“Merry Wives of Windsor”
Act i. sc. 1.—
“Shal. The luce is the fresh fish, the salt fish is an old coat.”
I cannot understand this. Perhaps there is a corruption both of words and speakers. Shallow no sooner corrects one mistake of Sir Hugh’s, namely, “louse” for “luce,” a pike, but the honest Welchman falls into another, namely, “cod” (baccalà). Cambrice—“cot” for coat.
“Shal. The luce is the fresh fish—
Evans. The salt fish is an old cot.”
“Luce is a fresh fish, and not a louse;” says Shallow. “Aye, aye,” quoth Sir Hugh; “the fresh fish is the luce; it is an old cod that is the salt fish.” At all events, as the text stands, there is no sense at all in the words.
Ib. sc. 3—
“Fal. Now, the report goes, she has all the rule of her husband’s
purse; He hath a legion of angels.
Pist. As many devils entertain; and To her, boy, say I.”
Perhaps it is—
“As many devils enter (or enter’d) swine; and to her, boy,
say I:”—
a somewhat profane, but not un-Shakespearian, allusion to the “legion” in St. Luke’s “gospel.”