And in Middleton’s “Chast Mayd in Cheapside,” 1630 [Dyces “Middleton,” iv. 59]—­

    “I hope to see thee, wench, within these few yeeres
    Circled with children, pranking up a girl,
    And putting jewels in their little eares,
    Fine sport, i’faith.”

[298] i.e., Whisper, or become silent.  As in Nash’s “Pierce Penilesse, his Supplication to the Divell,” 1592, p. 15:  “But whist, these are the workes of darknesse, and may not be talkt of in the daytime.” [The word is perfectly common.]

[299] While he is speaking, Crapula, from the effects of over-eating, is continually coughing, which is expressed in the old copies by the words tiff toff, tiff toff, within brackets.  Though it might not be necessary to insert them, their omission ought to be mentioned. —­Collier.

[300] i.e., Glutton; one whose paunch is distended by food.  See a note on “King Henry IV., Part I,” v. 304, edit. 1778.—­Steevens.

[301] i.e., Whisper.

[302] [Visus fancies himself Polyphemus searching for Outis—­i.e., Ulysses, who had blinded him.]

[303] [Edits., Both.]

[304] [Row.]

[305] [Nearest.]

[306] [Edits., ambrosian.]

[307 [Fiddle.]

[308] A voiding knife was a long one used by our indelicate ancestors to sweep bones, &c., from the table into the voider or basket, in which broken meat was carried from the table.—­Steevens.

[309] Reward.

[310] [Edits., him.]

[311] [Edits., sprites.]

[312] The edition of 1657 reads—­

    “A greater soldier than the god of Mars.”

—­Collier. [The edition of 1607 also has Mars.]

[313] i.e., Hamstring him.—­Steevens.

[314] “Gulchin, q.d. a Gulckin, i.e., parvus Gulo; kin enim minuit.  Alludit It. Guccio, Stultus, hoc autem procul dubio a Teut. Geck, Stultus, ortum ducit.”—­Skinner.  Florio explains Guccio, a gull, a sot, a ninnie, a meacock.  Ben Jonson uses the word in “The Poetaster,” act iii. sc. 4:  “Come, we must have you turn fiddler again, slave; get a base violin at your back, and march in a tawny coat, with one sleeve, to Goose-fair; then you’ll know us, you’ll see us then, you will gulch, you will.”

[315] Bawsin, in some counties, signifies a badger.  I think I have heard the vulgar Irish use it to express bulkiness.  Mr Chatterton, in the “Poems of the Pseudo-Rowley,” has it more than once in this sense.  As, bawsyn olyphantes, i.e., bulky elephants.—­Steevens.

[316] [Edits., weary.  I wish that I could be more confident that weird is the true word. Weary appears to be wrong, at any rate.]

[317] [Edits., bedewy.]