I

chamber, at the round table, by a fea-coal fire, upon Wednesday in Whitfun-week, when the prince broke thy head for liking his father to a fingingman of Windfor; thou didst fwear to me then, as I was washing thy wound, to marry me, and make me my lady thy wife. Canft thou deny it? Did not goodwife Keech, the butcher's wife, come in then, and call mé goffip Quickly? coming in to borrow a mess of vinegar;3 telling us, fhe had a

Again, in Heywood's Silver Age, 1613:

"I am little better than a parcel-gilt bawd." Holinfhed, defcribing the arrangement of Wolfey's plate, fays: " and in the council-chamber was all white, and parcel-gilt plate." STEEVENS.

Langham, defcribing a bride-cup, fays it was "foormed of a fweet fucket barrell, a faire turn'd foot fet too it, all feemly befylvered and parcel gilt." Again, in The XII merry Ieftes of the Widdow Edyth:

"A ftandyng cup with a cover parcell gilt." RITSON. Parcel-gilt means what is now called by artifts party-gilt z that is, where part of the work is gilt, and part left plain or ungilded. MALONE.

for liking his father to a finging man-] Such is the reading of the first edition; all the reft have-for likening him to a finging man. The original edition is right; the Prince might allow familiarities with himself, and yet very properly break the knight's head when he ridiculed his father.

JOHNSON. Liking is the reading of the quarto, 1600, and is better fuited to dame Quickly than likening, the word fubftituted instead of it, in the folio. MALONE.

2

goodwife Keech, the butcher's wife,] A Keech is the fat of an ox rolled up by the butcher into a round lump.

3

STEEVENS.

a mess of vinegar ;] So, in Mucedorus: "I tell you all the mees are on the table already, "There wants not fo much as a mess of mustard." Again, in an ancient interlude published by Raftel; no title or date :

"Ye mary fometyme in a meffe of vergeffe."

good difh of prawns; whereby thou didst defire to eat fome; whereby I told thee, they were ill for a green wound? And didft thou not, when she was gone down ftairs, defire me to be no more fo familiarity with fuch poor people; faying, that ere long they should call me madam? And didft thou not kiss me, and bid me fetch thee thirty fhillings? I put thee now to thy book-oath; deny it, if thou canft.

FAL. My lord, this is a poor mad foul; and fhe fays, up and down the town, that her eldest son is like you: the hath been in good case, and, the truth is, poverty hath distracted her. But for these foolish officers, I beseech you, I may have redress against them.

CH. JUST. Sir John, fir John, I am well acquainted with your manner of wrenching the true cause the false way. It is not a confident brow, nor the throng of words that come with fuch more than impudent faucinefs from you, can thrust me from a level confideration; you have,4 as it appears to me, practifed upon the eafy-yielding spirit of this woman, and made her serve your uses both in purse and perfon.

A mess feems to have been the common term for a small proportion of any thing belonging to the kitchen. STEEVENS. So the fcriptural term: "a mess of pottage." MALONE.

4

you have, &c.] In the firft quarto it is read thus:You have, as it appears to me, practifed upon the eafy-yielding Spirit of this woman, and made her ferve your uses both in purfe and perfon. Without this, the following exhortation of the Chief Juftice is lefs proper. JOHNSON.

In the folio the words" and made her ferve" &c. were omitted. And in the subsequent speech" the villainy you have done with her," is improperly changed to "the villainy you have done her." MALONE.

HOST. Yea, in troth, my lord.

CH. JUST. Pr'ythee, peace:-Pay her the debt you owe her, and unpay the villainy you have done with her; the one you may do with fterling money, and the other with current repentance.

FAL. My lord, I will not undergo this fneap 5 without reply. You call honourable boldness, impudent faucinefs: if a man will make court'fy, and fay nothing, he is virtuous: No, my lord, my humble duty remembered, I will not be your fuitor; I fay to you, I do defire deliverance from thefe officers, being upon hafty employment in the king's affairs.

CH. JUST. You fpeak as having power to do wrong but answer in the effect of your reputation, and fatisfy the poor woman.

FAL. Come hither, hoftefs. [Taking her afide.

this fneap-] A Yorkshire word for rebuke. POPE. Sneap fignifies to check; as children eafily Sneaped; herbs and fruits neaped with cold weather. See Ray's Collection. Again, in Brome's Antipodes, 1638:

Again :

Again:

"Do you neap me too, my lord?"

"No need to come hither to be neap'd."

even as now I was not,

"When you neap'd me, my lord."

The word is derived from fnyb, Scotch. We still use snub in the fame fenfe. STEEvens.

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anfwer in the effect of your reputation,] That is, answer in a manner fuitable to your character. JOHNSON.

tomme: whereby I told thee, they were ill for a prawns; whereby thou didft defire to and? And didft thou not, when the was

defire me to be no more fo fauch poor people; faying, that ere call me madam? And didft thou me fetch thee thirty fhillings? book-oath; deny it, if thou

HOST. Yea, in troth, my lord.

CH. JUST. Pr'ythee, peace :-Pay her the de
you owe her, and unpay the villainy you have c
with her; the one you may do with fterling r
and the other with current repentance.

FAL. My lord, I will not undergo this me
without reply. You call honourable p
pudent faucinefs: if a man will make ~
fay nothing, he is virtuous: No, m
ble duty remembered, I will not tv..
I fay to you, I do defire deliveranc
cers, being upon hafty employme.
affairs.

CH. JUST. You speak as
wrong but answer in the effer. L
and fatisfy the poor woman

"Do you freast

Again: