ElizabethanDrama.org

presents

the Annotated Popular Edition of

The Old Wives’ Tale

by George Peele

Written c. 1590-5
First published 1595

Featuring complete and easy-to-read annotations.

Annotations and notes © Copyright ElizabethanDrama.org, 2018
This annotated play may be freely copied and distributed.

	DRAMATIS PERSONAE.	INTRODUCTION to the PLAY
	Contemporary Characters:	George Peele's The Old Wives' Tale is a charming, if
	Antic, a Servant.	not weighty, play, and one of the easiest works of the era
	Frolic, a Servant.	to read. Its "play-within-a-play", in which a minor plot
	Fantastic, a Servant.	involving some contemporary English characters frames a
	Clunch, a Smith,	larger story, anticipates that of Shakespeare's Taming of
	Madge, his wife.	the Shrew, but is more interesting than the latter because
		Peele's English characters regularly comment on the main
	Fairy Tale Characters:	action, risking breaking the audience's suspension of
	Sacrapant, a conjuror.	belief.
		Wives' Tale is ultimately a fairy tale, complete with
	First Brother, named Calypha, a Prince.	sorcerer, magic disembodied heads, and a kidnapped
	Second Brother, named Thelea, a Prince.	princess.
	Delia, sister to Calypha and Thelea, a Princess.
		NOTE on the PLAY'S SOURCE
	Eumenides, a Wandering Knight.
	Huanebango, a Knight.	The text of the play is taken from Alexander Dyce's
	Corebus, a Clown.	1874 edition of The Old Wives' Tale, cited below at #3.
	Erestus.	NOTES on the ANNOTATIONS
	Venelia, betrothed to Erestus.
		Mention of Dyce, Gummere, Bullen, Nielson and
	Lampriscus.	Whitworth in the annotations refers to the notes provided
	Zantippa, daughter to Lampriscus.	by each of these editors in their respective editions of this
	Celanta, daughter to Lampriscus.	play, each cited fully below.
		The most commonly cited sources are listed in the
	Wiggen.	footnotes immediately below. The complete list of
	Ghost of Jack, a deceased person.	footnotes appears at the end of this play.
	Churchwarden.	1. Oxford English Dictionary (OED) online.
	Sexton.	2. Crystal, David and Ben. Shakespeare's Words.
	Hostess.	London, New York: Penguin, 2002.
		3. Dyce, Rev. Alexander. The Dramatic and Poetical
	Friar, Harvest-men, Furies, Fiddlers, &c.	Works of Robert Greene and George Peele. London:
		George Routledge and Sons: 1874.
		4. Gummere, F.B., ed. The Old Wives' Tale, pp. 333-
		383; from Representative English Comedies, Charles
		Mills Gayley, ed. London: MacMillan & Co., 1916.
		5. Bullen, A.H. The Works of George Peele. London:
		John C. Nimmo, 1888.
		6. Nielson, William Allen. The Chief Elizabethan
		Dramatists. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1911.
		7. Whitworth, Charles W. Three Sixteenth Century
		Comedies. London: Ernest Benn Ltd., 1984.
	SCENE I.
	The Woods, Contemporary England.	The Settings: the original 1595 edition of The Old Wives' Tale did not provide scene settings, a normal practice of the era. All settings are the suggestion of the editor.
		We may also note here that many of the stage directions appearing in this edition are modified, and clarifying, versions of those appearing in the original edition, and are generally adapted from Dyce's suggestions.
	Enter Antic, Frolic, and Fantastic.	Entering Characters: Antic, Frolic and Fantastic are servants to some unnamed master; they are travelling through the woods, on an unspecified mission related to their employer's love-life, and are lost. Antic = bizarre, grotesque.^1 Frolic = merry. Fantastic = fanciful, imagined.^2
1	Antic. How now, fellow Frolic! what, all amort? doth	1: Frolic = the original edition accidentally prints Franticke here. amort = downcast, dejected. 1-2: doth…madness = "does this sad mood fit your normal merry character?"
2	this sadness become thy madness? What though we	= suppose, ie. "who cares if".
	have lost our way in the woods? yet never hang the	= ie. "your".
4	head as though thou hadst no hope to live till to-
	morrow; for Fantastic and I will warrant thy life to-	5-6: for Fantastic…hundred = Antic offers 5-to-1 odds
6	night for twenty in the hundred.	that Frolic will not die or be killed this night. warrant = assure, guarantee.
8	Frol. Antic, and Fantastic, as I am frolic franion, never	8: frolic franion = "a merry fellow"; the OED defines
	in all my life was I so dead slain. What, to lose our	franion as a "gay and reckless fellow", though Dyce alone suggests "idle". Peele uses frolic'st franion again in Scene VI.56. 8-9: never…slain = Frolic expects to die in the woods this night, ie. "I am already dead."
10	way in the wood, without either fire or candle, so	= the boys are not only lost, but it is night, and they have no source of light.
	uncomfortable? O cœlum! O terra! O maria! O	11: uncomfortable = disquieted or inconsolable.^1 O cœlum! = Oh Heaven! O terra! = Oh earth! O maria! = Oh sea!
12	Neptune!	= Roman god of the sea.
14	Fan. Why makes thou it so strange, seeing Cupid hath	14: Why…strange = "why are you being so difficult".^1
	led our young master to the fair lady, and she is the	14-16: seeing…serve = typical Elizabethan language
16	only saint that he hath sworn to serve?	describing a man in love.
18	Frol. What resteth, then, but we commit him to his	= ie. "remains for us to do". = consign, entrust.^1
	wench, and each of us take his stand up in a tree, and	19: wench = girl or maid; wench did not necessarily carry any negative connotation. take…tree = climb or take a position up in a tree.
20	sing out our ill fortune to the tune of "O man in	20: ill fortune = bad luck.
	desperation"?	20-21: O man in desperation = a popular song of
22		the late 16th century.
	Antic. Desperately spoken, fellow Frolic, in the dark:
24	but seeing it falls out thus, let us rehearse the old	= "this is how things have turned out". = recite.
	proverb:
26	Three merry men, and three merry men,	26-29: frequently mentioned old song; in Shakespeare's
	And three merry men be we;	Twelfth Night, Sir Toby Belch speaks the words "three
28	I in the wood, and thou on the ground,	merry men be we".
	And Jack sleeps in the tree.
30
	Fan. Hush! a dog in the wood, or a wooden dog! O	31: Fantastic hears a dog bark; he playfully puns as well: wooden = dull or stupid,^1 though Dyce prefers "mad".
32	comfortable hearing! I had even as lief the	32: comfortable hearing = "what a reassuring thing to
	chamberlain of the White Horse had called me up to	hear!" - but based on Fantastic's next line, this may be
34	bed.	ironic. 32-34: I had…to bed = "I would just as much prefer, however, that the man in charge of the bedrooms (the chamberlain) at the White Horse tavern had been inviting me to take a bed there for the night." White Horse = common name for a tavern; the one on Friday Street in London was much frequented by our author George Peele.^16
36	Frol. Either hath this trotting cur gone out of his	36-37: Either…circuit = "either this trotting dog has
	circuit, or else are we near some village, which should	escaped from its enclosure (ie. and hence is lost too)".^1 trotting = the easy locomotion of a dog was frequently called a trot; indeed, the word dogtrot itself became popular in the 17th century.^1 cur = dog, usually used contemptuously.
38	not be far off, for I perceive the glimmering of a	38-40: I perceive…cat's eye = Frolic is confident he sees a light in the distance.
	glow-worm, a candle, or a cat's eye, my life for a	39: glow-worm = firefly.
40	halfpenny!	39-40: my life…halfpenny = an expression of the confidence Frolic has in his vision, ie. "I bet my life to a halfpenny."
42	Enter Clunch, a Smith with a lantern and candle.	Entering Character: Clunch is an elderly blacksmith who lives in a cottage in the woods with his wife Madge. The word clunch came to be used to describe a clown.^1
44	In the name of my own father, be thou ox or ass that	= ie. "even if you are an".
	appearest, tell us what thou art.	= who.
46
	Clunch. What am I? why, I am Clunch the smith.
48	What are you? what make you in my territories at this	= "what are you doing" or "what is your business";^5 Clunch
	time of the night?	is genuinely surprised and concerned over the unexpected appearance of the three lost lads in the woods, and not, as the words might suggest, expressing hostility.
50
	Antic. What do we make, dost thou ask? why, we	51-52: What do…fear = Antic puns on the word make; the phrase "to make a face", or "to make faces", first appeared in English letters in the early 16th century.^1
52	make faces for fear; such as if thy mortal eyes could	52-54: such as…side slops = "if you could see the terrified
	behold, would make thee water the long seams of thy	looks on our faces, you would urinate in your trousers".
54	side slops, smith.	side slops = long wide breeches or trousers.^3
56	Frol. And, in faith, sir, unless your hospitality do	= truly.
	relieve us, we are like to wander, with a sorrowful	= likely to keep wandering.
58	heigh-ho, among the owlets and hobgoblins of the	= sigh.^1
	forest. Good Vulcan, for Cupid's sake that hath	59: Vulcan = a form of address to the smith: Vulcan was the Roman blacksmith god. 59-60: for Cupid's sake…us all = Cupid is the cherubic god of love; Frolic names him as the cause of the lads' predicament, in the sense that they are on their present errand because the god has caused their master to fall in love. cozened = tricked, deceived.
60	cozened us all, befriend us as thou mayst; and	60-62: befriend...and ever = briefly, "if you will help us,
	command us howsoever, wheresoever, whensoever, in	we will do anything you ask us to do forever", ie. "we will
62	whatsoever, for ever and ever.	forever be in your debt." Gummere categorizes this line as a parody of the sort of speech a wandering knight might make on entering the territory of a giant or the like.
64	Clunch. Well, masters, it seems to me you have lost	= sirs.
	your way in the wood: in consideration whereof, if you
66	will go with Clunch to his cottage, you shall have	= Gummere notes the frequency with which characters refer
	houseroom and a good fire to sit by, although we have	to themselves in the third person in plays of the era.
68	no bedding to put you in.
70	All. O blessed smith, O bountiful Clunch!	= generous.
72	Clunch. For your further entertainment, it shall be as
	it may be, so and so.	= ie. "and so forth".
74
	[Hear a dog bark.]	75: the audience is to understand that the characters have reached Clunch's home.
76
	Hark! this is Ball my dog, that bids you all welcome in	= "listen!"
78	his own language: come, take heed for stumbling on	78-79: take heed…threshold = "be careful not to trip on
	the threshold. − Open door, Madge; take in guests.	the threshold"; threshold is an ancient word from Old English, referring to the stone or piece of timber at the bottom of a doorway.^1 Whitworth notes it is bad luck to stumble at the entrance.
80
	Enter Madge, an Old Woman.	Entering Characters: the blacksmith Clunch's wife Madge
82		enters the stage.
	Madge. Welcome, Clunch, and good fellows all, that
84	come with my good-man: for my good-man's sake,	= "my husband".^1
	come on, sit down: here is a piece of cheese, and a
86	pudding of my own making.	= either a sausage or a sweet baked dish.^1
88	Antic. Thanks, gammer: a good example for the wives	= a vocative expression: old woman, grandma.
	of our town.
90
	Frol. Gammer, thou and thy good-man sit lovingly	91-92: Frolic basically asks Madge not to put herself to any
92	together; we come to chat, and not to eat	trouble on their account.
94	Clunch. Well, masters, if you will eat nothing, take	94-95: take away = "clear the table".^1
	away. Come, what do we to pass away the time? − Lay
96	a crab in the fire to roast for lamb's-wool. − What,	96: crab = crabapple. lamb's wool = a popular drink comprised of the pulp of roasted apples and ale.^8
	shall we have a game at trump or ruff to drive away	97: trump or ruff = names of popular card games, though
98	the time? how say you?	they may be one and the same. drive away = pass, wile away.
100	Fant. This smith leads a life as merry as a king with	= common simile of the period.
	Madge his wife. Sirrah Frolic, I am sure thou art not	101: Sirrah = common familiar form of address. I am sure…or other = "I am sure you know a song we can sing." round = a song in which singers sings in turn.
102	without some round or other: no doubt but Clunch can	102-3: no doubt…part = Fantastic expresses confidence
	bear his part.	that Clunch can sing his own part in a satisfactory manner. Bullen and Gummere note that in this era, citizens of all ranks were expected to be able to participate in a song with multiple parts.
104
	Frol. Else think you me ill brought up: so set to it	105-6: "if I did not, you would think I was not raised
106	when you will.	properly; go ahead and start when you are ready."
108	[They sing.]
110	SONG.
112	Whenas the rye reach to the chin,	= when. = a grain.
	And chopcherry, chopcherry ripe within,	= a game in which one tries to catch a cherry suspended on
114	Strawberries swimming in the cream,	a string.^1
	And school-boys playing in the stream;
116	Then, O, then, O, then, O, my true-love said,
	Till that time come again
118	She could not live a maid.	118: she could not stand to remain unmarried.
120	Antic. This sport does well; but methinks, gammer, a	= ie. "this is great fun."
	merry winter's tale would drive away the time trimly:	121: winter's tale = tale of fantasy; the expression predates Shakespeare's play of the same name. trimly = well, finely.
122	come, I am sure you are not without a score.	= ie. twenty such stories.
124	Fant. I'faith, gammer, a tale of an hour long were as	= truly.
	good as an hour's sleep.
126
	Frol. Look you, gammer, of the giant and the king's	127-8: of the giant…daughter = Frolic gives a generic example of the type of story he is hoping to hear.
128	daughter, and I know not what: I have seen the day,	128-130: I have seen…discourse = Frolic recalls how in
	when I was a little one, you might have drawn me a	his childhood, he was so enchanted by such tales, he
130	mile after you with such a discourse.	would have followed a moving story-teller for a mile to keep listening.
132	Madge. Well, since you be so importunate, my good-	132: importunate = insistent. 132-3: good-man = husband.
	man shall fill the pot and get him to bed; they that ply	133: fill the pot = ie. with ale. 133-4: they that...hours = ie. "those who work hard must keep regular hours", ie. get enough sleep.
134	their work must keep good hours: one of you go lie	134-5: one of you…with him = it was normal in this era for individuals of the same sex to share a bed for the night.
	with him; he is a clean-skinned man I tell you, without	135-6: he is…windgall = Madge assures the lads they
136	either spavin or windgall: so I am content to drive	should have no fear of catching any untoward disease
	away the time with an old wives' winter's tale.	from the old man. clean-skinned = free from scabs or other skin- conditions such as leprosy. spavin or windgall = names for horse maladies, each referring to a tumour or disease caused by a tumour in a horse's leg.
138
	Fant. No better hay in Devonshire; o' my word,	139: I have found no other instances of this proverbial-
140	gammer, I'll be one of your audience.	sounding expression. Devonshire is noted for the fertility of its land.^16 Our author George Peele was believed to hail from a Devonshire family.^4
142	Frol. And I another, that's flat.	= ie. "that's settled."^1
144	Antic. Then must I to bed with the good-man. − Bona	144-5: Bona nox = Latin for "good night".
	Nox, gammer. − God night, Frolic.	= a variation of good night which appears intermittently in
146		this period.
	Clunch. Come on, my lad, thou shalt take thy
148	unnatural rest with me.	= unnatural presumably because two men will sleep together in a single bed.
150	[Exeunt Antic and the Smith.]	150: we may note here that Madge, Frolic and Fantastic remain on stage for the entirety of the play; the actors who play Antic and Clunch are now freed to play other characters.
152	Frol. Yet this vantage shall we have of them in the	= advantage. = ie. over.
	morning, to be ready at the sight thereof extempore.	= something like, "we will be ready (ie. dressed and ready)^1 to move out at once (extempore)^1 at the sight (ie. moment) of dawn."
154
	Madge. Now this bargain, my masters, must I make	155-7: Madge wants her audience of two to at least grunt
156	with you, that you will say "hum" and "ha" to my tale,	every once in a while as she tells her tale to show her
	so shall I know you are awake.	they have not fallen asleep. bargain = deal.
158
	Both. Content, gammer, that will we do.	= "ok".
160
	Madge. Once upon a time, there was a king, or a lord,	= here is the earliest appearance in English literature of this still common formula used to open a story (though other permutations, such as once on a time and once upon a day had appeared earlier).
162	or a duke, that had a fair daughter, the fairest that ever	= beautiful.
	was; as white as snow and as red as blood: and once	= white and red were frequently paired in describing a woman's beauty; pale skin was considered to be most attractive in this period, and red refers to a healthy ruddy hue.
164	upon a time his daughter was stolen away: and he sent	= kidnapped.
	all his men to seek out his daughter; and he sent so	165-6: he sent so long = ie. "he sent out men to find his
166	long, that he sent all his men out of his land.	daughter over such a long period of time".
168	Frol. Who drest his dinner, then?	= prepared.
170	Madge. Nay, either hear my tale, or kiss my tail.	= Madge puns on tale and tail; this expression first
		appeared in the 16th century's earlier comedy Gammer Gurton's Needle. Variants, including kiss my behind (and ar*e and a*s) came later.
172	Fant. Well said! on with your tale, gammer.
174	Madge. O Lord, I quite forgot! there was a conjurer,	= sorcerer or wizard.
	and this conjurer could do anything, and he turned
176	himself into a great dragon, and carried the king's
	daughter away in his mouth to a castle that he made of
178	stone; and there he kept her I know not how long, till
	at last all the king's men went out so long that her two
180	brothers went to seek her. O, I forget! she (he, I would	180-1: (he…say) = "no, I mean he".
	say), turned a proper young man to a bear in the night,	= handsome. = into.
182	and a man in the day, and keeps by a cross that parts	182: a man = ie. into an old man. keeps = ie. "he dwells".^1 182-3: cross…ways = ie. three-way intersection, marked by an actual cross.
	three several ways; and he made his lady run mad, −	= ie. the sorcerer. = ie. the sweetheart of the man whom the sorcerer turned into a part-time bear.
184	Gods me bones, who comes here?	= typical Elizabethan oath, "by God's bones".
	SCENE II.
		The Play's Scenes: the original edition of The Old Wives' Tale was not broken up into Acts or Scenes; for ease of reading, the editor has provided suggested scene breaks.
	A Cross-road in England.
	Enter the Two Brothers.	Entering Characters: here begins Peele's "play within a play", as Madge's story gets acted out in front of the old lady and her auditors; the Two Brothers are princes, sons of the king whose daughter was kidnapped by the sorcerer described by Madge. Named Calypha and Thelea, the young men are searching for their sister.
1	Frol. Soft, gammer, here some come to tell your tale	= "wait a moment".
2	for you.
4	Fant. Let them alone; let us hear what they will say.
6	1st Broth. Upon these chalky cliffs of Albion	6ff: unlike the low-brow rustics and pages in the cottage, who only speak in prose, the characters of the fairy tale will frequently speak in verse whenever they employ loftier language. These chalky…Albion = Albion was the earliest name for the island of Great Britain^16 (today comprising England, Scotland and Wales). The chalky cliffs are the White Cliffs of Dover.
	We are arrivèd now with tedious toil;	= painstaking effort.
8	And compassing the wide world round about,	= circling; as will become clear, the princes, and in fact most of the characters, are originally from the Greek district of Thessaly, so that they have indeed travelled widely to find their sister, named Delia.
	To seek our sister, seek fair Delia forth,	= Delia is stressed on the first syllable; it is sometimes
10	Yet cannot we so much as hear of her.	pronounced with two, and sometimes with three,
		syllables: DE-lya or DE-li-a.
12	2nd Broth. O fortune cruèl, cruèl and unkind!
	Unkind in that we cannot find our sister,
14	Our sister, hapless in her cruèl chance. −	= unfortunate. = very bad luck.
	Soft! who have we here?	= "hold on!"
16
	Enter Erestus at the cross, stooping to gather.	Entering Character: Erestus is the young man whom the sorcerer has caused to turn into a bear at night and an old man during the day, and who lives at the intersection marked by a cross during the day. Erestus is gathering whatever roots and herbs he can find for food; impoverished characters can frequently be found in Elizabethan drama digging up vegetable or other plant roots to eat. Erestus is actually identified as Senex here, and only here, in the original edition.
18
	1st Broth. Now, father, God be your speed! what do	= common variation for "God speed", an expression of good
20	you gather there?	wishes.
22	Erest. Hips and haws, and sticks and straws, and	= the fruit of the rose and hawthorn respectively; the two
	things that I gather on the ground, my son.	words hips and haws were frequently paired in old
24		literature.^1 We may note that Erestus has somehow, in the process of being transformed into both an old man and a bear, gained the powers of prophecy; and as such, has a penchant for speaking in minor rhymes, e.g. haws and straws.
	1st Broth. Hips and haws, and sticks and straws!
26	why, is that all your food, father?
28	Erest. Yea, son.
30	2nd Broth. Father, here is an alms-penny for me; and	= a penny given as an act of charity.
	if I speed in that I go for, I will give thee as good a	= ie. "am successful in (finding) that which".
32	gown of grey as ever thou didst wear.	= traditional habit of a pilgrim.^7
34	1st Broth. And, father, here is another alms-penny for
	me; and if I speed in my journey, I will give thee a
36	palmer's staff of ivory, and a scallop-shell of beaten	36: the 1st Brother promises gifts associated with a pilgrim.
	gold.	Palmer's staff = a palmer was a pilgrim who made the long journey to Jerusalem, so-called because of the palm leaf or branch such a pilgrim traditionally carried. scallop-shell = carried as a badge by a pilgrim; the OED notes that the tradition arose from those pilgrims who, having visited the Shrine of St. James of Compostela in Galicia in north-west Spain, picked up such a shell (which is the symbol of St. James) from the shore there and returned home with it.^1
38
	Erest. Was she fair?	39: Gummere notes that as an oracle, it is natural that Erestus would know the purpose of the brothers' mission.
40
	2nd Broth. Ay, the fairest for white, and the purest	41-42: note the reversal of associations: the blood, men-
42	for red, as the blood of the deer, or the driven snow.	tioned before the snow, is compared to the red, which is mentioned after the white. The association of red with purity might seem odd, but the reference here may be to unalloyed gold, which turns red, and hence proves itself pure, when it is heated.^1 The simile of white with driven snow seems to have appeared in English letters first in 1566, in a translation of Lamentations.
44	Erest. Then hark well, and mark well, my old spell: −	44: hark and mark are basically synonyms for "listen closely". my = ie. "to my". spell = ie. prophecy.
	Be not afraid of every stranger;	45-52: note the rhyming couplets and iambic tetrameter (four pairs of beats, or iambs, compared to the five of iambic pentameter) of Erestus' spell.
46	Start not aside at every danger;	= ie. "do not shy away from"; the phrase start aside was a common one describing one who steers clear from danger or something frightening.^1
	Things that seem are not the same:
48	Blow a blast at every flame;	= breath.
	For when one flame of fire goes out,
50	Then come your wishes well about:
	If any ask who told you this good,
52	Say, the white bear of England's wood.	= interestingly, the original name for a polar bear, in use
		since the 14th century; polar bear doesn't appear until the mid-17th century.^1
54	1st Broth. Brother, heard you not what the old man said?
	Be not afraid of every stranger;	55-62: Gummere notes that it would be normal to repeat
56	Start not aside for every danger;	such a solemn and important spell.
	Things that seem are not the same;
58	Blow a blast at every flame;
	[For when one flame of fire goes out.	59-60: the original edition of the play, accidentally or not,
60	Then come your wishes well about:]	omits the final two lines of the spell in the 1st Brother's
	If any ask who told you this good,	speech.
62	Say, the white bear of England's wood.
64	2nd Broth. Well, if this do us any good,
	Well fare the white bear of England's wood!	= ie. fare well; fare may be disyllabic for the sake of the
66		meter: FAY-er.^3
	[Exeunt the Two Brothers.]
68
	Erest. Now sit thee here, and tell a heavy tale,	69f: Erestus talks to himself. heavy = distressing, grave.^1
70	Sad in thy mood, and sober in thy cheer:	70: Sad = serious. sober in thy cheer = certainly meaning "serious in your demeanor", but could also mean "moderate in your consumption of food".
	Here sit thee now, and to thyself relate	258-275: note that Erestus' story is related partially in rhyming couplets, while sometimes a rhyme is found in every other line, and some lines stand unrhymed at all.
72	The hard mishap of thy most wretched state.	= misfortune.^2
	In Thessaly I lived in sweet content,	= an ancient region of Greece, notorious for the witchcraft which thrived and poisonous herbs and drugs which grew there.^16
74	Until that fortune wrought my overthrow;	= "worked my ruin."
	For there I wedded was unto a dame,	= actually, Erestus is only engaged to be married; such minor internal inconsistencies were common in Elizabethan drama, though here we can perhaps blame Madge for unintentionally forgetting such occasional details as she tells her story.
76	That lived in honour, virtue, love, and fame.
	But Sacrapant, that cursèd sorcerer,
78	Being besotted with my beauteous love.
	My dearest love, my true betrothèd wife,
80	Did seek the means to rid me of my life.
	But worse than this, he with his chanting spells	= may or may not be short for enchanting.^3,6
82	Did turn me straight unto an ugly bear;
	And when the sun doth settle in the west.	83-84: he turns into a bear at sunset.
84	Then I begin to don my ugly hide:	= wear, put on.
	And all the day I sit, as now you see,
86	And speak in riddles, all inspired with rage,	86: speak in riddles = like those spoken by the oracles of ancient Greece, Erestus' prophecies are usually highly ambiguous in meaning. all inspired with rage = ie. divinely inspired with prophetic ability.^1
	Seeming an old and miserable man,
88	And yet I am in April of my age.	= ie. "(actually) a young man."
90	Enter Venelia his lady mad; and goes in again.	Entering Character: Venelia is poor Erestus' fiancée,
		whom the sorcerer has caused to go mad: she enters, then exits the stage, after passing by but not recognizing Erestus.
92	See where Venelia, my betrothèd love,
	Runs madding, all enraged, about the woods,	= acting in a mad or frenzied manner; the OED files this use
94	All by his cursèd and enchanting spells. −	of madding as a verb.
	But here comes Lampriscus, my discontented neighbour.
96
	Enter Lampriscus with a pot of honey.	Entering Character: Lampriscus is identified a little later by Madge as a beggar who lives on the green.
98
	How now, neighbour! you look toward the ground as	99-100: you look…as I = except that Erestus is looking
100	well as I: you muse on something.	down to find food, while Lampriscus stares at the
		ground in either sorrow or deep thought.
102	Lamp. Neighbour, on nothing but on the matter I
	so often moved to you: if you do anything for charity,	= ie. "have previously appealed to you regarding."
104	help me; if for neighbourhood or brotherhood, help
	me: never was one so cumbered as is poor Lampriscus;	= encumbered, burdened.
106	and to begin, I pray receive this pot of honey, to mend	= "please accept". = supplement; Lampriscus hopes that
	your fare.	in return for this gift, Erestus will be more willing to help
108		him with his problem.
	Erest. Thanks, neighbour, set it down; honey is
110	always welcome to the bear. And now, neighbour, let
	me hear the cause of your coming.
112
	Lamp. I am, as you know, neighbour, a man
114	unmarried, and lived so unquietly with my two wives,
	that I keep every year holy the day wherein I buried
116	them both: the first was on Saint Andrew's day, the	= ie. November 30: St. Andrew was thought to bring good luck to lovers.^5
	other on Saint Luke's.	= ie. October 18, a day thought to be favourable for those who wished to learn of their future spouses: if a seeker of love applied a certain concoction to one's face, and recited a specific formula, one would dream of one's future love. Bullen notes that the Horn Fair was also held on this day, as St. Luke was jestingly considered the patron saint of cuckolds (horns were said to grow on the foreheads of husbands whose wives cheated on them), making this, perhaps, an even more poignant day for Lampriscus. The 1886 Glossaries of South-West Lincolnshire, Kent and Berkshire confirms such a fair was held on October 18 in Charlton in Kent, and the fair included a tradition of a riotous mob marching in a procession from Cuckold's Point, wearing horns on their heads, and some of the men even dressing as women.
118
	Erest. And now, neighbour, you of this country say,	= ie. "as you". = ie. England; despite Lampriscus' non- English name, Erestus' comment suggests he is a native of the island.
120	your custom is out. But on with your tale, neighbour.	= ie. "your obligation to me is paid;" custom referred to a
		regular payment of money or in kind by a feudal tenant to a landowner.^1
122	Lamp. By my first wife, whose tongue wearied me
	alive, and sounded in my ears like the clapper of a
124	great bell, whose talk was a continual torment to all
	that dwelt by her or lived nigh her, you have heard me	= near.
126	say I had a handsome daughter.	= attractive.
128	Erest. True, neighbour.
130	Lamp. She it is that afflicts me with her continual	130: ie. Lampriscus' beautiful, but shrewish daughter by his first wife.
	clamours, and hangs on me like a bur: poor she is, and
132	proud she is; as poor as a sheep new-shorn, and as	= proverbial, perhaps newly-so.
	proud of her hopes as a peacock of her tail well-grown.	132: the peacock has ever been proverbial for its pride.
134
	Erest. Well said, Lampriscus! you speak it like an	135-6: this speech of Erestus' hints that Lampriscus might
136	Englishman.	be another transplant from Greece after all.
138	Lamp. As curst as a wasp, and as froward as a child	= shrewish, quarrelsome.^2 = stubborn.
	new-taken from the mother's teat; she is to my age,
140	as smoke to the eyes, or as vinegar to the teeth.	140: she is…teeth = that is, highly disagreeable! Lampriscus quotes from Proverbs 10:26: "As vinegar is to the teeth, as smoke is unto the eyes" (all Biblical quotes in this play are from the Bishop's Bible of 1568).
142	Erest. Holily praised, neighbour. As much for the	= Erestus, with gentle irony, indirectly acknowledges
	next.	Lampriscus' quote from scripture.
144
	Lamp. By my other wife I had a daughter so hard-	145-6: hard-favoured…ill-faced = a collection of synonyms, all meaning "ugly".
146	favoured, so foul, and ill-faced, that I think a grove full	146-8: a grove…deformity = even if Lampriscus was able
	of golden trees, and the leaves of rubies and diamonds,	to provide untold wealth as a dowry to a prospective
148	would not be a dowry answerable to her deformity.	husband, his second daughter would still not find
		anyone to marry her because of her wretched looks.
150	Erest. Well, neighbour, now you have spoke, hear me
	speak: send them to the well for the water of life; there	151: well = spring or water-hole.
152	shall they find their fortunes unlooked for. Neighbour,	water of life = water possessing supernatural powers:
	farewell.	the phrase water of life comes from Revelations 21:6 ("I will give him unto him that is a thirst of the well of the water of life freely) and 22:1 ("And he shewed me a pure river of water of life"), and refers to eternal life in Christ.
154
	Lamp. Farewell, and a thousand.	155: "a thousand times farewell" (Dyce).
156
	[Exit Erestus.]	157: Whitworth suggests that Erestus may not leave the
158		stage, but just withdraw into the background as he keeps by the cross.
	And now goeth poor Lampriscus to put in execution
160	this excellent counsel.	= advice.
162	[Exit.]
	SCENE III.
1	Frol. Why, this goes round without a fiddling-stick:	1: the story is moving along nicely, even without musical
2	but, do you hear, gammer, was this the man that was a	accompaniment (Whitworth, p. 231).
	bear in the night and a man in the day?
4
	Madge. Ay, this is he! and this man that came to him	ie. Lampriscus.
6	was a beggar, and dwelt upon a green. But soft! who
	come here? O, these are the harvest-men; ten to one	= reapers.^1
8	they sing a song of mowing.	= cutting the grain, as with a scythe.^1
10	Enter the Harvest-men a-singing,
	with this song double repeated.
12
	Harvest-Men.
14	All ye that lovely lovers be,
	Pray you for me:
16	Lo, here we come a-sowing, a-sowing,
	And sow sweet fruits of love;
18	In your sweet hearts well may it prove!
20	[Exeunt.]
	SCENE IV.
	The Cross.	Scene IV: it appears that this scene contains numerous allusions to an intense feud which raged in the early 1590's between the playwright Thomas Nashe and poet Gabriel Harvey; the scene and its many specific references to the harsh words that passed between the two authors is discussed in detain at the following site: www.anonymous-shakespeare.com/cms/index.248.0.1.html. In the interest of not burdening the reader with the minutia of these allusions, we have chosen to mostly omit their discussion.
	Enter Huanebango with his two-hand sword, and Corebus the Clown.	Entering Characters: Huanebango is a mock-errant, or wandering, knight, of the type the Spanish author Cervantes would make famous in his Don Quixote about a decade later; Huanebango's Spanish-sounding name is symbolic of the contempt the English held of all things Spanish during the reign of Elizabeth, especially in light of the fact that the English had destroyed the invading Spanish armada so recently (1588). Huanebango carries a two-handed sword, a large unwieldy instrument that had long been out of date by the late 16th century - another clue to the parodical nature of this character. Corebus is a country bumpkin (clown), who appears also to have visions of acting the errant-knight. Corebus was the name of the first victor in the first Olympic games. We note that the original edition refers to Corebus sometimes as Booby; we will stick with Corebus.
1	Fant. Gammer, what is he?	= who, referring to Huanebango.
2
	Madge. O, this is one that is going to the conjurer: let
4	him alone, hear what he says.
6	Huan. Now, by Mars and Mercury, Jupiter and	6-8: with an exaggerated oath, Huanebango swears on a multiplicity of Roman gods. Note how he alliteratively pairs the deities. Mars and Mercury = god of war and the messenger god. Jupiter and Janus = king of the gods and the two-faced god of doorways. Sol = the god of the sun, sometimes identified with Apollo. Saturnus = an ancient king of Italy, often identified with the Greek god Cronus, the father of the Olympian gods. Venus and Vesta = goddesses of beauty and the hearth. Pallas = alternate name for Minerva, goddess of wisdom and war. Proserpina = goddess of vegetation.
	Janus, Sol and Saturnus, Venus and Vesta, Pallas and
8	Proserpina, and by the honour of my house,	= ie. family, ancestry.
	Polimackeroeplacydus, it is a wonder to see what this	= our knight's family name is even more ridiculous than his given name; Whitworth observes that this name is a close adaptation of a name that actually appears in the ancient Roman dramatist Plautus' play Pseudolus, Polymachaeroplagides. This mouthful of a name appears to be a compound of three Greek words, meaning roughly "the son of many blows with a sword."^17 See the note at lines 43-46 below for additional discussion of this name. 9-10: what this…adventure = "what love will cause foolish (silly) men to risk to do"; while it is possible that Huanebango is addressing himself in this speech, it seems more likely he is admonishing Corebus, who apparently has arrived also planning to try to rescue Delia from the sorcerer.
10	love will make silly fellows adventure, even in the	10: adventure = risk.
	wane of their wits and infancy of their discretion. Alas,	10-11: even…discretion = even in the decline of their intelligences and immaturity of their judgment." The style of Huanebango's speech is reminiscent of the manner of writing, popularized by the playwright John Lyly in the 1580's, known as euphuism, which was characterized by the heavy use of parallel phrases and alliteration.
12	my friend! what fortune calls thee forth to seek thy
	fortune among brazen gates, enchanted towers, fire	= brass.
14	and brimstone, thunder and lightning? [Her] beauty, I	= added by Dyce.
	tell thee, is peerless, and she precious whom thou	= without equal.
16	affectest. Do off these desires, good countryman: good	= lovest. = do away with, dispense with.
	friend, run away from thyself; and, so soon as thou
18	canst, forget her, whom none must inherit but he that	= ie. "she whom". = take possession of.
	can monsters tame, labours achieve, riddles absolve,	19: labours achieve = great deeds were often performed by errant-knights for their ladies; fairy tales generally also featured noble acts performed by the hero. absolve = solve.
20	loose enchantments, murder magic, and kill conjuring,	20: loose = ie. remove, free a person from.
	− and that is the great and mighty Huanebango.	murder = ie. put an end to one's ability to use.
22
	Core. Hark you, sir, hark you. First know I have here	23ff: Corebus' earthy and humorous responses and decidedly
24	the flurting feather, and have given the parish the start	less-exalted language are the perfect foils for the inflated
	for the long stock: now, sir, if it be no more but	language of the self-aggrandizing Huanebango. Hark you = "listen up". 23-25: I have…stock = a difficult passage; the best interpretation suggested by past editors is that Corebus is showing off elements of his dress, as a way to demonstrate his equal status to Huanebango. He first points to a decorative feather on his hat, which he describes as flurting, which while not clearly defined in this context in the OED, may mean "erect" or "flaunting", based on a mid-17th century citation; then he gestures toward his stockings, which are fashionably fastened high above the knees.^4 In saying he has given the parish the start, Corebus means he has run away from his parish; Elizabethan laws proscribing vagabondage give this act significance. Another editor hence suggests that Corebus is actually daring parish officials to catch him if they can and put him into stocks.^4 Bullen has a different take, suggesting that Corebus is saying "I have been the first beau in the parish to adopt the long stocking of the town-gallants." Dyce, finally, wonders if by stock Peele means "sword", so that Corebus is saying, "I have left the parish for the long-sword", ie. to become a knight-errant.
26	running through a little lightning and thunder, and
	"riddle me, riddle me what's this?" I’ll have the wench	27: riddle…what's this = Gummere notes that the solving of riddles to win a bride or fortune or the like is common in folk-tales. have = take, ie. rescue.
28	from the conjurer, if he were ten conjurers.	= ie. even if.
30	Huan. I have abandoned the court and honourable
	company, to do my devoir against this sore sorcerer	31: do my devoir = "do my duty" or "take on this task".^1 sore = troublesome, severe;^1 note the wordplay of sore sorcerer.
32	and mighty magician: if this lady be so fair as she is
	said to be, she is mine, she is mine; meus, mea, meum,	= the knight lists the masculine, feminine and neutral Latin forms of my, as if he is reciting from a Latin grammar book.
34	in contemptum omnium grammaticorum.	= in contempt of all grammar.
36	Core. O falsum Latinum!	36: "oh, false Latin!"
	The fair maid is minum,	37: faux, and mocking, Latin for mine.
38	Cum apurtinantibus gibletis and all.	= "with its appurtenances". = mock Latin for giblets,
		ie. guts.
40	Huan. If she be mine, as I assure myself the heavens
	will do somewhat to reward my worthiness, she shall	= something.
42	be allied to none of the meanest gods, but be invested	= "not even the least of the".
	in the most famous stock of Huanebango	43-46: Huanebango exalts his family; Dyce notes that Peele
44	Polimackeroeplacydus my grandfather; my father	is likely satirizing the lengthy character names used by
	Pergopolineo; my mother Dionora de Sardinia,	Plautus in his comedy Miles Gloriosus, e.g. Pyrgopolynices
46	famously descended.	and Periplectomenus, but he seems to have missed the fact,
		as Whitworth points out, that the name of Huanebango's father, Pergopolineo, is actually an adaptation of Pyrgopolynices; the latter was the name of the boastful soldier in Miles Gloriosus. stock = progenitor of a family line.^1 A fascinating theory by 19th century drama scholar Frederick Fleay (as described by Gummere) suggests these names were designed to satirize the lowly background of poet and author Gabriel Harvey (supposedly a favourite sport of his enemies), and specifically to mock Harvey's father for being a mere rope-maker: hence, the names may be understood to read as Grecianized versions of "Polly-make-a-rope-lass" and "Perg-up-a-line-O". Having shared Fleay's theory, Gummere lets his readers know he himself is not convinced, with this single comment: "Fleay is bold." Dionora de Sardinia = another invented name by Peele.
48	Core. Do you hear, sir? had not you a cousin that was
	called Gusteceridis?
50
	Huan. Indeed, I had a cousin that sometime followed
52	the court infortunately, and his name	= common variation of unfortunately, meaning "without luck".
	Bustegusteceridis.	= this name of the knight's kin includes elements of bust,
54		meaning "container", and gust, referring to the sense of taste;^1 the name suggests that this gentleman was a notorious glutton, as the succeeding discussion confirms. A modern reader might sense the modern phrase "bust a gut" in the name, but the OED suggests the word bust did not gain its meaning of "burst" for another half-century.
	Core. O lord, I know him well! he is the knight of the
56	neat's-feet.	= a popular food, the heel of a cow or ox.^1
58	Huan. O, he loved no capon better! he hath often-	= castrated cock, another popular food.^1
	times deceived his boy of his dinner; that was his fault,	59: deceived…dinner = ie. tricked his servant boy out of
60	good Bustegusteceridis.	his dinner.
		fault = weakness, defect.
62	Core. Come, shall we go along?
64	Enter Erestus at the Cross.
66	Soft! here is an old man at the cross: let us ask him the
	way thither. − Ho, you gaffer! I pray you tell where the	= to there, ie. Sacrapant's castle. = grandfather. = please.
68	wise man the conjurer dwells.	= term for a magician or wizard.^1
70	Huan. Where that earthly goddess keepeth her abode,	70-72: Huanebango describes Delia.
	the commander of my thoughts, and fair mistress of
72	my heart.
74	Erest. Fair enough, and far enough from thy	74-75: ie. "she is truly beautiful enough, and far away
	fingering, son.	enough from your ability to capture her, sonny."
76		Note the exceptional alliteration in this line, which is continued by Huanebango in the next line, as well as the wordplay of fair enough and far enough. fingering = pilfering, laying one's hands on.^1,2
	Huan. I will follow my fortune after mine own fancy,
78	and do according to mine own discretion.	= act.
80	Erest. Yet give something to an old man before you
	go.
82
	Huan. Father, methinks a piece of this cake might	83-84: Huanebango contemptuously gestures to some
84	serve your turn.	sweetened bread carried by Corebus.
		turn = purpose or need.
86	Erest. Yea, son.
88	Huan. Huanebango giveth no cakes for alms: ask of	88-89: This is not the response one would expect from a supposedly virtuous knight-errant.
	them that give gifts for poor beggars. − Fair lady, if	89-91: Fair lady…haratantara = the knight apostrophizes
90	thou wert once shrined in this bosom, I would buckler	to Delia as he turns his attention to his mission, saying
	thee haratantara.	roughly, "beautiful maiden, if you ever become enshrined
92		in my heart, I will defend (buckler)^1 you to the death." Fair lady = describes, and sometimes used as a term of endearment as here for, a woman who is the object of one's love, especially in a chivalrous context.^1 haratantara = usually written taratantara, an imitative sound of a trumpet.^1
	[Exit.]
94
	Core. Father, do you see this man? you little think	95-97: you think…pudding = Corebus notes that
96	he'll run a mile or two for such a cake, or pass for a	Huanebango seems to share the same passion for food
	pudding. I tell you, father, he has kept such a begging	as does his gluttonous relative: "you wouldn't believe that he actually would run a mile or two himself for a piece of cake, or that he cares for (pass for = care for) any such savoury desert."
98	of me for a piece of this cake! Whoo! he comes upon
	me with ''a superfantial substance, and the foison of	99-100: a superfantial…earth = Corebus parodies the pompous and high-styled language of the knight. superfantial = a made-up word; fantial itself is a nonsense word. foison = plenty or abundance.^3
100	the earth," that I know not what he means. If he came	100: "but if he were to come".
	to me thus, and said, “My friend Corebus,” or so, why,	= the original edition has Booby written here; as mentioned earlier, we will, for the sake of consistency, stick strictly with Corebus.
102	I could spare him a piece with all my heart; but when
	he tells me how God hath enriched me above other
104	fellows with a cake, why, he makes me blind and deaf	104-5: he makes…at once = ie. Corebus instantly shuts out Huanebango's pleading for a piece of cake as soon as he begins speaking in his heroic manner.
	at once. Yet, father, here is a piece of cake for you, as	105-6: as hard…goes = "cruel as the world is," or "hard as
106	hard as the world goes.	he times are."^5
108	[Gives cake.]
110	Erest. Thanks, son, but list to me;	110-3: the short rhyming couplets of Erestus' speech are typical of those used as here for prophetic pronounce- ments. list = listen.
	He shall be deaf when thou shalt not see.
112	Farewell, my son: things may so hit,	= ie. turn out.
	Thou mayst have wealth to mend thy wit.	= "supplement or compensate for your (meager) intelli- gence."^1
114
	Core. Farewell, father, farewell; for I must make haste	= ie. hurry.
116	after my two-hand sword that is gone before.	= ie. Huanebango. = "who has gone ahead."
118	[Exeunt severally.]	118: the two men exit the stage in separate directions, Corebus presumably following in Huanebango's foot- steps.
	SCENE V.
	Sacrapant's Castle.
	Enter Sacrapant in his study.	Entering Character: we finally meet our play's villain, the sorcerer Sacrapant.
1	Sacr. The day is clear, the welkin bright and gray,	= sky. = Whitworth suggests gray means blue.
2	The lark is merry and records her notes;	= sings, warbles.^2
	Each thing rejoiceth underneath the sky,
4	But only I, whom Heaven hath in hate,	4: note the alliteration in the line.
	Wretched and miserable Sacrapant.
6	In Thessaly was I born and brought up;
	My mother Meroe hight, a famous witch,	= "was called Meroe"; Meroe was the name of a witch who appeared in the 2nd-century romance Metamorphoses (more commonly referred to as The Golden Ass), by the African-born Latin writer Apuleius.
8	And by her cunning I of her did learn	= could mean "knowledge" or "magic". = "from her".
	To change and alter shapes of mortal men.
10	There did I turn myself into a dragon,
	And stole away the daughter to the king,	= kidnapped.
12	Fair Delia, the mistress of my heart;	12: Sacrapant is in love with Delia; she, however, does not reciprocate his feelings.
	And brought her hither to revive the man,	13-15: Sacrapant is actually a very old man, but he has used his magic so as to appear to others as a handsome youth. 13: "and brought her here to give life back to the old man, ie. me."
14	That seemeth young and pleasant to behold,
	And yet is agèd, crookèd, weak, and numb.	= the sense seems to be "emotionally dead".
16	Thus by enchanting spells I do deceive
	Those that behold and look upon my face;
18	But well may I bid youthful years adieu.	18: "but I may as well kiss my youthful looks goodbye": Sacrapant regrets that his appealing appearance does him no good, as Delia has not fallen in love with him.
	See where she comes from whence my sorrows grow!	= technically redundant, but common, expression, as whence alone means "from where".
20
	Enter Delia with a pot in her hand.	Entering Character: Delia is the daughter of the king
22		whom Sacrapant has kidnapped, and whose brothers, among others, are searching for her. pot = pitcher.
	How now, fair Delia! where have you been?
24
	Delia. At the foot of the rock for running water, and
26	gathering roots for your dinner, sir.
28	Sacr. Ah, Delia,
	Fairer art thou than the running water.
30	Yet harder far than steel or adamant!	= a legendary rock or mineral of great hardness.
32	Delia. Will it please you to sit down, sir?
34	Sacr. Ay, Delia, sit and ask me what thou wilt,
	Thou shalt have it brought into thy lap.
36
	Delia. Then, I pray you, sir, let me have the best meat	= roast beef, according to Gummere.
38	from the King of England's table, and the best wine in
	all France, brought in by the veriest knave in all Spain.	= "greatest scoundrel in all of Spain"; as discussed earlier, relations between England and Spain were poor in these years; as Dyce points out, a particular sore point had been the discovery of Spanish involvement in the 1586 Babington Plot, a scheme to kill Elizabeth and replace her with the imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots. veriest = common superlative of the era, usually applied to a term of abuse; in Shakespeare we find veriest varlet, veriest shrew, and veriest hind.
40
	Sacr. Delia, I am glad to see you so pleasant:	= droll, in a good mood.
42	Well, sit thee down. −
	Spread, table, spread;	43-49: Sacrapant casts a spell; note the rhyme scheme of
44	Meat, drink, and bread,	the spell, aabbaca.
	Ever may I have
46	What I ever crave,
	When I am spread:
48	For meat for my black cock,	48: most editors delete the first For.
	And meat for my red.	48-49: Gummere notes that this incantation is "less uncanny than usual", as cocks of various colours held significance in various superstitions; indeed, a little research leads to the discovery that witches were typically believed to have black cocks as familiars (as well as black cats), that black cocks were used frequently in magical incantations, and that in Scotland, a formula for a cure for epilepsy included burying a live black cock;^14 another source describes a Scottish tradition of administering the blood of a red cock for medicinal purposes.^15
50
	Enter a Friar with a chine of beef and a pot of wine.	= section or joint.^2
52
	Here, Delia, will ye fall to?	= ie. begin eating.
54
	Delia. Is this the best meat in England?
56
	Sacr. Yea.
58
	Delia. What is it?
60
	Sacr. A chine of English beef, meat for a king and a
62	king’s followers.
64	Delia. Is this the best wine in France?
66	Sacr. Yea.
68	Delia. What wine is it?
70	Sacr. A cup of neat wine of Orleans, that never came	70: neat = undiluted.^1
	near the brewers in England.	Orleans = a number of plays of the era reference this fine
72		wine-growing region.^16 that never…England = Whitworth explains that brewers were dealers in wine who diluted it before they sold it (p. 238), though the OED does not support such a meaning.
	Delia. Is this the veriest knave in all Spain?
74
	Sacr. Yea.
76
	Delia. What, is he a friar?
78
	Sacr. Yea, a friar indefinite, and a knave infinite.	79: indefinite = unclear meaning; Whitworth proposes
80		"belonging to no particular order". infinite = ie. of boundless degree. We may note that hatred and mockery of Catholics was also encouraged during the reign of Elizabeth.
	Delia. Then, I pray ye, Sir Friar, tell me before you
82	go, which is the most greediest Englishman?	= who. = double superlatives were common and acceptable.
84	Friar. The miserable and most covetous usurer.	= money-lender; these were understood to be Jewish.
86	Sacr. Hold thee there, friar.	86: ie. "maintain that opinion".
88	[Exit Friar.]
90	But, soft!
	Who have we here? Delia, away, be gone!	= ie. "who is this approaching?"
92
	Enter the Two Brothers.
94
	Delia, away! for beset are we. −
96	But Heaven [n]or hell shall rescue her for me.	= ie. from.
98	[Exeunt Delia and Sacrapant.]
100	1st Broth. Brother, was not that Delia did appear,	100-6: the two brothers converse briefly in rhyming couplets.
	Or was it but her shadow that was here?	= ghost.
102
	2nd Broth. Sister, where art thou? Delia, come again!
104	He calls, that of thy absence doth complain. −	104: referring to himself.
	Call out, Calypha, that she may hear,	105: Calypha is stressed on its second syllable - ca-LY-pha;
106	And cry aloud, for Delia is near.	Dyce suggests adding a word such as "call" after Calypha to repair the line's meter.
108	Echo. Near.	108-116: an off-stage echo is heard which repeats the last word spoken by either of the brothers.
110	1st Broth. Near! O, where? hast thou any tidings?	= news; the brothers respond to the echo under the belief
		that it is a real person answering them.
112	Echo. Tidings.
114	2nd Broth. Which way is Delia, then? or that, or this?
116	Echo. This.
118	1st Broth. And may we safely come where Delia is?
120	Echo. Yes.
122	2nd Broth. Brother, remember you the white bear of England's wood?
	"Start not aside for every danger,	123-4: the 2nd Brother does not exactly repeat Erestus'
124	Be not afeard of every stranger;	admonishment: the original prophecy had at instead of
	Things that seem are not the same."	for, and afraid for afeard, and reverses the order of
126		the first two lines.
	1st Broth. Brother,
128	Why do we not, then, courageously enter?
130	2nd Broth. Then, brother, draw thy sword and follow me.
132	Re-enter Sacrapant the Conjurer: it lightens and	= ie. flashes lightning.
	thunders; the Second Brother falls down.
134
	1st Broth. What, brother, dost thou fall?
136
	Sacr. Ay, and thou too, Calypha.
138
	[The First Brother falls down.]
140
	Adestes, daemones!	141: "come, demons!" Latin was the traditional best language with which to communicate with spirits.
142
	Enter Two Furies.	= ie. demons.
144
	Away with them:
146	Go carry them straight to Sacrapanto's cell,	= private room or chamber.
	There in despair and torture for to dwell.	= ie. to.
148
	[Exeunt Furies with the Two Brothers.]	149: the Furies carry out the unconscious brothers.
150
	These are Thenores' sons of Thessaly,	151: as a magician, Sacrapant has no trouble recognizing
152	That come to seek Delia their sister forth:	Delia's brothers; Thenores is presumably the queen of their homeland.
	But, with a potion I to her have given,
154	My arts have made her to forget herself.	= magic.
156	[He removes a turf, and shows a light in a glass.]	156: turf = ie. a section or slab of grass-covered earth.
		light in a glass = a burning flame in a glass case; Gummere refers to this light as an example of what is known as a life-index, an external object whose condition can be used to judge the health or safety of a particular individual.
158	See here the thing which doth prolong my life,
	With this enchantment I do any thing;
160	And till this fade, my skill shall still endure,	160: till this fade = ie. "so long as this this light does not go out". skill = magic, ie. any spell he casts. still = always, forever.
	And never none shall break this little glass.	= double negatives were common and acceptable.
162	But she that's neither wife, widow, nor maid:	162: another prophecy: the only person who can possibly break the glass and put out the light (which would release any victims from Sacrapant's spells) is a woman who is neither a wife, widow, nor maid.
	Then cheer thyself; this is thy destiny,
164	Never to die but by a dead man's hand.	164: yet another prophecy.
166	[Exit.]
	SCENE VI.
	The Cross.
	Enter Eumenides.	Entering Character: yet another visitor from Greece:
		Eumenides is one more errant-knight, but he is the real thing.
1	Eum. Tell me, Time,
2	Tell me, just Time, when shall I Delia see?
	When shall I see the loadstar of my life?	= ie. guiding star, meaning Delia.
4	When shall my wandering course end with her sight,
	Or I but view my hope, my heart's delight?
6
	Enter Erestus at the Cross.
8
	Father, God speed! if you tell fortunes, I pray, good	= expression of good will.
10	father, tell me mine.
12	Erest. Son, I do see in thy face	12-21: Erestus offers another prophecy, again in rhyming couplets.
	Thy blessèd fortune work apace:	= approaching quickly.
14	I do perceive that thou hast wit;	= catch-all word for intelligence and cleverness.
	Beg of thy fate to govern it,	= "ask".
16	For wisdom governed by advice,
	Makes many fortunate and wise.
18	Bestow thy alms, give more than all,	18: Erestus advises Eumenides to give all he has to the poor.
	Till dead men's bones come at thy call.	19: the meaning of this ominous-sounding prediction will
20	Farewell, my son: dream of no rest,	become clear in Scene X.
	Till thou repent that thou didst best.
22
	[Exit.]
24
	Eum. This man hath left me in a labyrinth:	= figurative for "in a state of perplexity".
26	He biddeth me give more than all,	= instructs.
	Till dead men's bones come at my call;
28	He biddeth me dream of no rest,
	Till I repent that I do best.
30
	[Lies down and sleeps.]	31: Eumenides has immediately forgotten or ignores Erestus' admonition to dream of no rest!
32
	Enter Wiggen, Corebus, Churchwarden, and Sexton.	Entering Characters: Wiggen's friend Jack has just died, and he is angrily trying to convince the unwilling Churchwarden and Sexton that they should bury him. We note that the Churchwarden has been rather pointlessly given the full name of Steeven Loach. The sexton is the officer of the church responsible for digging graves and ringing the bells. The churchwarden is an elected lay officer who is responsible generally for the maintenance of the church grounds and buildings.
34
	Wigg. You may be ashamed, you whoreson scald	= vile, contemptible;^2 Bullen suggest "scabby".
36	Sexton and Churchwarden, if you had any shame in
	those shameless faces of yours, to let a poor man lie so
38	long above ground unburied. A rot on you all, that
	have no more compassion of a good fellow when he is
40	gone!
42	Church. What, would you have us to bury him, and
	to answer it ourselves to the parish?	= ie. assume the costs of the burial.
44
	Sext. Parish me no parishes; pay me my fees, and let	45-46: pay me…accounts = the Sexton only wants his fees, but otherwise doesn't care if the parish bears the other costs of the funeral.^7
46	the rest run on in the quarter's accounts, and put it
	down for one of your good deeds, o' God's name! for I	47-48: for I…merits = the sense is, "as long as I get my money, I don't care about the merits of the case."
48	am not one that curiously stands upon merits.	= fastidiously.^1
50	Core. You whoreson, sodden-headed sheep's face,	50: sodden-headed = one who appears stupidly as if his head had been soaked in water, with a specific implication of being a drunkard.^1 sheep's face = having the face of an animal as stupid as a sheep.^1
	shall a good fellow do less service and more honesty	51-52: shall a…parish = "shall a man like Jack perform so many good deeds for and be so generous to the parish". By less service, Corebus means more service - as Whitworth points out, Corebus is prone to comically misspeaking.
52	to the parish, and will you not, when he is dead, let
	him have Christmas burial?	= malapropism for Christian.^4
54
	Wigg. Peace, Corebus! as sure as Jack was Jack, the	= "quiet".
56	frolic'st franion amongst you, and I, Wiggen, his sweet	= merriest fellow; see line 8 of the play's opening scene.
	sworn brother. Jack shall have his funerals, or some of	57: sworn brother = ie. pledged as the closest of compan- ions, as if they were brothers-in-arms.^4 funerals = ie. funeral rites.^3 57-58: some…for it = ie. a threat to kill the church officials if Jack is not buried.
58	them shall lie on God's dear earth for it, that's once.	= "that's flat," or "that's settled once and for all."^3,5
60	Church. Wiggen, I hope thou wilt do no more than
	thou darest answer.	= be held accountable for, take responsibility for.
62
	Wigg. Sir, sir, dare or dare not, more or less, answer	63: the frustrated Wiggen mocks the Churchwarden's
64	or not answer, do this, or have this.	formulaic responses to his plea.
66	[Wiggen sets upon the parish with a pike-staff.]	66: in the original edition, this line is actually printed as part
		of the Sexton's next speech, but most editors transform it into a stage direction. parish = ie. the Churchwarden; we note, as did Whitworth, that the OED has no entry confirming the use of the word parish to refer to an individual. pike-staff = a walking stick or staff with a metal point at one end.^1
68	Sext. Help, help, help!
70	[Eumenides awakes and comes to them.]
72	Eum. Hold thy hands, good fellow.
74	Core. Can you blame him, sir, if he take Jack's part	= side.
	against this shake-rotten parish that will not bury Jack?	= the OED says simply, "a term of abuse"; rotten suggests putridity or corruption.
76
	Eum. Why, what was that Jack?	= who.
78
	Core. Who, Jack, sir? who, our Jack, sir? as good a
80	fellow as ever trod upon neat's-leather.	= "as ever walked in shoe-leather"; this expression appeared first (verbatim) in an anonymous play, Misogonus, which was written in the 1560's or 1570's, and was used also once in one of John Lyly's and twice in Shakespeare's plays. neat's leather = hide of a cow.
82	Wigg. Look you, sir; he gave fourscore and nineteen	= 99.
	mourning gowns to the parish, when he died, and	= ie. gowns given to the church to be worn by the poor to attend Jack's funeral.^7
84	because he would not make them up a full hundred,
	they would not bury him: was not this good dealing?	= ie. good conduct or treatment, fair dealing (ironic).^1
86		Wiggen seems to be suggesting that Jack had promised a donation to the church in return for being properly buried, but because Jack did not fulfill the agreement to the letter, the church is reneging on its end of the bargain.
	Church. O Lord, sir, how he lies! he was not worth a
88	halfpenny, and drunk out every penny; and now his
	fellows, his drunken companions, would have us to
90	bury him at the charge of the parish. And we make	= expense. = if.
	many such matches, we may pull down the steeple,	= contracts, agreements. = ie. "may as well".
92	sell the bells, and thatch the chancel: he shall lie above	= the Churchwarden means they will have to sell the slate or lead of the roof, and replace it with something cheap like thatch (Shaugnessy, p. 30).^22 chancel = the end of the church by the alter, usually separated from the rest of the church by a screen or bar.^9
	ground till he dance a galliard about the church-yard,	= an oft-mentioned lively dance.^2
94	for Steeven Loach.	= the Churchwarden's own full name.
96	Wigg. Sic argumentaris, Domine Loach, − "And we make	= "thus you argue, Master Loach"; a phrase from the art of
	many such matches, we may pull down the steeple,	Latin disputation, which was a dominant teaching method
98	sell the bells, and thatch the chancel?" − in good time,	in universities of the Renaissance (Taylor, p. 940).^10
	sir, and hang yourself in the bell-ropes, when you
100	have done. Domine, opponens præpono tibi hanc	100-1: Domine…quæstionem = "sir, in opposition, I put before you this question".^19
	quæstionem, whether will you have the ground broken	= ie. into which to bury Jack.
102	or your pates broken first? for one of them shall be	= heads.
	done presently, and to begin mine, I’ll seal it upon	103: presently = immediately. to begin mine = the editors generally agree Wiggen means, "to begin my argument (with the help of my pike-staff)", though Dyce thinks words are missing here. I'll seal it = "I'll ratify it"; to seal something, such as a letter, means to pour wax on it and impress it with one's seal: a metaphor here for giving a beating to.
104	your coxcomb.	= head; a coxcomb was the ridiculous cap sometimes worn by a jester, which had the form of the crest of a cock.
106	Eum. Hold thy hands, I pray thee, good fellow; be not	= please.
	too hasty.
108
	Core. You capon's face, we shall have you turned out	109: capon's face = having the (dull-witted) face of a castrated cock.^1 109-110: turned out of = driven out of, banished from.
110	of the parish one of these days, with never a tatter to	= not even a shred of clothing.
	your arse; then you are in worse taking than Jack.	= "then you will be in even a worse condition or plight than
112		is Jack (who is dead)."
	Eum. Faith, and he is bad enough. This fellow does
114	but the part of a friend, to seek to bury his friend:
	how much will bury him?	= ie. how much money.
116
	Wigg. Faith, about some fifteen or sixteen shillings
118	will bestow him honestly.	= deposit or lodge, ie. bury, him respectably.^1
120	Sext. Ay, even thereabouts, sir.
122	Eum. Here, hold it, then: − [Aside] and I have left me	= Eumenides begins to hand the necessary money over to the sexton.
	but one poor three half-pence: now do I remember the	= from 1561 to 1582, a silver coin worth three half-pence, or
124	words the old man spake at the cross, "Bestow all thou	1½ pence, was minted, allowing half-penny purchases to
	hast," and this is all, “till dead men's bones come at	be made.^20
126	thy call:" − here, hold it [gives money]; and so farewell
128	Wigg. God, and all good, be with you, sir!
130	[Exit Eumenides.]
132	Nay, you cormorants, I'll bestow one peal of Jack at	132: cormorants = cormorant describes a voraciously
	mine own proper costs and charges.	greedy person, like the sea-bird of the same name with the same insatiable appetite. I'll bestow…charges = Wiggen will pay a bit of his own money to have the bell rung to mark Jack's passing. of = on or for.
134
	Core. You may thank God the long staff and the	135-6: Corebus means that the church officials are lucky they did not receive a thrashing from himself with his own weapons. long staff = the OED suggests either (1) a simple long pole, or (2) such a long pole with a metal tip, which was a common weapon owned by England's rural population. bilbo-blade = ie. sword; allusion to Bilboa, a Spanish city known for the manufacture there of the high-quality Spanish sword called a "bilbo".
136	bilbo-blade crossed not your coxcomb[s]. − Well, we'll	136-7: we'll…trill-lill = briefly, "let's go grab a drink."
	to the church-stile and have a pot, and so trill-lill.	church-stile = the stile at an entrance to a church, where,
138		as Nielson points out, an ale-house often stood. A 1642 poem contains the lines, "For at every mile, close at the Church stile, / An house is ordain'd for a pot of Good Ale." pot = vessel for drinking ale. trill-lill = onomatopoeic word for the flowing of a liquid.^1
	[Exit Coreus and Wiggen.]
140
	Church and Sext. Come, let’s go.
142
	[Exeunt.]
	SCENE VII.
1	Fant. But, hark you, gammer, methinks this Jack bore	= listen. = had, exercised.
2	a great sway in the parish.	= influence.
4	Madge. O, this Jack was a marvelous fellow! he was
	but a poor man, but very well beloved: you shall see
6	anon what this Jack will come to.	= shortly.
8	Enter the Harvest-men singing,
	with women in their hands.	= ie. holding the men's hands (Whitworth, p. 246).
10
	Frol. Soft! who have we here? our amorous
12	harvesters.	= the original edition oddly prints harvest starres here.
14	Fant. Ay, ay, let us sit still, and let them alone.
16	Here the Harvest-men begin to sing, the song doubled.	= sung twice.
18	SONG.
20	Lo, here we come a-reaping, a-reaping,
	To reap our harvest-fruit!
22	And thus we pass the year so long,
	And never be we mute.
24
	[Exeunt the Harvest-men.]
	SCENE VIII.
	Outside Sacrapant's Castle.
	Enter Huanebango.
1	Frol. Soft! who have we here?	1-5: A continuity error: Frantic and Madge act as if they are meeting Huanebango for the first time. Soft = "wait a minute!"
2
	Madge. O, this is a choleric gentleman! All you that	= ill-tempered.
4	love your lives, keep out of the smell of his two-hand	= ie. reach or range.
	sword: now goes he to the conjurer.
6
	Fant. Methinks the conjurer should put the fool into a
8	juggling-box.	= unclear reference; to juggle is to conjure, so clearly some sort of magician's prop, perhaps a container into which a magician can place a person and cause the individual to "disappear".
10	Huan. Fee, fa, fum,	10: Fee, fa, fum = early version of the well-known
	Here is the Englishman, −	collection of nonsense syllables (fee-fi-fo-fum!) chanted
12	Conquer him that can, −	by the giant in the fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk; an 1877
	Come for his lady bright.	dictionary of Gaelic terms argues the phrase may be traced
14	To prove himself a knight,	back to a very ancient version of the story (told by the native
	And win her love in fight.	Celts, in which a Celtic giant expresses a desire to eat a Saxon invader), and that the individual syllables actually have meanings, and create a coherent sentence: fa = faich, meaning "see" or "behold". fe = fiadh, meaning "food". fi = fiù, meaning "good to eat". fo = fogh, meaning "sufficient". fum = feum, meaning "hunger". When you string the words together, you get a sentence that means "Behold food, good to eat, sufficient for my hunger!"^11 Finally, note the rhyme scheme of Huanebango's little poem (lines 10-15): abbccc.
16
	Enter Corebus the Clown.	= rustic.
18
	Core. Who-haw, Master Bango, are you here? hear	19-20: note Corebus' wordplay with you here and hear you.
20	you, you had best sit down here, and beg an alms with	= better. = for.
	me.
22
	Huan. Hence, base cullion! here is he that	23: Hence, base cullion! = "get out of here, you low-born rogue!" he that = "he who", meaning himself.
24	commandeth ingress and egress with his weapon, and	= "decides who enters and who exits".
	will enter at his voluntary, whosoever saith no.	195: "will enter at his own say-so, regardless of who else might say 'no'."
26
	A Voice. No.	27: Whitworth asserts this is the voice of Sacrapant, who is
28		in hiding.
	[A flame of fire; and Huanebango falls down.]
30
	Madge. So with that they kissed, and spoiled the edge	31-32: humorous way to describe Huanebango, sword in
32	of as good a two-hand sword as ever God put life in.	hand, falling down, where his sword scraped a rock or other surface, dulling its edge.
	Now goes Corebus in, spite of the conjurer.	= ie. in spite of.
34
	Enter Sacrapant and Two Furies.
36
	Sacr. Away with him into the open fields,
38	To be a ravening prey to crows and kites:	38: ravening prey = ravening means "ravenous" or
		"voracious";^1 the line presents an arresting example of a figure of speech called a hypallage, in which the adjective ravening is applied to something other than what it actually is describing - the prey is not ravening, but the crows and kites are. kites = a kite is a bird of prey.
40	[Huanebango is carried out by the Two Furies.]
42	And for this villain, let him wander up and down.	= ie. Corebus.
	In naught but darkness and eternal night.	= nothing.
44
	[Strikes Corebus blind.]
46
	Core. Here hast thou slain Huan, a slashing knight,	= spirited.
48	And robbed poor Corebus of his sight.	47-48: note Corebus' rhyming couplet.
50	Sacr. Hence, villain, hence!	= "away!"
52	[Exit Corebus.]
54	Now I have unto Delia
	Given a potion of forgetfulness.
56	That, when she comes, she shall not know her brothers.
	Lo, where they labour, like to country-slaves,	57: "look (Lo), there they labour, as if they were rural slaves"; such a reference to country-slaves might be odd if it had come out of an English character's mouth, but the Greek sorcerer was presumably thinking of actual slaves in his homeland.
58	With spade and mattock, on this enchanted ground!	= a tool for loosening hard ground; the terms spade and
	Now will I call her by another name;	mattock were frequently paired in the era's literature.
60	For never shall she know herself again,
	Until that Sacrapant hath breathed his last.
62	See where she comes.
64	Enter Delia.
66	Come hither, Delia, take this goad; here hard	66: hither = here.
	At hand two slaves do work and dig for gold:	Delia = though the sorcerer just said he would not call
68	Gore them with this, and thou shalt have enough.	Delia by her real name, he does so now, perhaps just to
		test her. goad = a rod with a pointed metal end, used to drive cattle and draught animals.^1,9 66-67: hard at hand = close by.
70	[He gives her a goad.]
72	Delia. Good sir, I know not what you mean.
74	Sacr. [Aside] She hath forgotten to be Delia,
	But not forgot the same she should forget;	75: an unclear line: a possible interpretation is, "but she has not forgotten to call me sir, instead of using my given name, a sign that she is not attracted to me." Gummere suggests the same means "as much as".
76	But I will change her name. −
	Fair Berecynthia, so this country calls you,	= Sacrapant borrows an alternate name of the goddess Cybele, also called Rhea, who was known as the protector of castles. Berecynthia was the name of the mountain on which Cybele was worshipped.^12
78	Go ply these strangers, wench; they dig for gold.	= spur, drive.
80	[Exit Sacrapant.]
82	Delia. O heavens, how
	Am I beholding to this fair young man!	= beholden. = ie. Sacrapant, as he appears to her.
84	But I must ply these strangers to their work:
	See where they come.
86
	Enter the Two Brothers in their shirts,	= undershirts, ie. with their princely outer clothing removed.
88	with spades, digging.
90	1st Broth. O brother, see where Delia is!
92	2nd Broth. O Delia,
	Happy are we to see thee here!
94
	Delia. What tell you me of Delia, prating swains?	= chattering country labourers or rustics.^1
96	I know no Delia, nor know I what you mean.
	Ply you your work, or else you're like to smart.	= ie. "apply yourselves to". = "likely to smart", ie. if she
98		prods them with the goad.
	1st Broth. Why, Delia, know'st thou not thy brothers here?
100	We come from Thessaly to seek thee forth;
	And thou deceiv'st thyself, for thou art Delia.
102
	Delia. Yet more of Delia? then take this, and smart:
104
	[Pricks them with the goad.]
106
	What, feign you shifts for to defer your labour?	= "dare you concoct false pretexts".
108	Work, villains, work; it is for gold you dig.
110	2nd Broth. Peace, brother, peace: this vild enchanter	= "be quiet". = vile.
	Hath ravished Delia of her senses clean,
112	And she forgets that she is Delia.
114	1st Broth. Leave, cruèl thou, to hurt the miserable. −	114: "please stop, you cruel one, hurting the already wretched."
	Dig, brother, dig, for she is hard as steel.	= this still-common expression can be traced back to at
116		least 1560.
	Here they dig,
118	and descry a light in a glass under a little hill.	= see, spy.
120	2nd Broth. Stay, brother; what hast thou descried?	120: "stop".
122	Delia. Away, and touch it not; it is something that my
	lord hath hidden there.
124
	[She covers it again.]
126
	Re-enter Sacrapant.
128
	Sacr. Well said! thou plyest these pioners well. −	129: Well said = common phrase for "well done". thou plyest = "you are driving". pioners = diggers, excavators.^2
130	Go get you in, you labouring slaves.	= ie. inside.
132	[Exeunt the Two Brothers.]
134	Come, Berecynthia, let us in likewise,	= go in.
	And hear the nightingale record her notes.	= sing.
136
	[Exeunt.]
	SCENE IX.
	The Well of Life.
	Enter Zantippa, the curst Daughter,	Entering Character: Zantippa is Lampriscus' shrewish
	to the Well of Life, with a pot in her hand.	(curst) daughter. Whitworth notes that the name is derived from the philosopher Socrates' famously shrewish wife Xanthippe. pot = pitcher.
1	Zant. Now for a husband, house, and home: God send
2	a good one or none, I pray God! My father hath sent	= ie. a husband.
	me to the well for the water of life, and tells me, if I
4	give fair words, I shall have a husband. But here	= flattering or specious words; Zantippa is perhaps sarcastic,
	comes Celanta my sweet sister: I'll stand by and hear	resenting that she will have to ask politely or recite an
6	what she says.	obsequious formula just to get a man. We may note, however, that Erestus' prophecy did not include an instruction for Lampriscus' girls to say anything specific to get husbands, only that the unlucky father should "send them to the well for the water of life."
8	[Retires.]	8: it was a convention of Elizabethan drama for a character to hide at the approach of another, in order to hear what he or she will say; it was a further convention for the newly-appearing character to conveniently speak his or her thoughts aloud for the hidden individual to hear them.
10	Enter Celanta, the foul wench, to the well for	Entering Character: Celanta is Lampriscus' ugly (foul)
	water with a pot in her hand.	daughter.
12
	Cel. My father hath sent me to the well for water, and
14	he tells me, if I speak fair, I shall have a husband, and
	none of the worst. Well, though I am black, I am sure	= ie. "not a bad one either." = of swarthy complexion, hence unattractive; in the Elizabethan era, paler skin was viewed as more desirable.
16	all the world will not forsake me; and, as the old
	proverb is, though I am black, I am not the devil.	17: "though I am ugly, I am not a bad person." The expression appears verbatim in Elizabethan author Robert Greene's A Quip for an Upstart Courtier.
18
	Zant. [Coming forward] Marry-gup with a murren, I	= common oath. = with a pox, ie. "a plague take you;"^6 an intensifier of the oath.
20	know wherefore thou speakest that: but go thy ways	= "why you said that."
	home as wise as thou camest, or I'll set thee home
22	with a wanion.	= with a vengeance or plague.^1,5
24	[Here she strikes her pitcher against her sister’s,
	and breaks them both, and exits.]
26
	Cel. I think this be the curstest quean in the world:	= "most ill-tempered, impudent woman".^1
28	you see what she is, a little fair, but as proud as the	= somewhat attractive.
	devil, and the veriest vixen that lives upon God's earth.	= greatest shrew, most quarrelsome female.^1
30	Well, I'll let her alone, and go home, and get another
	pitcher, and, for all this, get me to the well for water.
32
	[Exit.]
34
	Enter, out of Sacrapant’s cell, the Two Furies	= living chamber.
36	carrying Huanebango; they lay him
	by the Well of Life, and then exeunt.	35-37: Huanebango is laid behind the well where Zantippa
38		cannot immediately see him.
	Re-enter Zantippa with a pitcher to the well.
40
	Zant. Once again for a husband; and, in faith, Celanta,	41f: true to her nature, Zantippa is unhappy to have to
42	I have got the start of you; belike husbands grow by	moderate her character just to get a husband. 41-42: in faith…well-side = probably sarcastic: "truly, my sister, I have a head-start over you in the race to get a husband (ie. because I am at the well and you are not); it is very likely (belike) that husbands just grow next to the spring." the start of = ie. an advantage over.
	the well-side. Now my father says I must rule my	= control.
44	tongue: why, alas, what am I, then? a woman without a
	tongue is as a soldier without his weapon: but I'll have
46	my water, and be gone.
48	Here she offers to dip her pitcher in,	49-50: here is an opportunity for some fun special effects.
	and a Head rises in the well.	Peele borrowed the idea of the disembodied heads rising out of a well from an old English fairy tale, The Three Heads of the Well; the story can be found in Joseph Jacob's collection English Fairy Tales (London: David Nutt, 1890, pp. 222-28). offers = starts.
50
	Head. Gently dip, but not too deep,	51ff: in the original 1595 edition, the various Heads that rise out of the well speak recite their own poetry, but some editors, including Bullen, assign their speeches to a "Voice", a separate entity, while the Heads themselves remain silent. Note the rhyme scheme of the Head's verse, aabbb.
52	For fear you make the golden beard to weep.	= the original edition prints bird here, which is emended usually to beard.
	Fair maiden, white and red,	= ie. of pale skin and healthily ruddy hue.
54	Stroke me smooth, and comb my head,
	And thou shalt have some cockell-bread.	= bread kneaded a special way and used as a love charm;^1
56		but Gummere tells us that after having engaged in much research, he concludes the phrase "to have cockell-bread" means simply "to get a lover or husband". cockell = cockle, a field weed, ie. a plant which grows in grain fields.^1 In Jacob's telling of the fairy-tale, the head recites, Wash me and comb me, And lay me down softly. And lay me on a bank to dry, That I may look pretty When somebody passes by.
	Zant. What is this?
58	"Fair maiden, white and red,
	Comb me smooth, and stroke my head,	59: Zantippa mixes up this line: see line 54 above.
60	And thou shalt have some cockell-bread "?
	"Cockell" callest thou it, boy? faith, I’ll give you	61-62: it is unclear as to whether Zantippa is offended by the
62	cockell-bread.	inferred double entendre of cockell.
		faith = truly.
64	She breaks her pitcher upon the Head:
	then it thunders and lightens;	= ie. flashes lightning.
66	And Huanebango, who is deaf and cannot hear,
	rises up.
68	.
	Huan. Philida, phileridos, pamphilida, florida, flortos:	69-73: at first glance, it seems as if Huanebango is engaging in pronouncing some nonsense words as he tries to adjust to the fact that he can no longer hear; but based on his speech at 86-92 below, he is more likely trying to impress Zantippa with a type of crude verse, known (as Huanebango observes) as rim-ram-ruff, which employs a heavy concentration of alliteration, and comes across, as here, as unsophisticated.
70	Dub dub-a-dub, bounce, quoth the guns, with a sulphurous huff-snuff:	70: Dyce has noted that the three onomatopoetical words in this line - Dub dub-a-dub, bounce, and huff-snuff - all appeared in widely-dispersed passages in a collection of poetry published in 1582 by Richard Stanyhurst. In 1589, pamphleteer Thomas Nashe took the opportunity to satirize a number of contemporary writers, including Stanyhurst, in his (Nashe's) introduction to Robert Greene's Arcadia in Menaphon, and he included references to those passages. No doubt borrowing from Nashe, Peele re-employs these expressions. Dub dub-a-dub = the sound of a drum. bounce = bang, the sound of a gun. quoth the guns = say the guns. sulphurous huff-snuff = the sulphurous smell of the smoke of a fired weapon. huff-snuff = the OED defines huff-snuff as one who brags or hectors; but huff and snuff individually have the meaning of a puff or slight blast.
	Waked with a wench, pretty peat, pretty love, and my sweet pretty pigsnie,	71: Huanebango uses various terms of endearment to describe Zantippa. peat = sweetheart, girl.^1 pigsnie = little pig.^3
72	Just by thy side shall sit surnamed great Huanebango:	= ie. he who is surnamed.
	Safe in my arms will I keep thee, threat Mars, or thunder Olympus.	73: threat Mars = even in the face of a threat of violence by the god of war. thunder Olympus = thunder exploding down from the mountain home of the Olympian gods.
74
	Zant. [Aside] Foh, what greasy groom have we here?	75: Note the alliteration of greasy groom. Foh = expression of disgust.^2 greasy = term of abuse.^1 groom = fellow, man.^1
76	He looks as though he crept out of the backside of the	= "from behind"; but there may be a secondary, and more vulgar meaning, "from out of the buttocks of".
	well, and speaks like a drum perished at the west end.	77: speaks like a drum = referring to Huanebango's drum- like sound effects of line 70 above. perished...west end = an unclear line, but some editors speculate that it may refer to a drum with its skin broken.
78
	Huan. O, that I might, − but I may not, woe to my destiny therefore! −	79: this line is lifted verbatim from Encomium Lauri (Praise for the Bay Tree), a silly brief poem written by the once-famous English poet and author Gabriel Harvey. Harvey was a well-known proponent of writing English verse in hexameter, an idea which was widely ridiculed by other poets.^3,5 79-80: O, that...clasp = "Oh, if only I could - but I may not!" - the knight concludes the thought in the next line - "kiss the one that I would hold in my arms!"
80	Kiss that I clasp! but I cannot: tell me, my destiny, wherefore?	80: my destiny = vocative expression, ie. "you who are my destiny". wherefore = "why", ie. "why not?" It is unclear why Huanebango is unable to embrace Zantippa; based on his comments in line 90-91 below, he may still be more or less paralyzed as a side-effect of the spell placed on him by Sacrapant.
82	Zant. [Aside] Whoop! now I have my dream. Did you	= ie. a perfect husband: see lines 93-94 below.
	never hear so great a wonder as this, three blue beans	83: never = ie. ever.
84	in a blue bladder, rattle, bladder, rattle?	83-84: three blue…rattle = blue beans are bullets or shot, which when inserted in a bladder would produce an effective rattle; Zantippa is comparing Huanebango's babbling to a noisy rattle.^13
86	Huan. [Aside] I’ll now set my countenance, and to	86-88: I'll now…encounter = ie. to set one's countenance means to "make a show (either real or feigned) of one's actions, feelings or intentions";^1 Huanebango thus means he will start all over again, abandoning his ruder poetry (rim-ram-ruff) of lines 69-72, which he realizes is not impressing Zantippa, for a simpler declaration of his love in prose; of course, Huanebango, romantic that he is, does not abandon his penchant for alliterative language.
	her in prose; it may be, this rim-ram-ruff is too rude an
88	encounter. − Let me, fair lady, if you be at
	leisure, revel with your sweetness, and rail upon that	= complain or rant about.^1
90	cowardly conjurer, that hath cast me, or congealed me	= solidified, froze.
	rather, into an unkind sleep, and polluted my carcass.	= "violated or desecrated my body"; Huanebango's high
92		language is absurdly, and hilariously, stylized.
	Zant. [Aside] Laugh, laugh, Zantippa; thou hast thy
94	fortune, a fool and a husband under one.	= ie. in one.
96	Huan. Truly, sweet-heart, as I seem, about some	96: sweet-heart = this term of endearment is over seven
	twenty years, the very April of mine age.	centuries old, appearing at least as early as 1290.^1 as I seem = ie. "I am as I appear before you".
98
	Zant. [Aside] Why, what a prating ass is this!	= chattering.
100
	Huan. Her coral lips, her crimson chin,	101-6: now Huanebango engages in classic Elizabethan era love poetry, in which a woman's various physical attributes are painstakingly listed and described, often compared via metaphors or similes to items of exceptional beauty of the natural world; note also the lines are arranged in rhyming couplets.
102	Her silver teeth so white within,
	Her golden locks, her rolling eye,
104	Her pretty parts, let them go by,	104: "her other attractive features (perhaps suggestive), which I will let pass without comment (go by)".^1
	Heigh-ho, have wounded me,	= "alas!"
106	That I must die this day to see!
108	Zant. By Gogs-bones, thou art a flouting knave: "her	108: By Gog's bones = an oath; Gog's was a common euphemism for God's. flouting = mocking;^1 Zantippa assumes Huanebango is making fun of her.
	coral lips, her crimson chin!" ka, wilshaw!	109: ka = "quoth he", ie. "says he".^4
110		wilshaw = unknown word, with no OED entry; but clearly a term of scorn.
	Huan. True, my own, and my own because mine, and
112	mine because mine, ha, ha! above a thousand pounds	112-3: above…possibility = Huanebango assures Zantippa
	in possibility, and things fitting thy desire in	of his wealth - he suggests his lands provide him up to
114	possession.	1000 pounds a year in annual rents.
116	Zant. [Aside] The sot thinks I ask of his lands. Lob be	116-7: Lob…comfort = "take consolation or comfort in that you will be living like a rustic (Lob)";^1 but Bullen suggests Lob is a reference to Lob's pound, an expression normally used as slang for prison, which Bullen proposes here refers to the bondage of "hen-pecked married men."
	your comfort, and cuckold be your destiny! − Hear	117: a cuckold is a husband whose wife cheats on him; Zantippa already is planning to find satisfaction elsewhere.
118	you, sir; and if you will have us, you had best say so	118-9: if you…betime = "if you want to marry me, you
	betime.	better propose right away (betime)." Note that Zantippa
120		also uses the royal 'we' in referring to herself as us.
	Huan. True, sweet-heart, and will royalize thy
122	progeny with my pedigree.	= children. = (high-ranking) blood or lineage.
124	[Exeunt.]	124: and so we say good-bye to our parody of a knight; the
		marriage of Zantippa and Huanebango gives Madge's listeners a true fairy-tale ending: the hero gets himself an attractive wife, and the shrewish woman gets herself an attractive husband, whose happiness can never be dimmed because he will always be literally deaf to her nagging and other expressions of her ill-temper.
	SCENE X.
	A Road Somewhere Nearby.
	Enter Eumenides.	Entering Character: Eumenides begins the scene by
		bemoaning his poverty and the apparent failure of his mission to find and rescue Delia.
1	Eum. Wretched Eumenides, still unfortunate,
2	Envied by fortune and forlorn by fate,	= hated; note the alliteration in the line, and the repetition in Eumenides' use of unfortunate and fortune.
	Here pine and die, wretched Eumenides,	= starve, waste away.^2
4	Die in the spring, the April of my age!	4: Eumenides rues the fact that he will die while still a
	Here sit thee down, repent what thou hast done:	young man.
6	I would to God that it were ne'er begun!	my = changed by many editors to thy.
8	Enter the Ghost of Jack.	Entering Character: the ghost of Jack, the dead man the Sexton had earlier refused to bury, enters the stage.
10	G. of Jack. You are well overtaken, sir.	10: a greeting a traveler makes to one he has overtaken.^1
12	Eum. Who's that?
14	G. of Jack. You are heartily well met, sir.	14: another greeting; Jack is a most polite spirit.
16	Eum. Forbear, I say: who is that which pincheth me?	16: Forbear = "stop it", or "leave me alone".
		which pincheth me = ie. "who torments (or) afflicts me";^1,2 but Jack may literally have pinched Eumenides. Elizabethan spirits often pinched their victims.
18	G. of Jack. Trusting in God, good Master Eumenides,
	that you are in so good health as all your friends were
20	at the making hereof, − God give you good morrow,	= another expression of good wishes on meeting.
	sir! Lack you not a neat, handsome, and cleanly young	21-24 = Jack offers himself as a servant as for Eumenides. Lack you not = "don't you have a need for"; a peddler or vender of goods usually called out "What lack you?" to passersby as a way to get their attention. neat = well-spoken, well-dressed, or skillful.^1
22	lad, about the age of fifteen or sixteen years, that can
	run by your horse, and, for a need, make your	= ie. reference to a footman, a servant who literally runs next
24	mastership's shoes as black as ink? how say you, sir?	to a wealthy man's carriage as he travels about.
26	Eum. Alas, pretty lad, I know not how to keep myself,	= "how to even provide for my own well-being".
	and much less a servant, my pretty boy; my state is so	= situation, condition.
28	bad.	26-28: Eumenides does not realize that Jack is a ghost.
30	G. of Jack. Content yourself, you shall not be so ill a
	master but I'll be as bad a servant. Tut, sir, I know you,
32	though you know not me: are not you the man, sir,
	deny it if you can, sir, that came from a strange place
34	in the land of Catita, where Jack-an-apes flies with his	= does not appear to be a real place. = "the monkey".
	tail in his mouth, to seek out a lady as white as snow
36	and as red as blood? ha, ha! have I touched you now?	= "said something that closely concerns you".
38	Eum. [Aside] I think this boy be a spirit. − How	38: Eumenides wonders how Jack knows so much, and
	knowest thou all this?	speculates he may be a ghost.
40
	G. of Jack. Tut, are not you the man, sir, deny it if	41ff: note that Jack, who puts himself in the servant class, correctly addresses Eumenides with the formal and respectful you, while the knight appropriately addresses his social inferior with thou.
42	you can, sir, that gave all the money you had to the
	burying of a poor man, and but one three half-pence
44	left in your purse? Content you, sir, I'll serve you, that	= "be satisfied".
	is flat.
46
	Eum. Well, my lad, since thou art so impor[tu]nate, I	= "you are so insistent".
48	am content to entertain thee, not as a servant, but a	= hire.
	copartner in my journey. But whither shall we go? for	= to where.
50	I have not any money more than one bare three half-
	pence.
52
	G. of Jack. Well, master, content yourself, for if my	53-54: if my…not out = "unless my guess or prediction is
54	divination be not out, that shall be spent at the next inn	wrong".^2
	or alehouse we come to; for, master, I know you are
56	passing hungry: therefore I'll go before and provide	= exceedingly. = ahead.
	dinner until that you come; no doubt but you'll come
58	fair and softly after.	= common expression for "at your own leisure", or "without
		hurry".^1
60	Eum. Ay, go before; I’ll follow thee.
62	G. of Jack. But do you hear, master? do you know
	my name?
64
	Eum. No, I promise thee, not yet.
66
	G. of Jack. Why, I am Jack.
68
	[Exit.]
70
	Eum. Jack! why, be it so, then.	71: Eumenides does not connect his companion's name with that of the dead man of Scene VI.
	SCENE XI.
	An Inn.	The Setting: Eumenides has not left the stage, but the scene
		is understood to switch to a tavern where Jack has arranged for the knight to receive dinner. Perhaps a curtain is drawn to reveal the interior of the establishment.
	Enter the Hostess and Jack, setting meat on the table;	= food.
	and Fiddlers come to play. Eumenides walks up
	and down, and will eat no meat.
1	Host. How say you, sir? do you please to sit down?
2
	Eum. Hostess, I thank you, I have no great stomach.	= appetite.
4
	Host. Pray, sir, what is the reason your master is so
6	strange? doth not this meat please him?
8	G. of Jack. Yes, hostess, but it is my master's fashion	= habit, custom.
	to pay before he eats; therefore, a reckoning, good	= "give us the bill".
10	hostess.
12	Host. Marry, shall you, sir, presently.
14	[Exit.]
16	Eum. Why, Jack, what dost thou mean? Thou
	knowest I have not any money; therefore, sweet Jack,
18	tell me what shall I do?
20	G. of Jack. Well, master, look in your purse.
22	Eum. Why, faith, it is a folly, for I have no money.	= "that would be foolish to do".
24	G. of Jack. Why, look you, master; do so much for
	me.
26
	Eum. [looking into his purse]
28	Alas, Jack, my purse is full of money!
30	G. of Jack. "Alas," master! does that word belong to	= Jack notes that an expression of regret like alas is the opposite of what he would expect from Eumenides at this moment.
	this accident? why, methinks I should have seen you
32	cast away your cloak, and in a bravado danced a	= normally meaning "a show of ostentation of courage", but the sense here seems to simply be "a show of joy".
	galliard round about the chamber: why, master, your	= a lively dance. = room.
34	man can teach you more wit than this.	= servant. = "to act more smartly".
36	[Re-enter Hostess.]
38	Come, hostess, cheer up my master.
40	Host. You are heartily welcome; and if it please you
	to eat of a fat capon, a fairer bird, a finer bird, a
42	sweeter bird, a crisper bird, a neater bird, your worship	= more skillfully prepared.
	never eat of.	= "has never eaten before."
44
	Eum. Thanks, my fine, eloquent hostess.
46
	G. of Jack. But hear you, master, one word by the
48	way: are you content I shall be halves in all you get in	48-49: I shall…journey = Jack, in return for providing
	your journey?	Eumenides with food and money, asks if his companion will
50		agree to split everything they come into possession of during the journey 50-50.
	Eum. I am, Jack; here is my hand.
52
	G. of Jack. Enough, master, I ask no more.
54
	Eum. Come, hostess, receive your money; and I
56	thank you for my good entertainment.
58	[Gives money.]
60	Host. You are heartily welcome, sir.
62	Eum. Come, Jack, whither go we now?
64	G. of Jack. Marry, master, to the conjurer's presently.	= immediately.
66	Eum. Content, Jack. − Hostess, farewell.	= "that is fine".
68	[Exeunt.]
	SCENE XII.
	The Well of Life.
	Enter Corebus, and Celanta, the foul wench,
	to the well for water.
1	Core. Come, my duck, come: I have now got a wife:
2	thou art fair, art thou not?	= beautiful; we remember that Corebus has been struck
		blind.
4	Cel. My Corebus, the fairest alive; make no doubt of
	that.
6
	Core. Come, wench, are we almost at the well?	= term of endearment, without negative connotation.
8
	Cel. Ay, Corebus, we are almost at the well now. I’ll
10	go fetch some water: sit down while I dip my pitcher in.
12	A Head comes up with ears of corn,
	and she combs them into her lap.	= rakes, sweeps.
14
	Head. Gently dip, but not too deep,
16	For fear you make the golden beard to weep.
	Fair maiden, white and red,
18	Comb me smooth, and stroke my head,
	And thou shalt have some cockell-bread.
20
	A Second Head comes up full of gold,
22	which she combs into her lap.
24	2nd Head. Gently dip, but not too deep,
	For fear thou make the golden beard to weep.
26	Fair maid, white and red,
	Comb me smooth, and stroke my head,
28	And every hair a sheaf shall be,	= bundle of grain plants.^1
	And every sheaf a golden tree.
30
	Cel. O, see, Corebus, I have combed a great deal of
32	gold into my lap, and a great deal of corn!
34	Core. Well said, wench! now we shall have just	34: well said = "well done". just = some editors change just to toast, suggesting that Corebus anticipates turning the grain into bread, just as he would make coins of their new-found gold.
	enough: God send us coiners to coin our gold. But	= ie. minters of coins.
36	come, shall we go home, sweet-heart?
38	Cel. Nay, come, Corebus, I will lead you.
40	Core. So, Corebus, things have well hit;	40-41: Corebus recalls Erestus' prophecy of Scene IV.112-3. well hit = turned out well.
	Thou hast gotten wealth to mend thy wit.	= supplement.
42
	[Exeunt.]	Corebus and Celanta: another happy ending to our tale; like Huanebango before him, Corebus unknowingly benefits from his handicap: being blind, he may live in blissful ignorance of his wife's unattractiveness, while Celanta, against all odds, has landed herself a husband after all.
	SCENE XIII.
	Outside Sacrapant's Castle.
	Enter the Ghost of Jack and Eumenides.
1	G. of Jack. Come away, master, come.
2
	Eum. Go along, Jack, I'll follow thee. Jack, they say
4	it is good to go cross-legged, and say his prayers	4-5: Eumenides describes some superstitious activities that
	backward; how sayest thou?	may or may not be associated with good luck: the famous magician Henry Cornelius Agrippa Von Nettesheim (1486-1535) wrote that "to sit cross-legged is Sorcery", while reciting prayers backwards actually is associated with Black Magic, which utilizes all sorts of similar inversions, such as "consecrating obscene or filthy objects", to desecrate the rituals of Christianity.^21
6		his = one's.
	G. of Jack. Tut, never fear, master; let me alone. Here
8	sit you still; speak not a word; and because you shall	8-10: because…your ears = in order to protect Eumenides
	not be enticed with his enchanting speeches, with this	from any charms Sacrapant might cast on him, Jack plugs
10	same wool, I'll stop your ears.	up the knight's ears with tufts of wool; the interesting
		implication of this gesture is that the spell's effectiveness is determined by whether the target hears it, and not by the sorcerer's reciting it. because (line 8) = so that.
12	[Puts wool into the ears of Eumenides.]
14	and so, master, sit still, for I must to the conjurer.	= get to, go to.
16	[Exit.]
18	Enter Sacrapant.
20	Sacr. How now! what man art thou, that sits so sad?
	Why dost thou gaze upon these stately trees
22	Without the leave and will of Sacrapant? −	= permission or intention.
	What, not a word, but mum? Then, Sacrapant,	= with wool in his ears, Eumenides cannot hear Sacrapant; in fact, he does not even realize the wizard is present.
24	Thou art betrayed.	= Sacrapant means he has been found out.
26	Enter the Ghost of Jack invisible,	= one of the great stage directions; obviously Jack is not
	and takes Sacrapant's wreath from his head,	invisible to the audience, but only to Sacrapant.
28	and his sword out of his hand.
30	What hand invades the head of Sacrapant?	30: it is interesting that even with his magic powers, Sacrapant cannot protect himself from, nor even see, the specter of Jack.
	What hateful Fury doth envy my happy state?	31: the line contains an extra iamb, ie. it contains 12 syllables. Some old editors suggest deleting either hateful or happy.^3,5
32	Then, Sacrapant, these are thy latest days.	= ie. last moments alive.
	Alas, my veins are numbed, my sinews shrink.
34	My blood is pierced, my breath fleeting away.	= ie. his life-giving blood is flowing out.
	And now my timeless date is come to end!	= "(what was supposed to be) my unending life".^1
36	He in whose life his acts hath been so foul,	36-37: Sacrapant's speech concludes with a rhyming couplet;
	Now in his death to hell descends his soul.	this was a common occurrence in Elizabethan drama, a way to signal the end of a character's part in a scene, or in this case, the play. Such a concluding rhyming couplet usually comprises a pithy moral lesson. We may note that while foul and soul do not rhyme in modern English, in the 16th century they would have done so: foul would have been pronounced with a long o, ie. foh-l. acts = the original edition prints actions, changed by most editors to acts for the meter.
38
	[He dies.]	39: Whitworth suggests the Furies enter here and remove the sorcerer's body.
40
	G. of Jack. O, sir, are you gone? now I hope we shall	41-42: O, sir…coil = ironic.
42	have some other coil. − Now, master, how like you	= fuss, to-do.^1
	this? the conjurer he is dead, and vows never to trouble
44	us more: now get you to your fair lady, and see what
	you can do with her. − Alas, he heareth me not all this
46	while! but I will help that.
48	[Pulls the wool out of his ears.]
50	Eum. How now, Jack! what news?	50: as suggested above, Eumenides is still completely
		oblivious to the fact that Sacrapant had been nearby, or that he has died.
52	G. of Jack. Here, master, take this sword, and dig
	with it at the foot of this hill.
54
	[Gives sword.]
56
	[He digs and spies a light in a glass.]
58
	Eum. How now, Jack! what is this?
60
	G. of Jack. Master, without this the conjurer could do
62	nothing; and so long as this light lasts, so long doth his
	art endure, and this being out, then doth his art decay.	= magic, ie, the spells he has cast. = ie. fail.
64
	Eum. Why, then, Jack, I will soon put out this light.
66
	G. of Jack. Ay, master, how?
68
	Eum. Why, with a stone I'll break the glass, and then
70	blow it out.
72	G. of Jack. No, master, you may as soon break the
	smith's anvil as this little vial: nor the biggest blast	= of breath or wind.
74	that ever Boreas blew cannot blow out this little light;	= the god of the north wind.
	but she that is neither maid, wife, nor widow. Master,	75: Jack recalls the words of Sacrapant at Scene V.162.
76	wind this horn, and see what will happen.	= blow.
78	[Gives horn.]
80	Eumenides winds the horn.
	Enter Venelia, who breaks the glass,	81-82: since Venelia is betrothed to Erestus, she satisfies the
82	blows out the light, and then exits.	conditions of line 75 above (the requirement that she not
		be a maid seems to mean that she not be an old maid, or perhaps simply not unattached).
84	So, master, how like you this? this is she that ran
	madding in the woods, his betrothed love that keeps	= madly, in a state of insanity. = ie. "the fiancée of he who".
86	the cross; and now, this light being out, all are restored
	to their former liberty: and now, master, to the lady	= freedom (from Sacrapant's spells).
88	that you have so long looked for.
90	[The ghost of Jack draws a curtain,
	revealing Delia sitting asleep.]
92
	Eum. God speed, fair maid, sitting alone, − there is once;	93: God speed = "may you thrive". there is once = ie. "that is the first time I have recited the magic line."
94	God speed, fair maid, − there is twice;
	God speed, fair maid, − that is thrice.	93-94: Whitworth cites an earlier editor who suggested that sitting alone should also be repeated after saying fair maid; this would make Delia's next line make more sense.
96
	Delia. Not so, good sir, for you are by.	97: "I am not alone, sir, with you so close by."
98
	G. of Jack. Enough, master, she hath spoke; now I
100	will leave her with you.
102	[Exit.]
104	Eum. Thou fairest flower of these western parts,	= ie. "this most western part of Europe" - we remember that
	Whose beauty so reflecteth in my sight	Eumenides comes from Greece - but so does Delia.
106	As doth a crystal mirror in the sun;
	For thy sweet sake I have crossed the frozen Rhine;	107-110: Eumenides reviews the various rivers he has encountered and crossed as a way of portraying how far he has traveled searching for Delia. the frozen Rhine = the Rhine is frequently described as cold or frozen, in imitation of Roman writers who meditated on the Rhine's location so far to the north relative to Italy (Sugden, p. 430).^16 A variation of lines 107-110 appear in Robert Greene's roughly contemporaneous play Orlando Furioso: Northeast as far as is the frozen Rhine, Leaving fair Voya, crossed up Danuby, As high as Saba, whose enhancing streams Cut 'twixt the Tartars and the Russians.
108	Leaving fair Po, I sailed up Danuby,	= Italy's largest river.
	As far as Saba, whose enhancing streams	109: the modern Sava River, which flows into the Danube in modern Serbia. enhancing streams = rising waters.
110	Cut twixt the Tartars and the Russians:	110: Eumenides, with as little regard for accurate geography as Robert Greene, describes the Sava as flowing north of the Caucus mountain range, separating Tartary (the land of the Tartars, located vaguely somewhere in northern Asia) and Russia.^16
	These have I crossed for thee, fair Delia:
112	Then grant me that which I have sued for long.	= pleaded for or sought.
114	Delia. Thou gentle knight, whose fortune is so good
	To find me out and set my brothers free,
116	My faith, my heart, my hand I give to thee.
118	Eum. Thanks, gentle madam: but here comes Jack;
	thank him, for he is the best friend that we have.
120
	Enter the Ghost of Jack,
122	with Sacrapant’s head in his hand.	122: a sliced-off head was a favourite stage prop, a
		hearkening back to the old mystery plays, in which the appearance of John the Baptist's head was guaranteed to please the crowd.
124	How now, Jack! what hast thou there?
126	G. of Jack. Marry, master, the head of the conjurer.
128	Eum. Why, Jack, that is impossible; he was a young	128-9: the head is that of an old man.
	man.
130
	G. of Jack. Ah, master, so he deceived them that
132	beheld him! but he was a miserable, old, and crooked
	man, though to each man's eye he seemed young and
134	fresh; for, master, this conjurer took the shape of the	134-136: this conjuror…the conjuror = Sacrapant - the old conjuror - had taken the form of Erestus, while Erestus, who was actually young, was given the appearance of Sacrapant.
	old man that kept the cross, and that old man was in
136	the likeness of the conjurer. But now, master, wind	= blow.
	your horn.
138
	Eumenides winds his horn.
140
	Enter Venelia, the Two Brothers,
142	and he that was at the cross.	= ie. Erestus, now appearing as the young man he really is.
144	Eum. Welcome, Erestus! welcome, fair Venelia!
	Welcome, Thelea and Calypha both!	= the names of the brothers; it is worth noting this is the only time in the play in which Thelea is identified by name.
146	Now have I her that I so long have sought;
	So saith fair Delia, if we have your consent.	= saith is a monosyllable. = ie. the two brothers.
148
	1st Broth. Valiant Eumenides, thou well deservest	= note that the brother, a prince, addresses Eumenides, his social inferior, with thou, while the knight addresses the royal brother with you.
150	To have our favours; so let us rejoice
	That by thy means we are at liberty:
152	Here may we joy each in other's sight,	152: the meter is off; Dyce suggests adding the before
	And this fair lady have her wandering knight	other's; note also the rhyming couplet of 152-3.
154
	G. of Jack. So, master, now ye think you have done;	= ie. "have completed your mission."
156	but I must have a saying to you: you know you and I	= "say something to you."
	were partners, I to have half in all you got.
158
	Eum. Why, so thou shalt, Jack.
160
	G. of Jack. Why, then, master, draw your sword, part
162	your lady, let me have half of her presently.	= immediately.
164	Eum. Why, I hope, Jack, thou dost but jest: I
	promised thee half I got, but not half my lady.
166
	G. of Jack. But what else, master? have you not
168	gotten her? therefore divide her straight, for I will have	= right away.
	half; there is no remedy.	= ie. "no way out of this."
170
	Eum. Well, ere I will falsify my word unto my friend,	= before.
172	take her all: here, Jack, I'll give her thee.	= ie. "to thee."
174	G. of Jack. Nay, neither more nor less, master, but
	even just half.
176
	Eum. Before I will falsify my faith unto my friend, I	= "prove my promise to be untrue".
178	will divide her: Jack, thou shalt have half.
180	1st Broth. Be not so cruel unto our sister, gentle knight.
182	2nd Broth. O, spare fair Delia! she deserves no death.
184	Eum. Content yourselves; my word is passed to him.	= "you must be satisfied."
	− Therefore prepare thyself Delia, for thou must die.
186
	Del. Then farewell, world! adieu, Eumenides!
188
	[Eumenides offers to strike,	= begins.
190	and the Ghost of Jack stays him.]	= stops.
192	G. of Jack. Stay, master; it is sufficient I have tried	= tested.
	your constancy. Do you now remember since you paid	= "faithfulness (to your word)."
194	for the burying of a poor fellow?
196	Eum. Ay, very well, Jack.
198	G. of Jack. Then, master, thank that good deed for
	this good turn: and so God be with you all!	= deed.
200
	[The Ghost of Jack leaps down in the ground.]	= into; here is another opportunity for some entertaining
202		special effects, as Jack, for example, may disappear through a trap door in a flash of smoke.
	Eum. Jack, what, art thou gone? then farewell, Jack!−
204	Come, brothers, and my beauteous Delia,
	Erestus, and thy dear Venelia,
206	We will to Thessaly with joyful hearts.	= go to.
208	All. Agreed: we follow thee and Delia.
210	[Exeunt all but Frolic, Fantastic, and Madge.]
212	Fant. What, gammer, asleep?	= grandma (to Madge).
214	Madge. By the mass, son, 'tis almost day; and my	214: by the mass = an oath.
	windows shut at the cock’s-crow.	214-5 my windows…cock's crow = Madge means her
216		eyes are shut, indeed asleep (her windows are her eyelids; hence Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet: "thy eyes' windows fall").
	Frol. Do you hear, gammer? methinks this Jack bore
218	a great sway amongst them.	= influence.
220	Madge. O, man, this was the ghost of the poor man
	that they kept such a coil to bury; and that makes him	= made such a fuss over. = caused.
222	to help the wandering knight so much. But come, let
	us in: we will have a cup of ale and a toast this	223: in = go in; one may wonder when the group actually exited the cottage, especially if Madge was asleep. a cup of ale = a normal morning drink. a toast = to use as a sop.
224	morning, and so depart.	= ie. part.^3
226	Fant. Then you have made an end of your tale,
	gammer?
228
	Madge. Yes, faith: when this was done, I took a piece
230	of bread and cheese, and came my way; and so shall
	you have, too, before you go, to your breakfast.
232
	[Exeunt.]
234
	FINIS.
		Postscript: Erestus' Prophecies: the reader may wish to review Erestus' various prophecies, which would have had no meaning to the reader when he or she first read them: 1. Scene II.49-50 (to the Brothers): For when one flame of fire goes out, Then come your wishes well about. 2. Scene II.151-2 (to Lampriscus): ...send them to the well for the water of life; there shall they find their fortunes unlooked for. 3. Scene IV.111 (to Corebus): He shall be deaf when thou shalt not see. 4. Scene VI.18-19 (to Eumenides): Bestow thy alms, give more than all, Till dead men's bones come at thy call.

George Peele's Invented Words

Like all of the writers of the era, George Peele may have made up words when he felt like it, usually by adding prefixes and suffixes to known words, combining words, or using a word in a way not yet used before. The following is a list of words from The Old Wives' Tale that are indicated by the OED as being either the first or only use of a given word, or, as noted, the first use with a given meaning:

booby

cockle-bread

long-staff

madness (meaning enthusiasm or excitement)

palmer-staff

rot (used in an imprecation, e.g. "a rot on you all")

run (or go) madding

shake-rotten

Additional phrases which research suggests
originated in The Old Wives' Tale

once upon a time (to start a story, though the formula once on a time and once upon a day had appeared earlier)

as ever (went) on neat's leather*

duck (as a term of endearment)

fee fa fum (predecessor to the more familiar fee fi fo fum)

have a saying* = to say something

lamb's wool* (referring to the drink)

* = those terms marked with an asterisk likely originated with Peele, if he indeed wrote his play, as has been speculated, before 1593.

FOOTNOTES

Footnotes in the text correspond as follows:

1. Oxford English Dictionary (OED) online.

2. Crystal, David and Ben. Shakespeare's Words.

London, New York: Penguin, 2002.

3. Dyce, Rev. Alexander. The Dramatic and Poetical

Works of Robert Greene and George Peele. London:

George Routledge and Sons: 1874.

4. Gummere, F.B., ed. The Old Wives' Tale, pp. 333-

383; from Representative English Comedies, Charles

Mills Gayley, ed. London: MacMillan & Co., 1916.

5. Bullen, A.H. The Works of George Peele. London:

John C. Nimmo, 1888.

6. Nielson, William Allen. The Chief Elizabethan

Dramatists. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1911.

7. Whitworth, Charles W. Three Sixteenth Century

Comedies. London: Ernest Benn Ltd., 1984.

8. Nares, Robert et al. A Glossary, etc. London: Reeves

and Turner, 1888.

9. Bailey, Nathan. An Universal Etymological English

Dictionary. London: Printed for T. Osborne etc., 1763.

10. Taylor, Gary, and Lavagnino, John, ed. Thomas

Middleton, The Collected Works. Oxford: Clarendon

Press, 2010.

11. MacKay, Charles. The Gaelic Etymololgy of the

Languages of Western Europe. London: N. Trubner and

Co., 1877.

12. Bechtel, John H. A Dictionary of Mythology.

Philadelphia: The Penn Publishing Company, 1899.

13. Brooke, Tucker, ed. The Second Part of King Henry

the Sixth. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1923.

14. Radford, E. and M.A. Encyclopaedia of Supersti-

tions. New York: Glenwood Publishers, 1949.

15. Dalyell, John Graham. The Darker Superstitions of

Scotland. Glasgow: Richard Griffin and Co., 1835.

16. Sugden, Edward. A Topographical Dictionary to

the Works of Shakespeare and His Fellow Dramatists.

Manchester: The University Press, 1925.

17. Riley, Henry Thomas. The Comedies of Plautus.

London: George Bell and Sons, 1892.

18. Smith, W., ed. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman

Biography and Mythology. London: John Murray, 1849.

19. Glosbe Website, Latin-English Dictionary: https:

//glosbe.com/la/en/.

20. Gardiner's Company Website. Elizabethan Money.

Retrieved 10/20/2018: http://traynedbandes.com/wp-content

/uploads/2013/05/Elizabethan-money.pdf

21. Miller, Edith Starr, Lady Queensbury. Occult

Theocracy. 1933.

22. Shaugnessy, Robert. Four Renaissance Comedies.

Hampshire: Palgrave MacMillan, 2004.