they have given me a rouse already." It should seem from the following passage in Decker's Gul's Hornbook, 1609, that the word rouse was of Danish extraction. "Teach me, thou soveraigne "skinker, how to take the German's upsy freeze, the "Danish rousa, the Switzer's stoop of rhenish, &c." Keeps wassel. See Macbeth, act 1. Again, in the Hog hath lost his Pearl, 1614: 'By Croesus name and by his castle, "Where winter nights he keepeth wassel." It appears from the following passage in Alphonsus Emperor of Germany, by Chapman, that the up-spring was a German dance: "We Germans have no changes in our dances; "An almain and an up-spring, that is all." Spring was anciently the name of a tune; so in Beaumont and Fletcher's Prophetess: we will meet him, "And strike him such new springs-" The word is used by G. Douglas in his translation of Virgil, and, I think, by Chaucer. Again, in an old Scots proverb-" Another would play a spring ere you tune your pipes." STEEVENS. 24 Doth all the noble substance often dout-] This is one of the low colloquial phrases which at present are neither employed in writing, nor perhaps are reconcileable to the propriety of language. To do a thing out, is to extinguish it, or to efface or obliterate any thing painted or written. In the first of these significations it is used by Drayton, in the 5th Canto of his Barons' Wars: "Was ta'en in battle, and his eyes out-done.” STEEVENS. 25 Angels and ministers of grace, &c.] Hamlet's speech to the apparition of his father seems to me to consist of three parts. When first he sees the spectre, he fortifies himself with an invocation: Angels and ministers of grace defend us ! As the spectre approaches, he deliberates with himself, and determines, that whatever it be he will venture to address it. Be thou a spirit of health, or goblin damn'd, Bring with thee airs from heaven, or blasts from hell, Thou com'st in such a questionable shape, That I will speak to thee. I'll call thee, &c. This he says while his father is advancing; he then, as he had determined, speaks to him, and calls him— Hamlet, king, father, royal Dane: 0, answer me. JOHNSON. 26-toys of desperation,] Toys for whims. confin'd to fast in fires,] Chaucer has a similar passage with regard to the punishments of hell. Parson's Tale, p. 193. Mr. Urry's edition: "And moreover the misese of hell, shall be in defaute of mete and drinke." SMITH. 23 Are burnt and purg'd away.] Gawin Douglas really changes the Platonic hell into the "punytion of saulis in purgatory:" and it is observable, that when the ghost informs Hamlet of his doom there, "Till the foul crimes done in his days of nature "Are burnt and purg'd away,—” the expression is very similar to the bishop's: I will give you his version as concisely as I can; "It is a "nedefult hyng to suffer panis and torment;—Sum in "the wyndis, sum under the watter, and in the fire uthir sum: thus the mony vices 29 "Contrakkit in the corpis be done away Sixte Book of Eneados, fol. p. 191. FARMER. cursed hebenon-] The word here used was more probably designed by a metathesis, either of the poet or transcriber, for hencbon, that is, henbane; of which the most common kind (hyoscyamus niger) is certainly narcotic, and perhaps, if taken in a considerable quantity, might prove poisonous. Galen calls it cold in the third degree; by which in this, as well as opium, he seems not to mean an actual coldness, but the power it has of benumbing the faculties. Dioscorides ascribes to it the property of producing madness (ϋοσκύαμος μανιώδης). These qualities have been confirmed by several cases related in modern observations. In Wepfer we have a good account of the various effects of this root upon most of the members of a convent in Germany, who eat of it for supper by mistake, mixed with succory;-heat in the throat, giddiness, dimness of sight, and delirium. Aquatic. c. 18. Cicut. GRAY. so Unhousel'd, disappointed, unanel'd;] The subsequent extract from a very scarce and curious copy of Fabian's Chronicle, printed by Pynson, 1516, seems to remove every possibility of doubt concerning the true signification of the words unhousel'd and unanel'd. The historian, speaking of pope Innocent's having laid the whole kingdom of England under an interdict, has these words: "Of the manner of this interdiccion "of this lande have I seen dy verse opynyons, as some "ther be that saye that the lande was interdyted "thorwly and the churchis and housys of relygyon clo syd, that no where was used mase, nor dyvyne servyce, by whiche reason none of the VII sacramentis "all this terme should be mynystred or occupyed, nor "chyld crystened, nor man confessed nor marryed; but "it was not so strayght. For there were dyverse placys "in Englond, which were occupyed with dyvyne ser"vyce all that season by lycence purchased than or "before, also chyldren were chrystenyd throughe all "the lande and men housclyd and anelyd." Fol. 14. Septima Pars Johannis. The Anglo-Saxon noun-substantives husel (the eucharist) and ele (oil) are plainly the roots of these lastquoted compound adjectives.-For the meaning of the affix an to the last, I quote Spelman's Gloss. in loco. "Quin et dictionibus (an) adjungitur, siquidem vel majoris notationis gratia, vel ad singulare aliquid, vel unicum demonstrandum." Hence anelyd should seem to signify oiled or anointed by way of eminence, i. e. having received extreme unction. For the confirmation of the sense given here there is the strongest internal evidence in the passage. The historian is speak ing of the vii sacraments, and he expressly names five of them, viz. baptism, marriage, auricular confession, the eucharist, and extreme unction. The antiquary is desired to consult the edition of Fabian, printed by Pynson, 1516, because there are others, and I remember to have seen one in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, with a continuation to the end of queen Mary, London, 1559, in which the language is much modernized. Newcastle upon Tyne. J. B. This note was taken from the St. James's Chronicle. Dr. Johnson rightly explains disappointed by unprepared. 31 come, bird, come.] This is the call which falconers use to their hawk in the air when they would have him come down to them. HANMER. 32 Danskers-] Danske (in Warner's Albion's England) is the ancient name of Denmark. STEEVENS. 33-down-gyved to his ancle;] Down-gyred means hanging down like the loose cincture which confines the fetters round the ancles. 3+ foredoes itself,] Destroys itself. STEEVENS. 35 I had not quoted him :] To quote is, I believe, to |