[27]useinterest.
[28]grangethe word seems to have implied “loneliness.”
[29]happinessgood fortune.
[30]motionproposal.
[31]singularitysingleness.
[32]mechaladulterous.
[33]private me no privateslike Shakespeare’s “but me no buts.”
[34]attachcharge with.
[35]bottlebundle; Cotgrave has: “boteler, to botle or bundle up, to make into botles or bundles.”
[36]Privyi.e.Privy Council.
[37]disabledisparage.
[38]pickedpitched.
[39]mainprizea technical term: a writ of mainprize was sent to the sheriff, directing him to take sureties for a prisoner.
[40]shrievaltyit was customary for the sheriff to have posts in front of his house, to which notices were affixed.
[41]Chavelah?the clown’s form of the French phrasequi va là?
[42]banqueti.e.a dessert.
[43]whilst I find something to say to thishe refers to the bottle.
[44]oratorsthis must be taken as a verb.
[45]no quarrels to unkindnessno quarrels are so bitter as those caused by unkindness.
[46]goes in at one door, and comes out at anotherthe old stage was wanting in moveable scenery. The audience had to suppose that when Young Geraldine re-entered, he was outside Mistress Wincott’s chamber.
[47]testera sixpence.
[48]rot-gutcheap ale.
[49]fox you allmake you all drunk.
[50]like brave Orlandoalluding to “Orlando Furioso.”
[51]gullerytrickery.
[52]withdrawthe old edition adds “behind the arras.”
[53]windings and indentsschemes, shifts.
[54]piecegun.
[55]Fortune play-housethe first theatre of this name, built by Henslowe and Alleyn, was burnt down in 1621: another theatre was erected on the site in 1622, and in old views of the latter a rudely carved figure, presumably of Fortune, is noticeable on the front of the house.—(See frontispiece to Dekker’s Plays in this series.)
[56]votedi.e.chosen.
[57]green rusheswith which floors were usually covered by way of carpet.
[58]fear? sin.
[59]presentlyimmediately.
[1]balepair.
[2]twenty marksa mark was worth 13s. 4d.
[3]crosscoins bearing a cross on the reverse, hence various quibbles.
[4]Gracious Streeti.e.Gracechurch Street.
[5]“&c.,” here and elsewhere, means that the actor may add more to the same effect, if he please.
[6]to intendi.e.attend to.
[7]fancylove.
[8]say nay, and take them“maids say nay, and take it,” was a proverbial saying.
[9]conceitidea.
[10]I’ll be with thee to bring...in this phrase—of which Dyce says that no satisfactory explanation has been given—“to bring,” has apparently the force of “wholly” or “thoroughly.”
[11]little whiting-mopyoung whiting.
[12]a Sir Johna priest.
[13]queasysqueamish.
[14]fore-speakingbewitching; or, possibly, prophesying.—Halliwell.
[15]’recting a figurethe practice of astrology.
[16]Erra Paterusually the name of a certain mythical astrologer of the “Wandering Jew” type; sometimes, however, as here, applied to an almanac.
[17]Statute of Winchesterthe celebrated Statute passed in 1285: to what clause in the Statute reference is made is not clear.
[18]cutting Dicka bully of the time: “cutting” often has the sense of “swaggering.”
[19]sadserious.
[20]be with youi.e.God be with you.
[21]the Counterthere were two prisons of this name, one in Wood Street, the other in the Poultry.
[22]tasted hertested her disposition.
[23]Jack Drum’s entertainment“Tom or John Drum’s Entertainment, a phrase signifying ill-treatment, or turning an unwelcome guest out of doors.”—Halliwell.
[24]Sir Boniface“sir” was applied to all University men who had taken their B.A. degree.
[25]nidgetsidiots.
[26]no bonesi.e.no difficulties.
[27]ready with a wet fingeri.e.with as much ease as any light substance is caught up by moistening one’s finger.
[28]catched a clapmet with a mischance.
[29]common gossipssponsors.
[30]tellcount over.
[31]pocas palabras“few words.”
[32]murreya dark red colour.—Halliwell.
[33]play at hoodman-blindblind man’s buff.
[34]in a woesorrowful.
[35]bobbedtricked.
[36]fitterspieces.
[37]a toywhim.
[38]choke-pear ... poperinga pear brought from Poperingues in Flanders; the choke-pear was a coarse variety.
[39]copechop or exchange.
[40]the woman killed with kindnessan obvious allusion to Heywood’s own masterpiece.
[41]Bristowe stonemore usually called a “Bristol diamond.”
[42]branchedfigured.
[43]limiti.e.appoint.
[44]I was, sir, of Peterhousethere is a tradition that Heywood himself was a Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge.
[45]I proceeded in Oxfordi.e.to his degree, his college, as he tells us, being Brazenose.
[46]GenesGenoese.
[47]Lusty Juventusthere is an old interlude entitledLusty Juventus, printed about the year 1560.
[48]St. George’s Fields ... Tuttle, Finsburyhe mentions three well-known duelling resorts.
[49]Stafford law“he has had a trial in Stafford Court” was a way of saying “he has been beaten or ill-treated,”Cotgrave. Florio uses the expression “Stafford-law”=braccesca licenza.
[50]apply thoudefend yourself.
[51]i.e.much good may it do you!
[52]beso las manuskiss the hands.
[53]Sir PandarusPandarus was the prince of go-betweens; hence the word “pander.”
[54]colourexcuse.
[55]brocka term of contempt; a brock is a badger.
[56]Cheap Crossat Cheapside, with a statue of the Virgin on it. It was removed in 1643, by Puritan influence, on account of the reverence which it received from Catholics.
[57]take me with youi.e.let me understand.
[58]jackcrafty fellow.
[59]It is to be understood that the occupants of the various inner rooms see and hear all that transpires between Young Chartley and Luce without being themselves seen or heard.
[60]Is not a speech lost here?
[61]i.e.on pain of losing his blessing.
[1]makes legsbows.
[2]balmthe consecrated oil used at coronations. Shakespeare has the expression: “’Tis not the balm, the sceptre and the ball.”
[3]be countanti.e.held accountant.
[4]estatesnobles.
[5]humorouslyoddly.
[6]momeblockhead.
[7]laugh, Democritusthe laughing philosopher of Abdera:
Perpetuo risu pulmonem agitare solebatDemocritus.—Juvenal, x., 33-4.
Perpetuo risu pulmonem agitare solebatDemocritus.—Juvenal, x., 33-4.
Perpetuo risu pulmonem agitare solebat
Democritus.—Juvenal, x., 33-4.
[8]curstshrewish.
[9]“Rome” was pronounced like “room.”
[10]generouslyof such noble blood.
[11]he was: by power divinethe old editions miss the point by reading “he was by power divine.”
[12]coach-naveswheels, properly part of the axle.
[13]timelessuntimely. This passage is corrupt.
[14]sparkledscattered.
[15]trifurkthree-forked.
[16]rubsobstacles: originally a term used at the game of bowls.
[17]ballatermaker of ballads
[18]sansing belli.e.sanctus bell.
[19]moemore;i.e.others.
[20]losewaste.
[21]the water that God Mercury makesi.e.a cosmetic lotion containing mercury.
[22]being taken with the mannercaught in the act. Cowel says, “manner or mainour denotes the thing that a thief taketh or stealeth.”
[23]doomdecree.
[24]preventforestall.
[25]bucklecontend.
[26]traversedthoroughly examined.
[27]attaintaccusation.
[28]toppinglopping off.
[29]wherei.e.whereas.
[30]suburbiansthe suburbs of London were formerly the chief resort of loose women.
[31]hollyholy.
[32]hatchelheckle or dress.
[33]with Duke Humphrey dinei.e.not dine at all. “This phrase is said to have arisen from part of the public walks in Old St. Paul’s called Duke Humphrey’s walk, where those who were without the means of defraying their expenses at a tavern were accustomed to walk in hope of procuring an invitation.”—Halliwell.
[34]hey hoa favourite ballad-burden.
[35]cocketpert.
[36]AttaliaHeywood was probably thinking of Horace’sAttalicæ condiciones.
[37]poundedi.e.penned up.
[38]upse freezestrong beer, imported from Friesland: hence to drinkupse freezewas to drink hard.
[39]tassakerfromtasse? Hence a cup or goblet.
[40]managemanagement.
[41]lavoltoesa dance in the course of which the woman, after being turned round several times, sprang up as high as she could with her partner’s assistance.
[42]wheeli.e.a spinning-wheel.
[43]rebatoesi.e.turn your ruffs into loose collars.
[44]frontletsforehead-bands.
[45]railsshort mantles.
[46]billementshead and neck ornaments.
[47]bongracesshades to preserve the complexion.
[48]There is no dash in the original; the singer evidently substituted the refrain for the omitted word.
[49]This song also occurs in Heywood’sChallenge for Beauty.
[50]cony-woolrabbit skin.
[51]shagrough hair.
[52]monmoutha kind of flat cap.
[53]chapinechapines were shoes with very high soles, worn by ladies to make them look tall.
[54]humorousdamp.
[55]starsi.e.candles.
[56]tread not too hard for disturbingi.e.lest you should disturb.
[57]staves-acrea kind of larkspur used to kill lice.
[58]opinionreputation.
[59]defendforbid.
[60]uncrazedunbroken.
[61]mechaladulterous.
[62]starestarling.
[63]This catch, which jokes in such a ribald fashion over Tarquin’s crime, furnishes a pointed example of the way in which the dramatists of the period pandered to the tastes of the less refined among their audiences.
[64]to my death to fallto let fall, as often to be found in Shakespeare.
[65]infinitei.e.infinite numbers.
[66]bucklerdefend.
[67]battlebattalion.
[68]tiretear, like a beast or bird of prey.
[69]bulkbody.
[70]constantresolute.
[71]snaky“snake” was often used as a term of contempt.
[72]single monomachy“single monomachy” is rather an absurd pleonasm.
[73]garboilstumults.
[74]with one scornsi.e.that scorns.
[75]rock-sampiersamphire.
The six volumeDramatic Works of Thomas Heywood, published by J. Pearson in 1874, was consulted for many of the corrections listed below.
# is used in the text-only edition of this ebook to indicate bolded text.
Alterations to the text:
Omit drop caps and other decorations.
Speaker names: expand, make uniform, and place on line separate from dialogue.
Minor formatting changes to some stage directions.
Relabel footnote markers, collect footnotes at the end of the text, and add an entry to the TOC.
Add The Red Bull Theatre to TOC.
[Introduction]
Change (Such words as “trifulk,” ... “tenébrous,”) totrifurkandtenebrous, respectfully.
[A Woman Killed with Kindness]
(a2s1) “and therefore grateful.Pr’ythee, Nan,” toPrythee.
(a2s3) “Whaysay’st thou, metal?” toWhat.
(a3s2) “T’wasbut a thankless office” to’Twas.
(a4s3) “As you love, me sir,” relocate first comma afterme.
(a4s3) “Come, Nan, Ipr’ytheelet us sup within.” toprythee.
[The Fair Maid of the West]
(a1s3) “Enter Spencer, CaptainGoolack” toGoodlack.
(a5s1) “I will have nocommèrcewith Mullisheg,” tocommerce.
[The English Traveller]
(a2s1) “W ee ntreatyou,” toWe entreat.
(a2s2) “Whydos’tnot thou fly too?” todost.
(a3s1) “And is my present joy, if theiraspéct” toaspect.
(a4s3) “On two unmatched for sordidvillany” tovillainy.
[The Wise Woman of Hogsdon]
(a3s1) “make short work, andh’athdispatched by this” tohath.
(a4s2) “Well, I hear thee,” change second comma to a period.
[The Rape of Lucrece]
(a3s1) “The host is now/Upon their march....” change the speaker from Lucretius to Tarquin. (Lucretius never entered this scene).
(a3s5) “Terry, derry, &c.” (3rd to last line in song) delete the first comma.
(a5s1) “and guerdon basetrangression.” totransgression.
[End of Text]