FOOTNOTES:
This procession is copied from a print in the British Museum, by Josse Amman, who died in 1591.
—argosies; A name given, in our author's time, to ships of great burthen. The name is supposed by some to be derived from the classical ship, Argo, as a vessel eminently famous.
Plucking the; By holding up the grass, or any light body that will bend by a gentle blast, the direction of the wind is found.
—my wealthy Andrew; The name of the ship.
Vailing her high-top; To vail is "to lower," or "let fall."
Let me play the fool; Alluding to the common comparison of human life to a stage-play. So that he desires his may be the fool's or buffoon's part, which was a constant character in the old farces; from whence came the phrase, to play the fool.—WARBURTON.
—whose visages do cream; The poet here alludes to the manner in which the film extends itself over milk in scalding; and he had the same appearance in his eye when writing a foregoing line: "With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come."—HENLEY.
—a wilful stillness entertain,; Id est, an obstinate silence.
let no dog bark!; This seems to be a proverbial expression.
—'twould almost damn those ears; The author's meaning is this:—That some people are thought wise whilst they keep silence; who, when they open their mouths, are such stupid praters, that the hearers cannot help calling them fools, and so incur the judgment denounced in the Gospel.—THEOBALD.
I'll end my exhortation after dinner.'; The humour of this consists in its being an allusion to the practice of the Puritan preachers of those times, who being generally very long and tedious, were often forced to put off that part of their sermon called the exhortation, till after dinner.—WARBURTON.
—for this gear.; A colloquial expression, meaning for this matter.
In a neat's tongue dried,; Neat, horned cattle of the Ox species.
—a more swelling port; Port, in the present instance, comprehends the idea of expensive equipage, and external pomp of appearance.