In B. Jonson's Bartholomew Fair, a gingerbread woman is called lady of the basket. MAL.

"The lady of the Strachy." I would read the lady of the stitch'ry. To talk of the lady of a starchery, appears absurd, because the employment of starching is, undoubtedly, a menial one at any rate, the condition of such a woman is certainly not above that of yeoman of the wardrobe. Now this being the case, Malvolio will fail in his instance, should we adopt the starchy of Mr. S. It is otherwise, however, with the reading I have proposed, as the lady of the stitch'ry will mean the companion of some distinguished female: one who sits at needle-work with her; and consequently of a superior situation in life, to the aforesaid yeoman: and such an instance, it should be remembered, is here required. In the play of Coriolanus, Volumnia, Valeria, and a gentlewoman are discovered sewing. After a little conversation respecting Caius Marcius, the latter says: "Come, lay aside your stitchery." "There is example. I am, therefore, probably right in the word. for it," as Malvolio observes, and thus the Poet becomes in some sort a comment on himself. Stitch'ry might be easily corrupted into strachy at the press of a printer in the sixteenth century. The r misplaced, and a made use of instead of i, constitute the mistake: a very trifling one, though it has so greatly puzzled the commentators. The reading proposed by Warburton might perhaps be the true one, were we permitted to print "a lady of the Trachye:" for to the article the before Trachye, no objection should be made: it is according to the French idiom, and which was common in Shaksseems to peare's time. But the expression, "the lady of the" point at some particular employment: and it is on this account, principally, that I believe the learned commentator to be wrong. B.

Mal. Seven of my people, with an obedient start, make out for him: I frown the while! and, perchance, wind up my watch, or play with some rich jewel. Toby approaches; curtsies there to me.

Or play with some rich jewel.] The old copy has:

-or play with my some rich jewel. MAL.

My some rich jewel." The use of the pronoun in this place, which is according to the French idiom, shows that our author was well acquainted with that language. B.

Curtsies there to me.] From this passage one might suspect that the manner of paying respect, which is now confined to females, was equally used by the other sex.

REED.

"Curtsies to me." When Malvolio says: "Curtsies to me there," "Curhe means "pays court to me, does me a kind of homage." tesy," in the passage here adduced, means complaisance and not any bodily motion. B.

Fab. Though our silence be drawn from us with cars, yet peace.

Though our silence be drawn from us with cares.] i. e. though it is the greatest pain to us to keep silence. Yet the Oxford editor has altered it

to:

"Though our silence be drawn from us by the ears."

There is some conceit, I suppose, in this, as in many other of his alterations, yet it often lies so deep that the reader has reason to wish he could have explained his own meaning. WARB.

I believe the true reading is: Though our silence be drawn from us with carts, yet peace. In the Two Gentlemen of Verona, one of the Clowns says: "I have a mistress, but who that is, a team of horses shall not pluck from me.” So, in this play: "Oxen and wainropes will not bring them together." JouN.

Though our silence be drawn from us with carts, yet peace." The expression is not only harsh but nonsensical.

Silence is nothing but the absence of sound: we cannot therefore talk of drawing forth a nihility-it can only be spoken of that which is perceivable by one or more of our senses. But the reading is every way wrong; for I repeat, the principle on which it would proceed: "Silence may be drawn from us," is essentially bad: it is false. Yet, admitting for a moment, that it were a practicable thing, in what way is it to be brought about: in what manner is this silence to be drawn? Why it is to be done "with cars." This, I imagine, no one will pretend to understand. For "cars" we must read ears, and print the sentence thus: "Silence! though our ears be withdrawn from us, yet peace!" The sense of the passage is this: "Let us be silent for though the consequence of that silence were, that we should ever after be deprived of the sense of hearing, yet must we attend, yet must we listen to this consummate coxcomb: therefore peace!"

The Poet uses ""

ears," for the sense of hearing. B. '.

Sir To. Shall I play my freedom at tray-trip, and become thy bond-slave?

Tray-trip. Tray-trip is mentioned in Beaumont and Fletcher's Scornjul Lady, 1010:

The following passage might incline one to believe that tray-trip was the name of some game åt tables, or draughts. "There is great danger of being taken sleepers at tray-trip, if the king sweep suddenly." Cecil's Correspondence, lett, x. p. 156. Ben Jonson joins tray-trip with mumchance. Alchemist, Aet V. sc. IV.

The

Nor play with costar-mongers at mum-chance, tray-trip." TYRw. Tray-trip," or as it is sometimes written, "trea-trip" may be the same as the tables now called Trou Madame or nine holes. word appears to be compounded of tre (thrice) and trip (triple) i. e. three times three, or nine holes. B.

Sir To. Taste your legs, sir, put them to motion.

Taste your legs, sir, &c.] Perhaps this expression was employed to ridicule the fantastic use of a verb, which is many times as quaintly introduced in the old pieces, as in this play, or in The true Tragedies of Marius and Scilla, 1594:

"A climbing tow'r that did not taste the wind." Again, in Chapman's version of the 21st Odyssey:

-he now began

"To taste the bow, the sharp shaft took, tugg'd hard." STEEV. "Taste your legs, Sir." An ambiguity seems to have been intended. Taster, in French, is to taste and likewise to feel or make use of. When a horse has come stiff from the stable, and afterwards goes well; we say; He begins to feel his legs. B.

Mal. "Let thy tongue tang with arguments of state, put thyself into the trick of singularity."

Let thy tongue tang, &c.] The first folio reads langer; the second tang. STEEV.

"Tongue tang." The reading of the first folio "langer" is by far the best. Langer is derived of Languard old French, and it is thus explained in the Dictionaries Qui ne sauroit tenir sa langue. A babbler, a prattler. B.

Sir To. At which time, we will bring the device to the bar, and crown thee for a finder of madinen.

A finder of madmen.] This is, I think, an allusion to the witch-finders, who were very busy. JOHN.

"A finder of madmen." Rather, I should suppose to the Coroner: who in cases of self murder, and under certain circumstances will find or bring in a verdict of lunacy. B.

Sir To. Why, man, he's a very devil; I have not seen such a virago.

I have not seen such a virago.] Virago cannot be properly used here, unless we suppose Sir Toby to mean, I never saw one that had so much the look of woman with the prowess of man. JOHN.

The old copy reads-firago. A virago always means a female warrior, or, in low language, a scold, or turbulent woman. In Heywood's Golden Age, 1611, Jupiter enters "like a nymph or virago;" and says: "I may pass for a boña-roba, a rounceval, a virago, or a good manly lass." If Shakspeare (who knew Viola to be a woman, though Sir Toby did not) has made no blunder, Dr. Johnson has supplied the only obvious meaning of the word. Firago may however be a ludicrous term of Shakspeare's coinage. STEEV.

"Such a virago," The old copy reads firago, which, says Mr. Steevens, may have been coined by Shakspeare. I incline to that opinion, only that it should be written ferago. It seems to be compounded of two latin words, fer (for ferrum) and ago. i. e. iron-like. "Such a ferago, such an iron-like fellow:" this agrees with the rest of the reading. B.

Yet living in my glass; even such, and so,
In favor was my brother; and he went
Still in this fashion, color, ornament,

For him I imitate: Oh, if it prove,

Tempests are kind, and salt waves fresh in love!

"Oh, if it prove.", This oh should surely be so. Otherwise we are required to read: "Oh, if it prove so." Which creates an ugly kind of cacophony, or jingle. B.

Oli.

Go with me to my house;

And hear thou there how many fruitless pranks
This ruffian hath botch'd up, that thou thereby
May'st smile at this.

This ruffian hath botch'd up.] i. e. swelled and inflamed. A botch being a swelling or abscess. WARB.

I fancy it is only a coarse expression for made up, as a bad taylor is called a botcher, and to botch is to make clumsily. JOHN.

"This ruffian hath botch'd up." Both Warburton and Johnson are wrong. The reasoning of Olivia will not admit of botch'd in either sense. The argument made use of is not that Sir Toby had himself botch'd up the pranks which he had played, but that she (Olivia) had frequently put a stop to his excesses. The proper word, I think, will be bouch'd, of boucher Fr. to stop. There is likewise an ellipsis, and which is very common with Shakspeare, The construction is: "Go with me to my house, and hear how many pranks this Rudesby hath: [been engaged in, and which I have] bouch'd up." "Fruitless," it is highly probable, should be frontless, i. e. shameless, audacious. B.

Clo. I would I were the first that ever dissembled in such a gown. I am not tall enough to become the function well; nor lean enough to be thought a good student but to be said, an honest man, and a good housekeeper, goes as fairly, as to say, a careful man, and a great scholar.

I am not tall enough to become the function well.] This cannot be right. The word wanted should be part of the description of a careful man. I should have no objection to read-pale. TYRW.

As to say, a careful man, and a great scholar.] This refers to what went before: "I am not tall enough to become the function well, nor lean enough to be thought a good student:" it is plain then that Shakspeare wrote, "as to say a graceful man, i. e. comely." To this the Oxford editor says, rectè. WARB.

A careful man I believe means a man who has such a regard for his character as to entitle him to ordination. STEEV.

"I am not tall enough," &c. Warburton is no doubt right* Graceful is the proper word, as referring to what had gone imme

diately before, except, indeed, that it bears not a sufficient analogy to tall; but this, I am of opinion should be taille, which in the French language signifies not only shape, but portly; of an elegant carriage. The passage should be printed as follows: "I am not of taille enough [portly enough] to become the function well, nor lean enough to be thought a student; but to be said an honest man and a good housekeeper goes as fairly as to say a graceful man, and a great scholar." Here the words as they are congruent, will surely be right. B.

Clo. Why, it hath bay windows transparent as barricadoes.

It hath bay-windows.] A bay-window is the same as a bow-window; a window in a recess, or bay.

STEEV.

"It hath bay windows." A bay window is a window curved inwards, or made a concave, as it may be termed. A bow window is one which is curved outward or in a convex form. How then can a bow window and a bay window be the same? B.

Clo. But tell me true, are you not mad indeed, or do you but counterfeit ?

Tell me, are you not mad, or do you but counterfeit ?] If he was not mad, what did he counterfeit by declaring that he was not mad?. The fool, who meant to insult him, I think, asks, "Are you mad, or do you but counterfeit?" That is: "You look like a madman, you talk like a madman: Is your madness real, or have you any secret design in it?" This, to a man in poor Malvolio's state, was a severe taunt. JOHN.

But tell me truly, are you not mad indeed, or do you but counterfeit ?] This is the reading of the old copy. We should read, I apprehend: are you mad indeed, or do you but counterfeit? or else are you not mad indeed, and do you but counterfeit? MAL.

"Are you not mad?" The sense is mistaken by the commenta- · tors. "Are you not mad, indeed? or do you but counterfeit ?" is the same as though he had said. In my opinion you are mad. Is it so; or do you only pretend to madness? B.

Clo. I'll be with you again,

In a trice,

Like to the old vice.

Like to the old vice.] Vice was the fool of the old moralities. Some traces of this character are still preserved in puppet shows, and by country mummers. JouN.

This character was always acted in a mask; it probably had its name from the old French word vis, for which they now use visage, though they still retain it in vis à vis, which is, literally, face to face. STEEV.

"The old vice." Mr. Steevens's reason for supposing that the vice of the old moralities had its name from visage, because the character was always represented in a mask, is really curious and unique. It should be remembered, however, that it was the business of this Zany or Jester to take every opportunity of bantering