'Till then, I'll fweat, and feek about for eases; And, at that time, bequeath you my diseases. [Exit. In an ancient satire called Cocke Lorelles Bote, bl. 1. printed by Wynkyn de Worde, no date, is the following lift of the different refidences of harlots: There came fuch a wynde fro Winchefter, Some at fayat Kateryns ftroke agrounde, "Alfo in Ave Maria Aly, and at Weftmenfter; "With grete lamentacyon; "And by cause they have loft that fayre place, They wyll bylde at Colman bedge in space, &c." Hence the old proverbial fimile, "As common as Coleman Hedge:" now Coleman-ftreet. STEEVENS. There are more hard, bombaftical phrafes in the serious part of this Play, than, I believe, can be picked out of any other fix Plays of Shakspeare. Take the following fpecimens:-Tortive, -perfiftive, protractive,import lefs,-infifture,deracinate, dividable. And in the next Act,-past-proportion,-unrespective, -propugnation,-felf-affumption,felf-admiffion, afubjugate, kingdom'd, &c. TYRWHITT. THIS play is more correctly written than most of Shakspeare's compofitions, but it is not one of thofe in which either the extent of his views or elevation of his fancy is fully displayed. As the ftory abounded with materials, he has exerted little invention; but he has diverfified his characters with great variety, and preferved them with great exactness. His vicious characters fometimes difguft, but cannot corrupt, for both Creffida and Pandarus are detefted and contemned. The comic characters feem to have been the favourites of the writer; they are of the fuperficial kind, and exhibit more of manners than nature; but they are copioufly filled and powerfully impreffed. Shakspeare has in his ftory followed, for the greater part, the old book of Caxton, which was then very popular; but the character of Therfites, of which it makes no mention, is a proof that this play was written after Chapman had published his verfion of Homer. JOHNSON. The first feven books of Chapman's Homer were published in the year 1596, and again in 1598. They were dedicated as follows: To the most honoured now living inftance of the Achilleian virtues eternized by divine Homere, the Earle of Effexe, Earl Marball, &c and an anonymous Interlude, called THERSYTES bis Humours and Conceits, had been published in 1598. STEEVENS. VOL. IX. N Hous How the devil luxury, with his fat rump and potatoe finger, tickles thefe together:] Luxuria was the appropriate term used by the school divines, to exprefs the fin of incontinence, which accordingly is called luxury, in all our old English writers. In the Summa Theologia Compendium of Tho. Aquinas, P. 2. II. Quæft. CLIV. is de Luxuri Partibus, which the author diftributes under the heads of Simplex Fornicatio, Adulterium, Inceftus, Stuprum, Raptus, &c. and Chaucer, in his Parfon's Tale, defcanting on the feven deadly fins, treats of this under the title, De Luxuria. Hence in K. Lear, our author uses the word in this peculiar fenfe: "To't Luxury pell-mell, for I want foldiers." And Middleton, in his Game of Chefs, 1625: 66 in a room fill'd all with Aretine's pictures, But why is luxury, or lafcivioufnefs, faid to have a potatoe finger?This root, which was in our author's time bat newly imported from America, was confidered as a rare exotic, and esteemed a very strong provocative. As the plant is fo common now, it may entertain the reader to fee how it is defcribed by Gerard in his Herbal, 1597, P. 780. "This plant, which is called of fome Skyrrits of Peru, is generally of us called Potatus, or Potatoes-There is not any that hath written of this plant-therefore, I refer the defcription thereof unto those that shall hereafter have further knowledge of the fame. Yet I have had in my garden divers roots (that I bought at the Exchange in London) where they flourished until winter, at which time they perifhed and rotted. They are ufed to be eaten roafted in the ashes. Some, when they be fo roasted, infuse them and fop them in wine; and others, to give them the greater grace in eating, do boil them with prunes. How foever they be dreffed, they comfort, nourish, and strengthen the bodie, procure bodily luft, and that with great greediness." Drayton, in the 20th fong of his Polyolbion, introduces the fame idea concerning the firret: "The firret, which, fome fay, in fallets firs the blood." Shakspeare alludes to this quality of potatoes, in the Merry Wives of Windfor: -Let the fky rain potatoes, hail kiffing comfits, and fnow eringoes; let a tempeft of provocation come." Ben Jonfon mentions potatoe pies in Every Man out of his Hu.mour, among other good unctuous meats; So T. Heywood, in the English Traveller, 1633: "Caviare, fturgeon, anchovies, pickled oyfters; yes -, "And a potato pie: befides all these, "What thinkest rare and costly?" Again, in the Dumb Knight, 1633: 66 truly I think a marrow-bone pye, candied eringoes, preferved dates, or marmalade of cantharides, were much better harbingers cock-fparrows stew'd, dove's-brains, or fwan's pizzels, are very provocative; ROASTED POTATOES, or boiled kerrets, are your only lofty dishes." Again, in Decker's Honeft Whore, 1635: &c." If fhe be a woman, marrow-bones and potatoë-pies keep me, Again, in A Chafte Maid of Cheapfide, by Middleton, 1620: Again, in Chapman's May-Day, 1611: a banquet of oyfter-pies, fkerrét-roots, potatoes, erine goes, and divers other whetstones of venery." Again, in Decker's If this be not a good Play the Devil is in it, 161 2 "Potatoes eke, if you fhall lack, "To corroborate the back.” Again, in Jack's Drum's Entertainment, 1661 i by Gor an me had know dis, me woode have eat fom potatos, or ringoe." Again, in fir W. D'Avenant's Love and Honour, 1649: "You shall find me a kind of sparrow, widow "A barley-corn goes as far as a potatoe." Again, in The Ghoft, 1640: "Then, the fine broths I daily had fent to me, Again, in Hiftriomaftix, or the Player whipt, 1610: Nay, fo notorious were the virtues of this root, that W. W. the old tranflator of the Menæchmi of Plautus, 1595, has introduced them into that comedy. When Menæchmus goes to the house of his mistress Erotium to bespeak a dinner, he adds, "Harke ye, fome oysters, a mary-bone pie or two, fome artichockes, and potato-roots; let our other dishes be as you please." Again, in Greene's Disputation between a Hee Coneycatcher and a Shee Coneycatcher, 1592: “ I pray you, how many badde proffittes againe growes from whoores. Bridewell would have verie fewe tenants, the hofpitall woulde wante patientes, and the furgians much woorke: the apothecaries would have furphaling water and potato-roots lye deade on their handes." Again, in Cynthia's Revels, by Ben Jonfon. 'tis your only dish, above all your potatoes or oyster-pies in the world." Again, in the Elder Brother, by Beaumont and Fletcher: "A banquet-well, potatoes and eringoes, "And as I take it, cantharides-Excellent!" Again, in the Loyal Subject, by the fame authors: "Will your lordship please to taste a fine potato? "Fill your honour full of noble itches, &c." Again, in The Martial Maid, by Beaumont and Fletcher: Will your ladyfhip have a potatoe-pie? 'tis a good stirring dish for an old lady after a long lent.' Again, in the Sea Voyage, by the fame authors: Again, -Oh, for fome eringoes, "Potatoes, or cantharides !" "See provoking dishes, candied eringoes Again, in The Picture, by Maflinger: -he hath got a pye "Of marrow-bones, potatoes and eringoes." Again, in Maffinger's New Way to pay old Debts: 'tis the quinteffence "Of five cocks of the game, ten dozen of fparrows, Again, in the Guardian, by the fame author: -Potargo, "Potatoes, marrow, caviare Again, in the City Madam, by the fame : -prefcribes my diet, and foretells "My dreams when I eat potatoes." Taylor, the Water Poet, likewife, in his character of a Bawd, afcribes the fame qualities to this genial root. Again, Decker in his Gul's Hornbook, 1609: Potato-pies and cuftards ftood like the finful fuburbs of cookery, &c." Again, in Marfion's Satires, 1599: "camphire and lettice chaste, "Are now cashier'd-now Sophi 'ringoes eate, Again, in Holinfhed's Chronicle, Defcription of England, p. 167. Perhaps you have been used to your dainties of potatoes, of caveare, eringus, plums of Genowa, all which may well encrease your appetite to feverall evacuations." In the Good Hufwives Jewell, a book of cookery published in 1596, I find the following receipt to make a tarte that is a courage to a man or woman: "Take "Take two quinces and twoo or three burre rootes, and a POTATON; and pare your POTATON and fcrape your roots and put them into a quarte of wine, and let them boyle till they bee tender and put in an ounce. of dates, and when they be boiled tender, drawe them through a ftrainer, wine and all, and then put in the yolkes of eight egges, and the braynes of three or four cocke-fparrowes, and ftraine them into the other, and a little rofe-water, and feeth them all with fugar, cinnamon, and ginger, and cloves, and mace; and put in a little sweet butter, and fet it upon a chafing dish of coles between two platters, to let it boyle till it be fomething bigge." Gerard elsewhere obferves in his Herbal, that "potatoes may ferve as a ground or foundation whereon the cunning confectioner or fugar-baker may worke and frame many comfortable conferves and restorative fweetmeats." The fame venerable botanist likewife adds, that the stalk of clotburre" being eaten rawe with falt and pepper, or boiled in the broth of fat meat, is pleasant to be eaten, and firreth up venereal . motions. It likewife itrengtheneth the back, &c." Speaking of dates, he fays, that "thereof be made divers excellent cordial comfortable and nourishing medicines, and that procure luft of the body very mightily." He alfo mentions quinces as having the fame virtues. We may likewife add, that Shakspeare's own authority for the efficacy of quinces and dates is not wanting. He has certainly introduced them both as proper to be employed in the wedding dinner of Paris and Juliet: "They call for dates and quinces in the pastry." It appears from Dr. Campbell's Political Survey of Great-Britain, that potatoes were brought into Ireland about the year 1610, and that they came firft from Ireland into Lancashire. It was however forty years before they were much cultivated about London. At this time they were diftinguished from the Spanish by the name of Virginia potatoes,or battatas, which is the Indian denomination of the Spanish fort. The Indians in Virginia called them openank. Sir Walter Raleigh was the first who planted them in Ireland. Authors differ as to the nature of this vegetable, as well as in refpect of the country from whence it originally came. Switzer calls it Sifarum Peruvianum, i. e. the fkirret of Peru. Dr. Hill fays it is a folanum, and another very refpectable naturalift conceives it to be a native of Mexico. The accumulation of inftances in this note is to be regarded as a proof how often dark allufions might be cleared up, if commentators were diligent in their refearches. COLLINS, N 3 |