them, or one of them. See Wood's Institute of the Laws of England, book 1. chap. 7.

Id. ib.

Shal. Ay, Coufin Slender Cuftalorum. Slen. Ay, and Ratolorum too.]

I remember a countryman (otherwife of good understanding) who in his difcourfe commonly aiming at hard words, knock'd them out of joint, and told a friend of mine, that a duke (naming his name) was made Lord Lieutenant, and Theffalorum of the county. For Cuftos Rotulorum.

Id. ib. Slender. A gentleman born master Parfon, who writes himself Armigero, in any bill, warrant, quittance, or obligation.]

"

Much of this caft was a Juftice of the Peace not many years ago, who lived not far from Clarkenwell. In the first year of the reign of his late majefty, when his clerk was reading a mittimus to him, coming to anno Domini 1714. He cry'd out with fome warmth, and why not Georgio Domini? Sure Sir, you forget yourself strangely.

Id. ib.

Shal. Ay, that I do, and have done any time thefe three hundred years.] Bifhop Montagu, Bishop of Chichester, who lived in Shakspeare's time, in the preface to his book intitled, A Gagg for a new Gospel. No, a new Gagg for an old Goofe, makes mention of a perfon (that had the like treacherous 'memory with Juftice ShalLow) "who being evidence in a cafe of tythe,

"fwore

"fwore in the bishop's hearing, that he had "known the place tytheable for three hundred 66 years; and yet he was aged but ninety nine.” Act 1. fc. 1. p. 252.

Evans. The dozen white lowfes do become an old coat well, &c..

Shallow. The luce is the fresh fish, the salt fish is an old coat.] Shakespeare by hinting that the arms of the Shallows and the Lucys were the fame, fhews he could not forget his old friend Sir Thomas Lucy, pointing at him under the character of Justice Shallow. But to put the matter out of all doubt, Shakespeare has here given us a diftinguishing mark, whereby it appears, that Sir Thomas was the very perfon represented by Shallow. To fet blundering Parfon Evans right, Shallow tells him, [The luce is not the lowxe, but] the fresh fish, or pike, the falt fish [indeed] is an old coat. The plain English of

which is, if I am not greatly mistaken: The family of the Charleotts had for their arms a falt fifb originally; but when William fon of Walter de Charleott, affumed the name of Lucy in the time of Henry the Third, he took the arms of the Lucys: This is not at all improbable, for we find, when Maud Lucy bequeath'd her estate to the Piercies, it was upon condition, they joyn'd her arms with their own: "and, fays Dug"dale, 'tis likely William de Charleott took the "name of Lucy to oblige his mother," and I fay farther that it is as likely, he took the arms of the Lucys at the same time.

The

The luce is the fresh fish, [our modern coat of arms] the falt fifb [our ancient coat] an old coat. Mr. Smith.

The luce a pike, or jack:

66

Many a fair partriche had he in mewe

"And many a breme, and many a luce in ftewe. Chaucer's Prologues of the Canterbury Tales,

351, 52.

Id. ib. "By all the fainctis that we preie, "But thei defende them with lampreie, "With luce, with elis, with famons.

Romaunt of the Rofes, 7087, &c. Or Shakespeare for the old coat, the falt fish, might allude to Ben Johnson's piece of wit (in his play intitled, Every Man in his humour, first acted in 1598, and in which Shakespeare acted a part) upon the family of the Cobs.

Act 1. fc. 4.

Ceb. "I affure you, that the first red herring "that was broiled in. Adam and Eve's kitchin, do I fetch my pedigree from by the Harrots books. His Cob was my great, mighty great grandfather.

Id. ib. Slen. May I quarter Coz?

Shal. You may by marrying.] By quartering in heraldry, is understood the marshalling of divers coats in feparate areas, or quarters, in one shield. See Dictionary at the end of Guillim's Heraldry, laft edit.

Id. ib.

Shal. The council fhall hear it, it is a riot] He alludes to a ftatute made in the reign of

King Henry the Fourth (13th. chap. 7th) by which 'tis enacted, "That the juftices, three, "or two of them, and the fheriff, and under "fheriff, shall certifie before the king, and his "counfelle, all the deeds and circumftances "thereof, (namely of the riot) which certifi"cation fhould be of the like force as the pre"fentment of twelve: upon which certificate, "the trefpaffers and offenders, fhall be put to "anfwer, and they which be found guilty, fhall "be punish'd according to the difcretion of the king and counselle."

Sc. 3. p. 255.

Falf. Now, mafter Shallow, you'll complain of me to the council.] "You'll complain of me to the king. Folio. 1632.

Sc. 3.

Falft. What fay you Scarlet and John?] Two of Robin Hood's companions, as appears from the following old ballad.

"I have heard talk of Robin Hood

"Derry, derry, derry down,

"And of brave Little John,

"Of Friar Tuck, and Will Scarlet,

Robin Hood's Golden Prize. Old Ballads vol. 2. p. 121. See likewife George a Green Pinner of Wakefield, A Comedy. old plays published, 1744. vol. 1. p. 211.

Sc. 4. Evans. Diverse philofophers hold, that the lips is parcel of the mind.] Parcel of the mouth. Folio. 1632.

Sc. 5:

Sc. 5. p. 260.

Slender.

You are afraid, if you

fee the bear loofe, are you not?

Anne. Ay, indeed Sir.

Slend. That's meat and drink to me now; I have feen Seckerfon loofe twenty times, and have taken him by the chain.

The author of the comedy of Sir Giles Goofe Cap, feems to have borrowed the character of his hero, from this of Slender.

In the third act fpeaking of his dog.

Goofe Cap. " I would rather have loft the "dearest friend that I ever lay with in my life, be this light, never ftir if he fought not with 'great Seckerfon four hours to one, foremost " take up hindmoft, and took fo many loaves "from him, that he starv'd him prefently. So

that at laft, the dog could do no more than a "beat could do: and the bear being heavy "with hunger you know, fell upon the dog, "Broke his back, and the dog never stirr'd any

more.

Sc. 8. p. 265.

Nym. I have operations in my head.] In my bead not in folio 1632.

Sc. 9. P.

266. Quickly of John Rugby.

His worst fault is, that he is given to prayr.] Quickly was of the mind of the chaplain's boy of a man of war, who being fent on an errand to the chaplain of another ship, "the two boys conferring notes about their manner of living. How often, faid one, do

H 2

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you