Saw'st thou not, boy, how Silver made it good'

mum ineffe, ufus docuit;" and hence, perhaps, any hound with eminent quickness of fcent, whether dog or bitch, was called brache, for the term brache is fometimes applied to males. Our ancestors hunted much with the large fouthern hounds, and had in every pack a couple of dogs peculiarly good and cunning to find. game, or recover the fcent, as Markham informs us. To this cuftom Shakspeare feems here to allude, by naming two braches, which, in my opinion, are beagles; and this difcriminates brach, from the lym, a blood-hound mentioned together with it, in the tragedy of King Lear. In the following quotation offered by Mr. Steevens on another occafion, the brache hunts truly by the fcent, behind the doe, while the hounds are on every fide:

"For as the dogs purfue the filly doe,

"The brache behind, the hounds on every fide;
"So trac'd they me among the mountains wide."

Phaer's Legend of Owen Glendower. TOLLET. The word is certainly used by Chapman in his Gentleman Ufher, a comedy, 1606, as fynonymous to bitch: "Venus, your brach there, runs fo proud, &c." So alfo our author in K. Henry IV. P. I: "I'd rather hear Lady, my brach, howl in Irish." The ftructure of the paffage before us, and the manner in which the next line is connected with this, [And couple, &c.] added to the circumftance of the word brach occurring in the end of that line, incline me to think that Brach is here a corruption, and that the line before us began with a verb, not a noun. MALONE.

Sir Thomas Hanmer reads-Leech Merriman; that is, apply Jome remedies to Merriman, the poor cur has his joints fwell'd.Perhaps we might read-bathe Merriman, which is, I believe, the common practice of huntsmen; but the prefent reading may ftand. JOHNSON.

Emboss'd is a hunting term. When a deer is hard run, and foams at the mouth, he is faid to be embofs'd. A dog alfo when he is ftrained with hard running (efpecially upon hard ground) will have his knees fwelled, and then he is faid to be embofs'd: from the French word boffe, which fignifies a tumour. This explanation of the word will receive illuftration from the following paffage in the old comedy, intitled, The Shoemakers Holiday, or the gentle Craft, acted at court, and printed in the year 1600, fignat. Č:

66

- Beate every brake, the game's not farre,
"This way with winged feet he fled from death:
"Befides, the miller's boy told me even now,
"He faw him take foyle, and he hallowed him,
Affirming him fo embofs'd." T. WARTON.

At the hedge' corner, in the coldest fault?
I would not lofe the dog for twenty pound.

1 HUN. Why, Belman is as good as he, my lord; He cried upon it at the mereft lofs,

And twice to-day pick'd out the dulleft fcent:
Trust me, I take him for the better dog.

LORD. Thou art a fool; if Echo were as fleet,
I would efteem him worth a dozen fuch.
But fup them well, and look unto them all;
To-morrow I intend to hunt again.

1 HUN. I will, my lord.

LORD. What's here? one dead, or drunk? See, doth he breathe?

2 HUN. He breathes, my lord: Were he not warm'd with ale,

This were a bed but cold to fleep fo foundly.

Mr. T. Warton's first explanation may be juft. Lyly, in his Midas, 1592, has not only given us the term, but the explanation of it: "Pet. There was a boy leafh'd on the fingle, because when he was imbofs'd he took foyle.

"Li. What's that?

"Pet. Why a boy was beaten on the tayle with a leathern thong, because, when he fom'de at the mouth with running, he went into the water." STEEVENS.

From the Spanish, des embocar, to caft out of the mouth. We have again the fame expreffion in Antony and Cleopatra:

66

the boar of Theffaly

"Was never fo emboss'd." MALONE.

Can any thing be more evident than that imbofs'd means frwelled in the knees, and that we ought to read bathe? What has the imboffing of a deer to do with that of a bound?

Imboffed fores" occur in As you Like it; and in the First Part of King Henry IV. the Prince calls Falftaff " imboss'd rafcal." RITSON.

3 how Silver made it good-] This, I fuppofe, is a technical term. It occurs likewife in the 23d fong of Drayton's Polyolbion:

"What's offer'd by the first, the other good doth make.”

STEEVENS.

LORD. O monftrous beast! how like a swine he

lies !

Grim death, how foul and loathfome is thine image!
Sirs, I will practise on this drunken man.
What think you, if he were convey'd to bed,
Wrap'd in fweet clothes, rings put upon his fingers,
A most delicious banquet by his bed,

And brave attendants near him when he wakes,
Would not the beggar then forget himself?

I HUN. Believe me, lord, I think he cannot choose.

2 HUN. It would seem strange unto him when he wak'd.

LORD. Even as a flattering dream, or worthlefs

fancy.

Then take him up, and manage well the jeft:-
Carry him gently to my faireft chamber,

And hang it round with all my wanton pictures:
Balm his foul head with warm diftilled waters,
And burn fweet wood to make the lodging sweet:
Procure me mufick ready when he wakes,
To make a dulcet and a heavenly found;
And if he chance to fpeak, be ready ftraight,
And, with a low fubmiffive reverence,

Say, What is it your honour will command?
Let one attend him with a filver bason,
Full of rofe-water, and beftrew'd with flowers;
Another bear the ewer, the third a diaper,

And fay,-Will't please your lordship cool your hands?

Some one be ready with a coftly fuit,
And ask him what apparel he will wear;
Another tell him of his hounds and horfe,
And that his lady mourns at his disease:
Persuade him, that he hath been lunatick;

And, when he fays he is, fay, that he dreams,
For he is nothing but a mighty lord.*
This do, and do it kindly,' gentle firs;
It will be paftime paffing excellent,
If it be hufbanded with modefty."

1 HUN. My lord, I warrant you, we'll play our

part,

As he fhall think, by our true diligence,
He is no less than what we say he is.

LORD. Take him up gently, and to bed with him; And each one to his office, when he wakes.

[Some bear out SLY. A trumpet founds. Sirrah, go fee what trumpet 'tis that sounds:

And, when he fays he is

[Exit Servant.

fay, that he dreams,

For he is nothing but a mighty lord.] I rather think (with Sir Thomas Hanmer) that Shakspeare wrote:

And when he fays he's poor, fay that he dreams.

The dignity of a lord is then fignificantly oppofed to the poverty
which it would be natural for Sly to acknowledge. STEEVENS.
If any thing fhould be inferted, it may be done thus:
And when he fays he's Sly, say that he dreams.

The likeness in writing of Sly and say produced the omiffion.

JOHNSON.

This is hardly right; for how should the Lord know the beggar's name to be Sly? STEEVENS.

Perhaps the fentence is left imperfect, because he did not know by what name to call him. BLACKSTONE.

I have no doubt that the blank was intended by the author. It is obfervable that the metre of the line is perfect, without any fupplemental word. In The Tempest a fimilar blank is found, which Shakspeare there alfo certainly intended :-" I should know that voice; it fhould be ; but he is drown'd, and these are devils.” MALONE.

5 This do, and do it kindly,] Kindly, means naturally.

6

M. MASON.

modefty.] By modefty is meant moderation, without fuffering our merriment to break into an excess. JOHNSON.

Belike, fome noble gentleman; that means, Travelling fome journey, to repose him here.

Re-enter a Servant.

How now? who is it?

SER.

An it please your honour,

Players that offer fervice to your lordship.

LORD. Bid them come near:

Enter Players."

Now, fellows, you are welcome.

I PLAY. We thank your honour.

LORD. DO you intend to stay with me to-night? 2 PLAY. So please your lordship to accept our duty.

↑ Enter Players.] The old play already quoted reads: "Enter two of the plaiers with packs at their backs, and a boy. "Now, firs, what ftore of plaies have you?

"San. Marry my lord you may have a tragicall,

"Or a commoditie, or what you will.

"The other. A comedie thou shouldft fay, founs thou'lt fhame us all.

"Lord. And what's the name of your comedie ?

"San. Marrie my lord, 'tis calde The Taming of a Shrew:

" "Tis a good lesson for us my L. for us that are maried men, &c."

8

STEEVENS.

to accept our duty.] It was in thofe times the custom of players to travel in companies, and offer their service at great houfes. JOHNSON.

In the fifth Earl of Northumberland's Household Book, (with a copy of which I was honoured by the late duchefs,) the following article occurs. The book was begun in the year 1512.

"Rewards to Playars.

"Item, to be payd to the faid Richard Gowge and Thomas Percy for rewards to players for playes playd in Chryftinmas by ftranegers in my houfe after xxd. every play by eftimacion fomme xxxiijs. iiijd. Which ys apoynted to be paid to the faid Richard Gowge and Thomas Percy at the faid Chriftynmas in full contentacion of the faid rewardys xxxiijs. iiijd." STEEVENS.