to endure. I have fome of them in Limbo Patrum, and there they are like to dance these three days; Alliteration has given rise to many cant expreffions, confifting of words paired together. Here we have cant names for the inhabitants of those places, who were notorious puritans, coined for the humour of the alliteration. In the mean time it must not be forgotten, that " precious limbs" was a common phrafe of contempt for the puritans. T. WARTON. Limehouse was, before the time of Shakspeare, and has continued to be ever fince, the residence of those who furnish stores, fails, &c. for shipping. A great number of foreigners having been constantly employed in these manufactures (many of which were introduced from other countries) they assembled theinselves under their several pastors, and a number of places of different worship were built in consequence of their respective affociations. As they clashed in principles they had frequent quarrels, and the place has ever fince been famous for the variety of its fects, and the turbulence of its inhabitants. It is not improbable that Shakspeare wrote the lambs of Limehoufe. A limb of the devil, is, however, a common vulgarism; and in A new Trick to cheat the Devil, 1639, the fame kind of expreffion occurs : " I am a puritan; one that will eat no pork, Again, in Every Man out of his Humour : " I cannot abide these limbs of fattin, or rather Satan," &C. STEEVENS. The word limb, in the fenfe of an impudently vicious person, is not uncommon in London at this day. In the north it is pronounced limp, and means a mischievous boy. The alteration suggested by Mr. Steevens is, however, sufficiently countenanced by the word tribulation, if in fact the allusion be to the puritans. RITSON. It appears from Stowe's Survey that the inhabitants of Towerhill were remarkably turbulent. It may, however, be doubted, whether this passage was levelled at the spectators assembled in any of the theatres in our author's time. It may have been pointed at some apprentices and inferior citizens, who used occafionally to appear on the befides the running banquet of two beadles, that is to come. stage, in his time, for their amusement. The Palsgrave, or Hector of Germany, was acted in 1615, by a company of citizens at the Red Bull; and The Hog hath lost his Pearle, a comedy, 1614, is said, in the title-page, to have been publickly acted by certain London 'prentices. The fighting for bitten apples, which were then, as at pre sent, thrown on the stage, [See the Induction to Bartholomew Fair: "Your judgment, rascal; for what?-Sweeping the stage? or, gathering up the broken apples?"-] and the words"which no audience can endure," might lead us to suppose that these thunderers at the play-house were actors, and not spectators. The limbs of Limehouse, their dear brothers, were, perhaps, young citizens, who went to fee their friends wear the buskin. A paffage in The Staple of News, by Ben Jonson, Act III. fc. laft, may throw fome light on that now before us : "Why, I had it from my maid Joan Hearsay, and she had it from a limb of the fchool, she says, a little limb of nine years old.An there were no wiser than I, I would have ne'er a cunning school-mafter in England. They make all their scholars playboys. Is't not a fine fight, to fee all our children made interluders? Do we pay our money for this? We send them to learn their grammar and their Terence, and they learn their play-books."-School-boys, apprentices, the students in the inns of court, and the members of the universities, all, at this time, wore occafionally the fock or the buskin. However, I am by no means confident that this is the true interpretation of the passage before us. MALONE. It is evident that The Tribulation, from its fite, must have been a place of entertainment for the rabble of its precincts, and the limbs of Limehouse such performers as furnished out the show. HENLEY. The Tribulation does not found in my ears like the name of any place of entertainment, unless it were particularly designed for the use of Religion's prudes, the Puritans. Mercutio or Truewit would not have been attracted by such an appellation, though it might operate forcibly on the faint-like organs of Ebenezer or Ananias. Shakspeare, I believe, meant to describe an audience familiarized to excess of noise; and why should we suppose the Tribulation was not a puritanical meeting-house because it was noisy? Enter the Lord Chamberlain. CHAM. Mercy o'me, what a multitude are here! They grow ftill too, from all parts they are coming, As if we kept a fair here! Where are these porters, These lazy knaves? - Ye have made a fine hand, fellows. I can easily conceive that the turbulence of the most clamorous theatre, has been exceeded by the bellowings of puritanism against surplices and farthingales; and that our upper gallery, during Christmas week, is a sober confistory, compared with the vehemence of fanatick harangues against Bel and the Dragon, that idol Starch, the anti-christian Hierarchy, and the Whore of Babylon. Neither do I see with what propriety the limbs of Limehouse could be called " young citizens," according to Mr. Malone's supposition. Were the inhabitants of this place (almost two miles distant from the capital) ever collectively entitled citizens? The phrafe, dear brothers, is very plainly used to point out fome fraternity of canters allied to the Tribulation both in pursuits and manners, by tempestuous zeal and confummate ignorance. STEEVENS. -in Limbo Patrum,] He means, in confinement. In limbo continues to be a cant phrafe, in the same sense, at this day. MALONE. The Limbus Patrum is, properly, the place where the old Fathers and Patriarchs are supposed to be waiting for the refurrection. See note on Titus Andronicus, Act III. fc. i. REED. 2-running banquet of two beadles,] A publick whipping. JOHNSON. This phrase, otherwise applied, has already occurred, p. 51: fome of these "Should find a running banquet ere they rested." A banquet, in ancient language, did not fignify either dinner or supper, but the defert after each of them. So, in Thomas Newton's Herbal to the Bible, 8vo. 1587: "-and are used to be served at the end of meales for a junket or banquetting dish, as fucket and other daintie conceits likewife are." To the confinement, therefore, of these rioters, a whipping was to be the defert. STEEVENS. There's a trim rabble let in: Are all these Your faithful friends o'the fuburbs? We shall have Great store of room, no doubt, left for the ladies, When they pass back from the christening. PORT. An't please your honour We are but men; and what so many may do, An army cannot rule them. If the king blame me for't, I'll lay ye all MAN. You great fellow, stand close up, or I'll make your head ake. PORT. You i'the camblet, get up o'the rail; 4 I'll pick you o'er the pales else.5 [Exeunt. 3 here ye lie baiting of bumbards,] A bumbard is an ale-barrel; to bait bumbards is to tipple, to lie at the Spigot. JOHNSON. It appears from a passage already quoted in a note on The Tempest, Act II. sc. ii. out of Shirley's Martyr'd Soldier, 1638, that bumbards were the large vessels in which the beer was carried to foldiers upon duty. They resembled black jacks of leather. So, in Woman's a Weathercock, 1612: "She looks like a black bombard with a pint pot waiting upon it." STEEVENS. 4 get up o'the rail;) We must rather read-get up off the rail, or, get off the rail. M. MASON. 5 - - I'll pick you o'er the pales else.] "To pick a dart," Cole renders, jaculor. To pick is topitch. Dicт. 1679. See a SCENE IV. The Palace.6 Enter Trumpets, founding; then two Aldermen, Lord Mayor, Garter, CRANMER, Duke of NORFOLK, with his Marshal's Staff, Duke of SUFFOLK, two Noblemen bearing great standingbowls for the christening gifts; then four Noblemen bearing a canopy, under which the Duchess of NORFOLK, godmother, bearing the child richly habited in a mantle, &c. Train borne by a Lady: then follows the Marchioness of DORSET, the other godmother, and Ladies. The Troop pass once about the stage, and Garter Speaks. GART. Heaven, from thy endless goodness,& fend profperous life, long, and ever happy, to the high and mighty princess of England, Elizabeth! note on Coriolanus, Act I. sc. i. where the word is, as I conceive, rightly spelt. Here the spelling in the old copy is peck. MALONE. To pick and to pitch were anciently synonymous. So, in Stubbes's Anatomy of Abuses, 1595, p. 138: " -to catch him on the hip, and to picke him on his necke." Again, ibid: "to picke him on his nose," &C. STEEVENS. • The Palace.] At Greenwich, where, as we learn from Hall, fo. 217, this procession was made from the church of the Friars. REED. --standing-bowls-] i. e, bowls elevated on feet or pedestals. So, in Chapman's version of the 23d Iliad : " a great new standing-bowl, "To fet downe both ways.' STEEVENS. • Heaven, from thy endless goodness, &c.] These words are |