what though? What then.

494. JOHNSON. 507. Sir Oliver] He that has taken his first degree at the university, is in the academical style called Dominus, and in common language was heretofore termed Sir. This was not always a word of con tempt; the graduates assumed it in their own writings; so Trevisa the historian writes himself Syr John de Trevisa. JOHNSON. We find the same title bestowed on many divines in our old comedies. So, in Wily Beguiled:

-Sir John cannot tend to it at evening prayer; for there comes a company of players to town on Sunday in the afternoon, and Sir John is so good a fellow, that I know he'll scarce leave their company to say evening prayer."

Again: "We'll all go to church together, and so save Sir John a labour." See Notes on The Merry Wives of Windsor, act i. scene 1. STEEVENS.

Degrees were at this time considered as the highest dignities; and it may not be improper to observe, that a clergyman, who hath not been educated at the universities, is still distinguished in some parts of North-Wales, by the appellation of Sir John, Sir William, &c. Hence the Sir Hugh Evans of Shakspere is not a Welsh knight who hath taken orders, but only a Welsh clergyman without any regular degree from either of the universities. Sec Barrington's History of the Guedir Family. NICHOLS.

517.God'ild you] i. e. God yield you, God!

reward

reward you. See Notes on Macbeth, act i. scene 6. and catch-word Alphabet. STEEVENS.

522. -his bow,] i. e. his yoke. STEEVENS. 542. Not-0 sweet Oliver, O brave, &c.] The Clown dismisses Sir Oliver only because Jaques had alarmed his pride and raised his doubts, concerning the validity of a marriage solemnized by one who appears only in the character of an itinerant preacher. He intends afterwards to have recourse to some other of more dignity in the same profession. The latter part of the Clown's speech is only a repetition from some other ballad, or perhaps a different part of the same. STEEVENS.

Mr. Steevens's explanation is fully supported by the subsequent dialogue, between the Clown and Audrey, act v. scene 1.

Clo. We shall find a time, Audrey; patience, gentle Audrey.

Aud. 'Faith, the priest was good enough, for all the old gentleman's saying. MALONE.

O sweet Oliver. The epithet of sweet seems to have been peculiarly appropriated to Oliver, for which, perhaps, he was originally obliged to the old song before us. No more of it, however, than these two lines has as yet been produced. See Ben Jonson's Underwood:

"All the mad Rolands and sweet Olivers." And, in Every Man in his Humour, p. 88. is the same allusion:

"Do not stink, sweet Oliver."

E

TYRWHITT.

In

In the books of the Stationers-Company, Aug. 6, 1584, was entered by Richard Jones the ballad of, "O sweete Olyver

"Leave me not behinde thee."

Again, "The answere of O sweete Olyver."

Again, in 1586: "O sweet Oliver altered to the ScripSTEEVENS.

tures."

545. Wind away] Wind away and wind off are still used provincially: and I believe nothing but the provincial pronunciation is wanting to join the parts together. I read :

"Not-O sweet Oliver!

"O brave Oliver!

"Leave me not behi' thee

"But-wind away,

"Begone, I say,

"I will not to wedding wi' thee.”

FARMER.

Wind is used for wend in Cæsar and Pompey, 1607: "Winde we then, Anthony, with this royal queen.” STEEVENS.

557. Something browner than Judas's :-] See notes on The Merry Wives of Windsor, act i. scene 4. See Judas, catch-word Alphabet.

STEEVENS.

559. l'faith, his hair is of a good colour.] There is much of nature in this petty perverseness of Rosalind; she finds fault in her lover, in hope to be contradicted, and when Celia in sportive malice too readily seconds her accusations, she contradicts herself rather than suffer her favourite to want a vindication.

JOHNSON.

565. -a nun of winter's sisterhood] This is finely expressed. Shakspere here means an unfruitful sisterhood, which had devoted itself to chastity. For as those who were of the sisterhood of the spring, were the votaries of Venus; those of summer, the votaries of Ceres; those of autumn, of Pomona; so these of the sisterhood of winter were the votaries of Diana; called, of winter, because that quarter is not, like the other three, productive of fruit or increase. On this account it is, that when the poet speaks of what is most poor, he instances it in winter, in these fine lines of Othello,

"But riches endless is as poor as winter

"To him that ever fears he shall be poor."

The other property of winter that made him term them of its sisterhood is its coldness. So, in the Midummer Night's Dream:

“To be a barren sister all your life,

"Chanting faint hymns to the cold fruitless moon."

WARBURTON. 573. ——as concave as a cover'd goblet.] Why a cover'd? Because a goblet is never kept cover'd but when empty. Shakspere never throws out his expressions at random. WARBURTON.

583. -much question] i, e. conversation. See STEEVENS. Question, catch-word Alphabet. 590. —quite traverse, athwart, &c.] An unexperienced lover is here compared to a puny tilter, to whom it was a disgrace to have his lance broken across, as it was a mark either of want of courage or address. This

Eij

This happened when the horse flew on one side, in the career and hence, I suppose, arose the jocular proverbial phrase of spurring the horse only on one side. WARBURTON.

So, in Northward Hoe, 1607: "melancholick like a tilter, that had broke his staves foul before his misSTEEVENS.

tress."

A puny tilter, that breaks his staff like a noble goose. Sir T. Hanmer altered this to a nose-quill'd goose, but no one seems to have regarded the alteration. Certainly nose-quill'd is an epithet likely to be corrupted: it gives the image wanted, and may in a great measure be supported by à quotation from Turberville's Falconrie. "Take with you a ducké, and slip one of her wing feathers, and having thrust it through her nares, throw her out unto your hawke.” FARMER.

Than he that dies and lives by bloody drops?]

I am afraid our bard is at his quibbles again. To dye means as well to dip a thing in a colour foreign to its own, as to expire. In this sense, contemptible as it is, the executioner may be said to die as well as live by bloody drops. Shakspere is fond of opposing these terms to each other.

In K. John is a play on words not unlike this: -all with purpled hands

"Dy'd in the dying slaughter of their foes." Camden has preserved an epitaph on á dyer, which has the same turn:

"He