THE BOOK WAS DRENCHED - OUDL Home

10 Plays
charm' of // Penseroso, 83, and Hernck's poem (Works, ed. Moorman,
p. 121).
From noise of Scare-fires rest ye free,
From Murders Benedicitie.
From all mischances, that may fright
Your pleasing slumbers in the night •
Mercie secure ye all, and keep
The Goblin from ye, while ye sleep.
Past one aclock, and almost two,
My Masters all, Good day to you.
172. resty. C R. v. x. 72.
172. Beare-ward. Dr. Henry cites W. Cavendish (Newcastle), The
Humorous Lovers, v. i (1677, p. 48) 'I'le set up my Bills, that the
Gamesters of London, Horsleydown, Southwark, and New-market may
come in, and bait him here before the Ladies, but first, Boy, go fetch
me a Bag-pipe, we will walk the streets in triumph, and giue the people
notice of our sport.'
176. most bleeding. Dr. Henry compares The First Part of lerommo,
ed. Boas, i. ii. 3, 'a most weeping creature'.
178. Fencer. Cf. a letter of the Lord Mayor to the Earl of Warwick,
24 July 1582 (quoted in Halhwell-Phillipps's Outlines of the Life of
Shakespeare, (ed. 6, i, p. 348), giving the earl's servant John David,
who wished to 'play his provost prize in his science and profession of
defence', permission 'with his compame drumes and shewe to passe
openly thrughe the Citie, being not vpon the Sundaie'.
prize, a fencing-competition. C.R. v. iii. 10.
183. by reason of the sicknesse. 'There were 114 churches in the 26
wards: London was a city of many towers and spires and of many bells.'
F. P. Wilson, The Plague in Shakespeare's London, p. 177; quoting
Lachrymae Londinenses, 1626, 'In the daytime what else heare we
almost but the Bells ringing of Knells ? and in the night season (when
we should take our rest,) we are interrupted by the contmuall tolling of
Passing-Bells, and anon the ringing out of the same.' Cf. Volp. iii. v. 5 n.
188. tennis-court socks were woollen. Cf Webster, The Devil's Law-
Case, 1623, iv. ii. 401-4, ed. Lucas. 'He wore no shoes, an't please you
my Lord. . . . He wore Tennis-court woollen slippers, for feare of creaking
sir, and making a noyse, to wake the rest o'th house.'
190. trunke, speaking-tube: cf. ii. i. 2 foil. Bacon, The New Atlantis,
ed. Gough, p. 43 ' We haue also meanes to conuey Sounds in Trunks
and Pipes, in strange Lines, and Distances.' Cf. Alch. i. iv. 5.
i. ii. 10. acts, and momments. The title of Foxe's great work. Similarly
used in E.M.O. iii. vii. 62. The spelling 'momments' copies the Latin
mommentum.
12. giues thee law, authorizes you. An unusual sense: 'to give law'
or 'the law' meant (i) to exercise jurisdiction, (2) to allow a fair start
for hunted game.