim and Bardolph are fworn brothers in filching.] Probably Shakespeare took the name of Nim from the Saxon Niman, or the Dutch Nemen which fignifies to take by stealth, or to filch. Sc. 7. p. 370. Piftol to Fluelin.

Pift. Bardolph, a foldier, firm and found of heart, and buxom valour.] By buxom is not here meant brisk, lively, and active, as in the modern fenfe, but obedient to the command of fuperiors. Thus it was used by Chaucer, Romaunt of the Rose, 4419.

"Ah Bialocol full well I fee

"That they hem shape to deceive thee,

tum fuit in concilio cleri London- -ut feftivitas Sancti Georgü Martyris, ficut feftum duplex in ecclefia de clero honoretur. Tho. Otterbourne, Chronic. Reg. Anglia, edit. à Tho. Hearne, p. 273. See Holinfhed's Chronicle, ift edit. 1166.

" To

"To make thee buxom to the law, "And with that cord thee to drawe.

Chaucer ufes it in the fame fenfe, Merchant's Tale, 803.

"For who can be as buxom as a wife? 849. See Clerke's Tale, 1218. 2038. Shipman's Tale, 2685. 2750.

'Tis used in the fame fenfe in the Salisbury Miffal, and Manual: where, in the Ordo Sponfalium: or, Office of Matrimony. The woman promises her husband to be bonowr [debonair] and buxum, at bed, and at bord. Buxom idem eft quod latine obediens: id colligitur ex manufcripto quodam antiquo Anglicano. In quo inobediens mandatis, dicitur, Unbuxom God and his hefts. Item in manufcripto codice cui titulus eft, Curfor of the world. Auctor ita metricè alloquitur.

Shew thy felf to us,

"We to thee have been unbus.

to

Staniburst in Defcriptione Hyberniæ, fays, fuch was his unbuxomness. Alibi equus indomitus, dicitur an unbuxom horse.

The tranflator of Ralph Higden's Polychronicon, published by Treveris, folio 301, ufes the 'word in the fame fenfe.

"In this year (1214,15) the Pope's Legate, "Pandulphus came into Englonde, and fpake to Kynge John, and charged highly that he "fhould be buxom and obedient to the chyrch "" of Rome."

See likewife Spenfer's Fairy Queen, book 1. canto 11. 37. book 3. canto 2. 23. canto 4. 32. book 6. canto 8. 12.

Sc. ib. p. 371.

Pift. Fortune is Bardolph's foe, and frowns on him,

For he bath ftolen a pax, and hang'd must be.] 'Tis pax in folios 1623, 1632, but alter'd to pix by Mr. Theobald, and Sir Thomas Hanmer. But they fignified the fame thing.

See Pax at Mafs, Minfhieu's Guide into the Tongues, col. 532.

(a) Pix, or pax, was a little box in which were kept the confecrated wafers.

Rabelais [fee works, book 4. chap. 18.] makes mention of two catchpoles, "Who were "choak'd with a hempen fallad, because they "had only borrowed, alias ftolen the tools of "the mafs, (the ornaments, inftruments, or "implements belonging to it) and hid them. "in the handle of the parish." [the belfry]

A& 3.

fc. 8. p. 374. King Henry to Montjoy. King For to fay the footh (Though 'tis not wisdom to confefs so much Unto an enemy of craft and vantage) My people are with fickness much enfeebled]

(a) The conftitution of Archbishop Peccham, Title, Eacharistia in tabernaculo claufo, idque in Pyxide decenti ne atteratur, cuftodiatur, et fingulis dominicis innovetur.

See more, Bishop Gibfon's Codex, tit. 21. cap. 1.

At

At the battle of Agincourt, the English were fo afflicted with the dyfentery, or bloody "flux, that most of them chose to fight naked "from the girdle downwards."

See Rapin's Hiftory of England, folio edit. vol. 1. p. 513. And an old balad, intitled, The Battle of Agincourt. Old balads republish'd 1723. vol. 2. p. 83.

Sc. 10. p. 379.

Ram. The island of England breeds very vakant creatures, their mastiffs are of unmatchable courage.

Orl. Foolifb curs, that run winking into the mouth of a Ruffian bear, and have their heads crushed like rotten apples, you may as well fay, that's a valiant flea, that dares eat his breakfast upon the lip of a lion,]

Spenfer has two images of this kind, Visions of the world's vanity. The first, of an ant's attacking an elephant, ftanz. 8. And the other of the great courage of the wafp, in attacking the lion, ftanz. 10.

Act 4. fc. 4. p. 387.

K. Hen. So if a fon, that is fent by his father about merchandize do fall into fome lewd action, and mifcarry.] "Do finfully mifcarry at fea." Folios 1623, 1632.

Act 4. fc. 6. p. 391.

K. Hen. O God of battles! Steel my foldiers

bearts,

Poffefs them not with fear

Not to day, O Lord,

CC 3

Q not