"They ftole away, and took their hafty flight, "Carried in clouds of all-concealing night. "So was the husband-man left to his lofs, "And they unto their fortune's change to tofs. Act 5. fc. 2. p. 240.

Prot. But pearls are fair, and the old faying is, Black men are pearls, in beauteous ladies eyes.] "A black man is a jewel in a fair woman's "eye." Ray's Proverbial Obfervations, referring to love, p. 61. 2d. edit.

The Merry Wives of Windfor.

ACT 1. SCENE. I. P. 251.

SHAL "HALLOW. Sir Hugh perfuade me not, I will make a star-chamber matter of it.] Ben Johnson intimates likewife, that the ftar-chamber had a right to take cognisance of fuch matters. "Sir you do forget,

"There is a court above, of the star-chamber "To punish routs and riots.

The Magnetick Lady. A&t 3. fc. 2.

Id. ib. Slender fpeaking of Shallow. Slender. In the county of Gloucefter, Justice of Peace, and Coram.] Mafter Slender fhould have faid Quorum, had not Shakespeare put other blunders into his mouth, as grofs as this. Juftices of the Quorum, fo called, from their commiffion. Quorum AB. CD. EF. unum esse volumus. Because fome bufinefs of importance shall not be dispatched without the presence of

them,

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 Thessalorum 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 majesty, 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 ftrangely.

Id. ib.

Shal. Ay, that I do, and have done any time these three hundred years.] Bishop Montagu Bishop of Chichester, who lived in Shakspeare's time, in the preface to his book intitled, A Gagg for a new Gofpel. 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 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 falt fif 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 reprefented by Shallow. To fet blundering Parson Evans right, Shallow tells him, [The luce is not the lowze, but] the fresh fish, or pike, the falt fish The plain English of

[indeed] is an old coat. which is, if I am not greatly mistaken : The family of the Charleotts had for their arms a falt fifh 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 fame 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:

"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*

Cob. "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 Heral dry, 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,

66

or two of them, and the fheriff, and under "fheriff, fhall certifie before the king, and his counfelle, all the deeds and circumstances "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.

"Derry, derry, derry down,

"And of brave Little John,

"Of Friar Tuck, and Will Scarlet,

Stokefly, and maid Marrian.

Hey down, &c.

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. Diverfe philofophers bold, that

the lips is parcel of the mind.] Parcel of the

mouth. Folio. 1632.-.

Sc. 5.