peared upon the coaft, on Wednesday the fourscore of April, forty thousand fathom above water, and fung this ballad against the hard hearts of maids : it was thought, fhe was a woman, and was turned into a cold fish, for fhe would not exchange flesh 7 with one that loved her: The ballad is very pitiful, and as true.

DOR. Is it true too, think you?

Aur. Five juftices' hands at it; and witnesses, more than my pack will hold.

CLO. Lay it by too: Another.

AUT. This is a merry ballad; but a very pretty

one.

MOP. Let's have fome merry ones.

AUT. Why, this is a paffing merry one; and goes to the tune of, Two maids wooing a man: there's fcarce a maid weftward, but fhe fings it; 'tis in requeft, I can tell you.

Mop. We can both fing it; if thou'lt bear a part, thou fhalt hear; 'tis in three parts.

compofitions,) was immediately entered on the books of the Company of Stationers. Thus, in a fubfequent fcene of this play ::-"Such a deal of wonder is broken out within this hour, that ballad-makers cannot be able to exprefs it." STEEVENS.

Of a fish, that appeared upon the coaft, it was thought, She was a woman,] In 1604 was entered on the books of the Stationers' Company: "A ftrange reporte of a monstrous fish that appeared in the form of a woman, from her waift upward, feene in the fea." To this it is highly probable that Shakspeare alludes. MALONE.

See The Tempest, Vol. IV. p. 83, n. 7. STEEVENS.

7

for fhe would not exchange flesh -] i. e. because.

So, in Othello: " Haply, for I am black." MALONE,

REED.

DOR. We had the tune on't a month ago.

AUT. I can bear my part; you must know, 'tis my occupation: have at it with you.

SONG.

A. Get you hence, for I must go;
Where, it fits not you to know.

D. Whither? M. O, whither? D. Whither?
M. It becomes thy oath full well,

Thou to me thy fecrets tell:

D. Me too, let me go thither.

M. Or thou got to the grange, or mill:
D. If to either, thou doft ill.

A. Neither. D. What, neither? A. Neither.
D. Thou haft fworn my love to be;

M. Thou haft fworn it more to me:

Then, whither go'ft? fay, whither ?

CLO. We'll have this fong out anon by our felves; My father and the gentlemen are in fad talk, and we'll not trouble them: Come, bring away thy pack after me. Wenches, I'll buy for you both:-Pedler, let's have the first choice.-Follow me, girls.

Aur. And you fhall pay well for 'em.

-Sad-] For ferious. JOHNSON.

[Afide.

So, in Much Ado about Nothing :-" hand in hand, in fad conference." STEEVENS.

Will you buy any tape,
Or lace for your cape,
My dainty duck, my dear-a?
Any filk, any thread,

Any toys for your head,

Of the new ft, and fin'ft, fin'ft wear-a?
Come to the pedler;

Money's a medler,

That doth utter all men's ware-a.9

[Exeunt Clown, AUTOLYCUS, Dorcas, and MOPSA.

Enter a Servant.

SERV. Mafter, there is three carters, three fhepherds, three neat-herds, three fwine-herds,' that have

• That doth utter all men's ware-a.] To utter. To bring out, or produce. JOHNSON.

To utter is a legal phrase often made use of in law proceedings and Acts of Parliament, and fignifies to vend by retail. From many inftances I shall select the first which occurs. Stat. 21 Jac. I. c. 3, declares that the provifions therein contained fhall not prejudice certain letters patent or commiffion granted to a corporation "concerning the licenfing of the keeping of any tavern or taverns, or felling, uttering, or retailing of wines to be drunk or spent in the manfion-house of the party fo felling or uttering the fame." REED.

See Minfheu's DICT. 1617: “An utterance, or fale.”

MALONE.

* Mafter, there are three carters, three Shepherds, three neatherds, and three fwine-herds,] Thus all the printed copies hitherto. Now, in two speeches after this, these are called four threes of herdsmen. But could the carters properly be called herdsmen ? At least, they have not the final fyllable, herd, in their names; which, I believe, Shakspeare intended all the four threes should have. I therefore guefs he wrote:-Mafter, there are three goat-herds, &c. And fo, I think, we take in the four species of cattle usually tended by herdsmen. THEOBALD.

made themselves all men of hair; they call them

2

all men of hair ;] Men of hair, are hairy men, or fatyrs. A dance of fatyrs was no unusual entertainment in the middle ages. At a great feftival celebrated in France, the king and fome of the nobles perfonated fatyrs dreffed in close habits, tufted or fhagged all over, to imitate hair. They began a wild dance, and in the tumult of their merriment one of them went too near a candle and fet fire to his fatyr's garb, the flame ran inftantly over the loofe tufts, and fpread itself to the dress of those that were next him; a great number of the dancers were cruelly fcorched, being neither able to throw off their coats nor extinguish them. The king had fet himself in the lap of the dutchess of Burgundy, who threw her robe over him and faved him, JOHNSON.

The curious reader, who wishes for more exact information relative to the foregoing occurrence in the year 1392, may confult the translation of Froiffart's Chronicle, by Johan Bourchier knyght, lorde Berners, &c. 1525, Vol. II. cap. C.xcii. fo. CCxliii: "Of the aduenture of a daunce that was made at Parys in lykeneffe of wodehowfes, wherein the Frenche kynge was in parell of dethe." STEEVENS.

Melvil's Memoirs, p. 152, edit. 1735, bear additional teftimony to the prevalence of this fpecies of mummery:

"During their abode, [that of the embaffadors who affembled to congratulate Mary Queen of Scots on the birth of her fon,] at Stirling, there was daily banqueting, dancing, and triumph. And at the principal banquet there fell out a great grudge aniong the Englishmen; for a Frenchman called Baftian devised a number of men formed like fatyrs, with long tails, and whips in their hands, running before the meat, which was brought through the great hall upon a machine or engine, marching as appeared alone, with musicians clothed like maids, finging, and playing upon all forts of inftruments. But the fatyrs were not content only to make way or room, but put their hands behind them to their tails, which they wagged with their hands in fuch fort, as the Englishmen fuppofed it had been devised and done in derifion of them; weakly apprehending that which they should not have appeared to understand. For Mr. Hatton, Mr. Lignish, and the moft part of the gentlemen defired to fup before the queen and great banquet, that they might fee the better the order and ceremonies of the triumph: but fo foon as they perceived the fatyrs wagging their tails, they all fat down upon the bare floor behind the back of the table, that they might not see themselves derided, as they thought. Mr. Hatton faid unto me, if it were not in the queen's prefence, he would put a dagger to the heart of that French knave Baftian, who he alledged had done it out of despight that the queen made more of them than of the Frenchmen."

REED.

The following copy of an illumination in a fine MS. of Froiffart's Chronicle, preferved in the British Museum, will ferve to illuftrate Dr. Johnfon's note, and to convey fome idea, not only of the manner in which thefe hairy men were habited, but also of the rude fimplicity of an ancient Ball-room and Mafquerade. See the ftory at large in Froiffart, B. IV. chap. lii. edit. 1559. DoUCE.