Enter Elbow, Froth, Clown, Officers, &c. Elb. Come, bring them away: if these be good people in a common-weal, that do nothing but ufe their "When the dukes of Exeter and Suffolk (fays Blackstone in his Comment. vol. IV. chap. xxv. p. 320, 321.) and other minifters of Hen. VI. had laid a defign to introduce the civil law into this kingdom as the rule of government, for a beginning thereof they erected a rack for torture; which was called in derifion the Duke of Exeter's Daughter, and still remains in the Tower of London, where it was occafionally ufed as an engine of ftate, not of law, more than once in the reign of queen Elizabeth.' See Coke's Inftit. 35. Barrington, 69, 385. and Fuller's Worthies, P. 317. A part of this horrid engine ftill remains in the Tower, and the following is the figure of it. It confifts of a strong iron frame about fix feet long, with three rollers of wood within it: the middle of these, which has iron teeth at each end, is governed by two ftops of iron, and was, probably, that part of the machine which fufpended the powers of the reft, when the unhappy fufferer was fufficiently ftrained by the cords, &c. to begin confeffion. I cannot conclude this account of it without confeffing my obligation to Sir Charles Frederick, who politely condefcended to direct my enquiries, while his high command rendered every part of the Tower acceffible to my refearches. I have fince obferved that, in Fox's Martyrs, edit. 1596, p. 1843, there is a representation of the fame kind. If Shakespeare alluded to this engine, the fenfe of the contefted paffage in Measure for Meafure will be: Some run more than once from engines of punishment, and answer no interrogatories; hile fome are condemned to fuffer for a fingle trefpafs. It their abuses in common houses, I know no law: bring them away. Ang. How now, fir! What's your name? and what's the matter? Elb. If it please your honour, I am the poor duke's conftable, and my name is Elbow; I do lean upon juftice, fir, and do bring in here before your good honour two notorious benefactors. Ang. Benefactors? Well; what benefactors are they are they not malefactors? Elb. If it please your honour, I know not well what they are: but precife villains they are, that I am fure of; and void of all profanation in the world, that good chriftians ought to have. Efcal. This comes off well; here's a wife officer. It should not, however, be diffembled, that yet a plainer meaning may be deduced from the fame words. By brakes of vice may be meant a collection, a number, a thicket of vices. The fame image occurs in Daniel's Civil Wars, B. IV: 66 Rufhing into the thickest woods of fpears "And brakes of fwords, &c." That a brake meant a bush, may be known from Drayton's poem on Mofes and his Miracles: "Where God unto the Hebrew fpake "Appearing from the burning brake." Again, in the Mooncalf of the fame author : "He brings into a brake of briars and thorn, Mr. Tollet is of opinion that, by brakes of vice, Shakespeare means only the thorny paths of vice. So in Ben Jonfon's Underwoods, Whalley's Edit. vol. VI, P. 367: "Look at the falfe and cunning man, &c. STEEVENS. This comes off well;] This is nimbly spoken; this is volubly uttered. JOHNSON. The fame phrafe is employed in Timon of Athens and elfewhere; but in the prefent inftance it is ufed ironically. The meaning of it, when ferioufly applied to speech, is-This is well delivered, this story is well told. STEEVENS. Ang. 1 Ang. Go to: What quality are they of? Elbow is your name? Why doft thou not speak, Elbow ?? Clown. He cannot, fir; he's out at elbow. Ang. What are you, fir? Elb. He, fir?, a tapfter, fir; parcel-bawd'; one that ferves a bad woman; whofe houfe, fir, was, as they fay, pluck'd down in the fuburbs; and now the profeffes a hot-houfe, which, I think, is a very illhoufe too. Efcal. How know you that? Elb. My wife, fir, whom I deteft before heaven and your honour, Efcal. How! thy wife? Elb. Ay, fir; whom, I thank heaven, is an honest woman; Efcal. Doft thou deteft her therefore? Elb. I fay, fir, I will deteft myself alfo, as well as fhe, that this house, if it be not a bawd's house, it is pity of her life, for it is a naughty house. Efcal. How doft thou know that, conftable? Elb. Marry, fir, by my wife; who, if she had been a woman cardinally given, might have been accused in fornication, adultery, and all uncleanness there. 9 The -Why doft thou not speak, Elbow?] Says Angelo to the conftable.. "He cannot, fir, quoth the Clown, he's out at elbow." I know not whether this quibble be generally observed: he is out at the word elbow, and out at the elbow of his coat. Conftable, in his account of mafter Froth and the Clown, has a ftroke at the puritans, who were very zealous against the stage about this time: "Precife villains they are, that I am fure of; and void of all profanation in the world, that good Chriftians ought to have." FARMER. 1 -a tapfter, fir; parcel bawd;-] This we should now exprefs by faying, he is half-tapfter, half-bawd. JOHNSON. 2 Thus in K. Hen. IV: "a parcel-gilt goblet. STEEVENS. -She profefjes a bot-house ;] A hot-house is an English name for a bagnio : "Where lately harbour'd many a famous whore, "Tells you it is a hot-houfe, fo it may, And ftill be a whore-houfe." Ben Jonfon, JOHNSON. D 3 Efcal. Efcal. By the woman's means? Elb. Ay, fir, by mistress Over-done's means: but as fhe fpit in his face, fo fhe defy'd him. Clown. Sir, if it please your honour, this is not so. Elb. Prove it before these varlets here, thou honourable man, prove it. Efcal. Do you hear how he mifplaces? [To Angelo. Clown. Sir, fhe came in great with child; and longing (faving your honour's reverence) for ftew'd prunes; fir, we had but two in the houfe, which at that very diftant time ftood as it were, in a fruit-dish, a difh of fome three pence; your honours have feen fuch dishes; they are not China difhes, but very good difhes. Efcal. Go to, go to; no matter for the dish, fir. Clown. No, indeed, fir, not of a pin; you are therein in the right but, to the point: As I fay, this mistress Elbow, being, as I fay, with child, and being great belly'd, and longing, as I said, for prunes; and having but two in the dish, as I said, master Froth here, this very man, having eaten the reft, as I said, and, as I fay, paying for them very honestly;-for, as you know, mafter Froth, I could not give you three pence again. Froth. No, indeed. Clown. Very well: you being then, if you be remember'd, cracking the ftones of the forefaid prunes. Froth. Ay, fo I did, indeed. Clown. Why, very well: I telling you then, if you be remember'd, that such a one, and such a one, were 3 Ay, fir, by mistress Over-done's means:-] Here seems to have been fome mention made of Froth, who was to be accufed, and fome words therefore may have been loft, unless the irregularity of the narrative may be better imputed to the ignorance of the conftable. JOHNSON. 1 4 —flew'd prunes ;-] Stewed prunes were to be found in every brothel. See a note on the 3d fcene of the 3d act of the First Part of King Henry IV. In the old copy prunes are spelt, according to vulgar pronunciation, prewyns. STEEVENS. paft paft cure of the thing you wot of, unless they kept very good diet, as I told you. Froth. All this is true. Clown. Why, very well then. Efcal. Come, you are a tedious fool: to the purpofe. What was done to Elbow's wife, that he hath caufe to complain of? come me to what was done to her. Clown. Sir, your honour cannot come to that yet. Efcal. No, fir, nor I mean it not. Clown. Sir, but you fhall come to it, by your honour's leave: And, I befeech you, look into mafter Froth here, fir; a man of fourscore pound a year; whofe father dy'd at Hallowmas :-Was't not at Hallowmas, mafter Froth? Froth. All-hollond eve. Clown. Why, very well; I hope here be truths: He, fir, fitting, as I fay, in a lower chair, fir;-'twas in the Bunch of grapes, where, indeed, you have a delight to fit, Have you not? Froth. I have fo; because it is an open room, and good for winter. Clown. Why, very well then ;-I hope here be truths. Ang. This will last out a night in Ruffia, When nights are longeft there: I'll take my leave, And leave you to the hearing of the caufe; Hoping, you'll find good caufe to whip them all. Efcal. I think no lefs: Good morrow to your lordfhip. [Exit Angelo. Now, fir, come on: What was done to Elbow's wife, once more? Clown. Once, fir? there was nothing done to her once. Elb. I beseech you, fir, afk him what this man did. to my wife. Clown. I befeech your honour, ask me. Efcal. Well, fir; What did this gentleman to her? D 4 Clown. |