ACT II. (1) Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head] It was the current opinion in Shakespeare's time, that in the head of an old toad was to be found a stone, or pearl, to which great virtues were ascribed. This stone has been often sought, but nothing has been found more than accidental or perhaps morbid indurations of the skull. JOHNSON. In a book called A Green Forest, or a Natural History, &c. by John Maplett, 1567, is the following account of this imaginary gem: "In this stone is apparently seene verie often the verie forme of a tode, with despotted and coloured feete, but those uglye and defusedly. It is available against envenoming." Again, in Beaumont and Fletcher's Monsieur Thomas, 1639, in most physicians' heads, "There is a kind of toadstone bred." Again, in Adrasta, or the Woman's Spleen, 1635: "Do not then forget the stone "In the toad, nor serpent's bone," &c. Pliny, in the 32d Book of his Natural History, ascribes many wonderful qualities to a bone found in the right side of a toad, but makes no mention of any gem in its head. This deficiency however is abundantly supplied by Edward Fenton, in his Secrete Wonders of Nature, 4to. bl. l. 1569, who says, "That there is founde in the heades of old and great toades, a stone which they call Borax or Stelon: it is most commonly founde in the head of a hee toad, of power to repulse poysons, and that it is a most soveraigne medicine for the stone.' Thomas Lupton, in his First Booke of Notable Things, 4to. bl. 1. bears repeated testimony to the virtues of the "Tode-stone, called Crapaudina." In his Seventh Booke he instructs us how to procure it; and afterwards tells us " You shall know whether the Tode-stone be the ryght and perfect stone or not. Holde the stone before a Tode, so that he may see it; and if it be a ryght and true stone, the Tode will leape towarde it, and make as though he would snatch it. He envieth so much that man should have that stone." STEEVENS. "Some report, that the toad before her death sucks up (if not prevented by sudden surprisal) the precious stone (as yet but a jelly) in her head, grudging mankind the good thereof." Fuller's Church History, p. 151. Douce's Illustr. 1. 285. It is, perhaps, rather a figure in speech, than a fact in natural history; and it is its eye, proverbially fine, that is the "precious jewel in his head." (2) Finds tongues in trees, &c.] "Thus both trees and each thing else, be the bookes to a fancie." Arcadia, B. I. STEEVENS. (3) it irks me] From yrk, work, Island. The authors of the accidence say, Todet, it irketh. JOHNSON. He also interprets it, "gives pain," which seems to be its proper sense. "Whom erketh not the scoulde (Scylla) with barking?" Studley's Seneca's Medea, 4to. 1581, p. 127. "Quis non totos horruit artus "Toties uno latrante malo?" II. Chor. ad fin. (4) native burghers of this desert city] In Sidney's Arcadia, the deer are called " the wild burgesses of the forest." And we have, "Where, fearless of the hunt, the hart securely stood, So Lodge's Rosalynde, 1592: "About her wond'ring stood "The citizens o' the wood." Our author afterwards uses this very phrase: 66 Sweep on, you fat and greasy citizens." MALONE. (5) as he lay along Under an oak, &c.] Here we trace Gray: "There at the foot of yonder nodding beech "His listless length at noon-tide would he stretch, (6) the big round tears, &c.] It is said in one of the marginal notes to a similar passage in the 13th Song of Drayton's Polyolbion, that "the harte weepeth at his dying his tears are held to be precious in medicine." STEEVENS. See Douce's Illustr. I. 296. : (7) kill them up] This was a phraseology peculiar to the day. "Kill'd up with cold and pinde with evil fare." Davison's Poems, 4to. 1621, p. 122. "Killed up with colde." Adlington's Apuleius's Golden Asse, 1582, fo. 159, 8vo. "The remembrance of theire poore, indigent, and beggerlye old age, kylleth them up." Robynson's More's Utopia, 1598, 8vo. p. 128. "The Spaniardes, which were quite slaine uppe of 8 the Turkes arrowes." Ascham's Toxoph. 4to. 1589. (8) roynish clown] Rogneux, Fr. mangy, scurvy. word is used by Chaucer, in The Romaunt of the Rose. "That knottie was and all roinous." 988. "This argument is all roignous-." 6190. The G. Harvey, speaking of Long Meg of Westminster, says― Although she were a lusty bouncing rampe, somewhat like Gallemetta or maid Marian, yet she was not such a roinish rannel, such a dissolute gillian-flirt." Pierce's Supererog. 4to. 1593. We are not to suppose the word is literally employed by Shakespeare; but in the same sense that the French still use carogne, a term of which Moliere is not very sparing in some of his pieces. STEEVENS. See Tooke's Divers, of Purley, II. 241., and Macb. I. 3. 1 Witch. (9) quail] Slacken, remit, endeavours. "To represse and quaile. Restinguere, retundere." Baret's Alv. 1580. "There is no quailing (shrinking, retreating) now; "Of all our purposes." I H. IV. Hotsp. IV. 1. Minshieu identifies it with quell, and derives it from the Saxon. (10) O you memory of old sir Rowland] Memorial, recollection. "I knew then how to seek your memories.” B. and Fl. Humorous Lieutenant. "And with his body place that memory "Of noble Charlemont." Turner's Atheist's Trag. 1611. "That statue will I prize past all the jewels "Within the cabinet of Beatrice, "The memory of my grandame." Byron's Tragedy. "Be better suited: "These weeds are memories of worser hours.” STEEVENS. Lear IV. 7. Cord. "Their fame in stories happened, and so did many like memories of menne men," &c. Puttenham's Arte of Eng. Poesie, 4to. 1589, p. 35. (11) I never did apply Hot and rebellious liquors Nor did not with unbashful forehead, &c.] "All which my days I have not lewdly spent, Rebellious is inflammatory. (12) I should bear no cross, if, &c.] Carry no penny in my purse. One sense of this word was, money stamped with a cross. Mr. Steevens instances R. III. "You mean to bear me, not to bear with me." And as to the play upon the piece of coin, we read in John Heywood's Epigr. upon Proverbs: "Of making a crosse. Epigr. 289. "It will make a crosse on this gate, yea crosse no; "The deville may daunce in crosslesse purse 4to, 1598. Drant's Hor. 4to. 1566, signat. A. 3. (13) Wearing thy hearer in thy mistress' praise] The fo. of 1632 reads wearying; but Mr. Whiter well supports the old reading by citing Jun. Etymol. Angl. Quoniam quotidiano usu conteri solent ea, quæ assidue gerimus, hinc Anglis etiamnum to wear or waste away, est" tabescere ;" atque adeo quoque ab hac postrema verbi acceptione, to weary, cœpit accipi pro "fatigare;" quod lassitudo corpora nostra maxime frangat, atque ipsos quoque spiritus vitales maxime imminuat. And Jonson's Masque of the Gypsies : Only time and ears out-wearing." Specim. p. 17. (14) two cods] In a schedule of jewels in the 15th vol. of Rymer's Fœdera, we find, "Item, two peascoddes of gold with 17 pearles." FARMER. Peascods was the ancient term for peas as they are brought to market. So, in Greene's Groundwork of Cony-catching, 1592: went twice in the week to London, either with fruit or pescods." And in B. and Fletch. Honest Man's Fortune: "Shall feed on delicates, the first peascods, strawberries." STEEVENS. In the following passage, however, Touchstone's present certainly signifies not the pea but the pod, and so, I believe, the word is used here: "He [Richard II.] also used a peascod 10 branch with the cods open, but the peas out, as it is upon his robe in his monument at Westminster." Camden's Remains, 1614. Here we see the cods and not the peas were worn. Why Shakespeare used the former word rather than pods, which appears to have had the same meaning, is obvious. MALONE. The peascod certainly means the whole of the pea as it hangs upon the stalk. It was formerly used as an ornament in dress, and was represented with the shell open exhibiting the peas. Douce. "Come peascod time" is my Hostess's phrase, II H. IV. (II. 4.) (15) weeping tears] This phrase is said to be found in a sonnet in Lodge's Rosalynd, and his Dorastus and Fawnia, on which the Winter's Tale is founded. Peele's Jests, &c. are also mentioned; but this, as well as numberless similar pleonasms, is to be found in almost every publication of that day. "And reakes not his own reade." Haml. I. 3. Ophel. The word is written in Spenser as in the text above. "What wreaked I of wintrie ages' waste? Sheph. Cal. Decemb. Todd. I. 196. of. But nothing he'll reck is the to him fleeps on (17) my voice is ragged] Rough, harsh. Our author has ones that "Approach a "The ragged'st hour, that time and spite dare bring." II H. IV. Northum. I. 1. Thy smoothing titles to a ragged name." Rape of Lucrece. Mr. Malone cites the Epistle prefixed to the Shepherd's Calend. 1579. " Thinking them fittest for the rustical rudeness of shepheards; for that their rough sound would make his rimes more ragged and rustical:" and Mr. Steevens, Nash's Apologie of Pierce Pennilesse, 4to. 1593: "The false gallop of his ragged verses, if I should retort the rime doggrel aright, I must make my verses run hobbling.” (18) dog-apes] "Some be called cenophe; and be lyke to an hounde in the face, and in the body lyke to an ape." Bartholomæus, XVIII. 96. Douce's Illustrat. I. 298. (19) loves to live i the sun] "He who makes his pleasures consist in the enjoyment of the sunshine, and simple blessing of the elements." The manner of life denoted by this phrase, is probably the same as Othello describes in these lines: |