a drawn fox; and for womanhood, maid Marian

without his I think Dr. Warburton's explication wrong, powers. which makes a drawn fox to mean, a fox often hunted; though to draw is a hunter's term for purfuit by the track. My interpretation makes the fox fuit better to the prune. Thefe are very flender difquifitions, but fuch is the task of a commentator.

JOHNSON.

Dr. Lodge, in his pamphlet called Wit's Miferie, or the World's Madneffe, 1596, defcribes a bawd thus: "This is fhee that laies wait at all the carriers for wenches new come up to London; and you shall know her dwelling by a difh of fterw'd prunes in the window; and two or three fleering wenches fit knitting or fowing in her fhop."

In Meafure for Meafure, A&t II. the male bawd excufes himself for having admitted Elbow's wife into his houfe, by faying, "that fhe came in great with child, and longing for few'd prunes, which tood in a dish," &c.

Slender, in The Merry Wives of Windfor, who apparently wishes to recommend himself to his miftrefs by a feeming propensity to love as well as war, talks of having measured weapons with a fencing-mafter for a difb of few'd prunes.

In another old dramatic piece entitled, If this be not a good Play the Devil is in it, 1612, a bravo enters with money, and fays, "This is the penfion of the ftewes, you need not untie it; 'tis ftew-money, fir, fterw'd prune cab, fir."

Among the other fins laid to the charge of the once celebrated Gabriel Harvey, by his antagonist Nafh," to be drunk with the firrop or liquor of few'd prunes," is not the least insisted on.

Again, in Decker's Honeft Whore, P. II. 1630: " Peace! two dishes of few'd prunes, a bawd and a pander!" Again, in Northward Hoe, by Decker and Webster, 1607, a bawd fays, "I will have but fix ftewed prunes in a difh, and fome of mother Wall's cakes; for my best customers are tailors." Again, in The Noble Stranger, 1640: " to be drunk with creain and terved prunes!

Pox on't, bawdy-houfe fare." Again, in Decker's Seven deadly Sinnes of London, 1606: "Nay, the fober Perpetuana-fuited Puritane, that dares not (fo much as by moone-light) come neare the fuburb fhadow of a houfe where they fet ftewed prunes before you, raps as boldly at the hatch, when he knows Candlelight is within, as if he were a new chofen conftable."

The paffages already quoted are fufficient to fhow that a dish of few'd prunes was not only the ancient defignation of a brothel, but the conftant appendage to it.

From A Treatise on the Lues Venerea, written by W. Clowes, one of her majesty's furgeons, 1596, and other books of the fame VOL. VIII.

M m

may be the deputy's wife of the ward to thee. Go, you thing, go.

kind, it appears that prunes were directed to be boiled in broth for thofe perfons already infected; and that both few'd prunes and roafted apples were commonly, though unfuccefsfully, taken by way of prevention. So much for the infidelity of few'd prunes.

STEEVENS.

Mr. Steevens has fo fully difcuffed the fubject of stewed prunes, that one can add nothing but the price. In a piece called Banks's Bay Horfe in a Trance, 1595, we have " A flock of wenches, fet up with their few'd prunes, nine for a tefter." FARMER.

— a drawn fox ;] A drawn fox may be a fox drawn over the ground, to exercife the hounds. So, in Beaumont and Fletcher's Tamer Tamed:

that drawn fox Morofo."

Mr. Heath obferves, that "a fox drawn over the ground to leave a fcent, and exercife the hounds, may be faid to have no truth in it, because it deceives the hounds, who run with the fame eager nefs as if they were in pursuit of a real fox."

I am not, however, confident that this explanation is right. It was formerly fuppofed that a fox, when drawn out of his hole, had the fagacity to counterfeit death, that he might thereby obtain an opportunity to efcape. For this information I am indebted to Mr. Tollet, who quotes Olaus Magnus, Lib. XVIII. cap. xxxix: Infuper fingit fe mortuam," &c. This particular and many others relative to the fubtilty of the fox, have been tranflated by feveral ancient English writers. STEEVENS.

2 maid Marian may be &c.] Maid Marian is a man dreffed like a woman, who attends the dancers of the morris.

JOHNSON.

In the ancient Songs of Robin Hood frequent mention is made of maid Marian, who appears to have been his concubine. I could quote many paffages in my old MS. to this purpose, but shall produce only one:

"Good Robin Hood was living then,

"Which now is quite forgot,

"And fo was fayre maid Marian," &c. PERCY.

It appears from the old play of The Downfall of Robert Earl of Huntington, 1601, that maid Marian was originally a name affumed by Matilda the daughter of Robert Lord Fitzwater, while Robin dood remained in a flate of outlawry:

"Next 'tis agreed (if therto fhee agree)

"That faire Matilda henceforth change her name;

on.

Host. Say, what thing? what thing?

FAL. What thing? why, a thing to thank God

Host. I am no thing to thank God on, I would thou fhould't know it; I am an honeft man's wife: and, fetting thy knighthood afide, thou art a knave to call me fo.

FAL. Setting thy womanhood aside, thou art a beast to say otherwise.

Hosr. Say, what beaft, thou knave thou?
FAL. What beaft? why, an otter.

P. HEN. An otter, fir John! why an otter? FAL. Why? fhe's neither fish, nor flesh;3 a man knows not where to have her.

"And while it is the chance of Robin Hoode
"To live in Sherewodde a poor outlawes life,
"She by maide Marian's name be only call'd.

"Mat. I am contented; reade on, little John :
"Henceforth let me be nam'd maide Marian."

This lady was afterwards poifoned by King John at Dunmow Priory, after he had made feveral fruitless attempts on her chastity. Drayton has written her legend.

Shakspeare speaks of maid Marian in her degraded ftate, when fhe was reprefented by a ftrumpet or a clown.

See Figure 2. in the plate at the end of this play, with Mr. Tollet's obfervations on it. STEEVENS.

Maid Marian feems to have been the lady of a Whitfun-ale, or morris-dance. The widow in Sir William D'Avenant's Love and Hanour, (p. 247,) fays: "I have been Miftrefs Marian in a Maurice ere now." Morris is, indeed, there fpelt wrong; the dance was not fo called from prince Maurice, but from the Spanish morifco, a dancer of the morris or moorish dance. HAWKINS.

There is an old piece entitled, Old Meg of Herefordshire for a Mayd-Marian, and Hereford Torun for a Morris-dance: or 12 Morris-dancers in Herefordshire, of 1200 Years old. Lond. 1609, quarto. It is dedicated to one Hall, a celebrated Tabourer in that country. T. WARTON.

3 neither fifb, nor fle;] So, the proverb: nor flesh, nor good red herring." STEEVENS.

"Neither f

Hosr. Thou art an unjust man in saying so; thou or any man knows where to have me, thou knave thou!

P. HEN. Thou fay'st true, hostess; and he flanders thee moft grofsly.

Hosr. So he doth you, my lord; and faid this other day, you ought him a thousand pound.

P. HEN. Sirrah, do I owe you a thousand pound? FAL. A thousand pound, Hal? a million: thy love is worth a million; thou oweft me thy love. HOST. Nay, my lord, he call'd you Jack, and faid, he would cudgel you.

FAL. Did I, Bardolph?

BARD. Indeed, fir John, you faid fo.

FAL. Yea; if he faid, my ring was copper.

P. HEN. I fay, 'tis copper: Dareft thou be as good as thy word now?

FAL. Why, Hal, thou know'ft, as thou art but man, I dare: but, as thou art prince, I fear thee, as I fear the roaring of the lion's whelp.

P. HEN. And why not, as the lion?

FAL. The king himself is to be fear'd as the lion: Doft thou think, I'll fear thee as I fear thy father? nay, an I do, I pray God, my girdle break! “

4-I pray God, my girdle break!] Alluding to the old adage" ungirt, unbleft." Thus, in the Phantaftick Age, bl. 1. an ancient ballad:

Ungirt, unbleft, the proverbe fayes,

"And they, to prove it right,

"Have got a fashion now adayes
"That's odious to the fight;

"Like Frenchmen, all on points they ftand,

"No girdles now they wear," &c.

Perhaps this ludicrous imprecation is proverbial. So, in 'Tis merry when Gossips meet, a poem, 4to. 1609:

P. HEN. O, if it fhould, how would thy guts fall about thy knees! But, firrah, there's no room for faith, truth, nor honefty, in this bofom of thine; it is all fill'd up with guts, and midriff. Charge an honest woman with picking thy pocket! Why, thou whorefon, impudent, embofs'd rafcal,' if there were any thing in thy pocket but tavern-reckonings, memorandums of bawdy-houfes, and one poor pennyworth of fugar-candy to make thee longwinded; if thy pocket were enrich'd with any other injuries but these, I am a villain. And yet you will stand to it; you will not pocket up wrong: Art thou not afham'd?

6

FAL. Doft thou hear, Hal? thou know'ft, in the state of innocency, Adam fell; and what fhould poor Jack Falstaff do, in the days of villainy? Thou feeft, I have more flesh than another man; and therefore more frailty.You confefs then, you pick'd my pocket?

P. HEN. It appears fo by the ftory.

"How fay'ft thou, Beffe? fhall it be fo, girle? fpeake: "If I make one, pray God my girdle break!" STEEVENS. This wish had more force formerly than at prefent, it being once the cuftom to wear the purfe hanging by the girdle; fo that its breaking, if not observed by the wearer, was a ferious matter. MALONE.

5

impudent, embofs'd rafcal,] Emboss'd is fwoln, puffy. JOHNSON.

So, in King Lear:

6

"A plague-fore, or emboffed carbuncle." STEEVENS. if thy pocket avere enrich'd with any other injuries but thefe, &c.] As the pocketing of injuries was a common phrafe, I fuppofe, the Prince calls the contents of Falstaff's pocket-injuries. STEEVENS.

7

-you will not pocket up wrong:] Some part of this merry dialogue feems to have been loft. I fuppofe Falstaff in preffing the robbery upon his hoftefs, had declared his refolution not to pocket up wrongs or injuries, to which the Prince alludes. JOHNSON.