the unbaked and doughy youth of a nation in his colour :5 your daughter-in-law had been alive at this hour; and your fon here at home, more advanced by the king, than by that red-tail'd humble-bee I fpeak of. Count. I would, I had not known him!6 it was the death of the most virtuous gentlewoman, that ever nature had praife for creating if fhe had partaken of my flesh, and cost me the dearest groans of a mother, I could not have owed her a more rooted love. Laf. 5 Parolles is reprefented as an affected follower of the fashion, and an encourager of his master to run into all the follies of it; where he says, "Ufe a more fpacious ceremony to the noble lords-they wear themselves in the cap of time-and though the devil lead the measure, fuch are to be followed." Here fome particularities of fashionable drefs are ridiculed. Sript-taffata needs no explanation; but villainous faffron is more obfcure. This alludes to a fantastic fashion, then much followed, of ufing yellow fiarch for their bands and ruffs. So, Fletcher, in his Queen of Corinth: Has he familiarly "Diflik'd your yellow ftarch; or faid your doublet And Jonfon's Devil's an ass: Carmen and chimney-fweepers are got into the yellow ftarch." This was invented by one Turner, a tire-woman, a court-bawd; and, in all refpects, of fo infamous a character, that her invention deserved the name of villainous faffron. This woman was, afterwards, amongst the mifcreants, concerned in the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury, for which fhe was hanged at Tyburn, and would die in a yellow ruff of her own invention which made yellow ftarch fo odious, that it immediately went out of fashion. 'Tis this, then, to which Shakspeare alludes: but ufing the word faffron for yellow, a new idea prefented itself, and he pursues his thought under a quite different allufion Whofe villainous faffron would have made all the unbaked and dougby youths of a nation in his colour, i. e. of his temper and difpofition. Here the general cuftom of that time, of colouring paste with faffron, is alluded to. So, in The Winter's Tale: I must have faffron to colour the warden pyes." WARBURTON, This play was probably written feveral years before the death of Sir Thomas Overbury. -The plain meaning of the paffage feems to be :— Whofe evil qualities are of fo deep a dye, as to be fufficient to corrupt the most innocent, and to render them of the fame difpofition with himfelf." MALONE. It may be added, that in the year 1446, a parliament was held at Trim in Ireland, by which the natives were directed, among other things, not to wear fhirts ftained with faffron. STEEVENS. This dialogue ferves to connect the incidents of Parolles with the main plan of the play. JOHNSON. Laf. 'Twas a good lady, 'twas a good lady: we may pick a thousand fallads, ere we light on fuch another herb. Clo. Indeed, fir, fhe was the fweet-marjoram of the fallad, or, rather the herb of grace.7 Laf. They are not the fallad herbs, you knave, they are nofe-herbs. Clo. I am no great Nebuchadnezzar, fir, I have not much skill in grafs. Laf. Whether doft thou profefs thyfelf; a knavc, or a fool? Clo. A fool, fir, at a woman's fervice, and a knave at a man's. Laf. Your diftinction? Clo. I would cozen the man of his wife, and do his fervice. Laf. So you were a knave at his fervice, indeed. Clo. And I would give his wife my bauble, fir, to do her fervice.8 Laf. I will fubfcribe for thee; thou art both knave and fool. Clo. At your fervice. Laf. No, no, no. Clo. Why fir, if I cannot ferve you, I can ferve as great a prince as you are. 7 Laf. Who's that? a Frenchman ? F 4 Clo. berb of grace.] i. e. rue. So, in Hamlet: "there's rue for you-we may call it herb of grace o' Sundays." STEEVENS. 8 Part of the furniture of a fool was a bauble, which, though it be ge nerally taken to fignify any thing of fmall value, has a precife and determinable meaning. It is, in hort, a kind of truncheon with a head carved on it, which the fool anciently carried in his hand. There is a reprefen. tation of it in a picture of Watteau, formerly in the collection of Dr. Mead, which is engraved by Baron, and called Comediens Italiens. A faint refemblance of it may be found in the frontispiece of L. de Guernier to King Lear, in Mr. Pope's edition in duodecimo. SIR J. HAWKINS. The word bauble is here ufed in two fenfes. M. MASON. When Cromwell, 1653, forcibly turned out the rump-parliament, he bid the foldiers take away that fool's bauble," pointing to the speaker's mace. BLACKSTONE. Clo. Faith, fir, he has an English name; but his phifnomy is more hotter in France, than there.2 Laf. What prince is that? Clo. The black prince, fir, alias, the prince of darkness ; alias, the devil. Laf. Hold thee, there's my purfe: I give thee not this to fuggeft thee from thy mafter thou talk'ft of; ferve him still. Clo. I am a woodland fellow, fir, that always loved a great fire; and the mafter I speak of, ever keeps a good fire. But, fure, he is the prince of the world, let his nobility remain in his court. I am for the house with the narrow gate, which I take to be too little for pomp to enter: fome, that humble themselves, may; but the many will be too chill and tender; and they'll be for the flowery way, that leads to the broad gate, and the great fire. 4 Laf. Go thy ways, I begin to be a-weary of thee; and I tell thee fo before, because I would not fall out with thee. Go thy ways; let my horfes be well look'd to, without any tricks. Clo. If I put any tricks upon em, fir, they fhall be jades' tricks; which are their own right by the law of nature. [Exit. Laf. A fhrewd knave, and an unhappy.5 Count. So he is. My lord, that's gone, made himfelf much sport out of him by his authority he remains here, which he thinks is a patent for his faucinefs; and, indeed, he has no pace," but runs where he will. Laf. 9 Maine, or bead of hair, agrees better with the context than same. His hair was thick. HENLEY. 2 This is intollerable nonfenfe. The ftupid editors, because the devil was talked of, thought no quality would fuit him but botter. We should read, more honour'd. A joke upon the French people, as if they held a dark complexion, which is natural to them, in more eftimation than the English do, who are generally white and fair. WARBURTON. The allufion is, in all probability, to the Morbus Gallicus. STEEVENS. 3 Shakspeare is but rarely guilty of fuch impious trafh. And it is obfervable, tl.at then he always puts that into the mouth of his fools, which is now grown the characteristic of the fine gentleman. WARBURTON. 4 The fame impious stuff occurs again in Macbeth: “ —the primrose way to the everlafting bonfire." STEEVENS. i. e. mischievously waggish, unlucky. JOHNSON. Should not we read-no place, that is, no ftation, or office in the family? TYRWHITT. A face Laf. I like him well; 'tis not amifs: and I was about to tell you, Since I heard of the good lady's death, and that my lord your fon was upon his return home, I moved the king my mafter, to speak in the behalf of my daughter; which, in the minority of them both, his majefty, out of a felf-gracious remembrance, did first propose: his highness hath promifed me to do it: and, to stop up the displeasure he hath conceived against your fon, there is no fitter matter. How does your ladyfhip like it? Count. With very much content, my lord, and I wish it happily effected. Laf. His highnefs comes poft from Marfeilles, of as able body as when he number'd thirty; he will be here to-morrow, or I am deceived by him that in fuch intelligence hath feldom fail'd. Count. It rejoices me, that I hope I fhall fee him ere I die. I have letters, that my fon will be here to-night: I fhall befeech your lordship, to remain with me till they meet together. Laf. Madam, I was thinking, with what manners I might fafely be admitted. Count. You need but plead your honourable privilege. Laf. Lady, of that I have made a bold charter; but I thank my God, it holds yet. Re-enter Clown. Clo. O madam, yonder's my lord your fon with a patch. of velvet on's face: whether there be a fcar under it, or no, the velvet knows; but 'tis a goodly patch of velvet his left cheek is a cheek of two pile and a half, but his right cheek is worn bare. Laf. A fcar nobly got, or a noble scar, is a good livery of honour: fo, belike, is that. Clo. But it is your carbonado'd' face. Laf. Let us go fee your fon, I pray you; I long to talk with the young noble foldier. F5 Clo A pace is a certain or prescribed walk; fo we ay of a man meanly obfequious, that he has learned his paces, and of a horie who moves irregu larly, that he has no paces. JOHNSON. 7i.. e. fcotched like a piece of meat for the gridiron. STEEVENS. Clo. 'Faith, there's a dozen of 'em, with delicate fine hats, and most courteous feathers, which bow the head, and nod at every man. [Exeunt. ACT V. SCENE I. Marseilles. A Street. Enter HELENA, Widow, and DIANA, with two Attendants. Hel. But this exceeding pofting, day and night, Enter a gentle Aftringer. This man may help me to his majesty's ear, Hel. Sir, I have seen you in the court of France. Hel. I do prefume fir, that you are not fallen I fhall continue thankful. Gent. 8 Perhaps a gentle ftranger, i. e. a ftranger of gentle condition, a gentleman. The error of this conjecture, (which I have learned, fince our first edition made its appearance, from an old book of Falconry, 1633,) fhould teach diffidence to thofe who conceive the words which they do not understand, to be corruptions. An offringer or aftringer is a falconer, and fuch a character was probable to be met with about a court which was famous for the love of that diverfion. A gentle aftringer is a gentleman falconer. The word is derived from oftercus or auftercus, a gofhawk. I'learn from Blount's Antient Tenures, that a "gofs-hawk is in our records termed by the feveral names Oftercum, Hoftricum, Eftricum, Afturcum, and Auftursum," and all from the French Auftour. STEVENS. |