their abuses in common houses, I know no law: bring them away. Ang. How now, fir! What's your name? and what's the matter? Elb. If it pleafe your honour, I am the poor duke's conftable, and my name is Elbow; I do lean upon justice, fir, and do bring in here before your good honour two notorious benefactors. Ang. Benefactors? Well; what benefactors are they are they not malefactors? Elb. If it pleafe your honour, I know not well what they are: but precife villains they are, that I am fure of; and void of all profanation in the world, that good chriftians ought to have. Efcal. This comes off well; here's a wife officer. It fhould not, however, be diffembled, that yet a plainer meaning may be deduced from the fame words. By brakes of vice may be meant a collection, a number, a thicket of vices. The fame image occurs in Daniel's Civil Wars, B. IV: "Rushing into the thickest woods of fpears That a brake meant a bush, may be known from Drayton's poem on Mofes and his Miracles: "Where God unto the Hebrew spake "Appearing from the burning brake." Again, in the Mooncalf of the fame author: "He brings into a brake of briars and thorn, Mr. Tollet is of opinion that, by brakes of vice, Shakspeare means only the thorny paths of vice. So in Ben Jonfon's Underwoods, Whalley's Edit. vol. VI. P. 367. "Look at the falfe and cunning man, &c.- STEEVENS. This comes off well;] This is nimbly fpoken; this is volubly uttered. JOHNSON. The fame phrafe is employed in Timon of Athens and elfe where; but in the prefent inftance it is ufed ironically. The meaning of it, when ferioufly applied to fpeech, is-This is well delivered, this story is well told. STEEVENS. Ang. Go to: What quality are they of? Elbow is your name? Why doft thou not speak, Elbow?? Clown. He cannot, fir; he's out at elbow, Ang. What are you, fir? Elb. He, fir? a tapfter, fir; parcel-bawd'; one that ferves a bad woman; whofe houfe, fir, was, as they fay, pluck'd down in the suburbs; and now she profeffes a hot-house', which, I think, is a very ill houfe too. Efial. How know you that? Elb. My wife, fir, whom I deteft before heaven and your honour, Efcal. How! thy wife? Elb. Ay, fir; whom, I thank heaven, is an honest woman; Efcal. Doft thou deteft her therefore? Elb. I fay, fir, I will deteft myself also, as well as he, that this house, if it be not a bawd's house, it is pity of her life, for it is a naughty house. Efcal. How doft thou know that, conftable? Elb. Marry, fir, by my wife; who, if she had been a woman cardinally given, might have been accused in fornication, adultery, and all uncleanness there. The Why dof thou not speaks Elbow ?] Says Angelo to the conftable. "He cannot, fir, quoth the Clown, he's out at elbow." I know not whether this quibble be generally observed; he is out at the word elbow, and out at the elbow of his coat. Constable, in his account of master Froth and the Clown, has a ftroke at the puritans, who were very zealous against the stage about this time: "Precife villains they are, that I am fure of; and void of all profanation in the world, that good Chriftians ought to have." FARMER. -a tapfier, fir; parcel bawd:-] This we fhould now exprefs by faying, be is half-tapfter, half-bawd. JOHNSON. Thus in K. Hen. IV: "a parcel-gilt goblet. STEEVENS, • She professes a bot-houfe ;] A hot-house is an English name For a bagnio: Where lately harbour'd many a famous whore, And ftill be a whore-boufe." Ben Jonfon. JOHNSON, Efcal. By the woman's means? Elb. Ay, fir, by mistress Over-done's means: but as fhe fpit in his face, fo the defy'd him. Clown. Sir, if it please your honour, this is not fo. Elb. Prove it before these varlets here, thou honourable man, prove it. Efcal. Do you hear how he mifplaces? [To Angelo. Clown. Sir, fhe came in great with child; and longing (faving your honour's reverence) for ftew'd prunes; fir, we had but two in the houfe, which at that very diftant time stood as it were, in a fruit-difh, a difh of fome three-pence; your honours have feen fuch difhes; they are not China difhes, but very good dishes. Efcal. Go to, go to; no matter for the dish, fir. Clown. No, indeed, fir, not of a pin; you are therein in the right but, to the point: As I fay, this mistress Elbow, being, as I fay, with child, and being great belly'd, and longing, as I faid, for prunes; and having but two in the dish, as I faid, mafter Froth here, this very man, having eaten the reft, as I faid, and, as I fay, paying for them very honeftly;-for, as you know, mafter Froth, I could not give you three pence again. Froth. No, indeed. Clown. Very well: you being then, if you be remember'd, cracking the ftones of the forefaid prunes. Froth. Av, fo I did, indeed, Clown. Why, very well: I telling you then, if you be remember'd, that fuch a one, and fuch a one, were 3 Ay, fir, by miftrefs Over-done's means:— -] Here feems to have been fome mention made of Froth, who was to be accufed, and fome words therefore may have been loft, unlets the irregularity of the narrative may be better imputed to the ignorance of the conftable. JOHNSON. -flew'd prunes; -] Stewed prunes were to be found in every brothel. See a note on the 3d fcene of the 3d act of the First Part of King Henry IV. In the old copy prunes are fpelt, acto vulgar pronunciation, preuyus. STEEVENS. cording paft cure of the thing you wot of, unless they kept very good diet, as I told you. Froth. All this is true. Clown. Why, very well then. Efcal. Come, you are a tedious fool: to the purpofe.-What was done to Elbow's wife, that he hath caufe to complain of? come me to what was done to her. Clown. Sir, your honour cannot come to that yet. Clown. Sir, but you fhall come to it, by your honour's leave: And, I befeech you, look into mafter Froth here, fir; a man of fourfcore pounds a year; whofe father died at Hallowmas :-Was't not at Hallowmas, mafter Froth? Froth. All-hollond eve. Clown. Why, very well; I hope here be truths: He, fir, fitting, as I fay, in a lower chair, fir; — 'twas in the Bunch of grapes, where, indeed, you have a delight to fit, Have you not? Froth. I have fo; because it is an open room, and good for winter. Clown. Why, very well, then ;-I hope here be truths. Ang. This will last out a night in Ruffia, When nights are longeft there: I'll take my leave, And leave you to the hearing of the cause; Hoping, you'll find good caufe to whip them all. Efcal. I think no lefs: Good morrow to your [Exit Angelo. Now, fir, come on; what was done to Elbow's wife once more? lordship. Clown. Once, fir? there was nothing done to her once. Elb. I befeech you, fir, afk him what this man did to my wife. Clown. I befeech your honour, ask me. Efcal. Well, fir; What did this gentleman to her? Clown. Clown. I befeech, you, fir, look in this gentleman's face-Good mafter Froth, look upon his honour; 'tis for a good purpose: Doth your honour mark his face? Efcal. Ay, fir, very well. Clown. Nay, I beseech you mark it well. Clown. Doth your honour fee any harm in his face? Clown. I'll be fuppos'd upon a book, his face is the worst thing about him: Good then; if his face be the worst thing about him, how could master Froth do the conftable's wife any harm? I would know that of your honour. Efcal. He's in the right; conftable, what fay you to it? Elb. First, an it like you, the house is a refpected houfe; next, this is a refpected fellow; and his miftress is a respected woman. Clown. By this hand, fir, his wife is a more refpected person than any of us all. Elb. Varlet, thou lieft; thou lieft, wicked varlet; the time is yet to come, that fhe was ever refpected with man, woman, or child. Clown. Sir, fhe was refpected with him before he marry'd with her. Efcal. Which is the wiser here? Justice or Iniquitys?—Is this true? Elb. Othou caitiff! O thou varlet! O thou wicked Hannibal! I refpected with her before I was marry'd to her? If ever I was refpected with her, or fhe with me, let not your worship think me the poor duke's 5 Juftice or Iniquity ?] Thefe were, I fuppofe, two perfonages well known to the audience by their frequent appearance in the old moralities. The words, therefore, at that time produced a combination of ideas, which they have now loft. JOHNSON. Juftice or Iniquity?] i. e. The Conftable or the Fool. Efcalus calls the latter Iniquity, in allufion to the old Vice, a neceffary character, it is faid, in the ancient moralities or dumb-fhews, and the Harlequin of the modern stage. Juftice may have a fimilar allufion to his fuppofed antagonist into whofe hands, after a variety of elufions, he was always made to fall. REMARKS. officer: |