A wolf, nay, worse, a fellow all in buff;

A back-friend, a shoulder-clapper, one that commands The paffages of allies, creeks, and narrow lands ;

A hound that § runs counter, and yet draws dry-foot well;

One, that before the judgment carries poor fouls to hell.

Adr. Why, man, what is the matter ?

S. Dro. I do not know the matter; he is 'refted on the cafe.

Adr. What is he arrested? tell me, at whofe fuit? S. Dro. I know not at whofe fuit he is arrefted, well but he's in a fuit of buff, which 'refted him, that I tell. Will you fend him, miftrefs, redemption, the money in his defk?

Adr. Go fetch it, fifter. This I wonder at.

can

[Exit Luciana. come up to thefe terrible Ideas? We should read- -a Fiend, a Fury, &c.

THEOBALD.. Mr. Theobald feems to have forgotten that there were fairies. se bobgoblins, pitilefs and rough, and defcribed as malevolent and mifchievous. His emendation is, however, plaufible.

IS. Dromio. A back friend, a shoulder clapper, one that com-.. mands the paffage of allies, creeks, and narrow lands.] It should be written, I think, narrow lanes, as he has the fame expreffion, Richard H. A& 5. Sc. vi. P.. 82.

"Enquire at London, 'mong the taverns there.
"For there, they fay, he daily doth frequent
"With unrestrained, loofe companions,
"Even fuch, they fay, as ftand in narrow lanes."

Dr. GRAY.

A bound that runs counter, and yet, draws dry-foot well;] To run counter, is to run backward, by mistaking the course of the animal purfued; to draw dry foot is, I believe, to purfue by the track or prick of the foot to run counter and draw dry foot well, are, therefore, inconfiftent. The jeft confifts in the ambiguity of the word counter, which means the wrong way in the chafe, and a prifon in London. The officer that arrefted him was a ferjeant of the counter. For the congruity of this jeft with the Scene of action, let our author anfwer.

to

Ben. Jobnfun has the like expreffion, Every Man in bis Humour, act ii. fc. iv. "Well, the truth is, my old mafter intends "follow my young dry foot over Moor-fields to London this morning; now I knowing of this hunting match, &c." To draw dry-fost, is when the dog purfues the game by the fcent of their foot; for which the blood-hound is famed.,

Dr. GRAY.

That

That he, unknown to me, fhould be in debt!
Tell me, was he arrefted on a bond?

S. Dro. Not on a bond, but on a stronger thing,
A chain, a chain; do you not hear it ring?

Adr. What, the chain?

S. Dro. No, no, the bell; 'tis time that I were gone, It was two ere I left him, and now the clock ftrikes one. Adr. The hours come back! that I did never hear. S. Dro. O yes, if any hour meet a ferjeant, a' turns back for very fear.

Adr. As if time were in debt! how fondly doft thou reafon ?

S. Dro. Time is a very bankrupt, and owes more than he's worth, to season.

Nay, he's a thief too; have you not heard men fay, That time comes ftealing on by night and day?

If Time be in debt and theft, and a ferjeant in the way, Hath he not reafon to turn back an hour in the day?

Enter Luciana.

Adr. Go, Dromio; there's the money, bear it ftrait, And bring thy mafter home immediately. Come, fifter, I am preft down with conceit;

Conceit, my comfort and my injury. [Exeunt.

SCENE V

Changes to the Street.

Enter Antipholis of Syracufe.

S. Ant. There's not a man I meet, but doth falute

me,

As if I were their well-acquainted friend;
And every one doth call me by my name.
Some tender money to me, fome invite me;
Some other give me thanks for kindneffes
Some offer me commodities to buy.
Even now a taylor call'd me in his fhop,
And fhow'd me filks that he had bought for me,
And therewithal took meafure of my body.
Sure, these are but imaginary wiles,.
And Lapland forcerers inhabit here.

Enter Dromio of Syracufe..

S. Dro. Mafter, here's the gold you fent me for ; (4) what, have you got the picture of old Adam new apparell❜d?

S. Ant. What gold is this? what Adam doft thou mean?

S. Dro Not that Adam, that keeps the paradife; but that Adam, that keeps the prifon; he that *goes in the calves-fkin, that was kill'd for the prodigal; he that came behind you, Sir, like an evil angel, and bid you forfake your liberty.

S. Ant. I understand thee not.

S. Dro. No? why, 'tis a plain case. He that went like a base-viol in a cafe of leather ; the man, Sir, that, when gentlemen are tired, gives them a fob, and 'refts them; he, Sir, that takes pity on decay'd men, and gives 'em fuits of durance; (5) he, that fets up his

reft

(4) What, bave you got the PiЯune of old Adam new apparell'd ? A fhort word or two muft have flipt out here, by fome, accident in copying, or at Prefs; otherwife I have no concepti on of the meaning of the Paffage. The Cafe is this. Dromio's Mafter had been arrested, and fent his Servant home for Money to redeem him: He running back with the Money meets the Twin Antipbolis, whom he mistakes for his Mafter, and seeing him clear of the Officer before the Money, was come, he cries in a Surprize;

What, bave you got rid of the Picture of old Adam new appa

reil'd?

For fo have I ventur'd to fapply, by Conjecture. But why is the Officer call'd old Adam new apparell'd? The Allufion is to Adam in his State of Innocence going naked; and immediately after the Fail, being cloath'd in a Frock of Skins. Thus he was new apparell'd: and, in like manner, the Serjeants of the Counter were formerly clad in Buff or Calves-fkin, as the Author humo-. roufly a little lower calls it.

THEOBALD.

The explanation is very good, but the text does not require to be amended.

(5) be, that fets up bis reft to domare exploits with his mace, than MORRIS-pike.] Sets up bis Reft, is a phrafe taken from milita-. ry exercise. When gunpowder was first invented, its force was very weak compared to that in prefent ufe. This neceffarily required fire-arms to be of an extraordinary length. As the artifts improved the ftrength of their powder, the foldiers proportion

ably

reft to do more exploits with his mace, than a morrifpike.

S. Ant. What! thou mean'ft an officer ?

S. Dro. Ay, Sir, the ferjeant of the band; he, that brings any man to answer it, that breaks his bond; one that thinks a man always going to bed, and faith, God give you good reft!

S. Ant. Well, Sir, there reft in your foolery. Is there any fhip puts forth to-night, may we be gone

?

S. Dro. Why, Sir, I brought you word an hour fince, that the bark Expedition puts forth to-night, and. then were you hindered by the ferjeant, to tarry for the hoy Delay; here are the angels that you fent for, to deliver you.

S..Ant. The fellow is diftract, and fo am I,

And here we wander in illufions;

Some blessed power deliver us from hence!

ably fhortned their arms and artillery; fo that the cannon which Frofart tells us was once fifty foot long, was contracted to lefs than ten. This proportion likewife held in their mufkets; fo that, till the middle of the last century, the musketeers always fupported their pieces when they gave fire, with a Reft ftuck be fore them into the ground, which they called fetting up their Ren and is here alluded to. There is another quibbling allufion too to the ferjeant's office of arrefting. But what most wants animadverfion is the morris-pike, which is without meaning, impertinent to the fenfe, and falfe in the allufion; no pike being ufed amongst the dancers fo called, or at least not fam'd for much execution. In a word, Shakespeare wrote,

MAURICE-Pike,

i.. a Pikeman of Prince Maurice's army. He was the greateft general of that age, and the conductor of the Low-country wars against Spain, under whom all the English Gentry and No-. bility were bred to the fervice. Being frequently overborn with numbers, he became famous for his fine Retreats, in which a ftand of Pikes is of great fervice. Hence the Pikes of his army became famous for their military exploits. WARBURTON.

This conjecture is very ingenious, yet the commentator talks unnecellarily of the reft of a musket, by which he makes the hero of the fpeech fet up the rest of a musket, to do exploits with a pike. The reft of a pike was a common term, and fignified, I believe, the manner in which it was fixed to receive the rush of the enemy. A morris pike was a pike ufed in a morris or military dance, and with which great exploits were done, that is, great feats of dexterity were fhewn. There is no need of change. SCENE

SCENE VI.

Enter a Courtezan.

Cour. Well met, well met, mafter Antipholis. I fee, Sir, you have found the goldsmith now : Is that the chain you promis'd me to-day?

S. Ant. Satan, avoid! I charge thee, tempt me not. S. Dro. Mafter, is this mistress Satan?

S. Ant. It is the devil.

S. Dro. Nay, fhe is worse, she's the devil's dam and here fhe comes in the habit of a light wench, and therefore comes, that the wenches fay, God dam me, that's as much as to fay, God make me a light wench. It is written, they appear to men like angels of light; light is an effect of fire, and fire will burn; ergo, light wenches will burn; come not near her.

Cour. Your man and you are marvellous

merry, Sir.

Will you go with me, we'll mend our dinner here?

S. Dro. Mafter, if you do expect fpoon-meat, befpeak a long spoon.

S. Ant. Why, Dromio?

S. Dro. Marry, he must have a long spoon, that must eat with the devil.

S. Ant. Avoid then, fiend! what tell'ft thou me of fupping?

Thou art, as you are all, a forcerefs:

I conjure thee to leave me, and be gone.

Cour. Give me the ring of mine, you had at dinner, Or for my diamond the chain you promis'd, And I'll be gone, Sir, and not trouble you.

S. Dro. Some devils afk but the parings of one's nail, a rush, a hair, a drop of blood, a pin, a nut, a cherry ftone: but fhe, more covetous, would have a chain. Mafter be wife; an' if you give it her, the devil will thake her chain, and fright us with it.

Cour. I pray you, Sir, my ring, or elfe the chain; I hope, you do not mean to cheat me fo?

S. Ant. Avaunt, thou witch! come, Dromio, let us

go.

S. Dro. Fly pride, fays the peacock; miftrefs, that

you know.

[Exeunt SCENE