ESCAL. Troth, and your bum is the greatest thing about you7; so that, in the beastliest sense, 7- greatest thing about you;] Greene, in one of his pieces, mentions the "great bumme of Paris." Again, in Tyro's Roaring Megge, 1598: 66 Tyro's round breeches have a cliffe behind." STEEvens. Harrison, in his Description of Britain, prefixed to Holinshed's Chronicle, condemns the excess of apparel amongst his countrymen, and thus proceeds: “Neither can we be more justly burdened with any reproche than inordinate behaviour in apparell, for which most nations deride us; as also for that we men doe seeme to bestowe most cost upon our arses, and much more than upon all the rest of our bodies, as women do likewise upon their heads and shoulders." Should any curious reader wish for more information upon this subject, he is referred to Strutt's Manners and Customs of the English, vol. iii. p. 86. DOUCE. But perhaps an ancient MS. ballad, entitled, A Lamentable Complaint of the Poor Country Men againste great Hose, for the Losse of there Cattelles Tailes, Mus. Brit. MS. Harl. 367, may throw further light on the subject, This ballad consists of 41 stanzas. From these the following are selected : 5. "For proude and paynted parragenns, 9. "And chefely those of eache degree 11. "As now of late in lesser thinges "To furnyshe forthe theare pryde, 12. "What hurte and damage doth ensew 14. "For want of woll and flax of late, "But heare hath so possessed of late "That none one beast nor horse can tell you are Pompey the great. Pompey, you are partly a bawd, Pompey, howsoever you colour it in being a tapster. Are you not? come, tell me true; it shall be the better for you. CLO. Truly, sir, I am a poor fellow, that would live. ESCAL. How would you live, Pompey? by being a bawd? What do you think of the trade, Pompey? is it a lawful trade? CLO. If the law would allow it, sir. ESCAL. But the law will not allow it, Pompey; nor it shall not be allowed in Vienna. CLO. Does your worship mean to geld and spay all the youth in the city? 23. "And that with speede to take awaye "Of all this hurte, or ealse to make 39. "So that in fyne the charytie "Whiche Chrysten men should save, 40." But now for that noe remedye "I wolde that suche as weare this heare 41. "With every heare a louse to have, "And then I trust they wolde not weare "Finis." "and eke the See also, in the Persones Tale of Chaucer : buttokkes of hem behinde, that faren as it were the hinder part of a she ape in the ful of the mone." In consequence of a diligent inspection of ancient pictures and prints, it may be pronounced that this ridiculous fashion appeared in the early part of Queen Elizabeth's reign, then declined, and recommenced at the beginning of that of James the First. STEEVENS. ESCAL. No, Pompey. 8 CLO. Truly, sir, in my poor opinion, they will to't then: If your worship will take order for the drabs and the knaves, you need not to fear the bawds. ESCAL. There are pretty orders beginning, I can tell you: It is but heading and hanging. CLO. If you head and hang all that offend that way but for ten year together, you'll be glad to give out a commission for more heads. If this law hold in Vienna ten year, I'll rent the fairest house in it, after three pence a bay 9: If you live to see this come to pass, say, Pompey told you so. ESCAL. Thank you, good Pompey: and, in requital of your prophecy, hark you,-I advise you, let me not find you before me again upon any complaint whatsoever, no, not for dwelling where you do; if I do, Pompey, I shall beat you to your tent, and prove a shrewd Cæsar to you; in plain dealing, Pompey, I shall have you whipt: so for this time, Pompey, fare you well. CLO. I thank your worship for your good counsel; but I shall follow it, as the flesh and fortune shall better determine. 8 take order-] i. e. take measures. So, in Othello: "Honest Iago hath ta'en order for't." STEEVENS. 9 I'll rent the fairest house in it, after three pence a BAY:] A bay of building is, in many parts of England, a common term, of which the best conception that ever I could obtain is, that it is the space between the main beams of the roof; so that a barn crossed twice with beams is a barn of three bays. JOHNSON. 66 that by the yearly birth "The large-bay'd barn doth fill," &c. I forgot to take down the title of the work from which this instance is adopted. Again, in Hall's Virgidemiarum, lib. iv.: "His rent in faire respondence must arise, "To double trebles of his one yeares price; "Of one bayes breadth, God wot, a silly cote "Whose thatched spars are furr'd with sluttish soote." STEEVENS. Whip me? No, no; let carmen whip his jade; [Exit. ESCAL. Come hither to me, master Elbow ; come hither, master Constable. How long have you been in this place of constable? ELB. Seven year and a half, sir. ESCAL. I thought, by your readiness in the office, you had continued in it some time: You say, seven years together? ELB. And a half, sir. ESCAL. Alas! it hath been great pains to you! They do you wrong to put you so oft upon't: Are there not men in your ward sufficient to serve it? ELB. Faith, sir, few of any wit in such matters: as they are chosen, they are glad to choose me for them; I do it for some piece of money, and go through with all. ESCAL. Look you, bring me in the names of some six or seven, the most sufficient of your parish. ELB. To your worship's house, sir? ESCAL. To my house: Fare you well. [Exit ELBOW.] What's o'clock, think you? JUST. Eleven, sir. ESCAL. I pray you home to dinner with me. JUST. I humbly thank you. ESCAL. It grieves me for the death of Claudio; But there's no remedy. JUST. Lord Angelo is severe. ESCAL. It is but needful: Mercy is not itself, that oft looks so; I Cor - by YOUR readiness-] Old copy-the readiness. rected by Mr. Pope. In the MSS. of our author's age, yo. and y'. (for so they were frequently written) were easily confounded. MALONE. But yet,-Poor Claudio !-There's no remedy. Come, sir. [Exeunt. SCENE II. Another Room in the Same. Enter Provost and a Servant. SERV. He's hearing of a cause; he will come straight. I'll tell him of you. PROV. Pray you, do. [Exit Servant.] I'll know All sects, all ages smack of this vice; and he ANG. Enter ANGelo. Now, what's the matter, provost ? PROV. Is it your will Claudio shall die to-mor row? ANG. Did I not tell thee, yea? hadst thou not order? Why dost thou ask again? Lest I might be too rash: PROV. ANG. Do you your office, or give up your place, Go to; let that be mine: I crave your honour's pardon. And you shall well be spar'd. PROV. What shall be done, sir, with the groaning Juliet? She's very near her hour. ANG. Dispose of her To some more fitter place; and that with speed. |