Mr. Theobald, but 'twas a thing of naught. Fol. 1632.

Id. ib.

Flute, He could not have fcap'd fixpence a day, an the Duke had not given him fixpence a day for playing Pyramus.] Qu. Scraped?

Id. ib. Get firings to your beards.] An allufion probably to the whimsical fashions in wearing their beards in Shakespeare's time. See Taylor's Superbia Flagellum. Works, p. 333. Notes upon Hudibras, part 2. canto 1. 171.

Id. ib.

eat no onions nor garlick, for we are to utter fweet breath.] See Horace's advice to Mecenas, Epod. 3.

Act. 5. fc. 1. p. 157.

Thef

The Lunatick, the Lover and the Poet,

Are of imagination, all compact,

One fees more Devils than vaft Hell can bold; The madman:] That is the madman. Folio. 1632.

Id. ib. p. 158. Enter Lyfander, Demetrius, Hermia and Helena.] Enter Lovers, Lyfan-, der, &c. Edit. 1632.

Id. ib. Thes. Call Philoftrate. Call Egaus. Edit. 1632. and Egaus answers to his name there, and every where else in that old edition.

Id. ib. There is a brief how many sports are ripe.] rife. Folio 1632.

Id. ib.

Thef.

I bave told

my

Love

In glory of my (a) Kinfman Hercules,
The Rich of the Tipfy Bacchanals,
Tearing the Thracian Singer in their rage.

An allufion to the ftory of Orpheus, who was faid to have been torn in pieces by women, at the time of facrificing to Bacchus, because, out of forrow for the lofs of his wife; he abandoned the company of all other women.

Rabelais ludicrously obferves upon it, [Works book iv. chap. 55.] "That when the Thra"cian women had torn him to pieces, they threw "his head and lyre into the river Hebrus, down "which they floated to the Euxine Sea, as far

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as the ifland Lefbos, the head continually "uttering a doleful fong, as it were lamenting "the death of Orpheus; and the lyre with the "wind's impulse moving it's ftrings, harmo"niously accompanying the voice."

Mr. Somervile beautifully defcribes his dif trefs in the following lines. [Chace book 2. 273, &c.]

"So when the furious Bacchanals affail'd "Threician Orpheus, poor ill-fated bard! "Loud was the cry, hills, woods, and Hebrus' "banks

(a) Plutarch in the life of Thefeus, obferves, that he and Hercules were nearly related, being born of coufin germans for Ethra the mother of Thefeus, was the daughter of Pitheus, and Alcmena, of Lycidice; and Lycidice and Pittheus brothers and fifters by Hippodamia and Pelops.

Return'd their clam'rous rage; diftrefs'd he "flies,

"Shifting from place to place, but flies in vain, "For eager they purfue, till panting, faint,

By noify multitudes o'erpower'd, he finks "To the relentless crowd a bleeding prey, Act. v. fc. 1. p. 159.

Thefeus. What are they that do play it? Philoft. Hardhanded men that work in Athens here.] These two verses seem to hint at the following lines in a poem of Spenfer's, intitl'd, The Tears of the Mufes, [Works, Hughes's edit. p. 1376.] "Whilom in ages paft none might profefs “But princes, and high-priests that secret skill, "The facred laws therein they wont express, "And with deep oracles their verfes fill; "Then was fhe held in fovereign dignity, "And made the nourfling of nobility.

"But now nor prince nor priest doth her main❝tain,

"But fuffer her profaned for to be.

"Of the base vulgar, that with hands unclean "Dares to pollute her hidden mystery : "And treadeth underfoot her holy things. "Which was the care of Kefars, and of Kings."

Sc. 2. p. 161.

wall, moonshine,

Enter Pyramus and Thisby, and lion as in dumb fhew.] Dumb fhew, not in the folio of 1632. Sc. ib. This man is Pyramus, if you would know This beauteous lady, Thisbe is certain.

This man with lime, and rough caft doth prefent Wall, the vile wall, which did lovers funder,

And

And through walls chink, poor fouls they are content To whisper, at which let no man wonder.]

A good part of this scene is taken from Chaucer's legend of Thibe of Babylon.

"This wal, which that betwixt them both "yftode

"Was cloven atwo, right fro the top

adoun, "Of oldè time, of his foundacioun ; "But yet this clifte was fo narrow and lite, "It was not feen (dear inough a mite) "But what is that, that love can not espie? "Ye lovirs two, if that I fhal not lie "Ye foundin firft this little narrow clifte "And with a founde, as fofte as any fhrifté, "Thei let their wordis through the clifté pace "And toldin while that thei ftoden in the place "Al ther complaints of love, and al ther wo, "At every time when thei darftin fo.

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Upon that one fide of the wal ftode he, "And on that other fide ftode Thibe.

Legende of Thibe of Babylon. 33. &c. Id. ib, For if you will know By moonfpine did thefe lovers think no fcorn To meet at Ninus' Tomb, there there to woo.] Thei fettin markes ther metingis should be, There king Ninus was graven undir a tre, Id. ib.

And as he fled, her mantle fhe let fall, Which lion vile with blody mouth did ftain.] "Alas! then cometh a wild lioness "Out of the wode, withoutin more arest, "With blody mouth of strangling of a best,

"To

"To drinkin of the wel, there as she fat. "And when that Thißbe had efpied that "She rifte her up with a ful drery hert, "And in a cave with dredful fote the fterte, "For by the mone the faw it wel withall, "And as she ran her wimple let fhe fall, "And toke none hede fo fore fhe was awhaped, "And eke fo glad for that she was escaped: "And thus fhe fat, and lurkith wonder ftill "Whan that this lionefs had drunk her fill, "Aboutin the wel gan fhe for to winde,

"And right anon the wimple gan fhe finde, "And with her blody mouth it al to rente, "When this was done, no lengir fhe ne ftente, "But to the wode her way than hath fhe nome. Id. ib. 100. &c.

Id. ib.

Thef. I wonder if the lion be to fpeak? Demet. No wonder my lord, ane lion may, when many affes. do.] Alluding 'tis likely, to the following fable intitled, The Affes made Justices. [See L'Eftrange's Fables 2d part fab. 38.] "A "Doctor of Divinity, and a Justice of the Peace,

met upon the road; the former excellently "well mounted, and the other upon the merry "pin it seems, and in humour to make sport "with him. Doctor, fays he, your Great Maf"ter bad the bumility to ride upon an ass; and one "would have thought that an afs might have e'en

contented you too. Alafs! alafs! Sir, fays the "Doctor, the affes, they fay, are all made Juf"tices, and there are none to be gotten."