George. Right courteous and valiant Knight of the Burning Pestle, here is a distressed damsel, to have a halfpenny-worth of pepper. "Wife. That's a good boy! see, the little boy can hit it; by my troth, it's a fine child." Ralph. Relieve her, with all courteous language. Now shut up shop; no more my 'prentice, but My trusty squire and dwarf. I must bespeak My shield, and arming Pestle. "Cit. Go thy ways, Ralph! As I am a true man, thou art the best on 'em all. 66 Wife. Ralph, Ralph ! "Ralph. What say you, mistress? Wife. I pr'ythee come again quickly, sweet Ralph. 66 Ralph. Bye-and-bye." [Exit. SCENE III. A Room in Merry thought's House. Enter JASPER and Mrs MERRYTHOUGHT. Mrs Mer. Give thee my blessing? No, I'll ne'er give thee my blessing; I'll see thee hang'd • As I am a true man.] That is, an honest man, generally used in opposition to thief. For instance, in Middleton's Mayor of Quinborough T "An insatiate thief, That scarce believes he has all, though he has stripped first; it shall ne'er be said I gave thee my blessing: Thou art thy father's own son, of the right blood of the Merrythoughts; I may curse the time that e'er I knew thy father; he hath spent all his own, and mine too, and when I tell him of it, he laughs and dances, and sings, and cries, A merry heart lives long-a.' And thou art a wastethrift, and art run away from thy master, that loved thee well, and art come to me; and I have laid up a little for my younger son Michael, and thou think'st to 'bezzle that, but thou shalt never be able to do it. Enter MICHAEL. Come hither, Michael; come, Michael; down on thy knees: Thou shalt have my blessing. Mich. [Kneels.] I pray you, mother, pray to God to bless me ! Mrs Mer. God bless thee! but Jasper shall never have my blessing; he shall be hanged first, shall he not, Michael? how sayst thou? Mich. Yes, forsooth, mother, and grace of God. Mrs Mer. That's a good boy! 66 Wife. I'faith, it's a fine spoken child !" Jasp. Mother, though you forget a parent's love, I must preserve the duty of a child. I ran not from my master, nor return To have your stock maintain my idleness. "Wife. Ungracious child, I warrant him! hark, how he chops logic with his mother: Thou hadst best tell her she lies; do, tell her she lies. "Cit. If he were my son, I would hang him up by the heels, and flea him, and salt him, whoreson halter-sack!"'* Halter-sack.] A term equivalent to gallows bird. It occurs. Jasp. My coming only is to beg your love, There is no drop of blood hid in these veins, That brought me forth, and would be glad for you Mrs Mer. I'faith, I had sorrow enough for thee (God knows ;) but I'll hamper thee well enough.Get thee in, thou vagabond, get thee in, and learn of thy brother Michael. Mer. [Singing within.] Nose, nose, jolly red nose, And who gave thee this jolly red nose? Mrs Mer. Hark, my husband! he's singing and hoiting; and I'm fain to cark and care, and all little enough.-Husband! Charles! Charles Merrythought! Enter Old MERRYTHOUGHT. Mer. [Singing.] Nutmegs and ginger, cinnamon, and cloves; And they gave me this jolly red nose. Mrs Mer. If you would consider your state, you would have little lust to sing, I wis. Mer. It should never be considered, while it were an estate, if I thought it would spoil my singing. again in King and No King, and in Four Plays in One, vol. XI. p. 28, where Seward would read halter-sick. * Cark and care.] These words, the former of which is now obsolete, are nearly synonymous. Mrs Mer. But how wilt thou do, Charles? thou art an old man, and thou canst not work, and thou hast not forty shillings left, and thou eatest good meat, and drinkest good drink, and laughest. Mer. And will do. Mrs Mer. But how wilt thou come by it, Charles? Mer. How? Why, how have I done hitherto these forty years? I never came into my diningroom, but, at eleven and six o'clock, I found excellent meat and drink o' th' table; 3 my clothes were never worn out, but next morning a taylor brought me a new suit; and without question it will be so ever! Use makes perfectness; if all should fail, it is but a little straining myself extraordinary, and laugh myself to death. 3 I never came into my dining-room, but, at eleven and six o'clock, I found excellent meat and drink o' th' table.] These were the dinner and supper hours of our ancestors, when this play was written. The latter is again mentioned in act IV. sc. IV., and both in The Case is altered, by Ben Jonson. See also the Woman-Hater, vol. X. pp. 16, 43. Afterwards the hours became gradually later. So in Mayne's Amorous War, 1648: " "Troth, I should like the camp well, if the fields The same dinner hour is mentioned in Middleton and Rowley's "Alib. What hour is't, Lollio? Lol. Towards belly hour, sir. Alib. Dinner time? thou mean'st twelve a clock. Lol. Yes, sir, for every part has his hour; we wake at six and look about us, that's eye-hour; at seven we should pray, that's knee-hour; at eight walk, that's leg-hour; at nine gather flowers, and pluck a rose, that's nose-hour; at ten we drink, that's mouthhour; at eleven lay about us for victuals, that's hand-hour; at twelve go to dinner, that's belly-hour." Wife. It's a foolish old man this; is not he, George? "Cit. Yes, cony- Wife. Give me a penny i' th' purse while I live, George. "Cit. Ay, by'r lady, cony, hold thee there!" Mrs Mer. Well, Charles; you promised to provide for Jasper, and I have laid up for Michael: I pray you pay Jasper his portion; he's come home, and he shall not consume Michael's stock; he says his master turned him away, but I promise you truly I think he ran away. 66 Wife. No, indeed, mistress Merrythought, though he be a notable gallows, yet I'll assure you his master did turn him away, even in this place; 'twas, i'faith, within this half-hour, about his daugh ter; my husband was by, "Cit. Hang him, rogue! he served him well enough: Love his master's daughter? By my troth, cony, if there were a thousand boys, thou wouldst spoil them all, with taking their parts; let his mother alone with him. 66 Wife. Ay, George, but yet truth is truth." Mer. Where is Jasper? he's welcome, however. Call him in; he shall have his portion. Is he merry? Mrs M. Ay, foul chive him, he is too merry. Jasper! Michael! • Foul chive him.] Chive him may be a Somersetshire contrac tion for shall have him. However, it is possibly a separate word, and connected with cheven, which occurs in the ballad of Robin Hood and the Stranger, and is left as a desideratum by Ritson. Robin Hood having invited the Stranger to join his band of outlaws, the latter answers, |