My hangings all of Tyrian tapestry: Fine linen, Turky cushions boss d with pearl, 9-counterpoints,] So, in A Knack to Know a Knave, 1594: Then I will have rich counterpoints and musk." .. These coverings for beds are at present called counterpanes; but either mode of spelling is proper. Counterpoint is the monkish term for a particular species of musick, in which, notes of equal duration, but of different harmony, are set in opposition to each other. In like manner counterpanes were anciently composed of patchwork, and so contrived that every pane or partition in them, was contrasted with one of a different colour, though of the same dimensions. STEEVENS. Counterpoints were in ancient times extremely costly. In Wat Tyler's rebellion, Stowe informs us, when the insurgents broke into the wardrobe in the Savoy, they destroyed a coverlet, worth a thousand marks. So, in the old play where rich gifts are enumerated, we find : 1 Arabian silkes, "Rich Affrick spices, arras, counterpoints, "Muske, cassia, sweet smelling ambergreece, "Pearle, curtol, chrystal, jet, and ivory." MALONE. TENTS, and canopies,] I suppose by tents old Gremio means work of that kind which the ladies call tent-stitch. He would hardly enumerate tents (in their common acceptation) among his domestick riches. STEEVENS. I suspect, the furniture of some kind of bed, in the form of a pavillion, was known by this name in our author's time. This, I suppose, to be the same as that which is termed a field bed in Romeus and Juliet: "Loe here a field (she shewed a field bed ready dight,) "Where you may, if you list, in armes, revenge yourself by fight." MALONE. I conceive, the pavillon, or tent-bed, to have been an article of furniture unknown in the age of Shakspeare. STEEVENS. 2 Pewter-] We may suppose that pewter was, even in the time of Queen Elizabeth, too costly to be used in common. It appears from The Regulations and Establishment of the House To house, or housekeeping: then, at my farm, TRA. That, only, came well in--Sir, list to me, I am my father's heir, and only son : If I may have your daughter to my wife, Of fruitful land, all which shall be her jointure.- GRE. Two thousand ducats by the year, of land! My land amounts not to so much in all: That she shall have; besides an argosy, hold of Henry Algernon Percy, the fifth Earl of Northumberland, &c. that vessels of pewter were hired by the year. This Household Book was begun in the year 1512. Description of England, p. 188 and 189. STEEVENS. See Holinshed's 3 Gre. Two thousand ducats by the year, of land ! My land amounts NOT to so much in all : at That she shall have; besides -] Though all copies concur in this reading, surely, if we examine the reasoning, something will be found wrong. Gremio is startled at the high settlement Tranio proposes: says, his whole estate in land can't math it, yet he'll settle so much a year upon her, &c. This is play cross purposes. The change of the negative in the second line salves the absurdity, and sets the passage right. Gremio and Tranio vying in their offers to carry Bianca, the latter boldly proposes to settle land to the amount of two thousand ducats per annum. My whole estate, says the other, in land, amounts but to that value; yet she shall have that: I'll endow her with the whole; and consign a rich vessel to her use over and above. Thus all is intelligible, and he goes on to out-bid his rival. WARBURTON. Gremio only says, his whole estate in land doth not indeed amount to two thousand ducats a year, but she shall have that, That now is lying in Marseilles' road:-- TRA. Gremio, 'tis known, my father hath no less By your firm promise; Gremio is out-vied 3. I am thus resolv'd:-On Sunday next you know, whatever be its value, and an argosy over and above; which argosy must be understood to be of very great value from his subjoining; 4 "What, have I chok'd you with an argosy?" HEATH. two GALIASSES,] A galeas or galliass, is a heavy lowbuilt vessel of burthen, with both sails and oars, partaking at once of the nature of a ship and a galley. So, in The Noble Soldier, 1634 : — to have rich gulls come aboard their pinnaces, for then they are sure to build galliasses." STEEVENS. Galliass is explained by Kersey: "A great double galley." MALONE. S out-vied.] This is a term at the old game of gleek. When one man was vied upon another, he was said to be out-vied. So, in Greene's Art of Coneycatching, 1592: "They draw a card, and the barnacle vies upon him," &c. Again, in The Jealous Lovers, by Randolph, 1632: 66 Thou canst not finde out wayes enow to spend it ; They will out-vie thy pleasures." STEEVENS. Now, on the Sunday following, shall Bianca And so I take my leave, and thank you both. [Exit. GRE. Adieu, good neighbour.-Now I fear thee not; Sirrah, young gamester, your father were a fool [Exit. TRA. A vengeance on your crafty wither'd hide! Yet I have faced it with a card of ten". 6 Sirrah, young GAMESTER,] Perhaps alluding to the pretended Lucentio's having before talked of out-vying him. See the last note. MALONE. Gamester, in the present instance, has no reference to gaming, and only signifies-a wag, a frolicksome character. So, in King Henry VIII.: "You are a merry gamester, my lord Sands." STeevens. 7 Yet I have faced it with a CARD OF TEN.] That is, with the highest card, in the old simple games of our ancestors. So that this became a proverbial expression. So, Skelton : "Fyrste pycke a quarrel, and fall out with him then, And, Ben Jonson, in his Sad Shepherd: 66 a hart of ten "I trow he be.' i. e. an extraordinary good one. WARBURTON. A hart of ten has no reference to cards, but is an expression taken from The Laws of the Forest, and relates to the age of the deer. When a hart is past six years old, he is generally called a hart of ten. See Forest Laws, 4to. 1598: Again, in the Sixth Scene of The Sad Shepherd : 66 a great large deer! "Rob. What head? "John. Forked. A hart of ten." The former expression is very common. So, in Law-Tricks, &c. 1608: "I may be out-fac'd with a card of ten." Mr. Malone is of opinion that the phrase was applied to those persons who gained their ends by impudence, and bold confident assertion." As we are on the subject of cards, it may not be amiss to take VOL. V. 2 F -- 'Tis in my head to do my master good:- Do get their children; but, in this case of wooing, notice of a common blunder relative to their names. We call the king, queen, and knave, court-cards, whereas they were anciently denominated coats, or coat-cards, from their coats or dresses. So, in Ben Jonson, in his New Inn: "When she is pleas'd to trick or trump mankind, "Some may be coats, as in the cards." Again, in May-day, a comedy, by Chapman, 1611: "She had in her hand the ace of hearts and a coat-card. She led the board with her coat; I plaid the varlet, and took up her coat; and meaning to lay my finger on her ace of hearts, up started a quite contrary card." Again, in Rowley's When You See Me You Know Me, 1621: "You have been at noddy, I see. Ay, and the first card comes to my hand is a knave. I am a coat-card, indeed. "Then thou must needs be a knave, for thou art neither queen nor king." STEEVENS. 8 If I fail not of my CUNNING.] As this is the conclusion of an act, I suspect that the poet designed a rhyming couplet. Instead of cunning we might read-doing, which is often used by Shakspeare in the sense here wanted, and agrees perfectly well with the beginning of the line-"a child shall get a sire." After this, the former editors add 66 Sly. Sim, when will the fool come again * ? "Sim. Anon, my lord. Sly. Give us some more drink here; where's the tapster? "Here, Sim, eat some of these things. "Sim. I do, my lord. 66 Sly. Here, Sim, I drink to thee." These speeches of the presenters (as they are called,) are not in * when will the fool come again?] The character of the fool has not been introduced in this drama, therefore I believe that the word again should be omitted, and that Sly asks, When will the fool come? the fool being the favourite of the vulgar, or, as we now phrase it, of the upper gallery, was naturally expected in every interlude. JOHNSON. |
