This picture of Fortune is taken from the old history of Fortunatus; where she is described to be a fair woman, muffled over the eyes.

FARMER A muffler appears to have been a fold of linen which partially covered a woman's face.

STEEVENS. Minshen in his Dictionary, 1617, explains "a woman's muffler," by the French word cachenez, which Cotgrave defines a kind of mask for the face;" yet, I believe is was made of linen, and that Minsheu only means to com→ pare it to a mask, because they both might conceal part of the face. It was, I believe? kind of hood, of the same form as the ridinghood now sometimes worn by men, that covered the shoulders, and a great part of the face. This agrees with the only other passage in which the word occurs in these plays: I spy a great beard under her muffler." Merry Wives of

Windsor. MALONE.

able

رو

The

P. 55, 1. 7. For he hath stol'n a pix,] old editions read-pax. "And this is conformto history says Mr. Pope, "a soldier (as Hall tells us) being hang'd at this time for such a fact." Both Hall and Holinshed agree as to the point of the theft; but as to the thing stolen, there is not that conformity betwixt them and Mr. Pope. It was an ancient custom, at the celebration of mass, that when the priest pronounced these words, Fax Domini sit semper vobiscum! both clergy and people kiss'd one another. And this was called osculum pacis, the kiss of Peace. But that custom being abrogated, a certain image is now presented to be kiss'd which is called a Pax. But it was not this

image which Bardolph stole; it was a pix, or little chest (from the Latin word, pixis, a box,) in which the consecrated host was used to be kept. "A foolish soldier," says Hall expressly, and Holinshed after him, "stole a pix out of a church, and unreverently did eat the holy hostes within the same contained." THEOBALE.

What Theobald says is true, but might have been told in fewer words: I have examined the

passage in Hall. Yet Dr. Warburton rejected

that emendation, and continued Pope's noté without animadversion.

It is pax in the folio, 1623, but altered to pir by Theobald and Sir T. Hanmer. They signified the same thing. See Pax at Mass, Minshew's Guide into the Tongues. Pix or pax was a little box in which were kept the consecrated wafers.

JOHNSON That a pix and a par were different things, may also be seen from the following passage in the history of our Blessed Lady of Loretto, 12mo. 1603, p. 595: a cup, and a sprinkle for holy water, a pix and a pax, all of excellent chrystal, gold and amber." STEEVENS.

Pix, is apparently right. In Henry the VIlth's will, it is said, "Forasmoch as we have often and many tymes to our inwarde regrete and displeasure seen at our Jen, in diverse many churches. of oure reame, the holie sacrament of the aulter, kept in ful simple, and inhonest pixes, spicially pixes of copre and tymbre; we have appointed and commaunded the treasurer of our chambre, and maistre of our juell-houss, to cause to be made furthwith, pixes of silver and gilt, in a greate nombre, for the keeping of the holie sacrament of the aultre, after the fashion of a

pixe that we have caused to be delivered to theim. Every of the said pixes, to be of the value of iiii garnished with our armes, and rede roses and poart-colis, crowned." P. 38. REED.

The old copies have pax, which was a piece of board on which was the image of Christ on the cross; which the people used to kiss after the service was ended.

Holinshed (whom our author followed) says, "a foolish soldier stole a pixe out of a church, for which cause he was apprehended, and the King would not once remove till the box was restored, and the offender strangled." MALONE.

P. 55, 1. 29. The fig of Spain!] This is no allusion to the fico already explained in King' Henry IV. Part II.; but to the custom of giving poison'd figs to those who were the objects either of Spanish or Italian revenge. STEEVENS.

I believe the Fig of Spain is here used only as a term of contempt. REED.

P. 56, 1. 7. ma a sconce,] appears to have been some hasty, rude, inconsiderable kind of fortification. STEEVENS.

So, Falstaff, in The Merry Wives of Windsor: "I will ensconce (i. e. entrench) myself behind the arrás. BLACKSTONE.

P. 56, 1. 12. And what a beard of the general's cut,] It appears from an old ballad inserted in a miscellany, entitled Le Prince d'Amour, 8vo. 1660, that our ancestors were very curious in the fashion of their beards, and that a certain cut or form was appropriated to the soldier, the bishop, the judge, the clown, &c. The spade-beard, and perhaps the stiletto-beard also, was appropriated to the first of these characters. It is observable, that our author's patron, Henry

Earl

Earl of Southampton, who spent much of his time in camps, is drawn with the latter of these beards; and his unfortunate friend, Lord Essex, is constantly represented with the former.

MALONE.

P. 56, 1. 12. a horrid suit of the camp, Thus the folio. The quartos 1600, &c. read a horrid shout of the camp. STEEVENS. Suit, I have no doubt, is the true reading. Soldiers shout in a field of battle, but not in a camp. Suit in our author's time appears to have been pronounced shoot: hence probably the corrupt reading of the quarto. MALONE.

P. 56, 1. 15. but you must learn to know' such slanders of the age,] This was a character very troublesome to wise men in our author's time. "It is the practice with him (says Ascam) to be warlike, though he never looked enemy in the face; yet some warlike sign must be used, as a slovenly buskin, or an over-staring frownced head, as though out of every hair's top should suddenly start a good big oath." JOHNSON.

P. 56, 1. 23. "Speak with him from the pridge, Mr. Pope tells us, is added to the latter editions; but that it is plain from the sequel, that the scene here continues, and the affair of the bridge is over." This is a most inaccurate criticism. Though the affair of the bridge be over; is that a reason, that the King must receive no intelligence from thence? Fluellen, who comes from the bridge, wants to acquaint the King with the transactions that had happened there. This he calls speaking to the King from the bridge. THEOBALD.

With this Dr. Warburton concurs. JOHNSON.
P. 57, 1. 11.
VOL. X.

but his nose is executed,]
19

It appears from what Pistol has just said to Fluellen, that Bardolph was not yet executed; or at least, that Fluellen did not know that he was executed. But Fluellen's language must not be too strictly examined. MALONE.

P. 57, 1. 11. and his fire's out.]

This is the last time that any sport can be made with the red face of Bardolph, which, to coufess the truth, seems to have taken more hold on Shakspeare's imagination than on any other. The conception is very cold to the solitary reader, though it may be somewhat invigorated by the exhibition on the stage. This poet is always more careful about the present than the future, about his audience than his readers. JOHNSON.

P. 57, 1. 20. Mont-joie is the title of the first King at arms in Frauce, as Garter is in our owa country. STEEVENS.

P. 57, 1. 21. You know me by my habit.] That is, by his herald's coat. The person of a herald being inviolable, was distinguished in those times of formality by a peculiar dress, which is likewise yet worn on particular occasions. JOHNSON.

P. 57, 1. 32. now we speak upon our cue,] i. e. in our turn. This phrase the author learned among players, and has imparted it to Kings. JOHNSON.

P. 58, 1. 20. Without impeachment :] i. e. hindrance. Empechement, French. STEEVENS.Impeachment, in the same sense, has always been used as a legal word in deeds, as "without impeachment of waste;" i. e. without" restraint or hindrance of waste.

REED.

P. 58, last line. God before,] This was an