Act V
Enter FERNEZE, 179 KNIGHTS, MARTIN DEL BOSCO, and OFFICERS.
FERNEZE. Now, gentlemen, betake you to your arms,
And see that Malta be well fortified;
And it behoves you to be resolute;
For Calymath, having hover’d here so long,
Will win the town, or die before the walls.
FIRST KNIGHT. And die he shall; for we will never yield.
Enter BELLAMIRA and PILIA-BORZA.
BELLAMIRA. O, bring us to the governor!
FERNEZE. Away with her! she is a courtezan.
BELLAMIRA. Whate’er I am, yet, governor, hear me speak:
I bring thee news by whom thy son was slain:
Mathias did it not; it was the Jew.
PILIA-BORZA. Who, besides the slaughter of these gentlemen,
Poison’d his own daughter and the nuns,
Strangled a friar, and I know not what
Mischief beside.
FERNEZE. Had we but proof of this——
BELLAMIRA. Strong proof, my lord: his man’s now at my lodging, That was his agent; he’ll confess it all.
FERNEZE. Go fetch him 180 straight [Exeunt OFFICERS].
I always fear’d that Jew.
Re-enter OFFICERS with BARABAS and ITHAMORE.
BARABAS. I’ll go alone; dogs, do not hale me thus.
ITHAMORE.
Nor me neither; I cannot out-run you, constable.—O, my belly!
BARABAS. One dram of powder more had made all sure:
What a damn’d slave was I!
[Aside.]
FERNEZE. Make fires, heat irons, let the rack be fetch’d.
FIRST KNIGHT. Nay, stay, my lord; ’t may be he will confess.
BARABAS. Confess! what mean you, lords? who should confess?
FERNEZE. Thou and thy Turk; ’twas that slew my son.
ITHAMORE. Guilty, my lord, I confess. Your son and Mathias were both contracted unto Abigail: [he] forged a counterfeit challenge.
BARABAS. Who carried that challenge?
ITHAMORE. I carried it, I confess; but who writ it? marry, even he that strangled Barnardine, poisoned the nuns and his own daughter.
FERNEZE. Away with him! his sight is death to me.
BARABAS. For what, you men of Malta? hear me speak.
She is a courtezan, and he a thief,
And he my bondman: let me have law;
For none of this can prejudice my life.
FERNEZE. Once more, away with him!—You shall have law.
BARABAS. Devils, do your worst!—I[‘ll] live in spite of you.—
[Aside.]
As these have spoke, so be it to their souls!—
I hope the poison’d flowers will work anon.
[Aside.]
[Exeunt OFFICERS with BARABAS and ITHAMORE; BELLAMIRA,
and PILIA-BORZA.]
Enter KATHARINE.
KATHARINE. Was my Mathias murder’d by the Jew?
Ferneze, ’twas thy son that murder’d him.
FERNEZE. Be patient, gentle madam: it was he;
He forg’d the daring challenge made them fight.
KATHARINE. Where is the Jew? where is that murderer?
FERNEZE. In prison, till the law has pass’d on him.
Re-enter FIRST OFFICER.
FIRST OFFICER. My lord, the courtezan and her man are dead;
So is the Turk and Barabas the Jew.
FERNEZE. Dead!
FIRST OFFICER. Dead, my lord, and here they bring his body.
MARTIN DEL BOSCO. This sudden death of his is very strange.
Re-enter OFFICERS, carrying BARABAS as dead.
FERNEZE. Wonder not at it, sir; the heavens are just;
Their deaths were like their lives; then think not of ’em.—
Since they are dead, let them be buried:
For the Jew’s body, throw that o’er the walls,
To be a prey for vultures and wild beasts.—
So, now away and fortify the town.
Exeunt all, leaving BARABAS on the floor. 181
BARABAS. [rising] What, all alone! well fare, sleepy drink!
I’ll be reveng’d on this accursed town;
For by my means Calymath shall enter in:
I’ll help to slay their children and their wives,
To fire the churches, pull their houses down,
Take my goods too, and seize upon my lands.
I hope to see the governor a slave,
And, rowing in a galley, whipt to death.
Enter CALYMATH, BASSOES, 182 and TURKS.
CALYMATH. Whom have we there? a spy?
BARABAS. Yes, my good lord, one that can spy a place
Where you may enter, and surprize the town:
My name is Barabas; I am a Jew.
CALYMATH. Art thou that Jew whose goods we heard were sold
For tribute-money?
BARABAS. The very same, my lord:
And since that time they have hir’d a slave, my man,
To accuse me of a thousand villanies:
I was imprisoned, but scap [‘]d their hands.
CALYMATH. Didst break prison?
BARABAS. No, no:
I drank of poppy and cold mandrake juice;
And being asleep, belike they thought me dead,
And threw me o’er the walls: so, or how else,
The Jew is here, and rests at your command.
CALYMATH. ’Twas bravely done: but tell me, Barabas,
Canst thou, as thou report’st, make Malta ours?
BARABAS. Fear not, my lord; for here, against the trench, 183 The rock is hollow, and of purpose digg’d,
To make a passage for the running streams
And common channels 184 of the city.
Now, whilst you give assault unto the walls,
I’ll lead five hundred soldiers through the vault,
And rise with them i’ the middle of the town,
Open the gates for you to enter in;
And by this means the city is your own.
CALYMATH. If this be true, I’ll make thee governor.
BARABAS. And, if it be not true, then let me die.
CALYMATH. Thou’st doom’d thyself.—Assault it presently.
[Exeunt.]
Alarums within. Enter CALYMATH, 185 BASSOES, TURKS, and
BARABAS; with FERNEZE and KNIGHTS prisoners.
CALYMATH. Now vail 186 your pride, you captive Christians,
And kneel for mercy to your conquering foe:
Now where’s the hope you had of haughty Spain?
Ferneze, speak; had it not been much better
To kept 187 thy promise than be thus surpris’d?
FERNEZE. What should I say? we are captives, and must yield.
CALYMATH. Ay, villains, you must yield, and under Turkish yokes
Shall groaning bear the burden of our ire:—
And, Barabas, as erst we promis’d thee,
For thy desert we make thee governor;
Use them at thy discretion.
BARABAS. Thanks, my lord.
FERNEZE. O fatal day, to fall into the hands
Of such a traitor and unhallow’d Jew!
What greater misery could heaven inflict?
CALYMATH. ’Tis our command:—and, Barabas, we give,
To guard thy person, these our Janizaries:
Entreat 188 them well, as we have used thee.—
And now, brave bassoes, 189 come; we’ll walk about
The ruin’d town, and see the wreck we made.—
Farewell, brave Jew, farewell, great Barabas!
BARABAS. May all good fortune follow Calymath!
[Exeunt CALYMATH and BASSOES.]
And now, as entrance to our safety,
To prison with the governor and these
Captains, his consorts and confederates.
FERNEZE. O villain! heaven will be reveng’d on thee.
BARABAS. Away! no more; let him not trouble me.
[Exeunt TURKS with FERNEZE and KNIGHTS.]
Thus hast thou gotten, 190 by thy policy,
No simple place, no small authority:
I now am governor of Malta; true,—
But Malta hates me, and, in hating me,
My life’s in danger; and what boots it thee,
Poor Barabas, to be the governor,
Whenas 191 thy life shall be at their command?
No, Barabas, this must be look’d into;
And, since by wrong thou gott’st authority,
Maintain it bravely by firm policy;
At least, unprofitably lose it not;
For he that liveth in authority,
And neither gets him friends nor fills his bags,
Lives like the ass that Aesop speaketh of,
That labours with a load of bread and wine,
And leaves it off to snap on thistle-tops:
But Barabas will be more circumspect.
Begin betimes; Occasion’s bald behind:
Slip not thine opportunity, for fear too late
Thou seek’st for much, but canst not compass it.—
Within here! 192
Enter FERNEZE, with a GUARD.
FERNEZE. My lord?
BARABAS. Ay, LORD; thus slaves will learn.
Now, governor,—stand by there, wait within,—
[Exeunt GUARD.]
This is the reason that I sent for thee:
Thou seest thy life and Malta’s happiness
Are at my arbitrement; and Barabas
At his discretion may dispose of both:
Now tell me, governor, and plainly too,
What think’st thou shall become of it and thee?
FERNEZE. This, Barabas; since things are in thy power,
I see no reason but of Malta’s wreck,
Nor hope of thee but extreme cruelty:
Nor fear I death, nor will I flatter thee.
BARABAS. Governor, good words; be not so furious
’Tis not thy life which can avail me aught;
Yet you do live, and live for me you shall:
And as for Malta’s ruin, think you not
’Twere slender policy for Barabas
To dispossess himself of such a place?
For sith, 193 as once you said, within this isle,
In Malta here, that I have got my goods,
And in this city still have had success,
And now at length am grown your governor,
Yourselves shall see it shall not be forgot;
For, as a friend not known but in distress,
I’ll rear up Malta, now remediless.
FERNEZE. Will Barabas recover Malta’s loss?
Will Barabas be good to Christians?
BARABAS. What wilt thou give me, governor, to procure
A dissolution of the slavish bands
Wherein the Turk hath yok’d your land and you?
What will you give me if I render you
The life of Calymath, surprise his men,
And in an out-house of the city shut
His soldiers, till I have consum’d ’em all with fire?
What will you give him that procureth this?
FERNEZE. Do but bring this to pass which thou pretendest,
Deal truly with us as thou intimatest,
And I will send amongst the citizens,
And by my letters privately procure
Great sums of money for thy recompense:
Nay, more, do this, and live thou governor still.
BARABAS. Nay, do thou this, Ferneze, and be free:
Governor, I enlarge thee; live with me;
Go walk about the city, see thy friends:
Tush, send not letters to ’em; go thyself,
And let me see what money thou canst make:
Here is my hand that I’ll set Malta free;
And thus we cast 194 it: to a solemn feast
I will invite young Selim Calymath,
Where be thou present, only to perform
One stratagem that I’ll impart to thee,
Wherein no danger shall betide thy life,
And I will warrant Malta free for ever.
FERNEZE. Here is my hand; believe me, Barabas,
I will be there, and do as thou desirest.
When is the time?
BARABAS. Governor, presently;
For Calymath, when he hath view’d the town,
Will take his leave, and sail toward Ottoman.
FERNEZE. Then will I, Barabas, about this coin,
And bring it with me to thee in the evening.
BARABAS. Do so; but fail not: now farewell, Ferneze:—
[Exit FERNEZE.]
And thus far roundly goes the business:
Thus, loving neither, will I live with both,
Making a profit of my policy;
And he from whom my most advantage comes,
Shall be my friend.
This is the life we Jews are us’d to lead;
And reason too, for Christians do the like.
Well, now about effecting this device;
First, to surprise great Selim’s soldiers,
And then to make provision for the feast,
That at one instant all things may be done:
My policy detests prevention.
To what event my secret purpose drives,
I know; and they shall witness with their lives.
[Exeunt.]
Enter CALYMATH and BASSOES. 195
CALYMATH. Thus have we view’d the city, seen the sack,
And caus’d the ruins to be new-repair’d,
Which with our bombards’ shot and basilisk[s] 196 We rent in sunder at our entry:
And, now I see the situation,
And how secure this conquer’d island stands,
Environ’d with the Mediterranean sea,
Strong-countermin’d with other petty isles,
And, toward Calabria, 197 back’d by Sicily
(Where Syracusian Dionysius reign’d),
Two lofty turrets that command the town,
I wonder how it could be conquer’d thus.
Enter a MESSENGER.
MESSENGER. From Barabas, Malta’s governor, I bring
A message unto mighty Calymath:
Hearing his sovereign was bound for sea,
To sail to Turkey, to great Ottoman,
He humbly would entreat your majesty
To come and see his homely citadel,
And banquet with him ere thou leav’st the isle.
CALYMATH. To banquet with him in his citadel!
I fear me, messenger, to feast my train
Within a town of war so lately pillag’d,
Will be too costly and too troublesome:
Yet would I gladly visit Barabas,
For well has Barabas deserv’d of us.
MESSENGER. Selim, for that, thus saith the governor,—
That he hath in [his] store a pearl so big,
So precious, and withal so orient,
As, be it valu’d but indifferently,
The price thereof will serve to entertain
Selim and all his soldiers for a month;
Therefore he humbly would entreat your highness
Not to depart till he has feasted you.
CALYMATH. I cannot feast my men in Malta-walls,
Except he place his tables in the streets.
MESSENGER. Know, Selim, that there is a monastery
Which standeth as an out-house to the town;
There will he banquet them; but thee at home,
With all thy bassoes and brave followers.
CALYMATH. Well, tell the governor we grant his suit;
We’ll in this summer-evening feast with him.
MESSENGER. I shall, my lord.
[Exit.]
CALYMATH. And now, bold bassoes, let us to our tents,
And meditate how we may grace us best,
To solemnize our governor’s great feast.
[Exeunt.]
Enter FERNEZE, 198 KNIGHTS, and MARTIN DEL BOSCO.
FERNEZE. In this, my countrymen, be rul’d by me:
Have special care that no man sally forth
Till you shall hear a culverin discharg’d
By him that bears the linstock, 199 kindled thus;
Then issue out and come to rescue me,
For happily I shall be in distress,
Or you released of this servitude.
FIRST KNIGHT. Rather than thus to live as Turkish thralls,
What will we not adventure?
FERNEZE. On, then; be gone.
KNIGHTS. Farewell, grave governor. [Exeunt, on one side, KNIGHTS and MARTIN DEL BOSCO; on the other, FERNEZE.]
Enter, above, 200 BARABAS, with a hammer, very busy; and CARPENTERS.
BARABAS. How stand the cords? how hang these hinges? fast?
Are all the cranes and pulleys sure?
FIRST CARPENTER. 201 All fast.
BARABAS. Leave nothing loose, all levell’d to my mind.
Why, now I see that you have art, indeed:
There, carpenters, divide that gold amongst you;
[Giving money.]
Go, swill in bowls of sack and muscadine;
Down to the cellar, taste of all my wines.
FIRST CARPENTER. We shall, my lord, and thank you.
[Exeunt CARPENTERS.]
BARABAS. And, if you like them, drink your fill and die;
For, so I live, perish may all the world!
Now, Selim Calymath, return me word
That thou wilt come, and I am satisfied.
Enter MESSENGER.
Now, sirrah; what, will he come?
MESSENGER. He will; and has commanded all his men
To come ashore, and march through Malta-streets,
That thou mayst feast them in thy citadel.
BARABAS. Then now are all things as my wish would have ’em;
There wanteth nothing but the governor’s pelf;
And see, he brings it.
Enter FERNEZE.
Now, governor, the sum?
FERNEZE. With free consent, a hundred thousand pounds.
BARABAS. Pounds say’st thou, governor? well, since it is no more,
I’ll satisfy myself with that; nay, keep it still,
For, if I keep not promise, trust not me:
And, governor, now partake my policy.
First, for his army, they are sent before,
Enter’d the monastery, and underneath
In several places are field-pieces pitch’d,
Bombards, whole barrels full of gunpowder,
That on the sudden shall dissever it,
And batter all the stones about their ears,
Whence none can possibly escape alive:
Now, as for Calymath and his consorts,
Here have I made a dainty gallery,
The floor whereof, this cable being cut,
Doth fall asunder, so that it doth sink
Into a deep pit past recovery.
Here, hold that knife; and, when thou seest he comes,
[Throws down a knife.]
And with his bassoes shall be blithely set,
A warning-piece shall be shot off 202 from the tower,
To give thee knowledge when to cut the cord,
And fire the house. Say, will not this be brave?
FERNEZE. O, excellent! here, hold thee, Barabas;
I trust thy word; take what I promis’d thee.
BARABAS. No, governor; I’ll satisfy thee first;
Thou shalt not live in doubt of any thing.
Stand close, for here they come.
[FERNEZE retires.]
Why, is not this
A kingly kind of trade, to purchase towns
By treachery, and sell ’em by deceit?
Now tell me, worldlings, underneath the sun 203 If greater falsehood ever has been done?
Enter CALYMATH and BASSOES.
CALYMATH. Come, my companion-bassoes: see, I pray,
How busy Barabas is there above
To entertain us in his gallery:
Let us salute him.—Save thee, Barabas!
BARABAS. Welcome, great Calymath!
FERNEZE. How the slave jeers at him!
[Aside.]
BARABAS. Will’t please thee, mighty Selim Calymath,
To ascend our homely stairs?
CALYMATH. Ay, Barabas.—
Come, bassoes, ascend. 204
FERNEZE. [coming forward] Stay, Calymath;
For I will shew thee greater courtesy
Than Barabas would have afforded thee.
KNIGHT. [within] Sound a charge there! [A charge sounded within: FERNEZE cuts the cord; the floor of the gallery gives way, and BARABAS falls into a caldron placed in a pit.
Enter KNIGHTS and MARTIN DEL BOSCO. 205
CALYMATH. How now! what means this?
BARABAS. Help, help me, Christians, help!
FERNEZE. See, Calymath! this was devis’d for thee.
CALYMATH. Treason, treason! bassoes, fly!
FERNEZE. No, Selim, do not fly:
See his end first, and fly then if thou canst.
BARABAS. O, help me, Selim! help me, Christians!
Governor, why stand you all so pitiless?
FERNEZE. Should I in pity of thy plaints or thee,
Accursed Barabas, base Jew, relent?
No, thus I’ll see thy treachery repaid,
But wish thou hadst behav’d thee otherwise.
BARABAS. You will not help me, then?
FERNEZE. No, villain, no.
BARABAS. And, villains, know you cannot help me now.—
Then, Barabas, breathe forth thy latest fate,
And in the fury of thy torments strive
To end thy life with resolution.—
Know, governor, ’twas I that slew thy son,—
I fram’d the challenge that did make them meet:
Know, Calymath, I aim’d thy overthrow:
And, had I but escap’d this stratagem,
I would have brought confusion on you all,
Damn’d Christian 206 dogs, and Turkish infidels!
But now begins the extremity of heat
To pinch me with intolerable pangs:
Die, life! fly, soul! tongue, curse thy fill, and die!
[Dies.]
CALYMATH. Tell me, you Christians, what doth this portend?
FERNEZE. This train 207 he laid to have entrapp’d thy life;
Now, Selim, note the unhallow’d deeds of Jews;
Thus he determin’d to have handled thee,
But I have rather chose to save thy life.
CALYMATH. Was this the banquet he prepar’d for us?
Let’s hence, lest further mischief be pretended. 208
FERNEZE. Nay, Selim, stay; for, since we have thee here,
We will not let thee part so suddenly:
Besides, if we should let thee go, all’s one,
For with thy galleys couldst thou not get hence,
Without fresh men to rig and furnish them.
CALYMATH. Tush, governor, take thou no care for that;
My men are all aboard,
And do attend my coming there by this.
FERNEZE. Why, heard’st thou not the trumpet sound a charge?
CALYMATH. Yes, what of that?
FERNEZE. Why, then the house was fir’d,
Blown up, and all thy soldiers massacred.
CALYMATH. O, monstrous treason!
FERNEZE. A Jew’s courtesy;
For he that did by treason work our fall,
By treason hath deliver’d thee to us:
Know, therefore, till thy father hath made good
The ruins done to Malta and to us,
Thou canst not part; for Malta shall be freed,
Or Selim ne’er return to Ottoman.
CALYMATH. Nay, rather, Christians, let me go to Turkey,
In person there to mediate 209 your peace:
To keep me here will naught advantage you.
FERNEZE. Content thee, Calymath, here thou must stay,
And live in Malta prisoner; for come all 210 the world
To rescue thee, so will we guard us now,
As sooner shall they drink the ocean dry,
Than conquer Malta, or endanger us.
So, march away; and let due praise be given
Neither to Fate nor Fortune, but to Heaven.
[Exeunt.]
Footnotes
1 Heywood dedicates the First Part of THE IRON AGE (printed 1632) “To my Worthy and much Respected Friend, Mr. Thomas Hammon, of Grayes Inne, Esquire.”
2 Tho. Heywood: The well-known dramatist.
3 censures: i.e. judgments.
4 bin: i.e. been.
5 best of poets: “Marlo.” Marg. note in old ed.
6 best of actors: “Allin.” Marg. note in old. ed.—Any account of the celebrated actor, Edward Alleyn, the founder of Dulwich College, would be superfluous here.
7 [ In HERO AND LEANDER, &c.: The meaning is—The one (Marlowe) gained a lasting memory by being the author of HERO AND LEANDER; while the other (Alleyn) wan the attribute of peerless by playing the parts of Tamburlaine, the Jew of Malta, &c.—The passage happens to be mispointed in the old ed. thus,
“In Hero and Leander, one did gaine
A lasting memorie: in Tamberlaine,
This Jew, with others many: th’ other wan,” &c.
and hence Mr. Collier, in his HIST. OF ENG. DRAM. POET. iii. 114, understood the words,
“in Tamburlaine,
This Jew, with others many,”
as applying to Marlowe: he afterwards, however, in his MEMOIRS OF ALLEYN, p. 9, suspected that the punctuation of the old ed. might be wrong,—which it doubtless is.]
8 him: “Perkins.” Marg. note in old ed.—“This was Richard Perkins, one of the performers belonging to the Cock-pit theatre in Drury-Lane. His name is printed among those who acted in HANNIBAL AND SCIPIO by Nabbes, THE WEDDING by Shirley, and THE FAIR MAID OF THE WEST by Heywood. After the play-houses were shut up on account of the confusion arising from the civil wars, Perkins and Sumner, who belonged to the same house, lived together at Clerkenwell, where they died and were buried. They both died some years before the Restoration. See THE DIALOGUE ON PLAYS AND PLAYERS [Dodsley’s OLD PLAYS, 1. clii., last ed.].” REED (apud Dodsley’s O. P.). Perkins acted a prominent part in Webster’s WHITE DEVIL, when it was first brought on the stage, —perhaps Brachiano (for Burbadge, who was celebrated in Brachiano, does not appear to have played it originally): in a notice to the reader at the end of that tragedy Webster says; “In particular I must remember the well-approved industry of my friend Master Perkins, and confess the worth of his action did crown both the beginning and end.” About 1622-3 Perkins belonged to the Red Bull theatre: about 1637 he joined the company at Salisbury Court: see Webster’s WORKS, note, p. 51, ed. Dyce, 1857.
9 prize was play’d: This expression (so frequent in our early writers) is properly applied to fencing: see Steevens’s note on Shakespeare’s MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR, act. i. sc. 1.
10 no wagers laid: “Wagers as to the comparative merits of rival actors in particular parts were not unfrequent of old,” &c. Collier (apud Dodsley’s O. P.). See my ed. of Peele’s WORKS, i. x. ed. 1829; and Collier’s MEMOIRS OF ALLEYN, p. 11.
11 the Guise: “i.e. the Duke of Guise, who had been the principal contriver and actor in the horrid massacre of St. Bartholomew’s day, 1572. He met with his deserved fate, being assassinated, by order of the French king, in 1588.” REED (apud Dodsley’s O. P.). And see our author’s MASSACRE AT PARIS.
12 empery: Old ed. “Empire.”
13 the Draco’s: “i.e. the severe lawgiver of Athens; ‘whose statutes,’ said Demades, ‘were not written with ink, but blood.’” STEEVENS (apud Dodsley’s O. P.).—Old ed. “the Drancus.”
14 had: Qy. “had BUT”?
15 a lecture here: Qy. “a lecture TO YOU here”?
16 Act I.: The Scenes of this play are not marked in the old ed.; nor in the present edition,—because occasionally (where the audience were to SUPPOSE a change of place, it was impossible to mark them.
17 Samnites: Old ed. “Samintes.”
18 silverlings: When Steevens (apud Dodsley’s O. P.) called this “a diminutive, to express the Jew’s contempt of a metal inferior in value to gold,” he did not know that the word occurs in Scripture: “a thousand vines at a thousand SILVERLINGS.” ISAIAH, vii. 23.—Old ed. “siluerbings.”
19 Tell: i.e. count.
20 seld-seen: i.e. seldom-seen.
21 [ Into what corner peers my halcyon’s bill?: “It was anciently believed that this bird (the king-fisher), if hung up, would vary with the wind, and by that means shew from what quarter it blew.” STEEVENS (apud Dodsley’s O. P.),—who refers to the note on the following passage of Shakespeare’s KING LEAR, act ii. sc. 2;
“Renege, affirm, and turn their HALCYON BEAKS
With every gale and vary of their masters,” &c.]
22 custom them: “i.e. enter the goods they contain at the Custom-house.” STEEVENS (apud Dodsley’s O. P.).
23 But: Old ed. “By.”
24 fraught: i.e. freight.
25 scambled: i.e. scrambled. (Coles gives in his DICT. “To SCAMBLE, certatim arripere”; and afterwards renders “To scramble” by the very same Latin words.)
26 Enter three JEWS: A change of scene is supposed here, —to a street or to the Exchange.
27 Fond: i.e. Foolish.
28 Aside: Mr. Collier (apud Dodsley’s O. P.), mistaking the purport of this stage-direction (which, of course, applies only to the words “UNTO MYSELF”), proposed an alteration of the text.
29 BARABAS. Farewell, Zaareth, &c.: Old ed. “Iew. DOE SO; Farewell Zaareth,” &c. But “Doe so” is evidently a stage-direction which has crept into the text, and which was intended to signify that the Jews DO “take their leaves” of Barabas: —here the old ed. has no “EXEUNT.”
30 Turk has: So the Editor of 1826.—Old ed. “Turkes haue”: but see what follows.
31 Ego mihimet sum semper proximus: The words of Terence are “Proximus sum egomet mihi.” ANDRIA, iv. 1. 12.
32 Exit: The scene is now supposed to be changed to the interior of the Council-house.
33 bassoes: i.e. bashaws.
34 governor: Old ed. “Gouernours” here, and several times after in this scene.
35 CALYMATH. Stand all aside, &c.: “The Governor and the Maltese knights here consult apart, while Calymath gives these directions.” COLLIER (apud Dodsley’s O. P.).
36 happily: i.e. haply.
37 Officer: Old ed. “Reader.”
38 denies: i.e. refuses.
39 convertite: “i.e. convert, as in Shakespeare’s KING JOHN, act v. sc. 1.” STEEVENS (apud Dodsley’s O. P.).
40 Then we’ll take, &c.: In the old ed. this line forms a portion of the preceding speech.
41 ecstasy: Equivalent here to—violent emotion. “The word was anciently used to signify some degree of alienation of mind.” COLLIER (apud Dodsley’s O. P.).
42 Exeunt three Jews: On their departure, the scene is supposed to be changed to a street near the house of Barabas.
43 reduce: If the right reading, is equivalent to—repair. But qy. “redress”?
44 fond: “i.e. foolish.” REED (apud Dodsley’s O. P.).
45 portagues: Portuguese gold coins, so called.
46 sect: “i.e. sex. SECT and SEX were, in our ancient dramatic writers, used synonymously.” REED (apud Dodsley’s O. P.).
47 Enter FRIAR JACOMO, &c.: Old ed. “Enter three Fryars and two Nuns:” but assuredly only TWO Friars figure in this play.
48 Abb.: In the old ed. the prefix to this speech is “1 Nun,” and to the next speech but one “Nun.” That both speeches belong to the Abbess is quite evident.
49 Sometimes: Equivalent here (as frequently in our early writers) to—Sometime.
50 forgive me—: Old ed. “GIUE me—”
51 thus: After this word the old ed. has “|”,—to signify, perhaps, the motion which Barabas was to make here with his hand.
52 forget not: Qy. “forget IT not”
53 Enter BARABAS, with a light: The scene is now before the house of Barabas, which has been turned into a nunnery.
54 [ Thus, like the sad-presaging raven, that tolls The sick man’s passport in her hollow beak Mr. Collier (HIST. OF ENG. DRAM. POET. iii. 136) remarks that these lines are cited (with some variation, and from memory, as the present play was not printed till 1633) in an epigram on T. Deloney, in Guilpin’s SKIALETHEIA OR THE SHADOWE OF TRUTH, 1598,—
“LIKE TO THE FATALL OMINOUS RAVEN, WHICH TOLLS
THE SICK MAN’S DIRGE WITHIN HIS HOLLOW BEAKE,
So every paper-clothed post in Poules
To thee, Deloney, mourningly doth speake,” &c.]
55 of: i.e. on.
56 wake: Old ed. “walke.”
57 Bueno para todos mi ganado no era: Old ed. “Birn para todos, my ganada no er.”
58 [ But stay: what star shines yonder in the east, &c. Shakespeare, it would seem, recollected this passage, when he wrote,—
“But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!”
ROMEO AND JULIET, act ii. sc. 2.]
59 Hermoso placer de los dineros: Old ed. “Hormoso Piarer, de les Denirch.”
60 Enter Ferneze, &c.: The scene is the interior of the Council-house.
61 entreat: i.e. treat.
62 vail’d not: “i.e. did not strike or lower our flags.” STEEVENS (apud Dodsley’s O. P.).
63 Turkish: Old ed. “Spanish.”
64 luff’d and tack’d: Old ed. “LEFT, and TOOKE.”
65 stated: i.e. estated, established, stationed.
66 Enter OFFICERS, &c.: The scene being the market-place.
67 Poor villains, such as were: Old ed. “SUCH AS poore villaines were”, &c.
68 [ into: i.e. unto: see note |, p. 15.
[note |, p. 15, The First Part of Tamburlaine the Great: “| into: Used here (as the word was formerly often used) for UNTO.”]
69 city: The preceding editors have not questioned this word, which I believe to be a misprint.
70 foil’d]=filed, i.e. defiled.
71 [ I’ll have a saying to that nunnery: Compare Barnaby Barnes’s DIVILS CHARTER, 1607;
“Before I do this seruice, lie there, peece; For I must HAUE A SAYING to those bottels. HE DRINKETH. True stingo; stingo, by mine honour.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * I must HAUE A SAYING to you, sir, I must, though you be prouided for his Holines owne mouth; I will be bould to be the Popes taster by his leaue.” Sig. K 3.]
72 plates: “i.e. pieces of silver money.” STEEVENS (apud Dodsley’s O. P.).—Old ed. “plats.”
73 Slave: To the speeches of this Slave the old ed. prefixes “Itha.” and “Ith.”, confounding him with Ithamore.
74 [ Lady Vanity: So Jonson in his FOX, act ii. sc. 3.,
“Get you a cittern, LADY VANITY,
And be a dealer with the virtuous man,” &c.;
and in his DEVIL IS AN ASS, act i. sc. 1.,—
“SATAN. What Vice?
PUG. Why, any: Fraud,
Or Covetousness, or LADY VANITY,
Or old Iniquity.”]
75 Katharine: Old ed. “MATER.”—The name of Mathias’s mother was, as we afterwards learn, Katharine.
76 stay: i.e. forbear, break off our conversation.
77 was: Qy. “was BUT”?
78 O, brave, master: The modern editors strike out the comma after “BRAVE”, understanding that word as an epithet to “MASTER”: but compare what Ithamore says to Barabas in act iv.: “That’s BRAVE, MASTER,” p. 165, first col.
79 your nose: An allusion to the large artificial nose, with which Barabas was represented on the stage. See the passage cited from W. Rowley’s SEARCH FOR MONEY, 1609, in the ACCOUNT OF MARLOWE AND HIS WRITINGS.
80 Ure: i.e. use, practice.
81 a-good: “i.e. in good earnest. Tout de bon.” REED (apud Dodsley’s O. P.).
82 Enter LODOWICK: A change of scene supposed here,—to the outside of Barabas’s house.
83 vow love to him: Old ed. “vow TO LOUE him”: but compare, in Barabas’s next speech but one, “And she VOWS LOVE TO HIM,” &c.
84 made sure: i.e. affianced.
85 [ Ludovico: Old ed. “Lodowicke.”—In act iii. we have,
“I fear she knows—’tis so—of my device
In Don Mathias’ and LODOVICO’S deaths.” p. 162, sec. col.]
86 happily: i.e. haply.
87 [ unsoil’d: “Perhaps we ought to read ‘unfoil’d’, consistently with what Barabas said of her before under the figure of a jewel—
‘The diamond that I talk of NE’ER WAS FOIL’D’.” COLLIER (apud Dodsley’s O. P.). But see that passage, p. 155, sec. col., and note ||. [i.e. note 70.]]
88 cross: i.e. piece of money (many coins being marked with a cross on one side).
89 thou: Old ed. “thee.”
90 resolv’d: “i.e. satisfied.” GILCHRIST (apud Dodsley’s O. P.).
91 Enter BELLAMIRA: She appears, we may suppose, in a veranda or open portico of her house (that the scene is not the interior of the house, is proved by what follows).
92 [ Enter MATHIAS. MATHIAS. This is the place, &c.: The scene is some pert of the town, as Barabas appears “ABOVE,”—in the balcony of a house. (He stood, of course, on what was termed the upper-stage.)
Old ed. thus;
“Enter MATHIAS.
Math. This is the place, now Abigail shall see Whether Mathias holds her deare or no.
Enter Lodow. reading.
Math. What, dares the villain write in such base terms?
Lod. I did it, and reuenge it if thou dar’st.”]
93 Lodovico: Old ed. “Lodowicke.”—See note *, p. 158. (i.e. note 85.)
94 tall: i.e. bold, brave.
95 [ What sight is this!: i.e. What A sight is this! Our early writers often omit the article in such exclamations: compare Shakespeare’s JULIUS CAESAR, act i. sc. 3, where Casca says,
“Cassius, WHAT NIGHT IS THIS!”
(after which words the modern editors improperly retain the interrogation-point of the first folio).]
96 Lodovico: Old ed. “Lodowicke.”
97 [ These arms of mine shall be thy sepulchre: So in Shakespeare’s THIRD PART OF KING HENRY VI., act ii. sc. 5, the Father says to the dead Son whom he has killed in battle,
“THESE ARMS OF MINE shall be thy winding-sheet;
My heart, sweet boy, SHALL BE THY SEPULCHRE,”—
lines, let me add, not to be found in THE TRUE TRAGEDIE OF RICHARD DUKE OF YORKE, on which Shakespeare formed that play.]
98 Katharine: Old ed. “Katherina.”
99 Enter ITHAMORE: The scene a room in the house of Barabas.
100 held in hand: i.e. kept in expectation, having their hopes flattered.
101 bottle-nosed: See note |, p. 157. [i.e. note 79.]
102 Jaques: Old ed. “Iaynes.”
103 sire: Old ed. “sinne” (which, modernised to “sin”, the editors retain, among many other equally obvious errors of the old copy).
104 As: Old ed. “And.”
105 Enter BARABAS: The scene is still within the house of Barabas; but some time is supposed to have elapsed since the preceding conference between Abigail and Friar Jacomo.
106 pretendeth: Equivalent to PORTENDETH; as in our author’s FIRST BOOK OF LUCAN, “And which (ay me) ever PRETENDETH ill,” &c.
107 self: Old ed. “life” (the compositor’s eye having caught “life” in the preceding line).
108 ’less: Old ed. “least.”
109 Well said: See note *, p. 69.
(note *, p. 69, The Second Part of Tamburlaine the Great:
“* Well said: Equivalent to—Well done! as appears from innumerable passages of our early writers: see, for instances, my ed. of Beaumont and Fletcher’s WORKS, vol. i. 328, vol. ii. 445, vol. viii. 254.”)]
110 the proverb says, &c.: A proverb as old as Chaucer’s time: see the SQUIERES TALE, v. 10916, ed. Tyrwhitt.
111 batten: i.e. fatten.
112 pot: Old ed. “plot.”
113 [ thou shalt have broth by the eye: “Perhaps he means—thou shalt SEE how the broth that is designed for thee is made, that no mischievous ingredients enter its composition. The passage is, however, obscure.” STEEVENS (apud Dodsley’s O. P.).—“BY THE EYE” seems to be equivalent to—in abundance. Compare THE CREED of Piers Ploughman:
“Grey grete-heded quenes
With gold BY THE EIGHEN.”
v. 167, ed. Wright (who has no note on the expression): and Beaumont and Fletcher’s KNIGHT OF THE BURNING PESTLE, act ii. sc. 2; “here’s money and gold BY TH’ EYE, my boy.” In Fletcher’s BEGGARS’ BUSH, act iii. sc. 1, we find, “Come, English beer, hostess, English beer BY THE BELLY!”]
114 In few: i.e. in a few words, in short.
115 hebon: i.e. ebony, which was formerly supposed to be a deadly poison.
116 Enter FERNEZE, &c.: The scene is the interior of the Council-house.
117 [ basso: Old ed. “Bashaws” (the printer having added an S by mistake), and in the preceding stage-direction, and in the fifth speech of this scene, “Bashaw”: but in an earlier scene (see p. 148, first col.) we have “bassoes” (and see our author’s TAMBURLAINE, PASSIM).
(From p. 148, this play:
“Enter FERNEZE governor of Malta, KNIGHTS, and OFFICERS; met by CALYMATH, and BASSOES of the TURK.”)]
118 the resistless banks: i.e. the banks not able to resist.
119 [ basilisks: See note ||, p. 25.
(note ||, p. 25, The First Part of Tamburlaine the Great:)
“basilisks: Pieces of ordnance so called. They were of immense size; see Douce’s ILLUST. OF SHAKESPEARE, i. 425.”]
120 Enter FRIAR JACOMO, &c.: Scene, the interior of the Nunnery.
121 [ convers’d with me: She alludes to her conversation with Jacomo, p. 162, sec. col.
(p. 162, second column, this play:
“ABIGAIL. Welcome, grave friar.—Ithamore, be gone.
Exit ITHAMORE.
Know, holy sir, I am bold to solicit thee.
FRIAR JACOMO. Wherein?”)]
122 envied: i.e. hated.
123 practice: i.e. artful contrivance, stratagem.
124 crucified a child: A crime with which the Jews were often charged. “Tovey, in his ANGLIA JUDAICA, has given the several instances which are upon record of these charges against the Jews; which he observes they were never accused of, but at such times as the king was manifestly in great want of money.” REED (apud Dodsley’s O. P.).
125 Enter BARABAS, &c.: Scene a street.
126 to: Which the Editor of 1826 deliberately altered to “like,” means—compared to, in comparison of.
127 Cazzo: Old ed. “catho.”—See Florio’s WORLDE OF WORDES (Ital. and Engl. Dict.) ed. 1598, in v.—“A petty oath, a cant exclamation, generally expressive, among the Italian populace, who have it constantly in their mouth, of defiance or contempt.” Gifford’s note on Jonson’s WORKS, ii. 48.
128 nose: See note |, p. 157. [i.e. note 79.]
129 inmate: Old ed. “inmates.”
130 the burden of my sins Lie heavy, &c.: One of the modern editors altered “LIE” to “Lies”: but examples of similar phraseology,—of a nominative singular followed by a plural verb when a plural genitive intervenes,—are common in our early writers; see notes on Beaumont and Fletcher’s WORKS, vol. v. 7, 94, vol. ix. 185, ed. Dyce.
131 sollars: “i.e. lofts, garrets.” STEEVENS (apud Dodsley’s O. P.).
132 untold: i.e. uncounted.—Old ed. “vnsold.”
133 BARABAS. This is mere frailty: brethren, be content.— Friar Barnardine, go you with Ithamore: You know my mind; let me alone with him.
FRIAR JACOMO. Why does he go to thy house? let him be gone
Old ed. thus;
“BAR. This is meere frailty, brethren, be content. Fryar Barnardine goe you with Ithimore. ITH. You know my mind, let me alone with him; Why does he goe to thy house, let him begone.”]
134 the Turk: “Meaning Ithamore.” COLLIER (apud Dodsley’s O. P.). Compare the last line but one of Barabas’s next speech.
135 covent: i.e. convent.
136 [ Therefore ’tis not requisite he should live: Lest the reader should suspect that the author wrote,
“Therefore ’tis requisite he should not live,” I may observe that we have had before (p. 152, first col.) a similar form of expression,— “It is not necessary I be seen.”]
137 [ fair: See note |||, p. 15. (’15’ sic.)
(note |||, p. 13, The First Part of Tamburlaine the Great:)
“In fair, &c.: Here “FAIR” is to be considered as a
dissyllable: compare, in the Fourth act of our author’s
JEW OF MALTA,
“I’ll feast you, lodge you, give you FAIR words,
And, after that,” &c.”]
138 shall be done: Here a change of scene is supposed, to the interior of Barabas’s house.
139 Friar, awake: Here, most probably, Barabas drew a curtain, and discovered the sleeping Friar.
140 have: Old ed. “saue.”
141 [ What time o’ night is’t now, sweet Ithamore?
ITHAMORE. Towards one: Might be adduced, among other passages, to shew that the modern editors are right when they print in Shakespeare’s KING JOHN. act iii. sc. 3,
“If the midnight bell
Did, with his iron tongue and brazen mouth,
Sound ONE into the drowsy ear of NIGHT,” &c.]
142 Enter FRIAR JACOMO: The scene is now before Barabas’s house,—the audience having had to SUPPOSE that the body of Barnardine, which Ithamore had set upright, was standing outside the door.
143 proceed: Seems to be used here as equivalent to—succeed.
144 on’s: i.e. of his.
145 [ Enter BELLAMIRA, &c.: The scene, as in p. 160, a veranda or open portico of Bellamira’s house.
(p. 160, this play:)
“Enter BELLAMIRA. (91)
BELLAMIRA. Since this town was besieg’d,” etc.]
146 tall: Which our early dramatists generally use in the sense of—bold, brave (see note ||, p. 161), [i.e. note 94: is here perhaps equivalent to—handsome. (“Tall or SEMELY.” PROMPT. PARV. ed. 1499.)
147 neck-verse: i.e. the verse (generally the beginning of the 51st Psalm, MISERERE MEI, &c.) read by a criminal to entitle him to benefit of clergy.
148 of: i.e. on.
149 exercise: i.e. sermon, preaching.
150 [ with a muschatoes: i.e. with a pair of mustachios. The modern editors print “with MUSTACHIOS,” and “with a MUSTACHIOS”: but compare,—
“My Tuskes more stiffe than are a Cats MUSCHATOES.”
S. Rowley’s NOBLE SPANISH SOLDIER, 1634, Sig. C.
“His crow-black MUCHATOES.”
THE BLACK BOOK,—Middleton’s WORKS, v. 516, ed. Dyce.]
151 [ Turk of tenpence: An expression not unfrequently used by our early writers. So Taylor in some verses on Coriat;
“That if he had A TURKE OF TENPENCE bin,” &c.
WORKES, p. 82, ed. 1630.
And see note on Middleton’s WORKS, iii. 489, ed. Dyce.]
152 you know: Qy. “you know, SIR,”?
153 [ I’ll make him, &c.: Old ed. thus:
“I’le make him send me half he has, & glad he scapes so too.
PEN AND INKE:
I’ll write vnto him, we’le haue mony strait.”
There can be no doubt that the words “Pen and inke” were a direction to the property-man to have those articles on the stage.]
154 cunning: i.e. skilfully prepared.—Old ed. “running.” (The MAIDS are supposed to hear their mistress’ orders WITHIN.)
155 Shalt live with me, and be my love: A line, slightly varied, of Marlowe’s well-known song. In the preceding line, the absurdity of “by Dis ABOVE” is, of course, intentional.
156 beard: Old ed. “sterd.”
157 [ give me a ream of paper: we’ll have a kingdom of gold for’t: A quibble. REALM was frequently written ream; and frequently (as the following passages shew), even when the former spelling was given, the L was not sounded;
“Vpon the siluer bosome of the STREAME
First gan faire Themis shake her amber locks,
Whom all the Nimphs that waight on Neptunes REALME
Attended from the hollowe of the rocks.”
Lodge’s SCILLAES METAMORPHOSIS, &c. 1589, Sig. A 2.
“How he may surest stablish his new conquerd REALME,
How of his glorie fardest to deriue the STREAME.”
A HERINGS TAYLE, &c. 1598, Sig. D 3.
“Learchus slew his brother for the crowne;
So did Cambyses fearing much the DREAME;
Antiochus, of infamous renowne,
His brother slew, to rule alone the REALME.”
MIROUR FOR MAGISTRATES, p. 78, ed. 1610.]
158 runs division: “A musical term [of very common occurrence].” STEEVENS (apud Dodsley’s O. P.).
159 Enter BARABAS: The scene certainly seems to be now the interior of Barabas’s house, notwithstanding what he presently says to Pilia-Borza (p. 171, sec. col.), “Pray, when, sir, shall I see you at my house?”
160 tatter’d: Old ed. “totter’d”: but in a passage of our author’s EDWARD THE SECOND the two earliest 4tos have “TATTER’D robes”:—and yet Reed in a note on that passage (apud Dodsley’s OLD PLAYS, where the reading of the third 4to, “tottered robes”, is followed) boldly declares that “in every writer of this period the word was spelt TOTTERED”! The truth is, it was spelt sometimes one way, sometimes the other.
161 catzery: i.e. cheating, roguery. It is formed from CATSO (CAZZO, see note *, p. 166 i.e. note 127), which our early writers used, not only as an exclamation, but as an opprobrious term.
162 cross-biting: i.e. swindling (a cant term).—Something has dropt out here.
163 tale: i.e. reckoning.
164 [ what he writes for you: i.e. the hundred crowns to be given to the bearer: see p. 170, sec. col.
p. 170, second column, this play:
“ITHAMORE. [writing: SIRRAH JEW, AS YOU LOVE YOUR LIFE,
SEND ME FIVE HUNDRED CROWNS, AND GIVE THE BEARER A HUNDRED.
—Tell him I must have’t.”]
165 I should part: Qy. “I E’ER should part”?
166 rid: i.e. despatch, destroy.
167 Enter BELLAMIRA, &c.: They are supposed to be sitting in a veranda or open portico of Bellamira’s house: see note *, p. 168. [i.e. note 145.
168 Of: i.e. on.
169 BELLAMIRA.: Old ed. “Pil.”
170 [ Rivo Castiliano: The origin of this Bacchanalian exclamation has not been discovered. RIVO generally is used alone; but, among passages parallel to that of our text, is the following one (which has been often cited),—
“And RYUO will he cry and CASTILE too.”
LOOKE ABOUT YOU, 1600, Sig. L. 4.
A writer in THE WESTMINSTER REVIEW, vol. xliii. 53, thinks that it “is a misprint for RICO-CASTELLANO, meaning a Spaniard belonging to the class of RICOS HOMBRES, and the phrase therefore is—
‘Hey, NOBLE CASTILIAN, a man’s a man!’ ‘I can pledge like a man and drink like a man, MY WORTHY TROJAN;’ as some of our farce-writers would say.” But the frequent occurrence of RIVO in various authors proves that it is NOT a misprint.]
171 he: Old ed. “you”.
172 [ and he and I, snicle hand too fast, strangled a friar] There is surely some corruption here. Steevens (apud Dodsley’s O. P.) proposes to read “hand TO FIST”. Gilchrist (ibid.) observes, “a snicle is a north-country word for a noose, and when a person is hanged, they say he is snicled.” See too, in V. SNICKLE, Forby’s VOC. OF EAST ANGLIA, and the CRAVEN DIALECT.—The Rev. J. Mitford proposes the following (very violent) alteration of this passage;
“Itha. I carried the broth that poisoned the nuns; and he and I— Pilia. Two hands snickle-fast— Itha. Strangled a friar.”]
173 incony: i.e. fine, pretty, delicate.—Old ed. “incoomy.”
174 they stink like a hollyhock: “This flower, however, has no offensive smell. STEEVENS (apud Dodsley’s O. P.). Its odour resembles that of the poppy.
175 mushrooms: For this word (as, indeed, for most words) our early writers had no fixed spelling. Here the old ed. has “Mushrumbs”: and in our author’s EDWARD THE SECOND, the 4tos have “mushrump.”
176 [ under the elder when he hanged himself: That Judas hanged himself on an elder-tree, was a popular legend. Nay, the very tree was exhibited to the curious in Sir John Mandeville’s days: “And faste by, is zit the Tree of Eldre, that Judas henge him self upon, for despeyt that he hadde, whan he solde and betrayed oure Lorde.” VOIAGE AND TRAVAILE, &c. p. 112. ed. 1725. But, according to Pulci, Judas had recourse to a carob-tree:
“Era di sopra a la fonte UN CARRUBBIO,
L’ARBOR, SI DICE, OVE S’IMPICCO GIUDA,” &c.
MORGANTE MAG. C. xxv. st. 77.]
177 nasty: Old ed. “masty.”
178 me: Old ed. “we”.
179 Enter Ferneze, &c.: Scene, the interior of the Council-house.
180 him: Qy. “’em”?
181 Exeunt all, leaving Barabas on the floor: Here the audience were to suppose that Barabas had been thrown over the walls, and that the stage now represented the outside of the city.
182 Bassoes: Here old ed. “Bashawes.” See note §, p. 164. [Footnote i.e. note 117.]
183 trench: A doubtful reading.—Old ed. “Truce.”—“Query ‘sluice’? ‘TRUCE’ seems unintelligible.” COLLIER (apud Dodsley’s O. P.).—The Rev. J. Mitford proposes “turret” or “tower.”
184 channels: i.e. kennels.
185 Enter CALYMATH, &c.: Scene, an open place in the city.
186 vail: i.e. lower, stoop.
187 To kept: i.e. To have kept.
188 Entreat: i.e. Treat.
189 Bassoes: Here old ed. “Bashawes.” See note §, p. 164. [Footnote i.e. note 117.]
190 Thus hast thou gotten, &c.: A change of scene is supposed here—to the Citadel, the residence of Barabas as governor.
191 [ Whenas: i.e. When.
192 Within here: The usual exclamation is “Within THERE!” but compare THE HOGGE HATH LOST HIS PEARLE (by R. Tailor), 1614; “What, ho! within HERE!” Sig. E 2.
193 sith: i.e. since.
194 cast: i.e. plot, contrive.
195 Bassoes: Here and afterwards old ed. “Bashawes.” See note §, p. 164. [i.e. note 117.]—Scene, outside the walls of the city.
196 [ basilisk[s: See note ||, p. 25.
[note ||, p. 25, The First Part of Tamburlaine the Great: “|| basilisks: Pieces of ordnance so called. They were of immense size; see Douce’s ILLUST. OF SHAKESPEARE, i. 425.”]
197 [ And, toward Calabria, &c.: So the Editor of 1826.—Old ed. thus:
“And toward Calabria back’d by Sicily,
Two lofty Turrets that command the Towne.
WHEN Siracusian Dionisius reign’d;
I wonder how it could be conquer’d thus?”]
198 Enter FERNEZE, &c.: Scene, a street.
199 linstock: “i.e. the long match with which cannon are fired.” STEEVENS (apud Dodsley’s O. P.).
200 Enter, above, &c.: Scene, a hall in the Citadel, with a gallery.
201 FIRST CARPENTER.: Old ed. here “Serv.”; but it gives “CARP.” as the prefix to the second speech after this.
202 off: An interpolation perhaps.
203 sun: Old ed. “summe.”
204 ascend: Old ed. “attend.”
205 [ A charge sounded within: FERNEZE cuts the cord; the floor of the gallery gives way, and BARABAS falls into a caldron placed in a pit.
Enter KNIGHTS and MARTIN DEL BOSCO
Old ed. has merely “A charge, the cable cut, A Caldron discouered.”]
206 Christian: Old ed. “Christians.”
207 train: i.e. stratagem.
208 pretended: i.e. intended.
209 mediate: Old ed. “meditate.”
210 all: Old ed. “call.”
Square Brackets: The square brackets, i.e. are copied from the printed book, without change, except that the stage directions usually do not have closing brackets. These have been added.
FOOTNOTES: For this E-Text version of the book, the footnotes have been consolidated at the end of the play.
Numbering of the footnotes has been changed, and each footnote is given a unique identity in the form [XXX].
CHANGES TO THE TEXT: Character names were expanded. For Example, BARABAS was BARA., FERNEZE was FERN., etc.