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Lord. 'Tis very true; thou didst it excellent.Well, you are come to me in happy time; The rather for I have fome sport in hand, Wherein your cunning can affift me much. There is a lord will hear you play to-night: But I am doubtful of your modefties; Left, over-eying of his odd behaviour, (For yet his honour never heard a play) You break into fome merry paffion, And fo offend him; for I tell you, firs, If you fhould fmile, he grows impatient.

Play. Fear not, my lord; we can contain ourselves, Were he the verieft antick in the worlds.

Again, at the conclufion of the Second Part of K. Henry IV. "Enter Sincklo and three or four officers." See the quarto 1600. TYR WHITT.

Sincklo or Sinkler, was certainly an actor in the fame company with Shakspeare, &c.-He is introduced together with Burbage, Condell, Lowin, &c. in the Induction to Marston's Malcontent 1604, and was also a performer in the entertainment entitled The Seven Deadlie Sinns. MALONE.

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in the world.] Here follows another infertion made by Mr. Pope from the old play. These words are neither found in the quarto, 1631, not in the folio, 1623. I have therefore funk them into a note, as we have no proof that the first sketch of the piece was written by Shakspeare.

2 Play. [to the other] Go, get a dish-clout to make clean your fhoes, and I'll fpeak for the properties *. [Exit Player. My lord, we must have a shoulder of mutton for a property, and a little vinegar to make our devil roar +."

The boulder of mutton might indeed be neceffary afterwards for the dinner of Petruchio, but there is no devil in this piece, or in the original on which Shakspeare form'd it; neither was it yet determined what comedy fhould be reprefented. STEEVENS. *Property] in the language of a playhoufe, is every implement neceffary to the exhibition. See p. 23. JOHNSON.

十一 -a little vinegar to make our devil roar.] When the acting the myfteries of the Old and New Testament was in vogue, at the reprefentation of the myftery of the Paffion, Judas and the devil made a part. And the devil, wherever he came, was always to iuffer fome difgrace, to make the people laugh: as here, the buffoonery was to apply the gall and vinegar to make him roar. And the Paffion being that, of all the mylleries, which was most frequently reprefented, vinegar became at length the ftanding implement to torment the

Lord. Go, firrah, take them to the buttery, And give them friendly welcome every one;

Let

devil; and was used for this purpofe even after the myfteries ceafed, and the moralities came in vogue; where the devil continued to have a confiderable part.-The mention of it here was to ridicule fo abfurd a circumftance in thefe old farces. WARBURTON.

All Dr. Warburton has faid relative to Judas and the vinegar wants confirmation. I have met with no fuch circumitances in any myflerics, whether in MS. or in print; and yet both the Chefler and Coventry collections are proferved in the British Mufeum. See MS. Harl. 2013, and Cotton MS. Vefpafian D. viii.

Perhaps, however, fome entertainments of a farcical kind might have been introduced between the acts. Between the divifions of one of the Chefter Myfteries, I met with this marginal direction. Here the boy and Pig; and perhaps the devil in the intervals of this firft comedy of the Taming of a Shrew, might be tormented for the entertainment of the audience; or, according to a cuftom obferved in fome of our ancient puppet-fhews, might beat his wife with a fhoulder of mutton. In the Preface to Marlow's Tamburlaine, 1590, the Printer says:

"I have (purpofelie) oraited and left out fore fond and frivolous jeftures, digrething (and in my poore opinion) farre unmeete for the matter, which I thought might feeme more tedious unto the wife, then any way els to be regarded, though (happly) they have bene of fome vaine conceited fondlings greatly gaped at, what time they were fhewed upon the flage in their graced deformities; neverthelle now to be mixtured in „print with fuch matter of worth, it would prove a great

difgrace, &c."

The bladder of vinegar was, however, used for other purpofes. I meet with the following ftage direction in the old play of Cambyfes, (by T. Preflon) when one of the characters is fuppofed to die from the wounds he had juft received. Her let a fmall bladder of vinegar be prick'd. I fuppofe to counterfeit blood: red-wine vinegar was chicfly ufed, as appears from the ancient books of cookery.

In the ancient Tragedy, or rather Morality, called All for Money, by T. Lupton, 1578. Sin fays:

"I knew I would make him foon change his note,

"I will make him fing the Black Sanctus, I hold him a groat.
"Here Satan fhall cry and roar,"

Again, a little after.

"Here he roareth and crieth."

Of the kind of wit current through thefe productions, a better fpecimen can hardly be found than the following:

“Setan. Whatever thou wilt have, I will not thee denic. "Sinne. Then give me a piece of thy tayle to make a flappe for a flie. "For if I had a piece thereof, I do verely believe "The humble bees ftinging fhould never me grieve.

Satan. No, my friend, no, my tayle I cannot fpare,

"But afke what thou wilt befides, and I will it prepare. "Sine. Then your nose I would have to ftop my tayle behind, "For I aui combred with collike and letting out of winde:

Let them want nothing that my houfe affords.-
[Exit one with the players.
Sirrah, go you to Bartholomew my page,
And fee him drefs'd in all fuits like a lady:
That done, conduct him to the drunkard's chamber,
And call him-madam, do him obeisance.
Tell him from me, (as he will win my love)
He bear himself with honourable action,
Such as he hath obferv'd in noble ladies
Unto their lords, by them accomplished :
Such duty to the drunkard let him do,
With foft low tongue, and lowly courtesy;
And fay, What is't your honour will command,
Wherein your lady, and your humble wife,
May fhew her duty, and make known her love?
And then-with kind embracements, tempting kiffes,
And with declining head into his bofom,-
Bid him thed tears, as being over-joy'd
To fee her noble lord reftor'd to health,
Who for twice feven years hath efteemed him 3
No better than a poor and loathfome beggar:
And if the boy have not a woman's gift,
To rain a fhower of commanded tears,

3 Who for twice feven years—

] In former editions: Who for thefe feven years bath efteemed himself No better than a poor and loathsome beggar.

I have ventured to alter a word here, against the authority of the printed copies; and hope, I fhall be juftified in it by two fubfequent paffages. That the poet defigned, the tinker's fuppofed lunacy fhould be of fourteen years ftanding at least, is evident upon two parallel paffages in the play to that purpose.

THEOBALD.

The remark is juft, but perhaps the alteration may be thought unneceffary by thofe who recollect that our author rarely reckons time with any great correctness. Both Falftaff and Orlando forget the true hour of their appointments. The old copy, however, reads-for this seven years, &c. STEEVENS.

"And if it be too little to make thereof a cafe,
"Then I would be fo bold to borrowe your face."

Such were the entertainments, of which our maiden queen fat a fpectatrefs in the earlier part of her reign. STEEVENS.

An

An onion will do well for fuch a fhift;
Which in a napkin being close convey'd,
Shall in defpight enforce a wàtry eye.
See this dispatch'd with all the hafte thou canft;
Anon I'll give thee more inftructions..

[Exit Servant.
I know, the boy will well ufurp the grace,
Voice, gait, and action of a gentlewoman :
I long to hear him call the drunkard, husband;
And how my men will stay themselves from laughter,
When they do homage to this fimple peasant.
I'll in to counfel them: haply, my prefence
May well abate the over-merry fpleen,
Which otherwise would grow into extremes.

SCENE II.

A room in the lord's houfe'.

[Exit Lord.

Enter Sly, with Attendants, fome with apparel, bafun and ewer, and other appurtenances. Re-enter Lord.

Sly. For God's fake, a pot of fmall ale 3.

1 Man. Will't please your lordfhip drink a cup of

fack?

2 Man.

9 An onion- -] It is not unlikely that the onion was an expedient used by the actors of interludes. JOHNSON. So, in Anthony and Cleopatra:

"The tears live in an onion that should water this forrow." STEEVENS.

A room in the lord's houfe Enter Sly &c.] From the ori ginal stage direction in the first folio, it appears that Sly and all the perfons mentioned in the Induction, were intended to be exhibited in a balcony above the stage. The direction here is: "Enter aloft the drunkard with attendants, &c." So afterwards at the end of this fcene- "The Prefenters above speak." MALONE.

2 Enter Sly, &c.] Thus in the original play. "Enter two with a table and banquet on it, and two other with Slie afléepe in a chaire, richlie apparelled, and the mufick plaieng."

❝ One.

2 Man. Will't pleafe your honour taste of these

conferves?

3 Man. What raiment will your honour wear to→ day?

Sly. I am Chriftophero Sly; call not me-honour, nor lordship: I ne'er drank fack in my life; and if you give me any conferves, give me conferves of beef: Ne'er afk me what raiment I'll wear; for I have no more doublets than backs, no more stockings than legs, nor no more fhoes than feet; nay, fometimes more feet than fhoes, or fuch fhoes as my toes look through the overleather.

"One. So, firha, now go call my lord; "And tell him all things are ready as he will'd it. "Another. Set thou fome wine upon the boord, "And then Ile go fetch my lord presently.

Enter the Lord and his men.

[Exit.

"Lord. How now, what is all things readie?

"One. Yea, my lord.

"Lord. Then found the mufick, and Ile wake him strait,

"And fee you doe as earft I gave in charge.

"My lord, my lord, (he fleeps foundly) my lord.

"Slie. Tapfter, gives a little small ale: heigh ho.

"Lord. Here's wine, my lord, the pureft of the grape. "Slie. For which lord?

"Lord. For your honor, my lord.

Slie. Who I, am I a lord?-What fine apparell have I got! "Lord. More richer far your honour hath to weare,

"And if it pleafe you I will fetch them ftraight.

"Wil. And if your honour please to ride abroad,

"Ile fetch your luftie fteedes more fwift of

"Then winged Pegafus in all his pride,

"That ran fo fwiftlie over Perfian plaines.

pace

"Tom. And if your honour please to hunt the deere, "Your hounds ftands readie cuppled at the doore,

"Who in running will oretake the row,

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"And make the long-breathde tygre broken-winded." STEEVENS. -fmall ale. This beverage is mentioned in the accounts of the Stationers' Company in the year 1558: "For a stande of fmall ale; I fuppofe it was what we now call fmall beer, no mention of that liquor being made on the fame books, though, duble bere, and duble, duble ale are frequently recorded." STEEVENS.

Lord.