Chapter 28

"For oh! for oh! the Hobby-horse is forgot."

Hoodman-blind(Ham. iii. 4). The game now called Blindman's-buff.

Holla(As Y. L. iii. 2). SeeSoft.

Hope.This word is frequently used in the sense of mere expectation of either good or evil, a sense it still retains in America. The corresponding verbs in Greek, Latin, and some modern languages have the same sense.

Hot-house(M. for M. ii. 1), a bagnio, so named from the hot baths which it contained.

Humour.This word, signifying moisture (humor), came by the physiology of the time to mean character, idiosyncrasy. See Jonson's Every Man out of his Humour, The Stage. In the character of Nym, Shakespeare shows us howit was abused. It frequently occurs in the sense of state of mind, inclination, but never in its present sense; we still saygoodandill humour. The adj.humorousoccurs once (R. and J. ii. 1) in the primitive sense moist; but its usual meaning is, capricious. SeeWit.

Humour of Forty Fancies(T. of Sh. iii. 2), supposed to be a collection of poems or tales. There is no copy of it remaining.

'Hundred Merry Tales' (M. Ado, ii. 1), name of a common jest-book at that time.

Hunts-up(R. and J. iii. 5), the name of an air used to rouse up sportsmen in the morning. It began with "The hunt is up, the hunt is up." Puttenham says it was composed by one Gray in the time of Henry VIII., with whom it was a favourite.

Hurricano(Lear, iii. 2, Tr. and Cr. v. 2), what is now called a water-spout.

I.So they wrote what we now writeAye. As it was the same as the first personal pronoun, there was often a play on it, as in Two Gent. i. 1, R. and J. iii. 2.

Iceland-dog(H. V. ii. 1), a shaggy kind of dog imported from Iceland, a great favourite in England at that time.

Idle(M. for M. iii. 2, Oth. i. 3), empty, void, of no force,idel, A.S.,eitel, Germ.: "And the earth wasideland void" (Wicklif).

Imp, graft, hence child, young devil, by ellipsis of the devil. As a verb it was a term of falconry, meaning to splice a broken feather of the wing (R. II. ii. 1), which was effected by running a needle up the broken feather, the other end of which was run up the feather that was to be added.

Incense, properly Insense (M. Ado, v. 1, R. III. iii. 2, H. VIII. v. 1), inform, put sense, as it were, into.

Incony(L. L. L. iii. 1, iv. 1). This is usually understood to mean fine, delicate, pretty; but the following passage of the old play The Shoemaker's Holiday gives the true sense and origin of it: "There they shall be knit, like a pair of stockings, in matrimony; there they'll bein conie."Cony, likelamb,mouse, etc., was in fact one of the endearing terms then in use between married couples; so thatto be in conywas to be in a state of matrimonial endearment. Thencein conyorinconygradually came into use as an adj. of endearment in general—just asin lifebecamealiveandlive(as an adjective).

Index(R. III. ii. 2, Tr. and Cr. i. 3), what we now call the table of contents in a book. It also (R. III. iv. 4, Ham.iii. 4, Oth. ii. 1) seems to mean the dumb show before the acts of a play.

Inherit(Two Gent. iii. 2, R. II. i. 1), possess, cause to possess.

Iniquity(R. II. iii. 1, 1 H. IV. ii. 4), a name of the Vice, or buffoon, of the old moralities. He had asses' ears, a long coat, and a dagger of lath, with which, leaping on the Devil's back, he used to belabour him; but he was always carried off by him in the end.

Inkle(L. L. L. iii. 1, W. T. iv. 3), a kind of tape. It came perhaps by aphæresis from A.S.rápincle, cord.

Instance(R. III. iii. 2, Ham. iii. 2), motive, cause, (Tr. and Cr. v. 2) proof.

Intrenchant(Macb. v. 7) seems to mean which cannot be cut so as to remain divided. It is only found in this place.

Jack.From the universality of this familiar form ofJohn, it became the usual appellation of servants and others of the lower orders, something like theJacquesof the French.JackandJill(L. L. L. v. 2, M. N. D. iii. 2, T. Sh. iv. 1), therefore, represented the two sexes in humble life.

Jack-a-Lent(M. W. iii. 3, v. 5), a stuffed figure set up to be thrown at in Lent, as cocks were on Shrove Tuesday.

Jack-o'-the-clock(R. II. v. 5, R. III. iv. 2), figures of men that used to strike the hours on clocks.

Jade(possibly akin to Germ.Gaul), a name for a horse, indicating sometimes a vicious ("Jade, a naughty horse," Baret), sometimes a contemptible one, at other times expressing pity. It sometimes, however, was equivalent to horse, steed, as in

"When Hyperion's sonShall couch in west his foam-bedabbledjades."

"When Hyperion's son

Shall couch in west his foam-bedabbledjades."

Fuimus Troes.

Jesses(Oth. iii. 3), short straps of leather or silk fastened to the legs of a hawk, with rings on them, through which passed a leash or strap, which the falconer twisted round his hand. When the hawk was let go, the leash was drawn out of the rings.

Jewel."Wear thisjewelfor me; 'tis my picture" (Tw. N. iii. 4). We may hence see that jewel was any ornament in gold, enamel, etc.

Jig(Ham. ii. 2), a lively poem or ballad, as well as a dance, its only meaning at present.

John-a'-dreams(Ham. ii. 2). This means evidently astupid dreamy person; but the origin of the phrase is unknown.

Judas' hair(As Y. L. iii. 4). It was the popular belief that Judas Iscariot's hair was red. It owed its origin probably to the dislike of red hair, which still prevails.

Kam(Cor. iii. 1), crooked, awry. This is one of the very few English words borrowed from the Welsh or Irish language.

Keech(1 H. IV. ii. 4, 2 H. IV. ii. 1, H. VIII. i. 1), the inside fat of an ox rolled up in a lump.

Keel the pot(L. L. L. v. 2), cool the pot, probably by adding cold water to keep it from boiling over.

Keep(M. for M. iii. 1, 1 H. IV. i. 3), dwell, reside. Hence the provincial and Americankeeping-(i.e.sitting-)room.

Kerne(R. II. ii. 1, 2 H. VI. iii. 1, Macb. i. 2), sometimes joined withGallowglas—the former denoting the light-, the latter the heavy-armed soldier of the native Irish. Barnabie Riche terms the kernes "the very dross and scum of the country, a generation of villains not worthy to live." "TheGallowglas," says Stanyhurst, "useth a kind of pollax for his weapon. These men are grim of countenance, tall of stature, big of limb, lusty of body, and strongly timbered. Thekerneis an ordinary foot-soldier, using for weapon his sword and target, and sometimes his piece, being commonly good marksmen."

Kiln-hole(M. W. iv. 2, W. T. iv. 4). This is apparently the lower part of the malt-kiln, where the fire was. It would seem from these places that it was usual in those times to have private malt-kilns.

Knave, boy, lad, fellow,cnâfaA.S.,KnabeGerm.

Knife(2 H. IV. ii. 4, R. and J. iii. 1, Macb. i. 5). It appears to have been the custom in those times for women to carry a straight-handled knife in a sheath at their girdle, like a dagger. As we meet the termwedding-knives, it would seem to have formed part of the bridal array.

Knot, body, gang, party; a wavy bed in a garden.

Lantern(R. and J. v. 3), a louvre, or turret full of windows for admitting or transmitting light.

Lavolta(H. V. iii. 5, Tr. and Cr. iv. 4), a quick bounding dance for two persons. It would seem not to have been unlike the waltz of the present day.

Leave(Two Gent. iv. 3, M. of Ven. v. 1), to part with, give away.

Leg."Make a leg" (R. II. iii. 3, T. Sh. iv. 1), to make a bow or obeisance—from putting forward one leg and withdrawing the other.

Leiger(M. for M. iii. 1, Cymb. i. 6), a resident ambassador, apparently fromliggan,ligg, to lie,i.e.reside.

Leisure.Shakespeare, and apparently he alone, uses this word (R. III. v. 2) for brief time, and also (R. II. i. 1) for occupation, engagement.

L'envoy(L. L. L. iii. 1), lines terminating a French ballad and conveying the moral, or an address to the person for whom the poem was intended.

Lightning before death(R. and J. v. 3), the temporary reviving of the mental powers sometimes seen in sick persons a little before death. It may be so named from an analogy with lightning; but it more probably means relieving, easing.

Light-o'-love(Two Gent. i. 2, M. Ado, iv. 3), the name of an old tune for dancing; no words to it are known.

Line."Under the line" (Temp. iv. 1),i.e.at stake, a phrase of the tennis-court: "Let us keep the laws of the court—that is, stake money under the line (sotto la corda). Is it not so?—Yea, sir, you hit it right" (Florio, Second Fruits, ch. ii). Elsewhere in this play (iv. 1)lineis lime- or linden-tree.

Line of life(M. of V. ii. 2)—in fortune-telling, one of the lines of the hand.

Lipsbury pinfold(Lear ii. 2). Pinfold is a pound for cattle; but no place of the name of Lipsbury is known. As Nares observes, this is probably a coined name, likeLob's pound.

Lock(M. Ado, iii. 3, v. 1),i.e.love-lock, a lock of hair plaited and tied with ribbon, hanging on the left side down to the shoulder, or even lower. It was greatly the fashion among the men of the poet's time, and much later. Prynne wrote furiously against it.

Loggat(Ham. v. 1), a small log of wood. Steevens, of his own knowledge, describes the game ofloggatsas played at sheep-shearing feasts. A stake was stuck in the ground, at which they threw loggats, and he that threw nearest to it was the winner; the prize was a black fleece. This he gave to the farmer's maid to make her a petticoat, on the condition of her kneeling down on it to be kissed by the company.

Lord."Good lord" (All's Well, ii. 3; "dear lady," Temp. i. 2) is patron or protector of any one.

Lord have mercy upon us!(L. L. L. v. 2), the inscription put on houses where the plague was, to warn people against entering them.

Lord's sake."For the Lord's sake!" (M. for M. iv. 3). This was the word of prisoners for debt from the prison window, calling on the passers-by to give them some relief.

Lose(H. V. iv. 1), waste, employ without gaining by it. So alsoloss(M. for M. ii. 4) is mere employment, or occupation—waste, as it were.

Lots to blanks(Cor. v. 2). Herelotis used in the sense of prize in a lottery.

Love in Idleness(M. N. D. ii. 1), the pansy,Viola tricolor.

Lover.This word was sometimes used where we should now say friend, as in Jul. Cæs. ii. 3, iii. 2, v. 1, Cor. v. 2.

Luxury(Ham. i. 5, Lear, iv. 6, Tr. and Cr. v. 2), lechery, lewdness, fornication, theluxuriaof the schoolmen,lussuriaIt.

Magnifico(M. of V. iii. 2, Oth. i. 2), a title given to the nobles of Venice.

Magot-pie(Macb. iii. 4), magpie. It is the FrenchMargot-pie, just like our Madge-howlet, Jack-daw, Tom-tit, etc.

Mall.By "Mistress Mall" (Tw. N. i. 3) is probably meant merely a lady, without any particular allusion.

Man(T. Sh. iv. 1)—in falconry, tame a haggard or wild hawk, by making her submissive to themanor keeper.

Mammet(1 H. IV. ii. 3, R. and J. iii. 5), doll, puppet. It is probably the same asmaumet, idol, image (fromMahomet?).

Mandragora(Oth. iii. 3, A. and C. i. v), the mandrake, a strong narcotic or soporific.

Mandrake(R and J. iv. 3, 2 H. IV. i. 2, iii. 2, 2 H. VI. iii. 2). From its root being forked, and bearing some resemblance to the legs and thighs of a man, some superstition was attached to it, such as its groaning when pulled out of the ground, and causing madness or death to the person who pulled it.

Mankind(W. T. ii. 3, Cor. iv. 2), masculine (of a woman).

Manner."Taken with the manner" (L. L. L. i. 1, 1 H. IV. ii. 4), to be caught in the fact, with the stolen goods upon him. It was a law-phrase, the proper term beingmainour, frommanier, Fr., derived frommain.

Manningtree-ox(1 H. IV. ii. 4). This town in Essex used to hold fairs, by the tenure of exhibiting stage-plays; and there were great festivities there at Whitsun-ales and other festal times, at which probably—for we have no account of it—oxen used to be roasted whole, etc.

Mantuan(L. L. L. iv. 2), a Carmelite friar of the 15th century, who wrote several works, among which were Latin Eclogues, in imitation of those of Virgil. This last was a school-book in our poet's time; and the words quoted are the beginning of the first Eclogue.

Marchpane(R. and J. i. v), a confection of almonds, sugar, and flour pounded, blended, and baked, so as to form a kind of biscuit. The name occurs in most European languages, but its origin is uncertain.

Mare."Riding the wild mare" (2 H. IV. ii. 4) is playing at the game of see-saw or weighdy-buckety—bascule, Fr.

Marian."Maid Marian" (1 H. IV. iii. 3) was in the ballads the bride of Robin Hood. She was a character in the morris-dances, and was frequently represented by a man, but more usually by a woman of ill life.

Martlemas, i.e.Martinmas(2 H. IV. ii. 2), Nov. 11, St. Martin's day, the beginning of winter, the decline of the year.

Maze."The quaint mazes in the wanton green" (M. N. D. ii. 2) may perhaps have been merely the fairy rings; but there was in many places what was called a Maze or Troy town, or Walls of Troy, in which young people used to run for amusement. "They are generally," says Stukely, "upon open green places by the sides of roads or rivers, upon meadows or the like, near a town." For descriptions of them see Notes and Queries, 3 S. x. 283, 398.

Meacock(T. Sh. ii. 1), a tame, dastardly person. Its most probable derivation ismeekock, perhaps its original form (-ockbeing a diminutive, as inhillock,bullock, etc.).

Measure(L. L. L. v. 2, As Y. L. v. 4), a stately, slow dance, like the minuet of the last century.

Meazle(Cor. iii. 2), leper (mesel,meseauOld Fr.; frommisellus?).

Medicine(All's Well, ii. 1, W. T. iv. 3), physician (probablymédecin, Fr.).

Mephistophilus(M. W. i. 1), the well-known spirit or familiar in the story of Dr. Faustus. In Marlowe's play on the subject he was probably represented as very slender in person.

Merchant(R. and J. ii. 4) was used as we now usechap(i.e.chapman), inmy chap, asaucy chap, etc.

Merry, cheerful, pleasant; the adj. ofmirth. Hencemerry(i.e.pleasant) England.

"That made hem in a cite for to tarie,That stood fulmeryupon a haven side."

"That made hem in a cite for to tarie,

That stood fulmeryupon a haven side."

Chauc. Tale of Nonnes Prest.

"I wol you telle amerytale in prose"

(Id. Prol. Person's Tale),

where the "mery tale" is a sermon.

Mess(L. L. L. iv. 3, 3 H. VI. i. 4), a set of four persons at a meal, the party being arranged in fours. It is probably the Spanishmesa, table.

Milliner(1 H. IV. i. 3), a man who carried on the business now appropriated to women; probably fromMilan.

Mobled(Ham. ii. 2), having the face covered. "The moon dothmobbleup herself" (Shirley, Gent. of Venice). Its derivation is uncertain; but it may be connected withmuffle.

Mock-water(M. W. ii. 3) may allude to the usage of judging of diseases by the urine; but it is uncertain.

Modern(As Y. L. ii. 7, iv. 1, All's Well, v. 3, Macb. iv. 3), common, trivial, such as we may meet with every day.Moderncomes fromhodiernus.

Monarcho(L. L. L. iv. 1). "Monarcho the Italian" (Nash, Have with You, etc.). "Monarcho that lived about court" (Meres, Pal. Tamia).

Month's mind(Two Gent. i. 2). This was originally a service in the church for the soul of a person deceased, performed a month after his death, in mind,i.e.remembrance, of him. After the Reformation, when such a usage ceased, the phrase still remained; and asmindsignified inclination as well as memorial, it came to signify a great longing which had, as it were, lasted a month. This seems to be the simple explication.

Mops and mowes(Temp. iii. 3, Cymb. i. 7), ridiculous distortions of the face and body.Mopmay be only a corruption ofmock, andmowofmouth—we still saymake mouths—or the Frenchmoue, which has the same sense.

Moral(T. Sh. iv. 4, M. Ado, iii. 4), meaning, as in themoralof a fable. In Tr. and Cr. iv. 4, it seems to be the same asmotto.

Morris(A. Well, ii. 2),i.e.morris-dance, as it wereMoorish dance, an amusement on May-day, which was long kept up, but confined to the chimney-sweeps, in London. Its chief characters were Maid Marion, Friar Tuck, the Clown, the Hobby-horse, etc.

Mort of the deer(W. T. i. 2), notes blown on the horn on the death of the deer.

Motion(Two Gent. ii. 1, W. T. iv. 2), puppet, puppet-show, as beingmovedand put in action by strings.

Motley(As Y. L. ii. 7), the dress of Fools, as formed of divers colours.

Mousehunt(R. and J. iv. 4), a name of the stoat; but here it seems to be used ambiguously as a hunter of mice,i.e.women, for whommousewas a term of endearment.

Murdering-piece(Ham. iv. 5), a piece of ordnance placed in loop-holes of a castle or fortress, or the port-holes of a ship's forecastle, from which was discharged case-shot filled with bullets, nails, pieces of iron, etc.Meurtrière(Fr.) is, loop-hole.

Mutton(Two Gent. i. 1, M. for M. iii. 2). The single term, and that oflaced mutton, mean a woman—in the opinion of critics in general, a woman of bad life; and Cole in his Dict. has "Laced mutton, scortum." Yet this may be questioned. In Molière's G. Dandin (iii. 14), the maid says to her mistress, of whose virtue she is the maintainer,pauvre mouton!so that both in French and Englishmutton, i.e. sheep, ewe, may have been, likelamb, a term of endearment. "There's another goodlymuttongoing" (Green's Tu Quoque), of a modest woman.

"A finelac'd muttonOr two; and either has her frisking husband,That reads her the Corranto every week."

"A finelac'd mutton

Or two; and either has her frisking husband,

That reads her the Corranto every week."

Jonson, Mask of Nep. Triumph.

Here, we have no reason to suppose that they were women of bad character. So also in Two Gent. it is of a lady of unblemished fame thatlac'd muttonis used. Speed calls himself "a lost mutton," and her "a lac'd mutton," where, by the way, we must pronounce "lac'd"last, or we miss the humour. It may be observed, as Nares and others have not seen it, that the allusion inlacedis to the lacing of the dress in front. Hence the frequent cry,Cut my lace!

Nettle of India(Tw. N. ii. 5), a zoophyte, it is said, calledUrtica marina, abounding in the Indian seas. "The flower of India, pleasant to be seen, but whoso smelleth to it,feeleth present smart" (Green, Card of Fancie), whence Shakespeare probably took it, would rather seem to indicate a plant.

Nice(T. Sh. iii. 1, R. and J. v. 2), silly, trifling, fromniais, Fr.

Nicholas(Two Gent. iii. 1, 1 H. IV. ii. 1). This Saint appears to have had a double office,—the one as the patron of schools and learning, as he was celebrated for his piety and love of learning from his infancy; the other, we know not how, as the patron of thieves and highwaymen, who were calledSt. Nicholas' clerks.

Night-gown.This was the name of the night-dress of both women and men (Macb. ii. 2, Ham. iii. 4). It is still used, at least in the country, for night-dress. The night-gown was only used by persons of some rank and consideration; people in general went to bed naked,buffing the blanket, as it was termed in Ireland. It may be here observed thatgownwas, likegonna, It., whence it is derived, used very extensively at that time. So we havesea-gown(Ham. v. 1), for a sailor's outer coat, a pilot-coat, as we should now say.

Nine men's morris(M. N. D. ii. 1). "In that part of Warwickshire where Shakespeare was educated, and the neighbouring parts of Northamptonshire, the shepherds and other boys dig up the turf with their knives to represent a sort of imperfect chess-board. It consists of a square, sometimes only a foot in diameter, sometimes three or four yards. Within this is another square, every side of which is parallel to the external square; and these squares are joined by lines drawn from each corner of both squares, and the middle of each line. One party, or player, has wooden pegs, the other stones, which they move in such a manner as to take up each other'smen, as they are called; and the area of the inner square is calledthe pound, in which the men taken up are impounded. These figures are by the country-people calledNine Men's MorrisorMerrils, and are so called because each party hasninemen." (James, in Var. Shakespeare.) This, it must be confessed, is not very intelligible, and it is rather remarkable that Nares takes no notice of it. On the contrary, he says that Nine Men's Morris is "evidently only another name" for Nine-holes. In this he must be wrong, as the wordMorrisshows; but Shakespeare may have confounded the two, and have meant Nine-holes, as would seem to be indicated by "filled up with mud."

Nobody(Temp. iii. 2). "The picture of Nobody was a common sign. There is also a woodcut prefixed to an old play of Nobody and Somebody, which represents him" (Singer).

Noddy(Two Gent. i. 1), a fool, or rather perhaps a nobody. "Thersites, the gloriousnoddy" (Puttenham).

"Ere you came here poor I was somebody,The king delighted in me; now I am anoddy."

"Ere you came here poor I was somebody,

The king delighted in me; now I am anoddy."

Dam. and Pith.

It may be connected withnoodle. It was also a game at cards, something like cribbage, in which the knave was calledknave-noddy, to which last, it may be, Speed alludes.

Nonce(1 H. IV. i. 2), or Nones, is simplyones,once, with the paragogicn, and signifying that one time.

Novum(L. L. L. v. 2), a game at dice, at which the full number of players would seem to have been five. As the principal throws were nine and five, it was namedNovemquinque.

Nuncle, i.e.unclewith the paragogicn, of which there were so many instances. In Lear, it is the term used by the Fool to the King; and in Fletcher's Pilgrim (iv. 1), Alinda uses it, when assuming the character of a fool; but this may have been a mere imitation of the Fool in Lear.UncleandAunt(M. N. D. ii. 1, W. T. iv. 2) may have been originally only names for elderly persons: the former at least is still used in this manner in Cornwall; and the American custom of so styling elderly negroes of both sexes may be a remnant of it.

Nut-hook(M. W. i. 1, 2 H. IV. v. 4), a hook for pulling down the branches of nuts. It was, as in these places, used figuratively of a bailiff.

Nutmeg."A gilt nutmeg" (L. L. L. v. 2), was a common gift at Christmas and other festivals.

Object.This word was used, of both persons and things, in the same manner as we now usesubject. Of persons we still employ it with the ellipsis ofof pity, as it seems to be used in Tim. iv. 3; but Shakespeare uses it also with that ofof love. (Two Gent. ii. 4, Cymb. i. 7.) The French also used it in this sense (see Molièrepassim).

One.As this appears to be pronouncedon(Two Gent, ii. 1), it is assumed that such was its sound, but it was in fact pronounced as at present; for in the Contention, etc., theoriginal of 2 H. VI., we have "all'swonne(one) to me." In Chaucer's time it was sounded likeown, for he always writes itoon, and it retains this sound inalone,atone,only.

Or ere.This should beor e'er; fororis ere, before, and we have the full phraseor everin the Bible (Dan. vi. 24, Ps. lviii. 8) and elsewhere.

Osprey(Cor. iv. 7). This bird of prey was supposed to exercise a kind of fascination over the fish which it captured.

Out of God's blessing into the warm sun(Lear, ii. 2)—a proverb signifying from good to bad, the origin of which has not yet been shown.

Overscutched huswives(2 H. IV. iii. 2) seems to mean the harlots who had been well whipped in the house of correction.Scutch(same asscotch), to beat, to scourge, is still used of flax, and in Ireland of a mode of beating out wheat;huswifeor housewife, signifiedhussy, a corruption of it.

Owch(2 H. IV. ii. 4). This word, whose origin is extremely obscure, seems to signify ornament, jewel, etc.

Owl."The owl was a baker's daughter" (Ham. iv. 5). Douce says this is a common tradition in Gloucestershire. "Our Saviour went into a baker's shop, where they were baking, and asked for some bread to eat. The mistress of the shop immediately put a piece of dough in the oven to bake for him; but was reprimanded by her daughter, who, insisting that the piece of dough was too large, reduced it to a very small size. The dough, however, immediately began to swell, and presently became of a most enormous size; whereupon the baker's daughter cried out,Heugh, heugh, heugh!which owl-like noise probably induced our Saviour to transform her into that bird for her wickedness."

Painted cloth(As Y. L. iii. 2),i.e.cloth or canvas painted in oil, used like tapestry for hanging the walls of sitting-rooms and bed-chambers. It was both cheaper and more lasting than tapestry, and, like it, had stories and mottoes on it.

Palabras(M. Ado, iii. 4) andPaucas [pocas] palabras(T. Sh. Ind.) Sp., words, few words.

Parish top(Tw. N. i. 3). It was the custom to keep a large whipping-top in each parish in the country parts for the peasantry to use in frosty weather to keep them warm with exercise.

Partlet(W. T. ii. 3, 1 H. IV. iii. 3), the name of the henin Chaucer's Tale of the Nonnes Prest—used in these places of a woman who, like her, gave advice, etc., to her husband.

Passy-measure(Tw. N. v. 1), the Italianpasso mezzo. It was a slow grave dance, correlative to the Galliard, but with only half the number of steps. It may have been the same as the Pavin (frompavo?), which is joined with it.

Patch(C. of Err. iii. 1, M. of V. iii. 5, Macb. v. 3), fool. "Patch was the name of a Fool kept by Cardinal Wolsey, and who deservedly had the honour of transmitting his appellation to a very numerous body of descendants, he being, as Wilson observes in his Art of Rhetorique, 1553, 'a notable fool in his time'" (Gifford on Mass. New Way, etc. iii. 2). He may, however, have been so named from his dress.

Path(J. C. ii. 1), to pace, walk, go along.

"Pathingyoung Henry's unadvised ways."

Drayton, Duke Humphrey's Epistle.

"Where from the neighbouring hills her passage Wey dothpath."

Id. Polyolb. ii.

Pax(H. V. iii. 6), a piece of wood or metal, with the picture of Christ upon it, which was given to the people to kiss at the end of divine service.

Pensioners(M. W. ii. 2, M. N. D. ii. 1). The band of Gentlemen Pensioners was instituted by Queen Elizabeth. It was composed of tall handsome young men, of rank and fortune, who were splendidly attired.

Pict-hatch(M. W. ii. 2) is said to have been a noted tavern or brothel in Turnbull-street, Clerkenwell. The picked hatch or half-door with spikes (whence the name) was a common defence of brothels.

Piece, one, individual. It was, and is, used in English, French, and other languages, both of persons and things. So we say a piece of cannon, a fowling-piece, pieces of money, so much a-piece,i.e.to each, etc. A remarkable instance of this use ofpieceoccurs in the Roman de la Rose (ver. 16099), where it denotes the individuals of the various species formed by Nature.

"Voyez la bonnepièceavec ses révérences!"

Corneille, Le Menteur, v. 5.

The critics are quite wrong in saying that when used of a woman it denoted bad character; for it was merely with anellipsis ofof womankind. Peele says of Helen before her elopement,

"Here, gentle shepherd, here's for theea piece,The fairest face, the flower of gallant Greece."

"Here, gentle shepherd, here's for theea piece,

The fairest face, the flower of gallant Greece."

Arraign. of Paris, ii. 2.

"In hope to win that gallant flower of Greece,Fair Helena, that brave and peerlesspiece."

"In hope to win that gallant flower of Greece,

Fair Helena, that brave and peerlesspiece."

War of Troy.

We also have,

"I had a wife, a passing princelypiece" (Mirr. of Mag.);

"Well, she was a delicatepiece" (Hon. Whore),

of a princess;

"All princely gracesThat mould up such a piece as this is" (H. VIII. v. 5),

"All princely graces

That mould up such a piece as this is" (H. VIII. v. 5),

of Elizabeth, whom Wilson (Life of James I. p. 1) terms "a glorious and most happypieceof sovereignty." We also meet with "pieceof virtue" (Temp. i. 2, Ant. and Cleop. iii. 2), "pieceof beauty, of enchantment" (W. T. iv. 3). It was also used of men:

"Of base and earthlypieces, like thyself" (Albumazar, iv. 7),

to a man;

"You're both the loveliestpieces" (Fletch. Love's Pilg. i. 1),

to men.

Pin(L. L. L. iv. 1)—in archery, the black peg with which thecloutorwhitewas fastened in the middle of the butt.

Placket(L. L. L. iii. 1, W. T. iv. 3). "Torace, the breast or bulk of a man; also the middle space between the neck and the thighs; also aplacket, a stomacher" (Florio). This puts the meaning of this word beyond dispute. In Winter's Tale it signifies the part covered by it.

Point-device(L. L. L. v. 1, As Y. L. iii. 2), precise, exact in dress and manners. It is said to be the Frenchpoint dévisé; but there is no such phrase in French. It may bepoint de vice.

Pomander(W. T. iv. 3), probably, as Minshew says, frompomme ambre. It was a ball, etc., often of silver, perforated, and containing perfumes; so that it would seem to answer to the present smelling-bottle. Perhaps it was the same as the pouncet-box (1 H. IV. i. 3).

Poor-John(R. and J. i. 1), dried hake, a coarse kind of food.

Porpentine, a corruption ofporcupine. Always the form used by Shakespeare; so Portingale for Portugal.

Potatoes(M. W. v. 5). It is curious that this tuber, which had been lately brought to England, should have been regarded, as it was, as an incentive to venery.

Pox, i.e. pocks, were properly the pits or holespochedor sunk in the face by the disease now called thesmall-pox, then simply thepox. Hence there was no indelicacy in its use by a lady (L. L. L. v. 2).

Pride of place(Macb. ii. 4) seems to mean the greatest height to which a falcon flew, previous to making the stoop.Placeseems equivalent topitch.

Princock,princox(R. and J. i. 5), a pert forward youth. Perhapsprince-cock, little prince;cockis a diminutive.

Priscian, a celebrated Latin grammarian. Blundering in grammar was termed breaking his head, hence "a little scratched" (L. L. L. v. 1).

Prone(Cymb. v. 4), prompt, ready, unembarrassed.

"With bombard and basilisk, with men prone and vigorous."

Holme, Fall of Rebellion, 1537.

"To delude your subtle father.—I amproneto it."

Mass. New Way, iii. 2.

In M. for M. i. 3,proneis, perhaps, prepossessing, that makes oneproneor inclined to.

Pun(Tr. and Cr. ii. 1), to pound, crush. It is the A.S.punian, and has been changed topound, just ashoisehas becomehoist.

Puppet."The puppets dallying" (Ham. iii. 2) seems to mean the apparent motion of the babies in the eyes,i.e.the reflections of objects on the outer part of the pupil.

Putter-out(Temp. iii. 3), one who, on going on his travels, placed in the hands of some one a sum of money, on condition of receiving three, four, five, etc. times that sum in case of his safe return. It was a very common practice in those days.

Quail(Tr. and Cr. v. 1) is used figuratively of a loose amorous woman, the quail being regarded as an amorous bird.Bevywas used alike of quails and of women.

Quality, profession, occupation (Ham. ii. 2), chiefly the dramatic; the persons of it (Temp. i. 2).

Quarry(curée, Fr.,curata, It. See Bocc. Thes. vii. 76, Orl. Inn. ii. 10, 60), properly the entrails of the game, the part given to the hounds; a heap or pile of slaughtered game (Ham. v. 2, Macb. iv. 3, Cor. i. 1). It was also used of the game itself even while afoot.

Quern(M. N. D. ii. 1), a hand-mill; but in this place Shakespeare evidently uses it forchurn.

Quiddit and quillet(Ham. v. 1). The first of this is a corruption of the scholasticquidditas, and denotes a subtle distinction; the second is the same asquibble, whencequip, and is a corruption ofquidlibet.

Quietus(Ham. iii. 1), "a word used by the Clerk of the Pipe and Auditors of the Exchequer, in their acquittances or discharges given to accountants, usually concluding withabinde recessit quietus; which is calledQuietus est" (Reed, note in Dodsley's Old Plays).

Quinapalus(Tw. N. i. 5). This and Pigrogromitus, etc., afterwards (ii. 2) used by the Clown, are probably mere words invented by the poet, like the foreign language in All's Well.

Quintaine(As Y. L. i. 2). The quintaine here alluded to seems to be the simpler one in use in the poet's time. It was formed by a cross bar turning with a pivot on a pole, at one end of which was a figure, at which the player was to run with his lance, and at the other a sand-bag, which would give him a hard blow, if he struck so as not to be out of the way when it came round by the revolution of the bar. A quintaine is still to be seen at Offham Green, in Kent.

Rabato(M. Ado, iii. 4), a kind of ruff or collar,rabat, Fr. fromrabattre, to throw back. It is said to have been originally merely the collar of the shirt turned back, as was the case with boys' shirts some years ago.

Rascal(As Y. L. iii. 3, 1 H. VI. iv. 2) "is properly the hunter's term given to young deer, lean and out of season" (Puttenham). This is the sense in which this word is usually understood; but on the other hand we have, in the Return from Parnassus, 1666, "I caused the keeper to sever therascal-deerfrom thebucks of the first head. Now, sir, a buck is in the first year afawn; the second year apricket; the third year asorrel; the fourth year asoare; the fifth abuck of the first head; the sixth year acomplete buck."

"A new park is a-making there, to severCuckolds of antler from the rascals."

"A new park is a-making there, to sever

Cuckolds of antler from the rascals."

Jonson, Staple of News, iii. 2.

It would therefore appear that therascalwas simply the deer that had not yet reached his fifth year, and perhaps the word wasraw(immature)skull. It was used metaphorically in our poet's time as now. Fletcher uses it more than once of a woman.

Ready.This word frequently signifies dressed, andunreadyundressed.

"Bid my wife make herreadyhandsomely,And put on her best apron."

"Bid my wife make herreadyhandsomely,

And put on her best apron."

Queen of Corinth, ii. 4.

"'Tis late; good aunt, to bed: I am e'en unready."

Island-Princess, iii. 3.

In 1 H. VI. ii. 1 we have, "half ready and half unready,"i.e.drest and undrest; and in Macb. ii. 3, "manlyreadiness" for men's clothes. Toreadythe hair is still used in some places for combing and arranging it.

Recheat(M. Ado, i. 1), notes played on the horn to call off the dogs.

Regiment(Ant. and Cleop. iii. 6), government, rule; (R. III. v. 3) body of troops, separate command.

Region(R. and J. ii. 2, Ham. ii. 2), the air. The space between the lunar sphere and the earth was divided into the region of air and the region of fire; the air was the regionpar excellence, as nearest to the earth. SeeElement.

Rest.The phrase "set up rest" (All's Well, ii. 1, M. of V. ii. 2, W. T. iv. 3, R. and J. iv. 5) in these plays is figurative, derived from gaming, chiefly at the game of cards called Primero. As this game came from Spain it brought, like Ombre, its terms with it, andrestwas the Spanishresto, which meant not, as is usually supposed, the stake, but the bet or wager, which appears to have been made by the players only. "What shall we play for?—One shillingstakeand threerest" (Florio, Second Fruits). The Spanish phrase for laying a wager, or making a bet at play, wasechar el resto, put or throw down the sum betted; and this became in Englishset up the rest. The reason perhaps was because this phrase was already in use in a military sense, as the matchlock guns, on account of their weight and the mode of firing them, required a rest or support. The phrase was also used (R. and J. v. 3, Lear, i. 1) for making one's abode.

Restie(Cymb. iii. 6), "dull, heavy, idle, inert" (Bullokar).

Revels(H. VIII. i. 4) seems in this place to be what was called mixed dancing, in which both sexes partook. "Here they take forth the ladies and therevelsbegin" (Jonson, Masque of Lethe). Its general signification, however, was sports and amusement of any kind. It comes fromréveiller, Fr.

Riming rats to death(As Y. L. iii. 2). There is abundant evidence of the belief that in Ireland rats could be killed by metrical charms. This notion would seem to have been common to the whole Celtic race; for M. Villemarqué (Barzaz Breiz, i. 1xx.) says that when some bad verses were made relating to the cholera in Bretagne, an old peasant observed "au fond, peu importe; l'essentiel était que le choléra fûtchansonné. Il l'est; la chanson fera fuir la peste."

Roast."Rule the roast" (2 H. VI. i. 1) was probably used originally of cocks, the proper term beingroost, as it perhaps was here, where it is printedrost. It would thus be similar to Cock of the Walk.

Rosemary(W. T. iv. 3, Ham. iv. 5). This plant, for some unknown reason, was held to be a symbol of remembrance, and was used at weddings and funerals.

Rouse(Ham. i. 4). SeeCarouse.

Rue(W. T. iv. 3, R. II. iii. 4, Ham. iv. 5) was calledherb of grace, probably from its resemblance torue, pity.

Sack(2 H. IV. 1,et alib.). There can be no doubt that this celebrated wine was nothing else but what is now calledsherry,sherris-sack, as Falstaff terms it.Sackisseco, Sp., as it was adrywine; sherry is from the town of Xeres, the gutturalxbeing as usual pronouncedsh. See Naress' long articleSack.

Sackerson(M. W. i. 1), a celebrated bear at Paris-garden, named, as was the custom, after the bear-ward.

Safe(Temp. iii. 1, M. for M. i. 1, K. John, iv. 2, Macb. i. 4), secure, from which there is no danger, that may be relied on.

Sanctify(Cor. iv. 6), to bless, make the sign of the cross.

Seel(Oth. i. 3, Macb. iii. 1), to close the eye-lids of a hawk by passing a fine thread through them, with a view to making it tame.

Sennet,sinnet,cynet,signate, a set of notes on the trumpet or clarion, usually employed to denote the approach of a person of rank. It is perhaps only a corruption ofsonata, It.

Servant.In the gallantry of those daysservant, as the correlative ofmistress, denoted the lover. It came from the Frenchserviteur, which occurs in this sense continually in the Nouvelles of the Queen of Navarre. In Italian 'cavalier servente' is hardly yet out of use.

Setabos(Temp. i. 2). "The giants [Patagonians], when they found themselves fettered, roared like bulls, and cried upon their great devil, Setabos, to help them" (Eden, Hist. of Travel, 1577).

Shard(Ham. v. i), a piece of broken pot, tile, etc. This word has also two other senses—namely, a piece of cow-dung, and a scale, the latter only in these lines of Gower:

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