hath he kill'd and eaten in these wars? But how many hath he kill'd? for, indeed, I promis'd to eat all of his killing. Leon. Faith, niece, you tax fignior Benedick too much; but he'll be meet with you, I doubt it not. Melf. He hath done good fervice, lady, in these wars. Beat. You had mufty victual, and he hath holp to eat it he's a very valiant trencher-man, he hath an excellent ftomach. Meff. And a good foldier too, lady.. Beat. And a good foldier to a lady;—But what is he to a lord? Meff. A lord to a lord, a man to a man; stuff'd with all honourable virtues '. Beat. It is fo, indeed; he is no less than a stuff'd man: but for the ftuffing,-well, we are all mortal. Leon. find the title-page of an old pamphlet ftill more explicit. "A new post-a marke exceeding neceffary for all mens arrows: whether the great man's flight, the gallant's rover, the wifeman's pricke-shaft, the poor man's but-fhaft, or the fool's bird-bolt." FARMER. The flight, which in the Latin of the middle ages was called flecta, was a fleet arrow with narrow feathers, usually employed against rovers. See Blount's Ancient Tenures, 1679. MALONE. he'll be meet with you,] This is a very common expreffion in the midland counties, and fignifies he'll be your match, be'll be even with you. 9 So in TEXNOFAMIA, by B. Holiday, 1618: "Go meet her, or else she'll be meet with me.” STEEVENS. 'stuff'd with all honourable virtues.] Stuff'd, in this first inftance, has no ridiculous meaning. Mr. Edwards obferves that Mede, in his Difcourfes on Scripture, fpeaking of Adam, fays, he whom God had ftuffed with fo many excellent qualities." Edwards's MS. Again, in the Winter's Tale: whom you know "Of Stuff'd fufficiency." STEEVENS. 2 -he is no less than a stuff'd man: but for the stuffing well,we are all mortal.] Mr. Theobald plumed himself much on the pointing of this paffage; which, by the way, he might learn from Leon. You muft not, fir, mistake my niece: there is a kind of merry war betwixt fignior Benedick and her they never meet, but there's a fkirmish of wit between them. : Beat. Alas, he gets nothing by that. In our laft conflict, four of his five wits went halting off, and now is the whole man govern'd with one : fo that if he have 4 wit enough to keep himself warm, let him bear Davenant: but he fays not a word, nor any one else that I know of, about the reason of this abruption. The truth is, Beatrice ftarts an idea at the words ftuff'd man; and prudently checks herfelf in the pursuit of it. A ftuff'd man was one of the many cant phrafes for a cuckold. In Lilly's Midas, we have an inventory of Motto's moveables.-"Item, fays Petulus, one paire of hornes in the bride-chamber on the bed's head. The beaft's head, obferves Licio; for Motto is fuff'd in the head, and these are among unmoveable goods." FARMER. 3 -four of his five <wits - -] In our author's time wit was the general term for intellectual powers. So, Davies on the Soul: "Wit, feeking truth from caufe to caufe afcends, And, in another part: "But if a phrenzy do poffefs the brain, "And to the wit no true relation brings. "Then doth the wit, admitting all for true, "Build fond conclufions on thofe idle grounds;" The wits feem to have been reckoned five, by analogy to the five senses, or the five inlets of ideas. JOHNSON. 4 wit enough to keep himself WARM,] But how would that make a difference between him and his horfe? We fhould read, Wit enough to keep himself FROM HARM. This fuits the fatirical turn of hér fpeech, in the character fhe would give of Benedick; and this would make the difference fpoken of.. For 'tis the nature of horfes, when wounded, to run upon the point of the weapon. WARBURTON. Such a one has wit enough to keep himfelf warm, is a proverbial expreffion, and there is furely no need of change. So in the Wife Woman of Hogsden, 1638: You are the wife woman, are you? and have wit to keep yourself bear it for a difference between himself and his horfe; for it is all the wealth that he hath left, to be known a reasonable creature.-Who is his companion now? he hath every month a new fworn brother. Meff. Is it poffible? Beat. Very eafily poffible: he wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat, it ever changes with the next block. Meff. I fee, lady, the gentleman is not in your books. Beat. yourfelf warm enough, I warrant you." Again, in Cynthia's Revels, by Ben Jonfon: -your whole felf cannot but be perfectly wife; for your hands have wit enough to keep themselves warm." An attempt to refute the reasoning of Dr. Warburton, would be lofs of time and labour. To bear any thing for a difference, is a term in heraldry. So, in Hamlet, Ophelia fays: 66 -you may wear yours with a difference. STEEVENS. she wears his faith] Not religious profeffion, but profeffion of friendship; for the fpeaker gives it as the reafon of her afking, who was now his companion? that he had every month a new fworn brother. WARBURTON. 6 -with the next block.] A block is the mould on which a hat is formed. So in Decker's Satiromaftix: "Of what fashion is this knight's wit? of what block ?” See a note on K. Lear, act IV. fc. vi. The old writers fometimes use the word block, for the hat itself. STEEVENS. 7 the gentleman is not in your books.] This is a phrafe fed, I believe, by more than understand it. To be in one's books is to be in one's codicils or will, to be among friends fet down for legacies. JOHNSON. I rather think that the books alluded to, are memorandumbooks, like the visiting-books of the prefent age: fo, in Decker's Honeft Whore, 2nd Part, 1630: "I am fure her name was in my Table-Book once. Or, perhaps, the allufion is to matriculation at the university. So in Ariftippus, or the Jovial Philofopher, 1630: "You must be matriculated, and have your name recorded in Albo Academia." Again, What have you enrolled him in Albo? Have you fully admitted him into the Society ?-to be a member of the body academic?" Again, And if I be not entred, and have my name admitted into fome of their books, let, &c." VOL, II. And Beat. No an he were, I would burn my fudy. But, I pray you, who is his companion? Is there no young fquarer now, that will make a voyage with him to the devil? 8 Mell And yet I think the following paffage in the Maid's Revenge, by Shirley, 1639, will fufficiently fupport my firit fuppofition: "Pox of your compliment, you were beft not write in her Table-Books." It appears to have been anciently the custom to chronicle the Small beer of every occurrence, whether literary or domeftic, inthefe Table-books. "His name hath in her Tables." Again, in Acolaftus, a Comedy, 1529: Fable-Books." "We weyl haunfe thee, or fet thy name into our felowship boke, with clappynge of handes, &c." I know not exactly to what custom this last quoted paffage re fers, unless to the album; for just after, the fame expreffion occurs again: that "from henceforthe thou may'st have a place worthy for thee in our hyte: from hence thou may'st have thy name written in our boke." It should seem from the following paffage in the Taming of a Shrew, that this phrafe might have originated from the Herald's Office: "A herald, Kate! oh, put me in thy books!"? After all, the following note in one of the Harleian MSS. No 847, may be the best illustration: W. C. to Henry Fradham, Gent. the owener of this book; "In theire bookes where they friendshippe fhewe, "The great good will that they do owe, &c." STEEVENS. The gentleman is not in your books.] This phrafe has not been exactly interpreted. To be in a man's books, originally meant to be in the lift of his retainers. Sir John Mandevile tells us, "alle the mynftrelles that comen before the great Chan ben witholden with him, as of his houfhold, and entred in his bookes, as for his own men. FARMER. 8 young fquarer-] A Squarer I take to be a cholerick, quarrelfome fellow, for in this fenfe Shakespeare uses the word to Square. So, in the Midsummer Night's Dream it is faid of Oberon and Meff. He is moft in the company of the right noble Claudio. Beat. O lord! He will hang upon him like a dif eafe he is fooner caught than the peftilence, and the taker runs presently mad. God help the noble Claudio! if he have caught the Benedick, it will cost him a thousand pounds ere he be cur'd. Mell. I will hold friends with you, lady. Leon. You'll ne'er run mad, niece. Beat. No, not 'till a hot January. Melf. Don Pedro is approach'd. Enter Don Pedro, Claudio, Benedick, Balthazar, and Don John. Pedro. Good Signior Leonato, you are come to meet your trouble: the fashion of the world is to avoid coft, and you encounter it. Leon. Never came trouble to my house in the likenefs of your grace: for trouble being gone, comfort fhould remain; but, when you depart from me, fortow abides, and happiness takes his leave. Pedro. You embrace your charge too willingly.I think, this is your daughter. Leon. Her mother hath many times told me fo. Bene. Were you in doubt, fir, that you ask'd her? Leon. Signior Benedick, no; for then were you a child. Pedro. You have it full, Benedick: we may guess by this what you are, being a man. Truly, the lady fathers herfelf:Be happy, lady! for you are like an honourable father. Bene. If fignior Leonato be her father, fhe would and Titania, that they never meet but they fquare. So the fenfe may be, Is there no hot-blooded youth that will keep him company through all his mad pranks? JOHNSON. 9 You embrace your charge] That is, your burthen, your incumbrance. JOHNSON. $ 2 not |