The Choise of Valentines | Page 7

geare?If Cicelie shewe but of thy knauerie heere. 292
Saint Denis shield me from such female sprites!?Regarde not, Dames, what Cupids Poete writes:?I pennd this storie onelie for my selfe,?Who, giuing suck unto a childish Elfe, 296
And quitte discourag'd in my nurserie,?Since all my store seemes to hir penurie.?I am not as was Hercules the stout,?That to the seaventh iournie could hould out; 300
I want those hearbe's and rootes of Indian soile,?That strengthen wearie members in their toile--?Druggs and Electuaries of new devise,?Doe shunne my purse, that trembles at the price. 304
Sufficeth all I haue, I yeald hir hole?Which, for a poore man, is a princelie dole,?I paie our hostess scott and lott at moste,?And looke as leane and lank as anie ghoste; 308
What can be added more to my renowne??She lyeth breathlesse; I am taken doune;?The waves doe swell, the tydes climbe or'e the banks;?Judge, gentlemen! if I deserue not thanks? 312
And so, good night! unto you euer'ie one;?For loe, our thread is spunne, our plaie is donne.
Claudito iam vinos Priapa, sat prata biberunt [sic[j]].
Tho. Nash.
[Illustration]
_Thus[k] hath my penne presum'd to please my friend--?Oh mightst thou lykewise please Apollo's eye.?No, Honor brooke's no such impietie,?Yett Ouids wanton Muse did not offend.
He is the fountaine whence my streames doe flowe--?Forgive me if I speake as I was taught,?A lyke to women, utter all I knowe,?As longing to unlade so bad a fraught.
My mynde once purg'd of such lasciuious witt,?With purifide words and hallowed verse,?Thy praises in large volumes shall rehearce,?That better maie thy grauer view befitt.
Meanewhile yett rests, you smile at what I write;?Or, for attempting, banish me your sight._
Thomas Nash.
FOOT- AND LINE NOTES
[k] Quite detached, on page 94 of the Rawl. MS. (the text?commences on page 96), are a few lines entitled "The Epilogue," which are obviously part of the above, albeit more than usually imperfectly copied. Why so placed does not appear, especially as several blank pages immediately follow the conclusion of the Bodleian copy.
Title, The Choosing of Valentines, Nashes Dildo.
2 yong_, younge; _their iollie roguerie_, their brauery; _iollie, Fr. joli_, pretty, fine. _Bravery_, finery; _Cf_. Holinshed's Chron. of Eng., 55_--The ancient Britons painted their bodies "which they esteemed a great braverie."
3 Rose earelie in the morne fore, Rose in the morning before; daie, daye.
4 soe trimme and gaie, soe fresh and gaye.
5 summer sheene, somers shene.
6 haidegaies on, high degree in.
7 alas at Easter, or, allso at Ester and.
8 Perambulate, preambulate.
9 to som_, into some; _abbordring, bordering.
10 taste the creame and cakes, tast the cakes and creame.
11 Or, To.
12 by Bachelrie of Maningtree, by the bachelours of magnanimity. "Manningtree, in Essex, formerly enjoyed the privilege of fairs, by the tenure of exhibiting a certain number of stage plays yearly. It appears also, from other intimations, that there were great festivities there, and much good eating, at Whitsun ales, and other times."--Nares.
13 Where to, the contrie franklins, Whether our Country Franklins.
14 Jhon and Jone com, John and Joane come.
15 Euen_, Even; _hallowes_, Hallowes; _Saint, Sainct.
16 doeth_, doth; _louers_, lovers; _those, omitted in Rawlinson.
17 ladies, Ladyes.
18 she_, shee; _valentine, valentyne.
19 woe, alass, out, alas.
20 an upper, another.
21 _-haft and crab-tree face_, with his crabbed face.
22 scar'd hir_, scard her; _the, that.
23 And now she was compel'd for Sanctuarie, And she, poore wench, compeld for Sanctuary.
24 unto_, into; _venery, Venery.
25 bouldlie,_, bouldly; _enquire, inquire.
26 hackneis, hackneyes. Hackney, a person or thing let out for promiscuous use, e.g._, a horse, a whore, a literary drudge. _Cf. "The hobby-horse is but a colt, and your love perhaps a?hackney."--Love's Labour Lost, iii., 1.
27 crau'd, craud.
29 Therwith out stept_, With that, stept forth; _three chinnd, three-chinde. Foggie = fat, bloated, having hanging flesh. Cf. "Some three chind foggie dame."--Dolarney, Primrose.
30 us'd_, vsd; _yong, younge.
31 ask't_, askt; _I ment as I profest, soothe were my request.
32 onelie ask't, onely moud.
33 it, yt.
34 com_, come; _give_, giue; _Jill, Gill.
35 "Why, Sir." quoth shee, "if that be your demande," "If that yt be," quoth she, "that you demaunde."
36 Com laye me a God's-pennie, then giue me first a godes peny. "God's-pennie, an earnest-pennie."--Florio, p. 36.
37 oratorie siccarlie, oratory, siccarly. "Oratory," properly a private chapel or closet for prayer; here a canting term for brothel: cf. abbess = bawd; nun = whore, and so forth. "Siccarly," certainly, surely "Thou art here, sykerlye, Thys churche to robb with felonye," MS. Cantab Ff. ii., 38, f. 240.
38 heere_, in; _nicarie_, deuory. "Nick," female _pudendum: hence nickery, copulation. Deuory may either be Fr. devoir, duty; or devoure, to ravish, to deflower.
39 offertorie, affidavit.
40 wee'le, Ile.
41 hearing hir so ernest, seeing her soe earnest.
42 Gave hir hir_, I gaue her her; _and she the dore unlocks, and she the doare vnlockes.
43 In am I entered_, Nowe I am entered; _venus, sweet Venus.
44 where's this female_, where's the female; _do this, do the.
45 By_,