BARD. Hold, Wart, traverse 2; thus, thus, thus. FAL. Come, manage me your caliver. So:-very well:-go to:-very good:-exceeding good.-O, give me always a little, lean, old, chapped, bald shot.-Well said, i̇' faith, Wart; thou'rt a good hold, there's a tester for thee.

SHAL. He is not his craft's master, he doth not do it right. I remember at Mile-end green *, (when

J. de Gheyn." And, in a note in loc. Mr. Grose also observes, "That this is confirmed by Shakspeare, where Falstaff, reviewing his recruits, says of Wart, a poor, weak, undersized fellow, 'put me a caliver into Wart's hands,'-meaning, that although Wart is unfit for a musqueteer, yet, if armed with a lighter piece, he may do good service." VAILLANT.

The accent of this word was laid on the second syllable. So, in Withers's Abuses Whipt and Stript:

2

"Both musquet and caliver are forgot." MALONE.

- traverse-] An ancient term in military exercise. So, in Othello:

3

"Traverse; go; provide thy money." STEEVENS.

- bald SHOT.] Shot is used for shooter, one who is to fight by shooting. JOHNSON.

say

So, in The Exercise of Armes for Calivres, Muskettes, and Pykes, 1619: "First of all is in this figure showed to every shot how he shall stand and marche, and carry his caliver," &c. With this instance I was furnished by Dr. Farmer. We still of a skilful sportsman or game-keeper that he is a good shot. STEEVENS. Again, in Stowe's Annales, 1631: " men with armour, ensignes, drums, fifes, and other furniture for the wars, the greater part whereof were shot, and other were pikes and halberts, in faire corslets." MALONE.

4

Mile-end green,] We learn from Stowe's Chronicle, (edit. 1615, p. 702,) that in the year 1585, 4000 citizens were trained and exercised at Mile-end. It appears, however, that the pupils of this military school were but slightly thought of; for, in Barnabie Riche's Souldiers Wishe, to Britons Welfare, or Captaine Skill and Captaine Pill, 1604, is the following passage: Škill. God blesse me, my countrey, and frendes, from his direction that hath no better experience than what hee hath atteyned unto at the fetching home of a Maye-pole, at a Midsomer sighte, or from a trayning at Mile-end-greene." STEEVENS.

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From the same Chronicle, p. 789, edit. 1631, it appears that "thirty thousand citizens-shewed on the 27th of August, 1599,

I lay at Clement's inn3,)-I was then sir Dagonet in Arthur's show, there was a little quiver fellow',

on the Miles-end, where they trained all that day, and other dayes, under their captaines, (also citizens,) until the 4th of September." MALONE.

3 I remember at Mile-end green, (when I LAY at Clement'sinn,] "When Iday," here signifies, when I lodged or lived. So Leland: "An old manor place where in tymes paste sum of the Moulbrays lay for a starte;" i. e. lived for a time, or sometimes. Itin. vol. i. fol. 119. T. WARTON.

Again, in Maston's What You Will, a comedy, 1607:

6

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Survey'd with wonder by me, when I lay "Factor in London." MALONE.

I was then SIR DAGONET in ARTHUR'S SHOW,] The story of Sir Dagonet is to be found in La Morte d'Arthure, an old romance much celebrated in our author's time, or a little before it. "When papistry (says Ascham, in his Schoolmaster,) as a standing pool, overflowed all England, few books were read in our tongue, saving certaine books of chivalry, as they said, for pastime and pleasure; which books, as some say, were made in monasteries by idle monks. As one for example La Mort d'Arthure." In this romance Sir Dagonet is King Arthur's fool. Shakspeare would not have shown his justice capable of representing any higher character. JOHNSON,

Sir Dagonet is King Arthur's 'squire; but does he mean that he acted Sir Dagonet at Mile-end Green, or at Clement's-inn? By the application of a parenthesis only, the passage will be cleared from ambiguity, and the sense I would assign will appear to be just." I remember at Mile-end Green (when I lay at. Clement's-inn, I was then Sir Dagonet in Arthur's show) there was," &c. That is: "I remember when I was a very young man at Clement's-inn, and not fit to act any higher part than Sir Dagonet in the interludes which we used to play in the society, that among the soldiers who were exercised at Mile-end Green, there was," &c. The performance of this part of Sir Dagonet was another of Shallow's feats at Clement's-inn, on which he delights to expatiate; a circumstance, in the mean time, quite foreign to the purpose of what he is saying, but introduced, on that account, to heighten the ridicule of his character. Just as he had told Silence, a little before, that he saw Scogan's head broke by Falstaff at the court-gate, "and the very same day, I did fight with one Sampson Stockfish, a fruiterer, behind Gray'sinn." Not to mention the satire implied in making Shallow act Sir Dagonet, who was King Arthur's fool. Arthur's show, here supposed to have been presented at Clement's-inn, was probably

and 'a would manage you his piece thus: and 'a would about, and about, and come you in, and

an interlude, or masque, which actually existed, and was very popular in Shakspeare's age: and seems to have been compiled from Mallory's Morte Arthur, or the History of King Arthur, then recently published, and the favourite and most fashionable

romance.

That "Mile-end Green" was the place for public sports and exercises, we learn from Froissart.

Theobald remarks on this passage: "The only intelligence I have gleaned of this worthy knight (Sir Dagonet) is from Beaumont and Fletcher, in their Knight of the Burning Pestle."

The commentators on Beaumont and Fletcher's Knight of the Burning Pestle have not observed that the design of that play is founded upon a comedy called The Four Prentices of London, with the Conquest of Jerusalem; as it hath been diverse Times acted at the Red Bull, by the Queen's Majesty's Servants. Written by Thomas Heywood, 1613. For as in Beaumont and Fletcher's play, a grocer in the Strand turns knight-errant, making his apprentice his 'squire, &c. so in Heywood's play, four apprentices accoutre themselves as knights, and go to Jerusalem in quest of adventures. One of them, the most important character, is a goldsmith, another a grocer, another a mercer, and a fourth an haberdasher. But Beaumont and Fletcher's play, though founded upon it, contains many satirical strokes against Heywood's comedy, the force of which are entirely lost to those who have not seen that comedy.

Thus, in Beaumont and Fletcher's Prologue, or first scene, a citizen is introduced, declaring that, in the play, he "will have a grocer, and he shall do admirable things."

Again, Act I. Sc. I. Rafe says: Amongst all the worthy books of achievements, I do not call to mind that I have yet read of a grocer-errant: I will be the said knight. Have you heard of any that hath wandered unfurnished of his 'squire and dwarf? My elder brother Tim shall be my trusty 'squire, and George my dwarf."

In the following passage the allusion to Heywood's comedy is demonstrably manifest, Act IV. Sc. I.:

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Boy. It will show ill-favouredly to have a grocer's prentice court a king's daughter.

"Cit. Will it so, sir? You are well read in histories; I pray you who was Sir Dagonet? Was he not prentice to a grocer in London? Read the play of The Four Prentices, where they toss their pikes so."

In Heywood's comedy, Eustace, the grocer's prentice, is introduced, courting the daughter of the king of France; and in

come you in: rah, tah, tah, would 'a say; bounce, would 'a say; and away again would 'a go, and

the frontispiece the four prentices are represented in armour, tilting with javelins.

Immediately before the last quoted speeches we have the following instances of allusion:

"Cit. Let the Sophy of Persia come, and christen him a child."

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Boy. Believe me, sir, that will not do so well; 'tis flat; it has been before at the Red Bull."

in a

A circumstance in Heywood's comedy, which, as has been already specified, was acted at the Red Bull. Beaumont and Fletcher's play is pure burlesque. Heywood's is a mixture of the droll and serious, and was evidently intended to ridicule the T. WARTON. reigning fashion of reading romances. This account of the matter was so reasonable, that I believe reader must have been satisfied with it; but a passage every forgotten book, which has been obligingly communicated to me by the Reverend Mr. Bowle, induces me to think that the words before us have hitherto been misunderstood; that Arthur's Show was not an interlude, but an Exhibition of Archery; and that Shallow represented Sir Dagonet, not at Clement's Inn, but at Mile-end Green. Instead therefore of placing the words "I was then Sir Dagonet in Arthur's show," in a parenthesis, (as recommended very properly by Mr. Warton on his hypothesis,) I have included in a parenthesis the words "when I lay at Clement's Inn." And thus the meaning is, I remember, when I was student and resided at Clement's Inn, that on a certain exhibition-day at Mile-end Green, when I was Sir Dagonet, &c.

"A society of men, (I now use the words of Mr. Bowle,) styling themselves Arthur's Knights, existed in our poet's time. Richard Mulcaster, Master of St. Paul's School, in his Positions concerning the training up of Children, twice printed in London, 1581 and 1587, in 4to. (my copy wants the title,) ch. xxvi. in praising of Archerie as a principal exercise to the preservation of health, says, how can I but prayse them, who professe it thoroughly, and maintaine it nobly, the friendly and frank fellowship of Prince Arthur's Knights, in and about the citie of London ? which if I had sacred to silence, would not my good friend in the citie, Maister Hewgh Offly, and the same my noble fellow in that order, Syr Launcelot, at our next meeting have given me a soure nodde, being the chief furtherer of the fact which I commend, and the famousest knight of the fellowship which I am of? Nay, would not even Prince Arthur himselfe, Maister Thomas Smith, and the whole table of those well known knights, and most active

again would a' come:-I shall never see such a fellow.

FAL. These fellows will do well, master Shallow. -God keep you, master Silence; I will not use many words with you :-Fare you well, gentlemen both: I thank you: I must a dozen mile to-night.— Bardolph, give the soldiers coats.

SHAL. Sir John, heaven bless you, and prosper your affairs, and send us peace! As you return, visit

archers, have laid in their challenge against their fellow-knight, if speaking of their pastime I should have spared their names?' This quotation (adds Mr. Bowle) rescues three of them from oblivion; and it is not to be presumed that the whole table of these well known knights, most probably pretty numerous, could escape the knowledge of Shakspeare.-Maister Hewgh Offly was sheriff of London in 1588."

The passage above quoted places Shallow's words in so clear a light that they leave me little to add upon the subject. We see that though he is apt enough to introduce frivolous and foreign circumstances, the mention of Sir Dagonet here, is not of that nature, Mile-end Green being probably the place where Arthur's knights displayed their skill in archery, or, in other words, where Arthur's show was exhibited.

Whether this fellowship existed in the reign of Henry IV. is very unnecessary to enquire. We see in almost every one of his plays how little scrupulous Shakspeare was in ascribing the customs of his own time to preceding ages.

It may perhaps be objected, that the "little quiver fellow," afterwards mentioned, is not described as an archer, but as managing a piece; but various exercises might have been practised at the same time at Mile-end Green. If, however, this objection should appear to the reader of any weight, by extending the parenthesis to the words" Arthur's Show," it is obviated; for Shallow might have resided at Clement's Inn, and displayed his feats of archery in Arthur's show elsewhere, not on the day here alluded to. The meaning will then be, I remember when I resided at Clement's Inn, and in the exhibition of archery made by Arthur's knights I used to represent Sir Dagonet, that among the soldiers exercised at Mile-end Green, there was, &c. MALONE. 7 a little QUIVER fellow,] Quiver is nimble, active, &c. "There is a maner fishe that hyght mugill, which is full quiver and swifte." Bartholomeus, 1535, bl. 1. Henders on.