Volpone and Other Plays (79 page)

50.
adalantado
: a Spanish governor.

71.
Verdugoship: verdugo
is spanish for hangman. ‘His great hangmanship can't speak a word of English'.

79.
tire
: costume.

22
.
angry boys
: roisterers.

38
. in;
ablique, in circle
: the lie circumstantial.

39
.
in diaimster
: the lie direct.

47
.
ordinary
: eating-house, tavern.

58
.
fly
: familar spirirt

61
groom-porter
: a royal official in charge of gaming at Court, who kepi a free table at Christmas.

76
cast
: cashiered, dismissed.

85
vacation
: between terms at the law-courts.

87
a perspective
: a picture which seems to change as the spectator shifts his angle of vision.

97
.
woad
: a blue dye.

120
pellitory 0' the wall
: a herb.

123
' cessed
: assessed, for taxes.

27
directly
: honestly.

31
Stage-direction, cittern
: a guitar-like instrument, with wire strings; a zither.

33
spur-royal
: a gold coin.

53
his suit
: Face's clothes in his disguise as Lungs.

10
in rage
: mad.

16
state: affairs
of state, politics.

19
house
: family.

23
happiness
: appropriateness.

30
concumbere
: fornicate.

38
Guinea-bird
: whore.

57
costermonger
: seller of fruit.

75
.
unblamed
: unblemished.

78
.
particular
: familiar, personal.

84
.
distillation
: chemistry.

103
.
muse
: am surprised.

122
.
mastery
: i.e. the
magislerium
, process of making anything into gold.

131
.
Friars
: i.e. Bkckian, the part of London in which the comedy is located.

134
.
hundred
: the sub-division of a county.

136
.
emp' rics
: experimenten, scientists.

4
.
Captainship
: captain's disguise.

5
.
a bonnibel
: a beauty.

9
.
hit you through both the nostrils
: put your nose out of joint.

29
.
angry
: quarrel-provoking – as in ‘the angry boy'.

42
myrobolane
: sugar-plum.

43
rivo frontis
: vein of the forehead.

45
linea fortunά
: line of fortune (from palmistry like the terms which follow).

59
.
glass
: crystal ball into which astrologers gazed.

60
dabchick
: water-hen.

3
.
composition
: terms.

19
.
overlook
: look down upon.

19
.
(Stage-direction)
: Surly's disguise is evidendy a particularly elaborate Spanish costume, hence the jokes about its ruff, etc.

21
.
Señores
…: 'Genueman, I kiss your worships' hands.'

26
.
brawn
: boar's flesh.

27
.
souse
: ear.

32
.
Gratia
: ‘Thanks'.

33
.
sets
: plaits of the ruff.

34
.
Por dios
…: ' By God, gentlemen, a very fine house.'

40
.
Donzel
: little Don;
Entiendo
: I understand.

42
.
portagues
: gold coins.

47
.
Con licencia
…: ' By your leave, may I see the ladv?'

61–2
.
Entiendo
…: ‘I understand that the lady is so beautiful that I desire the sight of her as much as good fortune in my life.'

73
.
doom
: decision.

78
.
Señores…
: ‘Gentlemen, why so much delay?'

80
.
Puede
…: ‘Can it be that you are making fun of my love?'

91
.
Por estas
…: ‘By this honoured beard –'

93
.
Tengo
…: ‘I fear, gentlemen, you are playing some trick on me.'

98
.
fubbed
: cheated.

100
.
tawed
: soaked in preparation for tanning.

10
.
garb
: carriage, deportment.

18
.
scheme
: horoscope.

29
.
eighty-eight
: i.e. 1588, the year of the destruction of the Spanish Armada.

33
.
cry
: refers to the street-cries of hawkers.

47
.
Exchange
: shopping area in the City.

50
.
goose-turd
: yellowish-green (colour of goose's droppings).

53–4
.
Que es
…: ‘What's the matter, gentlemen, that she does not come? This delay is killing mel '

56–7
.
Por todos
…: ‘By all the gods, the most perfect beauty that I have seen in my life!'

63–4
El sol…
: ‘The sun has lost its light compared to the splendour this lady brings! God help me!'

69
.
Porque…
: ‘Why don't you come closer?'

71
.
Por
: ‘For the love of God, why this delay?'

76
.
Señora
…: ‘Madam, my person is entirely unworthy to come near such beauty.'

80
.
Señora
…: ‘Madam, if you will, let's go in.'

92
.
figure
: Subtle's pun is based on ‘figure' meaning horoscope.

16
.
tongue of Eber
: Hebrew;
of javan
: Greek.

34
.
close
: secret.

54
.
honest
: pure, chaste.

103
.
case
: costume, disguise (i.e. servant's livery).

110
.
virtue
: ability.

3
.
clap
: calamity or fall, with overtones of venereal disease.

21
.
coitum
: intercourse.

29
.
cart
: the punishment for bawds was to drive them publicly through the streets.

33
.
parcel
: partial, part.

48
.
ephemerides
: almanacs of astrology.

16
.
foist
: rogue, trickster.

23
.
mauther
: young woman.

32
.
damned himself
: sworn.

39
.
trig
: coxcomb.

40
.
Amadis de Gaul
: a chivalric hero.

45.
tim
: abusive term; exact meaning uncertain.

53.
seventy-seven
: Note.

68
.
suit
: costume;
players
: actors.

71
.
Hieronimo
: avenger-hero of Thomas Kyd's
The Spanish Tragedy
.

96
.
looked
: thought, expected.

110
.
quiblins
: jokes, verbal quibbles.

116
.
liberties
: suburban areas outwith the City's jurisdiction; slums.

122
.
purchase
: loot, booty.

1
.
resort
: visiting, coming and going.

6
.
knave
: servant (i.e. Jeremy
alias
Face).

11
.
teaching
i'
the nose
: preaching with a nasal intonation, like a Puritan.

12
.
bills
: advertisements, posters.

21
.
ging
: assembly, gang.

22
.
motion
: puppet-show. As in
Bartholomew Fair
, throughout.

25
.
fleas; i.e. a flea-circus
.

19
.
threaves
: droves, crowds.

20
.
Eye-bright
: probably the name of a tavern in the area.

32
.
through the black pot
: through too much drinking.

2
.
chancel
: temple.

34
.
cockatrice
: whore.

50
.
punk devise
: perfect harlot, pun on
point-device
.

62
.
deceptio visus
: an optical illusion.

14
.
coil
: row.

41
.
Woolsack
: a tavern.

42
.
Dagger
: another tavern;
frume'ty
: a sort of porridge made of wheat boiled in milk.

43
.
Heaven, Hell
: also names of taverns.

44–5
.
mumchance
, etc.: games of chance.

47
.
gleek, primero
: card games.

68
.
Hieronimo's cloak
: theatrical costume in the Spanish style as promised earlier.

84
.
cunning-man
: magician.

88
.
flitter-mouse
: bat.

89
.
Pigeons
: The Three Pigeons, a tavern at Brainford.

114
.
single-money
: small change.

119
.
girdles
: sashes;
hangers
: for swords.

126
.
right
: truth.

131
.
determines
: terminates.

148
.
flock-bed
: mattress stuffed with wool rather than feathers; i' the fock-bed and buttery: ‘when asleep and when eating'.

12
.
birding
: thieving.

38
They enter (Stage-direction)
: i.e. the inner rooms.

42
' Madam with a dildo'
: part of a popular ballad.

56
harquebusier
: musketeer.

79
younkers
: youths.

80
.
tits
: girls.

85
.
hearken
: search.

94
.
sometimes
: formerly.

100
.
have the seal
: i.e. of God's approval.

127
.
dubbed boy
: young knight.

128
.
mammet
: puppet:
touse
: beat.

131
feize
: flog.

135
stoop
: a term in falconry. Kastril = Kestrel, a hawk.

144
jovy
: jovial.

152
candour
: honesty, integrity.

159
.
decorum
: according to the rules of artistic and dramatic propriety.

164
.
country
: jury.

4
.
faction
: the Puritans;
toys
: rubbish, trifles.

5
.
babies
: dolls.

8
.
particular wrong
: satire directed at individuals rather than types.

12
.
fairing
: a present bought at a fair.

1
.
stage–keeper
: the principal stage–hand; for his duties see lines 46–8, below.

8
.
arras
: tapestry hanging or curtain.

11
.
humours
: here, idiosyncracies, distinctive oddities of types and classes of people.

13
.
sword-and-buckler
: ruffian.

25
.
sir reverence
: with apologies, with respect (contraction of‘save your reverence').

26
.
tiring-house
: dressing-room; the backstage area, behind the tiered façade of the play-house, where the actors dressed.

31
.
Inns 0' Court
: Note.

36
.
cloth-quarter
: Note.

37
.
vermin
: fleas.

41
.
book-holder
: prompter.

44
.
understanding
: a pun referring to the ‘groundlings' – those spectators standing in the pit immediately below the stage.

47
.
bears
: the Hope theatre also featured bear-baiting.

51
.
meridian
: fullest stretch of the stage-keeper's understanding.

57
.
counterpane
: opposite of an indenture.

78
.
censure
: judgement.

80
.
six pen'orth
, etc.: refers to the price of admission.

85
.
the lottery
: Note.

89
.
contagion
: infection, i.e. repeating one's neighbour's opinion.

91
.
commission of wit
: authorized body of critics.

109
.
eauipage
: array, dress.

112
.
meditant
: etc.; burlesque of heraldic terms.

115
.
servant-monster
: Note.