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Notes upon SHAKESPEARE, &c. 365

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Alluding to the aurum potablle, with which fome quacks in former ages, pretended to work wonderful cures. Van Helmont in (a) one place defcribes it. And in another place he banters the use of (b) leaf-gold, and jewels in medicine, as not being capable of digeftion by the ftomach and feems to be concern'd at the fimplicity and folly of fuch, as make use of them, on a phyfical account.

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To the potable gold, Chaucer alludes, Dr. of Phyfick's Tale, 44. 45.

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"For golde in phyficke is a cordial "therefore he loved gold in special. A& 5. fc, 1. p. 295.

Shallow. By cock and pye Sir, you shall not away to night.] An uncommon expreffion, which I

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(a) Contunde aurum in laminas, dein in tenuiffimas bracteas, inde vero in aurum pi&torum, mox iterum in marmore leviga. Deinde cum cinnabari, et fale, in Alcool impalpabile fingas, fepara Cinnabarim per ignem, et aquâ falem ablue, idque pro lubitû fæpius repete. Tandem cum fale Armeniaco, ftibio et mercurio fublimato, et per retortam pelle. Idque fepties pete ut totum aurum in formam olei punicei volatilis, redigatur. Eft enim fummè levigatum, imo et durum, folidum, maleabile, et fixiffimum: corpus, quod jam olei in naturam verfum videtur, at fane mentitus ille liquor, in priftinum auri pon-. dus, et corpus facile redigitur. Quid fi ergo aurum pristinam naturam per tot lanienas, non variet, nec femen fuum ullatenus perdat, multo minus aqua in fimplex elementum, a rerum Domino ad conftantiam univerfi deftinatum. Progymnafma Meteori. oper. p. 42. 6.

(b) Pharmacopol. ac Difpenfat. modern, oper. p. 299. 55.

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have not met with any where, but in a comedy, intit'led, Wily beguil'd, publifh'd 1608. Sign I. 3. "Now by cock and pie. By cockis bones, is an oath often used in Chaucer. See Sompnour's Tale, 2235. Manciple's Prologue, 1586. Third part of Plowman's Tale, 3201, and elsewhere. Bold. ib:

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Davy. Doth the man of war stay all night, Sir? Shall. Yes Davy, I will ufe him well, A friend i'th' court, is better than a penny in purse.] Mr. Ray, together with this proverb, mentions the French Proverb.

"Bon fair avoir amy en cour, car le pro❝ces, en eft plus court. Gall. A friend in court makes the procefs fhort." Proverbial Sentences, p. 117.

So Chaucer Romaunt of the Rose, 5540, &c. "Frendship is more than is cattell,

"For frende in courte aie better is,

Then peny is in purfe, certis."

Sc. ibid.

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Falft. Their Spirits are fo married in conjunction, with the participation of fociety, that they flock together in confent, like fo many wild geefe.] Alluding to the proverb, " Birds of a feather flock together." Explain'd in Mr. Ray's Proverbs, that are Entire Sentences, P. FOI. "Like will to like. The Greeks "and Latins have many proverbs to this purpofe as 'Αιεί Κολοιὸς πρὸς Κολοιόν ζάνει. Semper Graculus affidet Graculo."

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Cicada cicada cara, formica formica,
Simile gaudet fimili, fimile appetit fimile.
Equalis Equalem delectat. Pares cum
Paribus (ut eft in vetere proverbio, facillime
congregantur) with many more.

Sc. 2. p. 298.

Lanc. Good morrow coufin Warwick.] “Good morrow coufin Warwicke good morrow. Folios 1623, 1632.

#Sc. 2. p. 299.

Ch. Juft. And never fhall you fee, that I will beg a rated, and forest all'd remiffion.]“A ragged, "and foreftall'd remiffion. Folios 1623, 1632, Sir Thomas Hanmer, and Mr. Theobald. Mr. Warburton fays ragged has no fenfe, for which reafon he made the alteration.

Sc. 4. p. 303.
P.

Falft. This Davy ferves you for good uses, he is your fervingman, and your husbandman.]

As Shallow was a Justice of the Peace, ShakeSpeare might have affign'd to Davy as many offiLuces, as Farquhar (in his Beaux Stratagem, act 3.) to Scrub, Squire Surly's clerk.

"Of a Monday (fays Scrub) I drive the coach, "of a Tuesday I drive the plow, on Wednesday "I follow the hounds, a Thursday I dun the tenants, on Friday I go to market, on Satur"day I draw warrants, and on Sunday I draw - beer."

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Sc. 4. p. 304 Shallow fings.

Shallow. 'Tis merry in ball, when beards wag all.] This line is used by Ben Johnson, in his fecond

volume of Mafques. And in his Tale of a Tub, act 5. fc. 7.

"'Tis merry in Tottenham Hall, when beards 66 wag all."

And Mr. Ray, in his Proverbs, that are entire sentences, observes upon it;

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"That, when all are eating, or making good chear. By the way, note (fays he) that "this word chear, which is particularly with "us applied to meats and drinks; feems to be "derived from the Greek word xaşa, fignify

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ing joy, as it doth also with us in those words, 66 chearly, and chearful."

Id. ib.

Silence.1 have been merry twice and once ere now.] This expreffion ufed by our author, Love's Labour's loft, act 1. fc. 3. p. 201.

Moth." Then I am fure you know, how "much the grofs fum of the deuce-ace amounts "to?

Armado "It doth amount to more than two, Moth. "Which the vulgar call three." And again, Macbeth, act 4. fc. 1. p. 391. "Twice and once the hedge pig whin'd. Butler ufes the expreffion, Hudibras, part 1. canto 2. 944, 945.

"Which e'er he cou'd atchieve, his sconce, "The leg encounter'd twice and once." Id. ib.

Silence. Fill the cup, and let it come, I'll pledge you were't a mile to the bottom.]

Rabelais

Rabelais has the like thought, [Garagantua, book 1. chap. 5.]

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"Fill me here fome, and crown the cup I prethee, a la cordinale; natura abborret va

cuum."

Sc. 5. p. 306.

Pift. Sir John, I am thy pistol, and thy friend; and belter Skelter have I rode to thee.] Qu. whether belter Skelter, might not be a corruption of bilariter, and celeriter?

Id. ib. Let King Cophetua know the truth thereof.] "Let King Covitha. Folio 1632. King Cophetua is mention'd by Ben Johnson, Every Man in his Humour, act 3. fc. 4.

Cob." I have not the heart to devour you "an I might be made as rich as King Cophetua.Id. ib. p. 306.

Pift. When Pistol lies, do this, and fig me like the bragging Spaniard.] That is poifon me, poison having been frequently convey'd in a fig. To this, Mr. James Shirley alludes, in his tragicomedy, intit❜led, A Court Secret, act 1. p. 7. Mendoza. "I would foon purge him with a fig, but that's not honest."

And in his comedy, intit'led, The Brothers, act 3. P. 37.

Albert. "There, there's the mischief, I must "poyfon him, one fig fends him to Erebus." And Ben Johnson, Every man in his humour, act 2. fc. 4..

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Brainworth. "It is as ominous a fruit as the "fico."

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