crack', not thus high: and the very fame day did I fight with one Sampfon Stockfish, a fruiterer, behind Gray'sinn. O, the mad days that I have fpent! and to fee how many of mine old acquaintance are dead! Sil. We fhall all follow, coufin. Shal. Certain, 'tis certain; very fure, very fure : death, as the Pfalmift faith, is certain to all; all fhall die. How a good yoke of bullocks at Stamford fair ? Sil. Truly, coufin, I was not there. Shal. Death is certain.-Is old Double of your town living yet? Sil. Dead, fir. Shal. Dead!-See, fee!-he drew a good bow ;-And dead!-he fhot a fine fhoot:-John of Gaunt lov'd him well, and betted much money on his head. Dead! he Among the works of Chaucer is a poem called "Scogan, unto the Lordes and Gentilmen of the Kinge's Houfe." STEEVENS. "In the written copy (fays the editor of Chaucer's Works, 1598,) the title hereof is thus: Here followethe a morall ballade to the Prince, now Prince Henry, the Duke of Clarence, the Duke of Bedford, the Duke of Gloucefter, the kinges fons, by Henry Scogan, at a fupper among the merchants in the vintrey at London, in the houfe of Lewis John." The purport of the ballad is to diffuade them from spending their youth folily." John Skogan, who is faid to have taken the degree of master of arts at Oxford," being (fays Mr. Warton,) an excellent mimick, and of great pleafantry in converfation, became the favourite buffoon of the court of K. Edward IV." Bale and Tanner have confounded him with Henry Skogan, if indeed they were distinct perfons, which I doubt. The compoitions which Bale has attributed to the writer whom he supposes to have lived in the time of Edward IV. were written by the poet of the reign of Henry IV.; which induces me to think that there was no poet or mafter of arts of this name, in the time of Edward. There might then have been a jefter of the fame name. Scogin's JESTS were published by Andrew Borde, a phyfician in the reign of Henry VIII. Shakfpeare had probably met with this book; and as he was very little scrupulous about anachronisms, this perfon and not Henry Scogan, the poet of the time of Henry IV. may have been in his thoughts: I fay may, for it is by no means certain, though the author of Remarks on the laft edition of Shakspeare, &c. has afferted it with that confidence which diftinguishes his obfervations. MALONE. a crack,] This is an old iflandic word, fignifying a boy or child. One of the fabulous kings and heroes of Denmark, called Hrolf, was furnamed Krake. See the story in Edda, Fable 63. TYRWHITT. he would have clapp'd i'the clout at twelve fcore3; and carry'd you a fore-hand fhaft a' fourteen and fourteen and a half, that it would have done a man's heart good to fee. How a score of ewes now? Sil. Thereafter as they be: a fcore of good ewes may be worth ten pounds. Shal. And is old Double dead! Enter BARDOLPH, and one with him. Sil. Here come two of fir John Falstaff's men, as I think. Bard. Good morrow, honest gentlemen: I beseech which is juftice Shallow? you, Shal. I am Robert Shallow, fir; a poor efquire of this county, and one of the king's juftices of the peace: What is your good pleafure with me? Bard. My captain, fir, commends him to you; my captain, fir John Falstaff: a tall gentleman, by heaven, and a most gallant leader. Shal. He greets me well, fir; I knew him a good backfword man: How doth the good knight? may I ask, how my lady his wife doth ? Bard. Sir, pardon; a foldier is better accommodated, than with a wife. Shal. It is well faid, in faith, fir; and it is well faid indeed too. Better accommodated!-it is good; yea, indeed, is it good phrases are furely, and ever were, very commendable. Accommodated!-it comes of accommoda: very good; a good phrafe". : 2-clapp'd i the clout-] i. e. hit the white mark. WARBURTON. 3at twelve fcore ;] i. e. of yards. So in Drayton's Polyolbion 1612: "At markes full fortie fcore they us'd to prick and rove." MALONE. 4-fourteen and fourteen and a half,] That is, fourteen fcore of yards. JOHNSON. The utmost diftance that the archers of ancient times reached, is fupposed to have been about three hundred yards. Old Double therefore certainly drew a good bow. MALONE. 5 very good; a good pbrafe.] Accommodate was a modish term of that time, as Ben Jonfon informs us: "You are not to caft or wring for the perfumed terms of the time, as accommodation, complement, Spirit, &c. but use them properly in their places as others." DiscOVERIES. Hence Bardolph calls it a word of exceeding good command. His definition of it is admirable, and highly fatirical; nothing being more common A a 3 Bard. Pardon me, fir; I have heard the word. Phrafe call you it? By this good day, I know not the phrase: but I will maintain the word with my fword, to be a foldierlike word, and a word of exceeding good command. Accommodated; That is, when a man is, as they fay, accommodated: or, when a man is,being, whereby, he may be thought to be accommodated; which is an excellent thing. Enter FALSTAFF. Shal. It is very juft:-Look, here comes good fir John.-Give me your good hand, give me your worship's good hand: By my troth, you look well, and bear your years very well: welcome, good fir John. Fal. I am glad to fee you well, good mafter Robert Shallow :-Mafter Sure-card, as I think". Shal. No, fir John; it is my coufin Silence, in commiffion with me. Fal. Good mafter Silence, it well befits you fhould be of the peace. Sil. Your good worship is welcome. Fal. Fie! this is hot weather.-Gentlemen, have you provided me here half a dozen fufficient men? Shal. Marry, have we, fir. Will you fit? Fal Let me fee them, I befeech you. Shal. Where's the roll? where's the roll? where's the roll?-Let me fee, let me fee. So, fo, fo, fa: common than for inaccurate speakers or writers, when they should define, to put their hearers off with a fynonymous term; or, for want of that, even with the fame term differently accommodated: as in the inftance before us. WARBURTON. The fame word occurs in Jonfon's Every Man in bis Humour : "The woman does not understand the words of allion.” 6-Mafter Sure-card, as I think.] It is obfervable, that many of Shakspeare's names are invented, and characteristical. Mafter Forthright, the tilter; Mafter Shoe-tie, the traveller; Mafter Smooth, the filkman; Mrs. Over-done, the bawd; Kate Keep-down, Jane Nightwork, &c. Sure-card was used as a term for a boon companion, fo lately as the latter end of the laft century, by one of the tranflators of Suete#ius. MALONE. fo: Yea, marry, fir:-Ralph Mouldy :-let them appear as I call; let them do fo, let them do fo.-Let me fee; Where is Mouldy? Moul. Here, an't please you. Shal. What think you, fir John? a good-limb'd fellow: young, ftrong, and of good friends. Fal. Is thy name Mouldy? Moul. Yea, an't please you. Fal. 'Tis the more time thou wert used. Shal. Ha, ha, ha! moft excellent, i'faith! things, that are mouldy, lack use: Very fingular good!-In faith, well faid, fir John; very well faid. Fal. Prick him. [to Shallow. Moul. I was prick'd well enough before, an you could have let me alone: my old dame will be undone now, for one to do her husbandry, and her drudgery: you need not to have prick'd me; there are other men fitter to go out than I. Fal. Go to; peace, Mouldy, you fhall go. Mouldy, it is time you were spent. Moul. Spent! Shal. Peace, fellow, peace, ftand afide; Know you where you are?-For the other, fir John :-let me fee;→→ Simon Shadow! Fal. Ay marry, let me have him to fit under: he's like to be a cold foldier. Shal. Where's Shadow ? Shad. Here, fir. Fal. Shadow, whose son art thou? Shad. My mother's fon, fir. Fal. Thy mother's fon! like enough; and thy father's fhadow: fo the fon of the female is the fhadow of the male: It is often fo, indeed; but not much of the father's fubftance. Shal. Do you like him, fir John? Fal. Shadow will ferve for fummer,-prick him ;-for we have a number of fhadows to fill up the mufter-book?. Shal. 7 we have a number of is, we have in the mufter-book though we have not the men. A a 4 shadows to fill up the mufter-book.] That many names for which we receive pay, JoHNSON. Shal. Thomas Wart! Fal. Where's he? Wart. Here, fir. Fal. Is thy name Wart? Wart. Yea, fir. Fal. Thou art a very ragged wart. Shal. Shall I prick him, fir John? Fal. It were fuperfluous; for his apparel is built upon his back, and the whole frame ftands upon pins: prick him no more. Shal. Ha, ha, ha!—you can do it, fir; you can do it: commend you well.-Francis Feeble! Fee. Here, fir. Fal. What trade art thou, Feeble? Shal. Shall I prick him, fir? Fal. You may: but if he had been a man's tailor, he would have prick'd you.—Wilt thou make as many holes in an enemy's battle, as thou haft done in a woman's petticoat? Fee. I will do my good will, fir; you can have no more. Fal. Well faid, good woman's tailor! well faid, courageous Feeble! Thou wilt be as valiant as the wrathful dove, or moft magnanimous mouse.-Prick the woman's tailor well, mafter Shallow; deep, mafter Shallow. Fee. I would, Wart might have gone, fir. Fal. I would, thou wert a man's tailor; that thou might'ft mend him, and make him fit to go. I cannot put him to a private foldier, that is the leader of so mathoufands: Let that fuffice, most forcible Feeble. ny Fee. It fhall fuffice, fir. Fal. I am bound to thee, reverend Feeble.-Who is next? Fal. Yea, marry, let us fee Bull-calf. Bull. Here, fir. Fal. 'Fore God, a likely fellow!-Come, prick me Bull-calf, till he roar again. Bull. Olord! good my lord captain, Fal. What, doft thou roar before thou art prick'd? Fal. |