^PRiL 16. 1853.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



?77 



tiian a cosioner, and whose pretensions are to be 

 resisted. 



6. A Promoter, generally both a beggar and a 

 knave. Tliis is the modern informer, " a neces- 

 Barie office," says Lord Coke, " but rarely filled by 

 an honest man." 



7. The Monopolitane or Monopolist ; with these 

 the country was overrun in James' reign. " To 

 annoy and hinder the public weale, these for their 

 own benefit have sold their lands, and then come 

 to beggarie by a starch, vinegar, or aqiia vitce mo- 

 nopoly, and justly too," adds his lordship. 



8. Lord Coke has no objection to those golden 

 Jooles, the Alcumists, so long as they keep to their 



metaphisicall and Paracelsian studies ; but science 

 is felony committed by any comixture to multiply 

 either gold or silver; the alchymist is therefore a 

 suspected character, and to be looked after by the 

 jury. 



9. V.igrants to be resolutely put down, the 

 statute against whom had worked well. 



10. The stage-players find no favour with this 

 5tern judge, who tells the jury that as they, the 

 players, cannot perform without leave, it is easy 

 to be rid of them, remarking, that the country is 

 much troubled by them. 



11. Taverns, Inns, Ale-houses, Bowling Allies, 

 ^nd such like thriftless places of resort for trades- 

 men and artificers, to be under strict surveillance. 



12. Gallants, or riotous young gents, to be 

 sharply looked aftei", and their proceedings con- 

 trolled. 



13. Gentlemen with greyhounds and birding- 

 pieces, who would elude the statutes against gunnes, 

 to be called to account " for the shallow-brain'd 

 idlenesse of their ridiculous foolery." 



14. The statute against ryotous expence in ap- 

 parel to be put in foi'ce against unthriftie in- 

 fractors. 



There is room here for a few Queries, but I 

 content myself with asking for a further reference 

 to No. 4., " The Salt-peter-man." J. O. 



SHAKSPEAKE COREESPONDENCE. 



Dogberry s Losses or Leases. — Much Ado about 

 Nothing, Act IV. Sc. 4. : 



" Dogberry. A rich fellow enough, go to : and a 

 fellow that hath had losses ; and one that hath two 

 ^owns, and everything handsome about him." 



I can quite sympathise with the indignation of 

 Eome of my cotemporaries at the alteration by Mr. 

 Payne Collier's mysterious corrector, of "losses" 

 into " leases." I am sorry to see a reading which 

 ive had cherished without any misgiving as a bit 

 of Shaksperian quaintness, and consecrated by the 

 humour of Gray and Charles Lamb, turned into a 

 clumsy misprint. But we must look at real pro- 

 babilities, not at fancies and predilections. I am 



afraid " leases " is the likelier word. It has also 

 a special fitness, which has not been hitherto re-;- 

 marked. Many of the wealthy people of Eliza- 

 beth's reign, particularly in the middle class, were 

 " fellows that had had leases." It will be recol- 

 lected that extravagant leases or fines were among 

 the methods by which the possessions of the church 

 were so grievously dilapidated in the age of the 

 Reformation. Those who had a little money to 

 invest, could not do so on more advantageous 

 terms than by obtaining such leases as the ne- 

 cessity or avarice of clerical and other corporations 

 induced them to grant ; and the coincident fall 

 in the value of money increased the gain of the 

 lessees, and loss of the corporations, to an extra- 

 ordinary amount. Throughout Elizabeth's reign 

 parliament was at work in restraining this abuse, 

 by the well-known "disabling acts," restricting 

 the power of bishops and corporations to lease 

 their property. The last was passed, I think, only 

 in 1601. And therefore a "rich fellow*' of Dog- 

 berry's class was described, to the thorough com- 

 prehension and enjoyment of an audience of that 

 day, as one who " had had leases." Scrutator. 



May I be allowed a little space in the pages of 

 " N. & Q." to draw Mr. Collier's attention to 

 some passages in Avhich the old corrector appears 

 to me to have corrupted, rather than improved, 

 the text ? Possibly on second thoughts Mr. Col- 

 lier may be induced to withdraw these readings 

 from the text of his forthcoming edition of our 

 great poet. I give the pages of Mr. Collier's 

 recent volume, and quote according to the old 

 corrector. 



Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act II. Sc. 2., p. 21. : 



" That I, unworthy body, as I can, 

 Should censure thus a loving gentleman." 



Can for am spoils the sense ; it was introduced 

 unnecessarily to make a perfect rhyme, but such 

 rhymes as am and man were common in Shak- 

 speare's time. Loving for lovely is another mo- 

 dernism ; lovely is equivalent to the French 

 aimable. " Saul and Jonathan were lovely and 

 pleasant in their lives," &c. The whole passage,, 

 which is indeed faulty in the old copies, should, I 

 think, be read thus : 



" 'Tis a passing shame 

 That I, unworthy body that I am, 

 Should censure on a lovely gentleman. 



Jul. Why not on Proteus as on all the rest ? 



Luc. Then thus, — of many good I think him best." 



Thus crept in after censure from the next line but 

 one. In Julia's speech, grammar requires on for 



of 



Measure for Measure, Act IV. Sc. 5., p. 52. : 



" For my authority bears such a credent bulk," &c. 



Fols. " q/"a credent bulk," read " so credent bulk." 



